Mount Vernon, Virginia

Mount Vernon, Virginia
Census-designated place

Mount Vernon post office (2009)

Location of Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia
Coordinates: 38°44′07″N 77°05′43″W / 38.73528°N 77.09528°WCoordinates: 38°44′07″N 77°05′43″W / 38.73528°N 77.09528°W
Country United States
State Virginia
County Fairfax
Area
 • Total 6.07 sq mi (15.7 km2)
 • Land 5.24 sq mi (13.6 km2)
 • Water 0.83 sq mi (2.1 km2)
Elevation 79 ft (24 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 12,416
 • Density 2,000/sq mi (790/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 22121
Area code(s) 703, 571
FIPS code 51-54144[1]
GNIS feature ID 2391234

Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,416 at the 2010 census.[1]

While the name "Mount Vernon"—drawn from the Mount Vernon plantation, the home of George Washington located south of Alexandria—is often used locally to refer to the entire unincorporated area between Old Town Alexandria and Fort Belvoir, Mount Vernon as defined by the Census Bureau encompasses only the portion bounded by the Potomac River to the south, Fort Belvoir to the west, U.S. Route 1 to the north, and Little Hunting Creek to the east.[2]

History

Beginning with the 2010 United States Census, the U.S. Census Bureau defined the portion of Mount Vernon north of U.S. Route 1 as a separate CDP, Woodlawn, reducing Mount Vernon's land area by approximately a third and its population by more than half.[2]

Geography

Mount Vernon is located at 39°44′07″N 77°05′43″W / 39.7351590°N 77.0953670°W (38.7351590, -77.0953670) at an elevation of 79 feet (24 m).[3] Located on U.S. Route 1 in Northern Virginia, Mount Vernon is 13 miles (21 km) south-southwest of downtown Washington, D.C. and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Fairfax, the county seat.[4]

Mount Vernon sits on the Atlantic Coastal Plain on the north side of the Potomac River.[5][6] Two small tributaries of the river flow south through the CDP: Dogue Creek runs through the western part of the CDP, and Little Hunting Creek forms the CDP's eastern border.[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.07 square miles (15.7 km2) of which 5.24 square miles (13.6 km2) is land and 0.83 square miles (2.1 km2) (14%) is water.[2]

As a suburb of Washington, D.C., Mount Vernon is a part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. It borders other Washington suburbs on all sides, including: Woodlawn and Hybla Valley to the north, Fort Hunt to the east, Accokeek and Bryans Road, Maryland across the Potomac River to the southeast, and Fort Belvoir to the west.[5][7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
198024,058—
199027,48514.2%
200028,5824.0%
201012,416−56.6%
Est. 201312,8493.5%
* U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 census, there were 12,416 people, 4,563 households, and 3,483 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,369.5 people per square mile (912.9/km²). There were 4,681 housing units at an average density of 910.9 per square mile (344.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.5% White, 12.8% African American, 6.7% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 5.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 13.5% of the population.[1]

There were 4,563 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. Of all households, 18.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72, and the average family size was 3.09.[1]

The median age was 42.9 years. 24.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.9% was 18 to 24, 23.1% was 25 to 44, 31.2% was 45 to 64, and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the community was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.[1]

The median income for a household in the CDP was $114,016, and the median income for a family was $126,219. Males had a median income of $87,757 versus $62,944 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $56,733. About 6.2% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under the age of 18 and 5.7% of those 65 and older.[1]

Notable people

Mount Vernon is, most famously, the home of the first President of the United States, General of the Armies, and tobacco planter George Washington and his wife Martha Dandridge Custis Washington.[8]

Other notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Mount Vernon include:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Virginia: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. July 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  4. ↑ "Mount Vernon, VA". Google Earth.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Mount Vernon, VA". Google Maps. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  6. ↑ "Physiographic Map of Virginia". College of William & Mary. 1999. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  7. ↑ "Virginia: 2010 - Summary Population and Housing Characteristics" (PDF). July 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  8. ↑ "Biography of George Washington". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved 2015-02-27.