City of Fairfax Community Services and Recreation

City of Fairfax Community Services and Recreation. . , The City of Fairfax , since its settlement in the 1700s , has been at the heart of Northern Virginia's government and business activities. Home to more than 20,000 residents and 23,000 business and government employees, Fairfax is an independent jurisdiction with a distinct history and character. The city is well known throughout the region for its many recreational activities. The City of Fairfax protects the strength of its proud history, enjoys the present and accepts the challenges of its future., History , The area that now comprises the City of Fairfax was first settled in the early 1700s by farmers pushing out from the Tidewater region of Virginia. In 1742, Fairfax County was established and the county court moved from Alexandria (which had temporarily become part of the District of Columbia) to the corner of Little River Turnpike and Ox Road, then as now a major crossroads. The little town surrounding the court was then known as Earp's Corner and in 1805 as the Town of Providence. However, for years it was commonly called "Fairfax Court House" and was officially renamed "Fairfax" in 1874., Fairfax was the scene of several noteworthy events during the Civil War. Captain John Quincy Marr, the first officer casualty of the Confederacy, was killed at Fairfax Courthouse June 1, 1861. By late 1862, Union forces under the command of Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton occupied the town. In an audacious raid led by Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby in March of 1863, Stoughton was captured while he slept in a house which belongs to Truro Episcopal Church., Throughout the early 20th century, the Town of Fairfax remained a community of farms with a small business and judicial community surrounding the courthouse. But in the 1950s and '60s, Fairfax grew rapidly and in 1961, the town was incorporated as the City of Fairfax., During the 1980s, thriving local businesses, development in neighboring Fairfax County and the expansion of George Mason University means that, today, the city is actually serving a population of about 100,000., Trail System , Fairfax is continually developing its trail system which includes routes to all major city activities, Metrorail and the Historic District which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in October 1987. The city offers four types of trails: ,

Bike Trails - specifically designed for bikes, asphalt and distinctly marked , Bike/Walk Trails - most common type of trail, designed for biking, walking and jogging, asphalt or hard packed crushed stone , Shared Sidewalks - sidewalks shared by cyclists and walkers (for example, a section of Chain Bridge Road) , Shared Roads - trails shared with lightly traveled roads

, [Sites of interest with relevant historical information shared:] , Ratcliffe-Allison House , 10386 Main Street , 703/385-8414 , Open on special occasions , National Register of Historic Places , Built c. 1812; restored 1995, Old Fairfax Court House , 4000 Chain Bridge Road , 703/385-8414 , Open by appointment , National Register of Historic Places , Built 1800 , George and Martha Washington's Will recorded here, Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center , 10209 Main Street , 703/385-8414 , Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., daily , A 19th-century schoolhouse with local history displays , Guided walking tours spring-fall, Old Town Hall 📞 , 3999 University Drive , 703/384-7858 , Built by Joseph E. Willard, co-owner of the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, in 1900 and presented to the town to be used as a social gathering place , Renovated in 1987 and 1995 , Open for special events , Available for rent , Limited kitchen facilities