Annandale, Virginia is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County. It consists of 7.86 square miles on the coastal plain that is separated from the piedmont by the Fall Line.
?Annandale took its name from Annandale, Scotland in the United Kingdom. Its history dates back to 1685 when an English settler named Colonel William H. Fitzhugh bought 24,000 acres of untamed land and converted it into one of the largest tobacco plantations in Northern Virginia. His descendants would eventually name this tract of land “Ravensworth.” It was the single largest parcel of land granted in Northern Virginia. It included, not by accident, clear and easy access to the Accotink drainage basin by way of a road bed that would later become Backlick Road. This was so that the tobacco crops could be easily rolled to the water for transport. Fitzhugh’s descendants split and divided the land by way of inheritance. In 1806 Annandale was linked with Alexandria and Fairfax via the Little River Turnpike. Annandale gained a Post Office in 1837, and by that time the plantation lords were gone, having given way to smaller, hard-working farmers who introduced crop rotation and did away with slavery. In 1846 the first church was built in Annandale. During the Civil War, Union troops camped on the grounds and then burned the church down. In 1918, Lake Accotink was created by the building of the Springfield Dam. It was a water source for troops during World War I stationed at Army Camp A.A. Humphreys. The Fairfax County Parks and Recreation department leased and eventually bought the lake after the war.
Today, Lake Accotink Park is a popular recreation area. It has winding bike trails, ample opportunities for fishing, and boat rentals. Along Accotink Creek runs the Fairfax Cross County Trail (CCT), which provides residents with 20 miles of unbroken biking, running, hiking, and cross-country skiing. It twists and turns through parks and forests that are great for spotting wildlife like geese, fox, deer, and all sorts of native birds. The creek itself is stocked with trout, and is another popular fishing spot.
Downtown Annandale is also known as Koreatown, due to the large population of South Korean immigrants it has attracted through the years. A quarter of Annandale’s population is Asian, and this manifests in the hundreds of businesses and restaurants catering not only to South Korean expatriates, but to the entire Annandale community as well.
The school system in Annandale is large and diverse, encompassing both public and private schools, including Annandale High School which has one of the area’s few International Baccalaureate programs. On the level of higher education, Annandale contains the oldest and largest brand of the Northern Virginia Community College system.
The estimated median home value in Annandale is $409,324, which puts it above the average for Virginia overall, but lower than some surrounding communities. There are a number of beautiful houses in Annandale for sale; if you are interested in looking at one, talk with a qualified Realtor today!
1577 Spring Hill Road - Suite 300B
Vienna, VA 22182