Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has a median household income of $146,922, the second-highest household income of any county in the nation behind Loudoun County, Virginia.

Taking its name from the Falls Church, an 18th-century parish of the Church of England, later the Episcopal Church, Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875.

In 1948, it seceded from Fairfax County and was incorporated as the City of Falls Church, an independent city with county-level governance status although it is not nominally a county.

The city's corporate boundaries do not include all of the area historically known as Falls Church; these areas include portions of Seven Corners and other portions of the current Falls Church postal districts in Fairfax County and Arlington County, known as East Falls Church, which was part of the town of Falls Church from 1875 to 1936.Gernard and Netherton, Falls Church: A Virginia Village Revisited, p.65. For statistical purposes, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Falls Church with Fairfax City and Fairfax County.

At , Falls Church is the smallest incorporated municipality in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the smallest county-equivalent municipality in the United States.

Etymology The independent city of Falls Church is named for the Falls Church, a parish founded in 1734 under the Church of England (later Episcopal Church). The Falls Church was founded at the intersection of important Native American trails that were later paved and named Broad Street, Lee Highway and Little Falls Street. The church's name was derived from its proximity to the Little Falls of the Potomac River, a set of rapids located several miles to the northeast. These "falls" were a well-known landmark to early colonists and surveyors in the 18th century, and the church became associated with them despite being some distance inland.

Over time, the community surrounding the church near the falls came to be identified simply as "Falls Church", and the name persisted as civic and administrative structures developed. When the area was incorporated as an independent city in 1948, the name was officially retained, reflecting both the continuity of local identity and the long-standing influence of the church.

History

The first known government in the area was the Iroquois Confederacy.Bradley E. Gernand and Nan Netherton, Falls Church—A Virginia Village Revisited. Virginia Beach: The Donning Company, 2000. Page 13, citing interviews with Fairfax County archaeologists Michael Johnson and Martha Williams. After exploration by Captain John Smith, England began sending colonists to what they called Virginia.Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 13, citing Fairfax Harrison, The Landmarks of Old Prince William, pp. 143, 148. While no records have yet been found showing the earliest colony settlement in the area, a cottage demolished between 1908 and 1914, two blocks from the city center, bore a stone engraved with the date "1699" set into one of its two large chimneys.Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 13, citing Melvin Steadman, Falls Church By Fence and Fireside, pp. iii, x.

During the American Revolution, the area is most known for the Falls Church vestrymen George Washington and George Mason.Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 27, citing Emily Salmon and Edward Campell, Hornbook of Virginia History, pp. 27–29; Nan Netherton, Fairfax County, pp. 102–103; Tony Wrenn, Falls Church—History of a Village, p. 6. A copy of the United States Declaration of Independence was read to citizens from the steps of the Falls Church during the summer of 1776.Gernand and Netherton, Falls Church, p. 28, citing Beekman, Bridges and the City of Washington, pp. v, 1, 3.

During the American Civil War, Falls Church voted 44–26 in favor of secession.Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 22–29, quoting Southern Claims Commission case files and Evening Star newspaper articles. The Confederate army occupied the then village of Falls Church as well as Munson's and Upton's hills to the East, probably due to their views of Washington.Gernand, pp. 56–62, quoting Evening Star, New York Times and Hartford Courant newspaper articles and regimental histories. On September 28, 1861, Confederate troops withdrew from Falls Church and nearby hills, retreating to the heights at Centreville. Union troops took Munson's and Upton's hills, yet the village was never entirely brought under Union rule.Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 98–100, quoting newspaper articles published in the New York Times, Evening Star, Elmira Weekly Advertiser, Buffalo Daily Courier, several regimental histories, and soldiers' letters home. Mosby's Raiders made several armed incursions into the heart of Falls Church to kidnap and murder suspected Northern sympathizers in 1864 and 1865.Gernand, A Virginia Village Goes to War, pp. 191–195, 200–201, 203–211, quoting Southern Claims Commission case files; books regarding Mosby's Raiders; and a local history of Falls Church which cites family members' statements.

Historic sites

Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Barn, an 1845 Greek-Revival farmhouse and 1856 barn, owned and managed by the city of Falls Church, are open to the public on select Saturdays in summer. Tinner Hill Arch and Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation represent a locus of early African American history in the area, including the site of the first rural chapter of the NAACP.

Two of the District of Columbia's original 1791 boundary stones are located in public parks on the boundary between Falls Church and Arlington County. The west cornerstone stands in Andrew Ellicott Park at 2824 Meridian Street, Falls Church and N. Arizona Street, Arlington, just south of West Street.West cornerstone: Stone number SW9 stands in Benjamin Banneker Park on Van Buren Street, south of 18th Street, near the East Falls Church Metro station. Most of Banneker Park is in Arlington County, across Van Buren Street from Isaac Crossman Park at Four Mile Run.Stone SW9:

Sites on the National Register of Historic Places Site Year built Address Listed Birch House (Joseph Edward Birch House) 1840 312 East Broad Street 1977 Cherry Hill (John Mills Farm) 1845 312 Park Avenue 1973 The Falls Church 1769 115 East Fairfax Street 1970 Federal District Boundary Marker, SW 9 Stone 179118th and Van Buren Streets 1976 Federal District Boundary Marker, West Cornerstone 1791 2824 Meridian Street 1991 Mount Hope 1790s 203 South Oak Street 1984

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Falls Church is the smallest independent city by area in Virginia. Since independent cities in Virginia are considered county-equivalents, it is also the smallest county-equivalent in the United States by area.

The center of the city is the crossroads of Virginia State Route 7 (Broad St./Leesburg Pike) and U.S. Route 29 (Washington St./Lee Highway).

Tripps Run, a tributary of the Cameron Run Watershed, drains two-thirds of Falls Church, while the Four Mile Run watershed drains the other third of the city. Four Mile Run flows at the base of Minor's Hill, which overlooks Falls Church on its north, and Upton's Hill, which borders the area to its east.

Adjacent jurisdictions Arlington County - east Fairfax County - north, west, south

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Falls Church city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)8,5778,1898,2559,0939,95590.14%85.50%79.55%73.73%67.92%Black or African American alone (NH)2202843215235542.31%2.97%3.09%4.24%3.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)10392123120.11%0.41%0.20%0.19%0.08%Asian alone (NH)2824496741,1501,4942.96%4.69%6.50%9.33%10.19%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census7410xx0.07%0.03%0.07%Other race alone (NH)1111316201171.17%0.14%0.15%0.16%0.80%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census207410987xx1.99%3.32%6.73%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3156048761,1091,5293.31%6.31%8.44%8.99%10.43%Total9,5159,57810,37712,33214,658 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Falls Church had a population of 14,658. The median age was 39.1 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,811 households in Falls Church, of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.5% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 6,172 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 10,221 69.7% Black or African American 576 3.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 32 0.2% Asian 1,499 10.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 11 0.1% Some other race 582 4.0% Two or more races 1,737 11.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,529 10.4% Economy

In 2011, Falls Church was named the richest county (or county equivalent) in the United States, with a median annual household income of $113,313.Vardi, Nathan "America's Richest Counties", Forbes, April 11, 2011, accessed June 6, 2011. While Fortune 500 companies General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have headquarters with mailing addresses in Falls Church, they are physically in Fairfax County.General Dynamics: Northrop Grumman:

Top employers According to the city's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Employer Employees Falls Church City Public Schools 500-700 Falls Church City Government 300-500 Kaiser Permanente 200-300 Markon Solutions 200-300 Koons Ford 100-200 Tax Analysts 100-200 Giant Food 100-200 Harris Teeter 100-200 Don Beyer Volvo 100-200 BJ's Wholesale Club 100-200 The city has broken ground on several redevelopment projects to be completed in the next few years, including the West Falls Church Economic Development Project and Founders Row along Route 7/Broad street.

Arts and culture Annual events The city holds an annual Memorial Day Parade with bands, military units, civic associations, and fire/rescue stations, in recent years the event has featured a street festival with food, crafts, and non-profit organization booths, and a 3K fun run (the 2009 race drew some 3,000 runners). the Falls Church Farmer's Market is held Saturdays year-round, Jan 3 – April 25 (9 am – Noon), May 2 – Dec 26 (8 am – Noon), at the City Hall Parking Lot, 300 Park Ave. In addition to regional attention, in 2010 the market was ranked first in the medium category of the American Farmland Trust's contest to identify America's Favorite Farmers' Markets.

Cultural institutions