Springfield, Virginia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Springfield, Virginia
settlement_type = CDP
nickname = `
motto =

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Springfield, Virginia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Virginia
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Fairfax

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 25.3
area_land_km2 = 25.3
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_total_sq_mi = 9.8
area_land_sq_mi = 9.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 30417
population_density_km2 = 1203.8
population_density_sq_mi = 3117.9

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 75
elevation_ft = 246
latd = 38 |latm = 47 |lats = 19 |latNS = N
longd = 77 |longm = 10 |longs = 46 |longEW = W

area_code = 703, 571
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 51-74592GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1493642GR|3
website = http://www.springfield.va.us
footnotes =

Springfield is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and is a suburb of Washington, D.C. Within Springfield are three census-designated places (CDPs): Springfield CDP, West Springfield CDP, and North Springfield CDP, plus a substantial portion of Newington CDP. All are officially titled Springfield by the United States Postal Service.

The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,417 as of the 2000 census.

Geography

Springfield is located at coor dms|38|46|45|N|77|11|4|W|city (38.779238, -77.184636). ["Fairfax County Road Map." Virginia Department of Transportation. 2004.]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.31%) is water.

The area is dominated by the interchange of I-95, I-395, and the Capital Beltway (I-495), known as the Springfield Interchange. The center of the town is at the intersection of Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617 (Backlick Road) adjacent to the interchange. A significant commercial district exists around the interchange area, but the rest of the community is primarily residential in character.

According to U.S. Postal Service, Springfield has four ZIP codes:

* 22150 (often unofficially referred to as "Central Springfield")
* 22151 ("North Springfield")
* 22152 ("West Springfield")
* 22153 (often referred to as "Burkefield" due to its relative proximity to both Burke, Virginia and "Central Springfield")

The following are total area, water area, and land area statistics (in square miles) for the four Springfield zip codes: [ [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=85000US221&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_ZI1&-format=ZI-1&-_sse=on US Census] ]

History

Springfield was founded as a station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1847. The station was named for the estate of Henry Daingerfield on whose land the station was built. Daingerfield was an Alexandria businessman and sat on the board of directors of the railroad. Springfield originally denoted an area to the north of the current center near what is now the Backlick Road Virginia Railway Express station off Route 617 (Backlick Road) where the station and later a post office was established as Springfield Depot August 28, 1866. This post office closed in 1868.

In 1877, Richard Moore petitioned for a post office, which he named Moor, located about a little over a mile south of the station near the intersection of Fairfax (now Old Keene Mill) and Backlick roads. The post office name was changed in 1881 to Garfield to honor the late President James Garfield, who had been assassinated that year. In 1907, the Garfield post office closed and a new postal station named Corbett (for the current landowner) opened back near the railroad station. Finally the name returned to Springfield on June 27, 1910, and has remained since that time. [Yearbook, The Historical Society of Fairfax County, Volume 29, 2003-2004, Jack Hiller]

Springfield remained a rural crossroads until Edward Carr decided to subdivide the area for suburban development in 1946 along the recently opened Henry Shirley Highway (now I-95/I-395). Carr, a realtor, believed this to be the last easily accessible tract within 12 miles of Washington, D.C. [ [http://www.hellovirginia.com/l_welcome-alexandria-kingstowne-springfield-virginia-real-estate.asp Alexandria, Kingstowne and Springfield Virginia real estate listings, home buying, selling and relocation information - NUMBER1EXPERT(tm) ] ] Ready access to Washington, via the Shirley Highway spurred tremendous growth in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, the area had an estimated population of 1,000. Growth led to the building of Robert E. Lee High School in 1957. By 1960 the population was reported as over 10,000 and grew to more than 25,000 by 1970 with the North and West Springfield neighborhoods. [Number of Inhabitants, Bureau of the Census 1960 and 1970]

The opening of the Springfield Mall in 1973-1975 [Fairfax County Department of Taxation, DTA Property Search profile] (the second regional shopping center in Northern Virginia after Tysons Corner), as well as the Springfield and Brookfield shopping centers made Springfield a major retail destination. The area through the 1980s and 1990s until the Franconia-Springfield Parkway in 1996, and the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Rail Express Station in 1997, led to the expansion of retail and high-density housing in the area. Plans now are to revamp the mall from an indoor facility into a town center with a mixture of shopping, office, and residential development.

The center of Springfield is at Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617. The old "Garfield" name still survives in the nearby Garfield Elementary School.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 30,417 people, 10,495 households, and 7,472 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,117.9 people per square mile (1,203.3/km²). There were 10,832 housing units at an average density of 1,110.3/sq mi (428.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 57.77% White, 8.95% African American, 0.30% Native American, 20.55% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.75% from other races, and 4.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.66% of the population.

There were 10,495 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,640, and the median income for a family was $73,903. Males had a median income of $45,679 versus $36,075 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,807. About 3.7% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

The zip code population totals are as follows:

*22150: 22,208
*22151: 16,587
*22152: 28,236
*22153: 33,177
*Total: 100,208

hopping

Springfield's former, emblematic destination point is Springfield Mall, a large indoor shopping mall located at the intersections of Interstate highways I-95 and I-495 also known as the Springfield Interchange . It was typical of American shopping malls in its variety of stores (many of which are now 'second tier' stores), along with several anchor stores such as Macy's and a food court (though many of the eateries are now shuttered). This mall's DMV Express office was where two of the hijackers in the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hani Hanjour and Khalid Almihdhar, illegally obtained state identification. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200112/ai_n9017145 "Hijackers' helper faces two years max"] , Timothy P. Carney, "Human Events", December 24, 2001] The mall also experienced two gang-related stabbings in 2005, [ [http://www.nbc4.com/news/5442768/detail.html "Police Make Arrest In Springfield Mall Stabbing Incident"] , December 1, 2005] and a fatal shooting in December 2007. [cite web| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503366.html |title=2 Indicted in Alleged Gang Killing at Springfield Mall |publisher=The Washington Post] The mall was purchased by Vornado Realty Trust in 2005, who are planning massive renovations to revive the mall. It is expected to be renamed the "Springfield Town Center", incorporating retail, specialty restaurants, housing, and office buildings. [ [http://www.divaris.com/rereview/springfield06.html "Vornado Develops Town Center at Springfield Mall"] , Divaris Real Estate, Inc.] As of May 2008, many of the stores (including most of the restaurants and the AMC theaters) have closed or relocated in preparation for the upcoming renovations. The remodeled mall is slated to reopen in 2010. [cite web| url=http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2007/nov/29/vornado-sets-dates-mall-completion/ |title=Vornado sets dates for mall completion |Publisher=Fairfax Times]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads

Central Springfield is dominated by the over half-billion dollar Springfield Interchange highway project, which was completed in 2007. [ [http://www.springfieldinterchange.com/ Springfield Interchange Project] ] Due to its complexity, the interchange is popularly known as the "Mixing Bowl", a name taken from an earlier interchange near the Pentagon. It includes three Interstates (I-95, I-395, and I-495), has two exits less than a half mile away, has two unconnected roads (Commerce Street and Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) going over or under the Interstates less than a half mile away, and is further complicated by the presence of a separate, reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane passing through the center of two of the Interstates. This project was dedicated on July 18, 2007 by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. The eight-year, $676 million Springfield Interchange Improvement Project was finished on time and on budget, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Mass transit

Rail

* Washington area Metrorail's Blue Line at the Franconia-Springfield station
* Virginia Railway Express commuter rail at the Backlick Road station
* Amtrak (regional service only)

Bus

* Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus
* Fairfax Connector bus

References

External links

* [http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/springfield/ Springfield District-Fairfax County, Virginia]