Great Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, and is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 15,427 at the time of the 2010 census, representing a rise of 80.5 percent since the 2000 census. In 2011, CNNMoney recognized Great Falls as the nation’s best paying town, according to its ranking of the “top earning communities.” As early as the late 1700s, farm towns began to grow in the area, marking the beginning of the agricultural revolution.
The settlement was formerly known as Forestville (unofficially, because there was already a Forestville with a Post Office at the time), but it was renamed Great Falls in 1955 after the town of Forestville was razed.
Fairfax County Public Schools is in charge of the administration of the local public schools. Students in Great Falls attend Great Falls Elementary School, Forestville Elementary School, or Colvin Run Elementary School, depending on where they live. James Fenimore Cooper Middle School, which in turn serves as a feeder for Langley High School, receives students from these schools.
It is operated by the Diocese of Arlington and is a Catholic Montessori preschool and elementary school located in Great Falls, Montana. It is the only private K-12 school in the entire town, and it serves approximately 500 students. The Great Falls Library is operated by the Fairfax County Public Library. Great Falls is served primarily by Virginia State Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Virginia State Route 193, which are both state routes (Georgetown Pike).
However, despite the fact that Great Falls is predominantly a bedroom town for Washington, D.C., one notable attraction is Great Falls Park, which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, after which both the community and the park were named.
Patowmack Canal, named after George Washington, was constructed around the falls on the southwest, or Virginia, side. The canal, however, did not prove to be commercially viable, and was eventually abandoned. In the park, you can still see remnants of the canal as well as a settlement dubbed Matildaville, which was built around the canal. In 1906, the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad built a spur that ran along Old Dominion Drive all the way to Great Falls Park.
River Bend County Park, as well as the Village Green, which hosts community celebrations around Easter (Spring Festival, which includes an Egg Hunt), Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (Tree Lighting), as well as concerts in the summer, is another popular gathering spot in Great Falls.
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