About Fairfax

The Fairfax City gets its name from Thomas Fairfax City, 6th Lord Fairfax City of Cameron, who was awarded five million acres in land located in Northern Virginia by King Charles. The area the City of Fairfax City now encompasses was settled in the early 18th century by farmers from Virginia’s Tidewater region. The town was officially renamed the Town of Fairfax City in 1874, and became an independent city in 1961 (upon which it acquired its current name, the City of Fairfax). In 1904, a trolley line was built connecting Fairfax City with Washington, D.C.