Living in Great Falls, Virginia

Great Falls is sparsely populated with only single family, detached homes for residential use. There are no condominiums for townhomes in Great Falls. The statistics tell the story of low population density and vast open fields though this is slowly changing. Great Falls’ population is over 8,549 living in an area of 17.9 square miles giving it a density of just over 478.5 people per square mile. In general Great Falls is not served by Fairfax County Water Authority for sewer service. There are some pockets with public sewerage. Most homes though have a septic system. Given the density of our soil, Great Falls homes’ need in general to have a larger lot for their septic system which is one reason for the higher cost of living. In December 2009 the cost of living index in Great Falls, Virginia was 146.9 or very high (U.S. average is 100).

Although primarily a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., one major attraction is Great Falls Park which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, for which the community and the park are named. George Washington was involved with building a canal around the falls on the southwest, or Virginia, side, called the Patowmack Canal, which did not become commercially viable. Remnants of the canal and of a village around the canal are still visible in the park. River Bend County Park is another gathering area in Great Falls, as is the Village Green, which hosts the many community celebrations. Early on, the village was known as Forestville (unofficially, since there was already a Forestville with a Post Office), but was named Great Falls in 1955.

Schools in Great Falls, Virginia

Fairfax County Public Schools operates public schools in Great Falls.  Great Falls Elementary School is located at 701 Walker Rd, Great Falls, VA 22066. The main office phone number is703-757-2100.  Great Falls is in the Langley High School pyramid.

Great Falls Public Library

Fairfax County Public Library operates the Great Falls Branch Library. The library is located at 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066. The Great Falls Branch Library’s phone is 703-757-8560.

Great Falls Historical Society

The Great Falls Historical Society was organized in 1977 to promote community spirit by bringing the past into the present. We do this through: monthly programs on local history and people by local people who shaped history elsewhere, preservation efforts, publication of historical essays, collection of artifacts and photographs, oral history interviews, genealogical research, and tours and dinners at historic sites.

Great Falls Historical Society can be reached at PO Box 56, Great Falls, VA 22066 or by phone at 703-759-2882. There website is gfhs.org.

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site

Beside Route 7 you would notice the Colvin Run Mill Historic site located at 10017 Colvin Run Rd, Great Falls, VA 22066. The Colvin Mill Historic site can be reached at phone number is 703-759-2771.

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site was acquired by the Fairfax County Park Authority for the preservation of Colvin Run Mill and its associated historic buildings, and for the enjoyment and education of visitors. It has been open to the public since 1972.

Colvin Run Mill, Fairfax County's award-winning operational 19th century water powered gristmill, offers recreational and educational activities for all ages through daily tours, school programs and special events.

The site includes four buildings on 36 acres and offers a wide range of interpretive programs and demonstrations for people of all ages. Guided tours of the mill and miller's house are offered six days a week throughout the year.

*Winter Hours = January, February, December

Great Falls Grange Hall

Located at 9818 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls the park, in the heart of Great Falls, provides baseball/softball fields, a small tot lot and a picnic area with pavilion. The Great Falls Grange Hall, built in 1929, once served as a center for town assemblies, ice cream socials and carnivals. Built in 1929, as Grange Hall #738 for the Great Falls chapter of the Fraternal Order of Husbandry, this Craftsman style public assembly hall has been the site of private and community gatherings throughout its life. A product of the Grange Movement that swept rural America shortly after the turn of the century, the Grange was built as a symbol of commitment to community involvement and progress.

The Great Falls, then Forestville, chapter of the Grange Movement was founded in 1920. Prospective members bought "shares" into the organization. For several years, the chapter met in the loft of a local sawmill and then the Forestville Schoolhouse while they raised money for land purchase and the construction of a meeting hall. In 1929, the Grange was built for $12,500. It was one of five grange halls that served the dairy farming community. Dairy farming was the predominant form of agriculture in the county, and Fairfax County was the leading Virginia producer until 1933.

With declining membership and the dairy farms giving way to suburban development, the Grange and its grounds were sold to the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1981. The Great Falls Grange is the last standing unaltered grange hall in Virginia. It is listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites, with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and on the National Register of Historic Places.

You would notice Adjacent to the Grange Hall is the Old Schoolhouse. Built in the 1890's the Old Schoolhouse has had many uses including school, church, library, bank and private residence.

Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department

Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department is located at 9916 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066. Their phone number is 703-759-2300.