90-541: The Sugarland Run Valley Stream Trail is part of the Fairfax County, Virginia countywide trail system. The main portion of the asphalt trail runs approximately 3 miles , although a newer section of trail, which connects to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail , extends the length of the main trail to approximately 4 miles. There are also many tributaries of this trail, several of which terminate in neighborhoods in
180-613: A retreat and conference center in Lorton and an international campus in Incheon , South Korea. In 1949, the University of Virginia created an extension center to serve mid-career working professionals and non-traditional students near urban centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. The extension center offered both for credit and non-credit informal classes in
270-467: A 21% increase in the number of applications, has enrolled 4% more new degree-seeking students, and has seen the percentage of undergraduate and graduate applications accepted each decrease by 4%. Law applications accepted increased by 10%. Mason enrolled 33,917 students for fall 2013, up 956 (+3%) from fall 2012. Undergraduate students made up 65% (21,990) of the fall enrollment, graduate students 34% (11,399), and law students 2% (528). Undergraduate headcount
360-569: A boardwalk through a wetland area. In 2019 nearly 12,000 liner feet of the trail were repaired. Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County , officially the County of Fairfax , is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia . With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census , it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area , and
450-864: A center in Reston that is a satellite branch of the Loudoun campus. The NVCC Alexandria campus borders Fairfax County. The Central Intelligence Agency University and its Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis are both located in Fairfax County, specifically in Chantilly and Reston respectively. George Mason University faculty have twice won the Nobel Prize in Economics . George Mason University economics professors James M. Buchanan and Vernon L. Smith won it in 1986 and 2002, respectively. The University of Fairfax ,
540-551: A comprehensive traditional liberal arts curriculum while maintaining its historic commuter student -inclusive environment at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The university operates four campuses in Virginia . The university's flagship campus is in Fairfax, Virginia . Its other three campuses are in Arlington , Front Royal , and Prince William County . It also operates
630-403: A degree-granting institution. During that same year, the local jurisdictions of Fairfax County , Arlington County , and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church agreed to appropriate $ 3 million to purchase land adjacent to Mason to provide for a 600-acre (240-hectare) Fairfax Campus with the intention that the institution would expand into a regional university of major proportions, including
720-640: A flat, gentle valley that stretches west to the Bull Run Mountains in Loudoun County. Elevations in the county range from near sea level along the tidal sections of the Potomac River in the southeast portion of the county to more than 500 feet (150 m) in the Tysons area. In 2023, the plant hardiness zone shifted from 7a to 7b. The Fairfax County News Letter predicts that Fairfax will shift to zone 8 in
810-520: A for-profit proprietary college and alleged diploma mill was once headquartered in Vienna, Virginia . Virginia Commonwealth University 's School of Medicine recently constructed a medical campus wing at Inova Fairfax Hospital in order to allow third- and fourth-year medical students to study at other state-of-the-art facilities in Northern Virginia . Fairfax County's economy revolves around professional services and technology. Many residents work for
900-460: A plan to "urbanize" the Tysons area. The plan calls for a private-public partnership and a grid-like street system to make Tysons a more urban environment, tripling available housing to allow more workers to live near their workplaces. The goal is to have 95% of Tysons Corner within 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (800 m) of a metro station. According to the county's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,
990-629: A press conference to announce the university's decision to leave the Colonial Athletic Association to join the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The announcement came just days after the Board of Visitors' approval of the university's vision document that Cabrera had overseen. Mason began competition in the A-10 during the 2013–2014 academic year. The Chronicle of Higher Education listed Mason as one of
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#17330856992941080-493: Is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Since the university's founding, two of its economics professors have received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics : James M. Buchanan in 1986 and Vernon L. Smith in 2002. The university has expanded into a residential college for traditional students with an emphasis on combining modern practice-based professional education with
1170-532: Is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia , United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. , the university is named in honor of George Mason , a Founding Father of the United States . George Mason was founded in 1949 as a northern branch of the University of Virginia and became an independent university in 1972. It has since grown into the largest public university by student enrollment in Virginia . The university
1260-714: Is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the university. Open to students in August 2012 after breaking ground on the project on June 29, 2011, the primary focus of the campus is global conservation training. The Volgenau Academic Center includes three teaching laboratories, four classrooms, and 18 offices. Shenandoah National Park is visible from the dining facility's indoor and outdoor seating. Living quarters include 60 double occupancy rooms, an exercise facility, and study space. Opened in March 2014, Mason Korea
1350-523: Is also home to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a trade association for local technology companies. Fairfax County has a higher concentration of high-tech workers than Silicon Valley . Tysons , located in the county, is Virginia's largest office market and the nation's largest suburban business district, with 26,600,000 square feet (2,470,000 m ) of office space. It is the country's 12th-largest business district and
1440-600: Is approximately 20 miles (32 km) from campus. Notable buildings include the 320,000-square-foot (30,000 m ) student union building, the Johnson Center; the Center for the Arts, a 2,000-seat concert hall; the 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m ) Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building; Exploratory Hall for science, new in 2013; an astronomy observatory and telescope; the 88,900-square-foot (8,260 m ) Art and Design Building;
1530-516: Is expected to grow substantially in the coming decades. It contains a quarter of the county's total office space inventory, which was 105,200,000 square feet (9,770,000 m ) as of 2006, representing roughly the same size as the Lower Manhattan region of New York City. In October 2011, Forbes described the area as "the place where the Internet was invented, but today it looks increasingly like
1620-461: Is focused on health, sustainability and security. In health, researchers focus is on wellness, disease prevention, advanced diagnostics and biomedical analytics. Sustainability research examines climate change, natural disaster forecasting, and risk assessment. Mason's security experts study domestic and international security as well as cyber security. The university is home to numerous research centers and institutes. Students have often decorated
1710-578: Is home to seven Fortune 500 company headquarters, 11 Hispanic 500 companies, and five companies on the Black Enterprise 500 list. The county's economy is supported by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority , which provides services and information to promote Fairfax County as a leading business and technology center. The FCEDA is the nation's largest non-state economic development authority. Fairfax County
1800-970: Is home to the offices of the director of national intelligence in McLean and the headquarters of four U.S. intelligence agencies : the Central Intelligence Agency at the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley , the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield , the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly , and the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean. In academia,
1890-688: Is located in the Songdo International Business District in South Korea , a 42,000-acre (17,000-hectare) site designed for 850,000 people. It is located 25 miles (40 km) from Seoul and a two-hour flight from China and Japan , and is connected to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway . The Commonwealth of Virginia considers the Songdo campus legally no different from any other Mason campus: "... board of visitors shall have
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#17330856992941980-452: Is partially bounded on the north and east by Arlington County and the independent cities of Alexandria and Falls Church . It is bounded on the west by Loudoun County , and on the south by Prince William County . Most of the county lies in the Piedmont region, with rolling hills and deep stream valleys, such as Difficult Run and its tributaries. West of Route 28 , the hills give way to
2070-637: Is the fifth-highest in the nation . Prior to European settlement , present-day Fairfax County was initially inhabited by the Algonquian -speaking Doeg tribe . In 1608, Caption John Smith documented the Doeg tribe's villages, which included Namassingakent and Nemaroughquand on the south bank of the Potomac River in present-day Fairfax County. By 1670, Virginian colonists from the Northern Neck region drove
2160-416: Is the 10.1% who had English ancestry , 37.8% spoke a language other than English at home, and 30.7% were born outside the United States, 63.4% of whom were naturalized citizens . The median income for a household in the county was $ 145,164, and the median income for a family was $ 174,085. 7.5% of the population were military veterans , and 65.5% had a bachelors degree or higher . In the county 5.6% of
2250-424: Is water. There are about 44,400,000 trees that create a canopy covering 55.4% of the total land area. Fairfax County is bounded on the north and southeast by the Potomac River . Across the river to the northeast is Washington, D.C. , across the river to the north is Montgomery County, Maryland , and across the river to the southeast are Prince George's County, Maryland and Charles County, Maryland . The county
2340-419: The 2016 general election , Fairfax continued its trend towards Democratic candidates. Representatives Beyer and Connolly were reelected, the latter unopposed. Fairfax County supported Hillary Clinton for president with 64.4% of the vote to Donald Trump 's 28.6%, exemplifying a heavy swing toward Democrats across Northern Virginia. In the 2020 general election , Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden won
2430-653: The Charles Koch Foundation and Federalist Society , were given direct influence over faculty hiring decisions at the university's law and economics schools. GMU President Ángel Cabrera acknowledged that the revelations raised questions about the university's academic integrity and pledged to prohibit donors from sitting on faculty selection committees in the future. Cabrera resigned his position on July 31, 2019, to become president of Georgia Tech . Following Cabrera's resignation, Anne B. Holton served as interim president until June 30, 2020. On February 24, 2020,
2520-616: The District of Columbia . Alexandria County was returned to Virginia in 1846, reduced in size by the secession of the independent city of Alexandria in 1870, and renamed Arlington County in 1920. During the American Civil War the Battle of Chantilly , also known as Ox Hill, part of the Second Battle of Bull Run , was fought within Fairfax County. Other areas of Civil War conflict in
2610-630: The Mercatus Center , and the Institute for Humane Studies . The campus also houses the 300-seat Van Metre Hall Auditorium. A new building, Fuse at Mason Square, is scheduled to be completed in 2025. The campus is served by the Washington Metro 's Orange Line at the Virginia Square–GMU station , a campus shuttle service, and Metrobus route 38B. The rail station is located one block west of
2700-687: The School of Law and the new Arlington Campus. The university also became a doctoral institution. Toward the end of Johnson's term, Mason would be deep in planning for a third campus in Prince William County at Manassas . Major campus facilities, such as Student Union Building II, EagleBank Arena , Center for the Arts, and the Johnson Learning Center, were all constructed over the course of Johnson's eighteen years as University President. Enrollment once again more than doubled from 10,767 during
2790-525: The Senate . Fairfax County encompasses parts of three congressional districts , the 8th District , the 10th District , and the 11th District . Democrats represent all three districts, with Jennifer Wexton representing the 10th, Don Beyer representing the 8th, and Gerry Connolly representing the 11th. In the 2012 general election , Fairfax County solidly backed Obama for reelection as president, who came just short of matching his 2008 performance, winning
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2880-540: The Shenandoah Valley . The Belvoir mansion and several of its outbuildings were destroyed by fire immediately after the Revolutionary War in 1783, and George Washington noted the plantation complex deteriorated into ruins. In 1757, the northwestern two-thirds of Fairfax County became Loudoun County . In 1789, part of Fairfax County was ceded to the federal government to form Alexandria County , then part of
2970-476: The Virginia Declaration of Rights which was later the basis for the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights . Beside Mason is a model of a writing table that is still in the study of Gunston Hall , Mason's Virginia estate. The books on the table, volumes of Hume , Locke ,and Rousseau , represent influences in his thought. In 2021, an Enslaved People of George Mason Monument designed by Perkins & Will
3060-577: The "Great Colleges to Work For" from 2010 to 2014. The Washington Post listed Mason as one of the "Top Workplaces" in 2014. The WorldatWork Alliance for Work-Life Progress awarded Mason the Seal of Distinction in 2015. The AARP listed Mason as one of the Best Employers for Workers Over 50 in 2013. Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at the university in 2013. In 2018, a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit revealed that conservative donors, including
3150-595: The $ 5.2 billion expansion of the Washington Metro Silver Line in Virginia from Washington, D.C., to Dulles International Airport was funded by the Federal Transit Administration in December 2008. The Silver Line added four stations in Tysons, including a station between Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria. Along with the expansion of Washington Metro, Fairfax County government has
3240-475: The 2023 budget for the school system to $ 3.5 billion. The school system has estimated that, based on the 2023 fiscal year budget, the county will be spending $ 18,772 on each student. The Fairfax County Public School system contains the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology , a Virginia Governor's School. TJHSST consistently ranks at or near the top of all U.S. high schools due to
3330-518: The Appalachian. An area of 11 square miles (30 km ) of the county is known to be underlain with natural asbestos . Much of the asbestos is known to emanate from fibrous tremolite or actinolite . The threat was discovered in 1987, prompting the county to establish laws to monitor air quality at construction sites, control soil taken from affected areas, and require freshly developed sites to lay 6 inches (150 mm) of clean, stable material over
3420-503: The Board of Visitors appointed Gregory Washington as the university's eighth president, and he assumed that role on July 1, 2020. Washington is the university's first African-American president. On March 23, 2020, George Mason shifted to exclusively online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic . Hybrid instruction occurred during the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Fall 2021 semesters during which
3510-651: The City of Fairfax's central business district, where many county facilities (including the courthouses and jail) are. Fairfax County was once considered a Republican bastion but Democrats now control of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board (officially nonpartisan) as well as the offices of sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney. Democrats also hold all the Fairfax seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and every seat in
3600-540: The Department of Cable and Consumer Services on consumer affairs, investigates illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, or dangerous consumer practices, and refers apparent violations of Virginia law to the Commonwealth Attorney or County Attorney for investigation. The Fairfax County Government Center is west of the City of Fairfax in an unincorporated area . Fairfax County contains an exclave unincorporated area in
3690-510: The Doeg Tribe out of present-day Fairfax County and into Maryland . Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County , and was named after Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron , proprietor of the Northern Neck . The Fairfax family name is derived from the Old English phrase for " blond hair", Fæger-feax . The county's initial settlements were along
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3780-683: The Fall of 1964 the new campus welcomed 356 students. In 1966, in the Virginia General Assembly , Alexandria delegate James M. Thomson , with the backing of the University of Virginia, introduced a bill in the General Assembly to make George Mason College a four-year institution under the University of Virginia's direction. The measure, known as H 33, passed the Assembly easily and was approved on March 1, 1966, making George Mason College
3870-570: The G.T. Halpin Family Living & Learning Community is on the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation campus. 6,961 miles (11,203 km) west of Fairfax, Student's Hall and Guest House are on the Songdo campus. Student organizations can have an academic, social, athletic, religious/irreligious, career, or just about any other focus. The university recognizes 500 such groups. Mason sponsors several student-run media outlets through
3960-600: The George Mason statue on the Fairfax campus for events. Some have rubbed the statue toe to bring good luck. Many pose with the statue for graduation photographs. Between 1988 and 1990 Anthony Maiello wrote the original George Mason Fight Song , which was edited by Michael Nickens in 2009. Each spring, student organizations at Mason compete to paint one of the 38 benches located on the Quad in front of Fenwick Library. For years, student organizations have painted those benches that line
4050-405: The Office of Student Media. Mason has 42 fraternities and sororities recognized by the university, with a total Greek population of about 1,800. Mason does not have a traditional "Greek Row" of housing specifically for fraternities, although recruitment, charitable events—including a spring Greek Week—and other chapter activities take place on the Fairfax Campus. The George Mason Patriots are
4140-412: The Potomac River. George Washington settled in Fairfax County and built his home, Mount Vernon , facing the Potomac. Gunston Hall , the home of George Mason , is nearby. Fort Belvoir is partly on the estate of Belvoir Manor, built along the Potomac by William Fairfax in 1741. Thomas Fairfax , the only member of the British nobility ever to reside in the colonies, lived at Belvoir before moving to
4230-456: The Town of Herndon , VA. The trail passes by several basketball courts , and is a very popular trail for jogging and dog-walking . During very rainy periods, many (if not all) of the "fair weather crossings" may become impassible. These crossings mostly consist of flat, cylindrical concrete columns forming a step-way across the stream . During less rainy periods, stream crossings tend to not be very deep, and most dogs can usually traverse
4320-432: The Townhouses. On the eastern edge of the Fairfax campus lies Masonvale, houses intended for graduate students and visiting faculty. On the southern edge of the Fairfax campus are President's Park, Liberty Square, and Potomac Heights. On the western side of the Fairfax campus, near Ox Road/Rt 123, are the Mason Global Center , Whitetop, and Rogers. The Student Apartments off Aquia Creek Lane were torn down in 2019. Closer to
4410-526: The athletic teams of George Mason University located in Fairfax, Virginia. The Patriots compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference for most sports. About 485 student-athletes compete in 22 men's and women's Division I sports – baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Intercollegiate men's and women's teams are members of
4500-844: The campus. Arlington Rapid Transit or ART Bus routes 41, 42, and 75 also provide service at this location. The campus offers one electric vehicle charging station, five disabled permit automotive parking locations, three bicycle parking locations, and one Capital Bikeshare location. The Science and Technology campus opened on August 25, 1997, as the Prince William campus in Manassas, Virginia , on 134 acres (54 hectares) of land, some still currently undeveloped. More than 4,000 students are enrolled in classes in bioinformatics , biotechnology , information technology, and forensic biosciences educational and research programs. There are undergraduate programs in health, fitness and recreation. There are graduate programs in exercise, fitness, health, geographic information systems, and facility management. Much of
4590-437: The center of the Fairfax campus are the residence halls along Chesapeake Lane, named: Northern Neck, Commonwealth, Blue Ridge, Sandbridge, Piedmont, and Tidewater, as well as Hampton Roads, Dominion, Eastern Shore, and the Commons. At the Science and Technology (SciTech) campus near Manassas, Virginia, 21 miles (34 km) west of Fairfax, Beacon Hall was designed for graduate student housing. 54 miles (87 km) west of Fairfax,
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#17330856992944680-562: The center of the global military-industrial complex ", because it is home to the nation's first ISPs , many of which are now defunct, and attracts numerous defense contractors that have relocated from other states to or near Tysons Corner. Tysons draws over 100,000 workers from around the Washington metropolitan area , and draws 55,000 shoppers daily to its two super-regional malls , Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria compared to 62,500 shoppers daily in Washington, D.C. . After years of delays attributed to stalling and controversy,
4770-400: The chairman is elected at-large. In addition to the Board of Supervisors, three constitutional officers, the Commonwealth's Attorney , clerk of the Circuit Court, and sheriff . The Fairfax County School Board has 12 members that are directly elected by the voters of Fairfax County. Fairfax County also has a Consumer Protection Commission. The Commission advises the Board of Supervisors and
4860-463: The city limits to the University of Virginia for the college's new site, which is now referred to as the Fairfax Campus . In 1959, the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia selected a permanent name for the college: George Mason College of the University of Virginia. The Fairfax campus construction planning that began in early 1960 showed visible results when the development of the first 40 acres (16 hectares) of Fairfax Campus began in 1962. In
4950-489: The county 59.6% to 39.1%. Former Governor Tim Kaine, running for the U.S. Senate in 2012, carried Fairfax County with 61% of the vote as part of his statewide victory. Representatives Connolly, Moran, and Wolf were also reelected. Although Republican governor Bob McDonnell won Fairfax County with 51% of the vote in 2009, the Republican resurgence in Fairfax was short-lived. In the 2013 election , Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe won Fairfax County with 58% of
5040-493: The county fall under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington and include Paul VI Catholic High School , Fairfax County's diocese-run Catholic high school, and Oakcrest School , an all-girls Catholic school in Fairfax County, which is not run by the diocese. George Mason University is just outside the city of Fairfax , near the geographic center of Fairfax County. Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) serves Fairfax County with campuses in Annandale and Springfield and
5130-440: The county from 1948 to 1960. The facility's 2,650-foot unpaved runway was used extensively by private pilots and civil defense officials. Residential development, multiple accidents, and the demand for retail space led to its closure in 1960. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 406 square miles (1,050 km ), of which 391 square miles (1,010 km ) is land and 15 square miles (39 km ) (3.8%)
5220-418: The county included Minor's Hill , Munson's Hill , and Upton's Hill . The Fairfax County town of Falls Church became an independent city in 1948. The Fairfax County town of Fairfax was named an independent city in 1961. The federal government 's growth during and after World War II spurred rapid growth in the county and transformed it from a rural to suburban region. Large businesses began settling in
5310-406: The county is home to the flagship campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, CIA University in Chantilly, Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis in Reston , and several Northern Virginia Community College campuses. In the private sector, ten of the Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the county as of 2023. As of 2020, Fairfax County's median household income of $ 127,866
5400-445: The county with 69.89% of the vote, the best percentage for a Democrat in the county since 1916 . Of the households, 55.5% were married couple families, 15.9% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 23.0% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.25 people. The median age was 39.4, 22.6% of people were under the age of 18, and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry
5490-473: The county's largest employers are: Annual festivals include the "Celebrate Fairfax!" festival held in June at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax , the Tephra Fine Arts Festival held in May at Reston Town Center in Reston , and the International Children's Festival held in September at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts , a performing arts center in Wolf Trap . George Mason University George Mason University ( GMU )
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#17330856992945580-418: The county, and the opening of Tysons Corner Center spurred the rise of Tysons, Virginia . The technology boom and a steady government-driven economy created rapid growth and an increasingly large and diverse population. The economy has also made Fairfax County one of the nation's wealthiest counties. A general aviation airport along U.S. Route 50 west of Seven Corners , Falls Church Airpark , operated in
5670-545: The crossing without completely submerging. The first section of the trail, from Sugarland Road to Runnymeade Park, was constructed prior to 1997. In 1998, with funding from a settlement with Colonial Pipeline Company for an oil spill and federal TEA-21 and CMAQ funding, design work began on a 1 mile extension to connect the trail to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Construction on the extension began in 2004 and completed in October 2005. It included almost 6,000 linear feet of paved trail, eight bridges for stream crossings and
5760-427: The evenings at various pre-existing venues. The first for credit classes offered were: "Government in the Far East, Introduction to International Politics, English Composition, Principles of Economics, Mathematical Analysis, Introduction to Mathematical Statistics, and Principles of Lip Reading." By the end of 1952, enrollment was 1,192 students. A resolution of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1956 changed
5850-478: The extension center into University College, the Northern Virginia branch of the University of Virginia . John Norville Gibson Finley served as director. Seventeen freshmen students attended classes at University College in a small renovated elementary school building in Bailey's Crossroads starting in September 1957. In 1958 University College became George Mason College. The City of Fairfax purchased and donated 150 acres (60 hectares) of land just south of
5940-404: The extraordinary number of National Merit semifinalists and finalists, its students' high average SAT scores, and the number of students who annually perform nationally recognized research in the sciences and engineering. A Governor's School, TJHSST draws students from five counties Fairfax County and other Northern Virginia counties, cities, and towns. Catholic elementary and middle schools in
6030-470: The fall of 1978 to 24,368 in the spring of 1996. In 1996, Alan Merten , dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University was appointed the university's president. He believed that the university's location made it responsible for both contributing to and drawing from its surrounding communities—local, national, and global. George Mason was becoming recognized and acclaimed in all of these spheres. During Merten's tenure,
6120-689: The government or contractors of the federal government. The government is the largest employer, with Fort Belvoir in southern Fairfax the county's single largest source of federal employment. Fairfax County has a gross county product of approximately $ 95 billion. Major employers in the county include Volkswagen Group of America , Hilton Worldwide , DXC Technology (formerly Computer Sciences Corporation ), Northrop Grumman , Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) , Leidos , Booz Allen Hamilton , Gannett , Capital One , General Dynamics , ICF International , Freddie Mac , Sallie Mae , ManTech International , Mars , NII , and NVR . The county
6210-454: The granting of graduate degrees. In 1972, Virginia separated George Mason College from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and renamed it George Mason University. In 1978, George W. Johnson was appointed to serve as the fourth president. Under his eighteen-year tenure, the university expanded both its physical size and program offerings at a tremendous rate. Shortly before Johnson's inauguration in April 1979, Mason acquired
6300-546: The ground. During the construction of Centreville High School , for instance, a large amount of asbestos-laden soil was removed and then trucked to Vienna for the construction of the I-66 /Nutley Street interchange. Fill dirt then had to be trucked in to make the site level. Marine clays can be found in widespread areas of the county east of Interstate 95 , mostly in the Lee and Mount Vernon districts. These clays contribute to soil instability, leading to significant construction challenges for builders. Fairfax County uses
6390-912: The language of instruction . Mason offers undergraduate, graduate master's, law, and doctoral degrees with an emphasis on combining modern practice-based professional education with a comprehensive traditional liberal arts curriculum. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1; 58 percent of undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students and 30 percent of undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked George Mason tied at #109 out of 436 National Universities, tied at #52 in Top Public Schools, #156 in Best Value Schools, tied at #98 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools where doctorate not offered, tied at #114 in Nursing, tied at #93 in Economics, tied at #20 in Co-ops/Internships, tied at #70 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #25 in Most Innovative Schools, and tied at #82 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. In 2024,
6480-800: The most populous location in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area . The county seat is Fairfax ; however, because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of the county. The county is part of the Northern Virginia region and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. , the nation's capital. The county is predominantly suburban with some urban and rural pockets. It borders Montgomery County, Maryland to its north, Falls Church , Alexandria , Arlington County , and Prince George's County, Maryland to its east, Charles County, Maryland to its southeast, Prince William County to its southwest, and Loudoun County to its northwest. The county
6570-611: The newly expanded Fenwick Library, the Krasnow Institute ; and three fully appointed gyms and an aquatic center for student use. The stadiums for indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, soccer and lacrosse are also on the Fairfax campus, as is Masonvale, a housing community for faculty, staff and graduate students. The bronze statue of George Mason on campus was created by Wendy M. Ross and dedicated on April 12, 1996. The 7 1 / 2 foot statue shows George Mason presenting his first draft of
6660-526: The next few decades as temperatures rise. The Piedmont hills in the central county are made up of ancient metamorphic rocks such as schist , the roots of several ancestral ranges of the Appalachian Mountains . The western valley is floored with more recent shale and sandstone . This geology is similar to adjacent bands of rocks in Maryland and further south in Virginia along the eastern front of
6750-490: The population was below the poverty line , including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over, with 7.2% of the population without health insurance . The county is served by the Fairfax County Public Schools system, to which the county government allocates 52.2% of its budget. Including state and federal government contributions, along with citizen and corporate contributions, this brings
6840-645: The public. The Sports Medicine Assessment Research and Testing lab stylized as SMART Lab is located within the Freedom center. The SMART Lab is most known for its concussion research. On April 23, 2015, the campus was renamed to the Science and Technology Campus. In 2019, the university engaged in a feasibility study of creating a medical school at the Prince William Campus. The campus in Front Royal, Virginia ,
6930-559: The research takes place in the high-security Biomedical Research Laboratory. The 1,123-seat Merchant Hall and the 300-seat Verizon Auditorium in the Hylton Performing Arts Center opened in 2010. The 110,000-square-foot Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center is operated by the Mason Enterprise Center. The Mason Center for Team and Organizational Learning stylized as EDGE is an experiential education facility open to
7020-574: The same powers with respect to operation and governance of its branch campus in Korea as are vested in the board by the Code of Virginia with respect to George Mason University in Virginia ..." Mason Korea's first commencement class graduated in December 2017. Students can take seven bachelor's degree courses in Mason Korea. Students from Mason Korea earn the same diploma as home campus students, with English as
7110-407: The university accepted 90% of its undergraduate applicants, and did not consider high school class rank or require standardized test scores for admission. Those admitted had an average 3.68 high school GPA . For those submitting scores the average student had an SAT score of 1250 (38% submitting scores) or an average ACT score of 28 (3% submitting scores). Between 2009 and 2013, George Mason saw
7200-475: The university enrolled 40,185 students, making it the largest university by head count in Virginia. George Mason University hosts $ 149 million in sponsored research projects annually, as of 2019. In 2016, Mason was classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Mason moved into this classification based on a review of its 2013–2014 data that was performed by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. The research
7290-511: The university had a campus at Ras al-Khaimah , United Arab Emirates . The Blue Ridge campus, just outside Front Royal, is run in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution . The university's flagship Fairfax Campus is situated on 677 acres (274 hectares) of land, in George Mason, Virginia , just south of the City of Fairfax in central Fairfax County . The national capital of Washington, D.C.
7380-571: The university hosted the World Congress of Information Technology in 1998, celebrated a second Nobel Memorial Prize -winning faculty member in 2002, and cheered the Men's basketball team in their NCAA Final Four appearance in 2006. Enrollment increased from just over 24,000 students in 1996 to approximately 33,000 during the spring semester of 2012, making Mason Virginia's largest public university. Following Merten's retirement in 2012, Ángel Cabrera
7470-504: The university offered a combination of online and in-person instruction. George Mason University has four campuses in the United States, each of which is located in Virginia. Three are in the Northern Virginia suburbs of the Washington metropolitan area , and one is in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains . The university also has one campus in South Korea, in the Songdo International Business District of Incheon . Between 2005 and 2009
7560-492: The urban county executive form of government, which county voters approved in a 1966 referendum. Under the urban county executive plan, the county is governed by the 10-member Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with the day-to-day running of the county tasked to the appointed Fairfax County executive. Nine of the board members are elected from the single-member districts of Braddock, Dranesville, Franconia, Hunter Mill, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully, while
7650-479: The vote, defeating incumbent state attorney general and former Republican state senator from Fairfax Ken Cuccinelli . McAuliffe's running mates, Ralph Northam and Mark Herring , also carried Fairfax County in their respective bids for lieutenant governor and attorney general . These Democratic victories mirrored the Democratic ticket's sweep of the state's three executive offices for the first time since 1989. In
7740-418: The walkway to gain recognition for their group. With more than 300 student organizations, there is much competition to paint one of the benches. Painting takes place in the spring. On the Fairfax campus, the northernmost housing is technically on campus, but about a mile (1600 m) from the center of campus, about a half mile (800 m) from the edge of the majority of the Fairfax campus in the housing area known as
7830-410: Was 1,337 higher than fall 2012 (+7%); graduate headcount was 262 lower (−2%); and law student headcount was 119 lower (−18%). Matriculated students come from all 50 states and 122 foreign countries. As of fall 2014, the university had 33,791 students enrolled, including 21,672 undergraduates, 7,022 seeking master's degrees, 2,264 seeking doctoral degrees and 493 seeking law degrees. As of 2023,
7920-449: Was appointed the university's sixth president on July 1, 2012. In a resolution on August 17, 2012, the board asked Cabrera to create a new strategic vision that would help Mason remain relevant and competitive in the future. The drafting of the Vision for Mason, from conception to official outline, created a new mission statement that defines the university. On March 25, 2013, Cabrera held
8010-679: Was founded in 1979 with the acquisition of a law school. In 1998, Hazel Hall opened to house the Antonin Scalia Law School ; subsequent development created Van Metre Hall (formerly Founders Hall), home of the Schar School of Policy and Government , the Center for Regional Analysis, and the graduate-level administrative offices for the School of Business. Vernon Smith Hall houses the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution ,
8100-626: Was installed near the George Mason Statue. The memorial includes panels describing the lives of two of the enslaved at Gunston Hall : Penny, who was gifted by Mason to his daughter, and James, Mason's personal attendant. The Arlington Campus, named Mason Square in 2022, is situated on 5.2 acres (2.1 hectares) in Virginia Square , an urban environment on the edge of Arlington County, Virginia 's Clarendon business district and four miles (6.4 km) from downtown Washington, D.C. The campus
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