Whether the topic is transportation, taxes, schools, development or local politics, Sully and Springfield district residents are intensely interested in what's happening in their communities.
People here are savvy and well-educated, are active in their neighborhoods and aren't afraid to let their opinions be known about changes that will affect their way of life.
So inside this edition of Centre View is the 2006 Newcomers Guide, providing readers with the latest information about upcoming projects on the horizon in Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes.
Since the area construction boom first started in 1988, the once sleepy and rural western Fairfax County has grown and matured into an area of leaders, innovators and award-winners. And new residents from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds continually add to the mix, enriching and enhancing the local area with their heritage and traditions.
In 1990, Centreville was home to 26,585 people, and Chantilly had 29,337 residents. Now, 16 years later, Centreville boasts more than 60,000 residents and Chantilly has more than 47,000. Even the Town of Clifton went from 176 residents to about 250. And the other communities also bearing Clifton's 20124 ZIP Code contain around 15,000 people.
When the 2000 census revealed that the Sully District had more than 146,000 inhabitants — more people than any of the other nine magisterial districts in Fairfax County — it had to redistrict. Doing so reduced Sully's population to 108,712, but a continual influx of new residents into the area increased it again to 115,421 people by 2004 and about 122,000 people now.
Along with the area's fast-paced residential and commercial growth have come more roads, more schools and more things to do. That's why this area is such an exciting and dynamic place to be.
The National Air and Space Museum Annex (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center); western Fairfax's first-ever recreation center, the Cub Run Rec Center; the Sully Woodlands area for both passive and active recreation; new shopping centers, businesses and restaurants are just a few of the many things that residents here enjoy. For more, take a peek inside Newcomers Guide.