Colonial farm settlements began to form in the area as early as the late 1700s.[5]
Early on, the village was known as Forestville (unofficially, since there was already a Forestville with a Post Office), but was renamed Great Falls in 1955.[6]
Great Falls lies in the Piedmont upland on the right bank of the Potomac River.[9][10] The Potomac River forms the northern and eastern borders of the CDP, and several of its tributaries flow north and east through the CDP. From north to south, these include Nichols Run, Clarks Branch, and Difficult Run. Difficult Run (along with Leesburg Pike) forms the southern border of the CDP. Two of its tributaries, Captain Hickory Run and Piney Run, flow southeast through the southern part of the CDP.[8][10] The Great Falls of the Potomac River, the community's namesake, are on the east side of the CDP.[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 25.66 square miles (66.5 km2) of which 25.42 square miles (65.8 km2) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km2) is water.[11]
In February 2022, Great Falls was included in Veranda magazine's list of wealthiest cities in the United States.[citation needed]
2020 census
Great Falls, Virginia – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
At the 2020 census there were 15,953 people, 5,273 housing units and 5,019 households residing in the CDP. The population density was 627.6 inhabitants per square mile (242.4/km2). The average housing unit density was 207.4 per square mile (80.1/km2).[16]
Of the households, 1.5% were non-family households, 83.6% were married couple families, 6.8% were a male family householder with no spouse, and 8.1% were a female family householder with no spouse. The average family household had 3.13 people.[16]
The median age was 47.9, 23.4% of people were under the age of 18, and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older. The largest ancestry is the 16.3% who had English ancestry, 29.7% spoke a language other than English at home, and 24.5% were born outside the United States, 77.7% of whom were naturalized citizens.[16]
The median income for a household in the CDP was over $250,000. 7.9% of the population were military veterans, and 84.5% had a batchelor's degree or higher. In the CDP 2.3% of the population was below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those aged 65 or over, with 4.0% of the population without health insurance.[16]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 15,427 people, 4,977 households, and 4,439 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 606.9 inhabitants per square mile (234.3/km2). There were 5,179 housing units at an average density of 203.7 per square mile (78.6/km2). The racial makeup of the community was 80.5% White, 13.5% Asian, 1.8% African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.9% of the population.[1]
There were 4,977 households, of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.1% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.8% were non-families. Of all households, 8.5% were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10, and the average family size was 3.27.[1]
The age distribution of the population was 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 37.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. The gender makeup of the CDP was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.[1]
The median income for a household in the CDP was $189,545, and the median income for a family was $201,250. Males had a median income of $149,609 versus $101,289 for females. The community's per capita income was $80,422. About 0.8% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.[1]
In 2010, the Census extended the CDP's western border from Springvale Road to the Fairfax-Loudoun County Line, expanding the CDP's area by approximately 40%. This extension partly explains the CDP's population increase of 80.5% since the 2000 Census.
Great Falls vote by party in presidential elections[17]
Siena Academy is a CatholicMontessori preschool and elementary school in Great Falls, under the authority of the Diocese of Arlington. It is the only private K-12 school in the town.
Although Great Falls is 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 named Matildaville are still visible in the park. The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad extended along Old Dominion Drive to Great Falls Park in 1906.
River Bend County Park[19] is another gathering area in Great Falls, as is the Village Green, which hosts community celebrations around Easter (Spring Festival, including an Egg Hunt), Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (Tree Lighting), as well as concerts in the summer.
Great Falls on February 21, 2007
In popular culture
The MTV television series Finding Carter is partially set in Great Falls.
^Includes all people who gave "American Indian", "Eskimo", or "Aleut" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
^Includes all people who gave "Japanese", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Asian Indian", or "Vietnamese" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
^Includes all people who gave "Hawaiian", "Guamanian", or "Samoan" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
