Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County was established in 1742 and named after Thomas, the sixth Lord Fairfax. Located 10 miles southwest of Washington D.C., the county covers 399 square miles and has major shopping hubs, national parks, a wide variety of restaurants and popular cultural attractions within its boundaries. As the home of patriot-farmers George Washington and George Mason, Fairfax County has rural roots. As recently as the 1950s it was the leading dairy-producing county in the Commonwealth. Now it’s a world center of commerce and trade and the technology hub of the U.S. East Coast. Fairfax County has the largest number of jobs (517,734) and the largest labor force (532,000) in the Washington area. The northern Virginia climate is moderate, with the average temperature and precipitation reaching 53.9 degrees Fahrenheit (12.1 degrees Celsius) and 40 inches (101.6 cm), respectively.