August 19 – 25, 2021
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D E D 1991 • VOL. XXXI NO. 27
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U.S. Census: F.C. Fastest Growing Locale In N. Virginia Population Jumps Nearly 20 Percent Past 10 Years BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The population of the City of Falls Church grew by almost 20 percent in the last decade, official data released by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed last week. As of April 1, 2020, the population of the Little City was 14,658, up by 19.4 percent from 12,332 a decade earlier. This makes Falls Church the fastest growing jurisdiction in the Northern Virginia region by a considerable margin over its immediate neighbors, Fairfax County and Arlington. Further west, Loudoun County has experienced one of the highest growth rates, nationally, at 32.4 percent, but in much more of a suburban, not urban, context. In the inner urban area that is the core of the Northern Virginia region, the City of Falls Church reigns supreme for growth. And there is no end in sight as the biggest boost to its housing stock has yet to be built. For those examining the benefits of investing in this area, this is important news. Not just the growth to date, but the growth ready to happen means that Falls Church City is being perceived as tomorrow’s hottest spot in the broader Washington,
D.C. region. It is able to support commerce with a burgeoning, well-heeled population that is welcoming the wide diversity of populations with the skill sets and tastes to undergird a wide range of options for growth. Unlike Loudoun County, Falls Church represents this in the midst of a fully urban, not suburban, environment with all that means. Education, both K-12 for City residents and secondary for tomorrow’s tech-savvy emerging leaders, is an existing reality with much more to come from Virginia Tech. In health care, the giant medical campuses now exploding around Falls Church will also enhance the region’s talent pool of smart citizens, and could even garner some attention from practitioners worldwide. The Little City is in the midst of all this, and not just as an urban oasis. Its biggest project yet by far, the combined achievements of three contiguous properties adjacent to the West Falls Church Metrorail station, now awaits. As far as prospects for continued high rates of growth, Falls Church has become the apple of the eye for regional
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FOLLOWING LAST WEEK’S STORMS, a rainbow appeared over the Mary Riley Styles Public Library, which reopens Sept. 7. Perhaps it’s a sign that brighter times are ahead. (P����: N���-P����)
F.C. Mayor Talks Covid-19, Projects in ‘State of the City’ BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
It’s been another big year in the City of Falls Church. Some major projects are nearing the moment where they break ground just as others are ready to cut the ribbon, all the while there have been contentious issues such as school name changes and the everyday adherence to Covid-19 precautions.
Falls Church City Mayor David Tarter is a man on the forefront of a lot of these issues. He’s helped position the City as a developmentfriendly locale that can work with its larger neighbors to get things done. And he’s experienced some of the trials of the past year, particularly as a parent who watched two of his seniors go through most of their final year virtually. Tarter took some time to chat
with the News-Press when he wasn’t packing up the car to take those very same kids off to college. The full transcript of the conversation is below. News-Press: Fairfax and WMATA have both agreed to redevelop their land next to the City’s own redeveloped 10-acre parcel, making Falls Church a partner in a
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For the next five years, this bill in its current form would include almost $550 billion in new federal funding, which is just half of the funding involved. Virginia specifically will receive $7 billion for highways and $537 million for bridge repair. SEE STORY, PAGE 5
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The festival will be a fun day to spend outdoors after a year-long pause brought on by the pandemic, but it will also be a good chance to spread “awareness for social equity” and “modern day racial reconciliation” within the Little City. SEE INSERT, PAGE 11
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ...................................7,8,15 Crime Report ...................................... 8 News Briefs...............................9 News & Notes................................... 10 Calendar ........................................... 16 Business News ................................. 19 Classified Ads ................................... 20 Critter Corner.................................... 22
