Herndon, Virginia Totally Explained

Everything about Herndon Virginia totally explained

Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,655 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest of three towns in the county.

History

Herndon was named for Commander William Lewis Herndon, American naval explorer and author of Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon. Commander Herndon captained the ill-fated steamer SS Central America, going down with his ship while helping to save over 150 of its passengers and crew. The settlement was named Herndon in 1858. In the 1870s, many Northern soldiers and their families came to settle in the area, taking advantage of moderate climate and low land prices. Herndon also offered a group of friendly and local native Americans who helped the town to prosper via trade and instruction.
   Originally part of the rural surroundings of the Washington, D.C. area, the town of Herndon developed into a hub of dairy farming and vacationing for area residents, aided by its presence along the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad (later to become the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad).
   On January 14, 2004, the Town of Herndon commemorated its 125th anniversary.
   The town of Herndon was part of a nationally-reported controversy involving illegal immigration beginning in 2005. The controversy revolved around a day labor center called the Herndon Official Worker Center (HOW Center), constructed by the town and operated by Reston Interfaith's Project Hope and Harmony

under a grant from surrounding Fairfax County. The HOW Center was created in response to daily gatherings of Hispanic workers at a local 7-Eleven store What had started as a local issue became national news when the Minuteman Project anti-illegal immigration group joined the local groups opposing the day laborers and watchdog group Judicial Watch sued the town and county to block the center's construction. The HOW Center opened in December, 2005, on the site of the former Herndon Police headquarters. The 2006 election for Mayor and Town Council revolved mainly around the issue, and resulted in unseating the pro-center Mayor and two councilmembers. The Town Council chose instead to close the center entirely.

Geography

Herndon is located at (38.971478, -77.388675).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,655 people, 6,962 households, and 4,970 families residing in the town. The population density was 5,129.9 people per square mile (1,981.3/km²). There were 7,190 housing units at an average density of 1,703.3/sq mi (657.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 57.89% White, 9.51% Black, 0.42% Native American, 13.86% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 12.95% from other races, and 5.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.01% of the population.
   There were 6,962 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.54.
   In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.0 males.
   The median income for a household in the town was $72,912, and the median income for a family was $79,140. Males had a median income of $44,197 versus $35,548 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,941. About 4.7% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Herndon is part of the Dulles Technology Corridor, which Fortune magazine named the "Netplex" because of the presence of the headquarters of such companies as AOL, Verizon Business (formerly MCI, formerly WorldCom, originally UUNET), and Network Solutions, which began as the INTERNIC — the registry where every domain name was once administered.
Other headquarters include aerospace companies such as Airbus North America.
On September 6th, 2007 Volkswagen of America announced that it'll be moving its headquarters office from Michigan to Herndon.

Government

The town is organized as an incorporated town by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is governed by an elected Mayor and Town Council
who serve on a part-time basis. The current Mayor is Stephen J. DeBenedittis, elected in 2008. The Mayor chairs the Council and heads the executive branch of the town government, and is supported by a full-time professional staff headed by the Town Manager (Art Anselene as of 2007). The Police Department is independent of the county police department, is headed by Colonel Toussaint E. Summers, Jr. and consists of 70 sworn officers along with the assistance of the Herndon Police Citizen Support Team. The Herndon Police Department achieved national recognition on November 8, 1986 by becoming the 7th police agency in Virginia and the 42nd police agency in the United States to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Attractions

Herndon boasts a wide variety of diversions and celebrations year round. Among the community events are:

April	Taste of the Town (Herndon Council for the Arts)
May	Friday Night Live! (free concerts May-August), Farmers' market (May-October), Towne Square Singers, Big Truck Days, Public Works Forest and Meadow Wildflower Walk
June	Herndon Festival, held for four days
July	Fourth of July celebrations and fireworks
September	Labor Day Jazz Festival, Annual Motorcycle Poker Run (Fraternal Order of Police), Annual NatureFest Celebration (Sept. 17, Runnymede Park)

Herndon contains the Herndon Depot Museum, the site of "Mosby's Raid on Herndon Station". The raid was a Civil War skirmish that took place on St. Patrick's Day in 1863. Also within the town is a golf course, community center with basketball and racquetball courts, and an aquatic center. Adjacent to the community center is Bready Park, with indoor tennis courts. Additionally, every residence within the town borders is within a mile or less of a public park.
Nearby attractions include the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum (which houses the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress, a Concorde supersonic passenger airplane, an SR-71A Blackbird plane and the Space Shuttle Enterprise), Frying Pan Park, Sully Plantation, Reston Town Center, Mount Vernon, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Colvin Run Mill, Aldie Mill, Oatlands Plantation, Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (which runs through the town).

Education

Herndon is within the Fairfax County Public Schools district.
Zoned elementary schools include:

Aldrin Elementary School
Armstrong Elementary School
Clearview Elementary School
Dranesville Elementary School
Herndon Elementary School
Hutchison Elementary School
McNair Elementary School

Herndon Middle School and Herndon High School serve the town proper.
Some unincorporated areas with Herndon addresses are zoned to Westfield and Oakton High Schools in unincorporated Fairfax County.

Sister cities

Its sister city is Runnymede, England.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Herndon Virginia'.

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