Get to know Falls Church

Settled in the 17th century, Falls Church balances its proximity to Washington, D.C., with all the spoils of small-town suburban life, replete with the coveted walkable downtown and two stops on the Metrorail Orange Line. It takes its name from a historic Episcopal parish in the area that dates to 1732, before which time the nearest church was Lorton — nearly 20 miles away. Seven Corners, in the easternmost corner of Falls Church, offers a range of shopping options and access to major arteries such as Arlington Boulevard, Wilson Boulevard, Leesburg Pike, Sleepy Hollow Road, and Hillwood Avenue. Bailey’s Crossroads, further removed from Falls Church and bordering Alexandria and Annandale, features a variety of shopping centers with countless national retail and restaurant chains. Falls Church residents are governed by Fairfax County and thus are part of the Fairfax County Public School System, one of the largest in the country.

Nearby Neighborhoods:

Living in the Washington Metropolitan Area

The Washington Metropolitan Area starts with the District of Columbia proper and radiates out to the inner suburbs of Virginia and Maryland and stretches all the way to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Colloquially, many locals refer to the region as the DMV, an abbreviation for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, but will often just say they live in D.C. when they technically have an address in one of the states. Each town has its own specific atmosphere and residents — even the newly transplanted — often display fierce loyalty to their own suburb of choice. Generally, towns that are closer to D.C., especially those inside the Beltway, have more access to public transportation and more pedestrian-friendly downtowns, while towns on the far reaches of the metropolitan area like Charles Town, West Virginia, will have a more rural feel and fewer daily commuters to D.C. and its immediate environs.