Falls Church City VA
The City of Falls Church or Falls Church City which people also call it, is located within the boundary of Falls Church. But, surprise, it’s not part of Falls Church. The City of Falls Church has its own government, its own school system and contracts with surrounding Fairfax County for some services. Contained within 2.2 square miles, the population of Falls Church City is 14,000. It is the second smallest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The nickname is the Little City.
To answer the age-old question – yes there actually once was a Falls Church in the 1700’s and the city formed around it.
This is a well-educated city, with over 50% of adults having a degree beyond a Bachelor’s. This is four times the national average of 14%.
Location & Transportation
Falls Church City is 6 miles east of Washington DC. Interstate 66 and Route 50 run east-west through Falls Church City, and the metro stops which service the city are both East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Neither metro stop is actually within the city boundaries.
Falls Church City wants to be a walkable city and boasts a walk score of 91 out of 100. They say that 83% of all residents are within a 10 minute walk from a grocery store.
There are 9 Capital Bikeshare Stations in the City as well.
Real Estate
It’s not easy to buy a house in Falls Church City. I have Frients (that’s friends-turned-clients) who were able to buy a home inside city limits after looking for years. It was a bit of a struggle to get their offer accepted. There are many many bidding wars here. Why do people endure this trauma? Schools, which we are going to talk about in a bit, are unbeatable as top notch.
A single family home here will be in the $1M – $2M range.
Real Estate Taxes are $1.23 per mil.
About 30% of Falls Church City is comprised of one person households, so it isn’t all families here. The demographics the city provides each year outline the breakdown and 41% of households have 3 or more people.
Falls Church City is also embarking on an affordable housing mission. They have purchased several quadplexes and also routinely purchase, renovate and sell homes with covenants that limit the pricing to preserve affordability.
Food
There is a weekly Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in the City Hall Parking Lot and it is open year-round.
Grocery stores within Falls Church City include Giant and Harris Teeter, Aldi and Good Fortune Supermarket. There’s also a Whole Foods in the works.
The City of Falls Church has a little downtown area with a lot of cool mom & pop places. Route 7, which is called West Broad Street, runs right through the city and has a variety of ethnic restaurants – Greek, Italian, Irish, Bolivian, Thai, Salvadorean, Jamaican and Seafood. There’s a lot to choose from and it’s all rated pretty close to 5 stars. For coffee and pastries, Northside Social is pretty popular as well as Rare Bird and Bakeshop.
Fun
For being one of the smallest cities, Falls Church City has a ton of events throughout the year. In September, there is Falls Church Festival which is a family friendly event with music, entertainment for the kiddos, local vendor displays, a beer garden and the Taste of Falls Church. There are Movie Nights throughout the year in Cherry Hill Park. In October, there’s a Farm Day with animals, pumpkin painting, music, scarecrow making. There’s also Halloween Carnival the Saturday before Halloween with games, candy and bounce houses.
In November and December there are tree lightings and Gift and Craft Shows with a Children’s Shop. There are parades, a concert series, fireworks – this so-called “Little City” is big on fun.
Link to Events: https://www.fallschurchva.gov/500/Events
Big Chimneys Park is just a couple blocks off the downtown strip and was recently renovated with some great playground equipment for the kids.
Mr. Brown’s Park is a little park in the downtown with chairs and a small stage.
Cherry Hill Park has basketball, volleyball, tennis and a horseshoe court as well as a playground, and there’s also a historic farmhouse you can torture the kids with a visit to.
Mary Riley Styles Public Library was renovated in 2021 and is one of six libraries in Virginia to receive Library Journal’s Star Library Award in 2022. They also host events for kids of all ages like storytime, crafts and other events to encourage literacy like book clubs for kids!
Kids & Schools
There’s an indoor playground here for kids called Scramble as well as Bowl America.
As far as schools, we are a long way from 1903 Falls Church City, when they had The Training School for Feeble-Minded Girls.
Falls Church City Public Schools is a small school system serving 2600 students. There are 5 schools in total – a Preschool, Mount Daniel Elementary which is Kindergarten to 2nd grade; Oak Street Elementary is 3rd to 5th grade; Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, and Meridian High School.
All grades here participate in the IB, International Baccalaureate Program.
