Springfield is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The common definition of Springfield is the four ZIP codes that use Springfield in their mailing addresses (22150, 22151, 22152, 22153). Together, they had a population of 108,621 as of the 2020 Census. (This should not be confused with the narrowly-defined Springfield census-designated place with a population of 31,339.) Springfield is a part of Northern Virginia, the most populous region of the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Geography Springfield is located at (38.779238, −77.184636)."Fairfax County Road Map." Virginia Department of Transportation. 2004.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km2), of which 7.9 square miles (20.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.49%) is water.
The area is dominated by the interchange of I-95, I-395, and the Capital Beltway (I-495), known as the Springfield Interchange. The center of the town is at the intersection of Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617 (Backlick Road) adjacent to the interchange. A significant commercial district exists around the interchange area, but the rest of the community is primarily residential in character.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, Springfield collectively has four ZIP codes:
22150 (often unofficially referred to as Central Springfield) 22151 (North Springfield) 22152 (West Springfield) 22153 (West Springfield/Newington Forest)
The following are total area, water area, and land area statistics (in square miles) for the four Springfield zip codes:
Zip codeTotal areaWater areaLand area221507.88 sq mi.0.01 sq mi.7.87 sq mi.221515.28 sq mi.0.17 sq mi.5.11 sq mi.221526.16 sq mi.0.00 sq mi.6.16 sq mi.221538.36 sq mi.0.06 sq mi.8.30 sq mi.Total28.50 sq mi.0.24 sq mi.28.27 sq mi.
History 19th century A saw and grist mill was constructed in the vicinity of present-day Springfield between 1796 and 1800. Owned by James Keene, it gave its name to today's Old Keene Mill Road. The mill served farms in the area for around sixty years before its discontinuation when William H. Keene was convicted and imprisoned for the 1855 murder of Lewis Quincy Hall. Nothing remains of it today save for two mill races.
Springfield was founded in 1847 around the Orange and Alexandria Railroad's Daingerfield Station; this is today the Backlick Road Virginia Railway Express station, located off Backlick Road. The area was named for "Springfield Farm", owned by Henry Daingerfield, an Alexandria businessman who sat on the railroad's board of directors. The Springfield post office was completed sometime after 1851. It was in existence at the time of the American Civil War, being the site of a skirmish on October 3, 1861, and a Confederate raid on August 3, 1863. The station served as the first Springfield Post Office from 1866 to 1868.
In 1877, Richard Moore petitioned for a post office, which he named Moor; it was located about a little over a mile south of the station, near the intersection of Fairfax (now Old Keene Mill) and Backlick roads. The post office name was changed in 1881 to Garfield to honor the late President James A. Garfield, who had been assassinated that year.
20th century In 1907, the Garfield post office closed and a new postal station named Corbett, after the then-landowner, opened back at the railroad station. The name "Springfield" was reinstated for good on June 27, 1910,Yearbook, The Historical Society of Fairfax County, Volume 29, 2003–2004, Jack Hiller although the name Garfield continued to appear on maps at least through the 1930s.Map of Fairfax County. Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Highways. Richmond, VA: June 1, 1932. Revised July 1, 1936. Library of Virginia Digital Collections. Retrieved 25 October 2012. The post office was moved to a new site in 1933.
Until at least 1946, Springfield remained a rural crossroads, when real estate developer Edward Carr decided to subdivide the area for suburban development along the recently opened Henry Shirley Highway (now I-95/I-395). Carr believed this to be the last easily accessible tract within of Washington, D.C., and the newly developed area grew quickly.
In 1950, the area had an estimated population of 1,000; Springfield United Methodist Church was established in 1954 and John Lewis High School (Formerly Robert E. Lee) was built in 1957. By 1960, the population was reported as over 10,000; it grew past 25,000 by 1970 with the North and West Springfield neighborhoods.Number of Inhabitants, Bureau of the Census 1960 and 1970
Between 1973 and 1975, Springfield became a major retail destination with the opening of the Springfield Mall, now Springfield Town Center.Fairfax County Department of Taxation, DTA Property Search profile (the second regional shopping center in Northern Virginia after Tysons Corner), as well as the Springfield and Brookfield shopping centers.
In the 1980s and 1990s, retail and high-density housing expanded in the area, at least until the opening of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway in 1996, and the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Rail Express Station in 1997.
21st century The mall was renovated and re-opened in 2014.
Buildings
The center of Springfield is at the intersection of Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road) and Route 617 (Backlick Road), which historically marked the location of Springfield’s original commercial core. This area has seen significant redevelopment since the early 2000s, including the construction of the Springfield Town Center and the adjacent Springfield Community Business Center, part of Fairfax County’s plan to encourage mixed-use development and urban revitalization.
The old “Garfield” name survives in Garfield Elementary School, one of the area’s long-standing public schools, reflecting a former community name used during the early 20th century.
One of the most prominent government buildings in Springfield is the headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), located at the Fort Belvoir North Area (FBNA). Completed in 2011 at a cost of over $1.7 billion, the campus consolidated several NGA facilities from across the region into a state-of-the-art intelligence complex housing over 8,500 employees. The building spans approximately 2.4 million square feet and plays a critical role in national security, defense mapping, and satellite intelligence.
The historic Sydenstricker Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse completed in 1928, is located near West Springfield and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The building served as a public school and later as a community center and polling place. It remains one of the few surviving rural schoolhouses in Fairfax County and is maintained by the Upper Pohick Community League.
Other notable buildings in the Springfield area include: Springfield Town Center, a major retail and office complex redeveloped from the former Springfield Mall in 2014. Inova HealthPlex – Franconia/Springfield, a freestanding emergency and outpatient facility serving southeastern Fairfax County. Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department Station 22, serving the community since 1966 from its location on Backlick Road.
These civic, commercial, and historical structures reflect Springfield’s transformation from a rural rail stop into a densely developed suburban hub.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Springfield CDP, Virginia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)15,09711,6599,54649.63%38.25%30.46%Black or African American alone (NH)2,6502,6593,0658.71%8.72%9.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3638340.12%0.12%0.11%Asian alone (NH)6,2207,3828,34420.45%24.22%26.62%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1320110.04%0.07%0.04%Other race alone (NH)701161750.23%0.38%0.56%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)9588441,1153.15%2.77%3.56%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5,3737,7669,04917.66%25.48%28.87%Total30,41730,48431,339 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Springfield had a population of 31,339. The median age was 39.9 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 10,130 households in Springfield, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.0% were married-couple households, 16.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 10,563 housing units, of which 4.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 10,382 33.1% Black or African American 3,121 10.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 248 0.8% Asian 8,385 26.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 17 0.1% Some other race 5,479 17.5% Two or more races 3,707 11.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 9,049 28.9%
Zip Code Tabulation Area profiles According to Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA profiles for ZIP Codes 22150, 22151, 22152, and 22153, the Springfield ZIP Code Tabulation Areas had a combined population of 108,521 in 35,293 households. Median household income was $156,027. 58.9% of residents had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 27.5% had a graduate or professional degree. 26.2% of residents were employed by local, state, or federal governments, 9.5% were veterans, and 23.1% were under the age of 18. +Total22150221512215222153Total population108,52127,95518,02629,84332,697Total households35,2939,3735,5069,44310,971Median household income$156,027$123,114$156,015$165,906$174,228Bachelor's degree or higher58.9%46.0%52.7%65.0%67.7%Graduate of professional degree27.5%20.3%20.6%31.2%34.2%Total housing units36,3859,7035,8209,72311,139Homeownership rate63.4%87.0%85.8%89.6%Under 18 years old23.1%20.9%20.1%26.6%23.6%Local, state, or federal government worker26.2%22.8%19.7%30.4%28.7%Veteran9.5%9.1%6.6%10.0%10.9%Foreign-Born29.7%40.7%32.5%27.2%20.9%White47.0%32.8%44.2%53.5%54.8%Black9.7%10.0%5.4%10.0%11.4%Asian20.4%26.4%24.4%17.2%15.9%Native American0.5%0.8%0.7%0.4%0.4%Pacific Islander0.1%< 0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%Some other race9.7%18.2%12.9%5.3%4.6%Two or more races12.7%11.8%12.4%13.6%12.7%Hispanic or Latino of any race12.9%29.7%23.7%15.0%13.4% Across the four ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, 47.0% of residents were White, 20.4% were Asian, 9.7% were Black, 9.7% were some other race, 0.5% were Native American, and 0.1% were Pacific Islander; 12.7% identified as two or more races, 29.7% were foreign-born, and 12.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Transportation
Roads Central Springfield is dominated by the Springfield Interchange, popularly known as the "Mixing Bowl" or the "Melting Pot", a name taken from an earlier interchange near the Pentagon. The interchange includes three Interstates (I-95, I-395, and I-495), with two exits less than a half mile apart, and two surface roads—Commerce Street and Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road / Franconia Road)—crossing I-95 in close succession. The interchange is further complicated by a separate, reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) facility passing through the center of two of the interstates, which has since been integrated into the region's Express Lanes network.