Community Profile - Centerville
Government
Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035-0071
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/gov/homepage.htm
Transportation
Area Maps
Local Newspapers
- Times Community Newspapers (weekly)
- Centre View (weekly)
- Chronicle Newspapers (monthly)
Community Links
Board of Supervisors Representative
Michael R. Frey (R ), Sully District Supervisor, Fort HIll Building, Centreville Road, Ste. 205, Centreville, VA 20121. 703-378-9393
Demographics Source
http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/publications/west_fairfax.pdf
Schools
(see also detail on high schools in Profile below)
- Fairfax County Public School System
- Centreville High School
- Mountain View Alternative High School School
- Westfield High School
Examples of Places of Worship
- Assembly of God - Centreville Assembly of God, 14821 Lee Hwy, Centreville. 703-830-1841.
- Christian Science - Church of Christ Scientist, 13940 Braddock Rd., Centreville.
- Pentecostal - The Church of The Blessed Trinity, 15011 Sacred Ln., Centreville. 703-803-3007.
- St. John's Episcopal Church (located in the historic district)
Profile of Centerville & Chantilly
Situated in Western Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, abutting Prince William County, are Centreville and Chantilly. These communities are within the Sully District. (The Sully District also includes Clifton and Oakton.)
Low in crime and high in major thoroughfares, efficient local government infrastructure, a pro-business climate, public high schools that rank in the top 4% in the nation (by Newsweek), prospects are excellent for continued residential, business and tourism development. Centreville and Chantilly are worthy of examination as a destination for locating your business and/or your home.
Nearby Dulles International Airport is a gateway to the world as well as a gateway to local travel and tourism. The relatively new Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy annex in Chantilly, adjacent to Dulles Airport, has attracted close to three million visitors from all over the world and will continue to draw millions of new visitors to the local area over time.
Additionally, the current marketing thrust by Fairfax County's Convention and Visitors Corporation encourages area residents to frequent the attractions and eateries within the county and to become acquainted with the lodging options.
In 2005, Money Magazine listed Centreville and Chantilly as contenders for the top "Best Places To Live" in the nation! (population category of below 100,000 people). Last year, that magazine deemed Centreville as third hottest town in the nation in its size range!
Centreville is primarily residential punctuated with small shopping centers, office condominiums and restaurants. A rural area until 20 years ago, one can still glimpse the Bull Run Mountains in the distance.
Like the rest of Northern Virginia, Centreville has been experiencing explosive growth in development.
Attractions
"Come Home To Centreville," the tagline for Centreville Day, September 17, 2005, successfully beckoned people to attend the 14th annual community fair to appreciate a residential community rife with family-centric vibrancy and historic sites from the 18 th and 19 th centuries that continue to be unveiled. Nearly 5,000 people attended the fair in the Historic District this year and experienced a fun mix of tours, living history demonstrations, food, as well as modern fun--moon bounce (etc.), music, and marketing by more than 100 crafters, political parties, churches and business services.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors awarded $100,000 recently to expand and improve the historic district.
In or near the Sully District, young and young-at-heart have access to plenty of places to play and learn. Nearby attractions are many, including those run by the local as well as federal governments.
A sampler: one can traverse the Manassas National Battlefield imagining what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War, or launch a boat at the public Bull Run Marina or Burke Lake Park, view a quilt display at Sully Historic site (restored home of Richard Bland Lee), play golf at multiple public and private courses, join or coach a youth sports team, or watch kids spill out of an indoor water slide at Cub Run Recreation Center--a 65,000 ft. facility on 37 acres next to Westfield High School in Chantilly.
More plans for parkland, historic site stewardship and recreation resources in the Sully District are on the drawing board. The largest planning effort underway is the Sully Woodlands Regional Master Plan that would preserve, enhance and integrate more than 4,000 acres, about half of which are newly acquired acres in the far Western portion of Fairfax County.
In the meantime, to meet the high demand, the county government Park Authority is working to secure more places to play team sports in the Sully District, including Quinn Farm park (featuring lighted fields as well as 450 parking spaces!).
For information about parks, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks as well as www.nvrpa.gov. To connect with youth and adult sports organizations, such as the Southwestern Youth Association, get a running start online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rec/Team_Sports/SportsDirectory.htm
Live Entertainment
One does not necessarily need to travel to DC to partake of excellent performances and sporting events. There is a treasure trove of entertainment options within a short drive from Centreville: Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts (in Vienna), Nissan Pavilion (near Gainesville), the Patriot Center and Center for the Arts at George Mason University ( Fairfax) and community theaters. Arts councils offer up national and regional talent.
Shopping
Shopping malls--big and small--abound in the area. One can find many cool items and movie theaters close by at Fair Oaks Mall (near the convergence of Rte. 50 and Rte. 66). Fair Oaks sports more than 180 specialty stores, services and restaurants, as well as Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Hecht's, Sears and JCPenney. A smaller, but newer mall, emerged near the Government Center. Check out Fairfax Corner Shopping Center. And very locally, find Centreville Square at the intersection of Rte. 29 and Rte. 28.
Quality Health Care
Inova Health System was named by Working Mother magazine (in 2004) as "one of the 100 best companies for working mothers." U.S. News & World Report said Inova Fairfax Hospital is among the best in the nation. And the Nov., 2005, issue of Washingtonian reported that local physicians believe it"s one of the top hospitals in the Metro area.
Says Inova CIO Geoff Brown, "We incorporate technology in all aspects of health care including our recent transition to computer-based radiology images for greater ease in sharing between hospitals and physicians in their office or home."
Inova Fair Oaks hospital is the branch located nearest to Chantilly. It is a 160-bed advanced acute care community hospital. Inova also operates an Urgent Care Center in Centreville.
Education
The Fairfax County public school system is the 12 th largest in the nation and maintains an excellent reputation. The secondary schools that serve Chantilly and Centreville are particularly impressive.
Principal James Noonan reports that Centreville High School, with its architecturally stunning three-story atrium design (www.fcps.edu/CentrevilleHS), has grown from 1000 students in 1988 to 2000 in the 2004-5 academic year. This school is a center of innovation and maintains an emphasis on enhanced instructional programming. There is a school-wide emphasis on writing across the curriculum and an expectation of academic success for all. Computer literacy is emphasized. A mentoring program, a business-school partnership, and various academic programs are available that offer a low pupil-teacher ratio provide additional resources. The combined SAT score average for this school for 2004-5 was 1082. (SAT score source: Washington Post)
James Kacur, new principal of Chantilly High School, says, "Our school enjoys strong community support, and our scholastic program accommodates a wide range of curricular and co-curricular activities." Team-taught courses help students make interdisciplinary connections. An interactive media center focuses on training students to engage in research using technological skills in various laboratories. All Chantilly students are encouraged to participate in the expansive activities program that feature athletics as well as fine and performing arts. Show choirs, instrumental groups, and drama groups give performances regularly throughout the year, and journalism students consistently produce nationally acclaimed publications. Chantilly's average SAT total score for this past year was 1112.
Adjacent to Chantilly High School is Chantilly Academy, a distinct program that serves more than 1300 students from 20 Fairfax County secondary schools and programs. Its program is composed of 20 specialized classes, divided into two categories: (1) Engineering & Scientific Technology and (2) Health & Human Services. Douglas Wright is the administrator.
One of five such academies in Fairfax County, Chantilly Academy is outfitted with up-to-date technology in lab settings. Students from the surrounding schools travel there to take their chosen elective class and later returned to their base schools.
You may visit www.fcps.k12.va.us/ChantillyAcademy/ to review the list of Courses with brief descriptions. Note the Certification heading.
Mountain View Alternative High School, located in Centreville, serves all of Fairfax County. Principal James Oliver, previously with Chantilly High School for 15 years, claims that heading Mountain View is one the most rewarding experiences in his career and that it is one of the finest schools in the county.
Mountain View is one of three high schools in the county that offer programs designed to help students whose life circumstances could result or have resulted in an interruption of their education or in their dropping out of school. The adult/alternative high school population consists of students who need a flexible or extended program to accommodate their work or family requirements, who may be pregnant or parenting, students for whom English is a second language, or older students who are returning to finish courses to earn their diploma. Its Web site is www.fcps.k12.va.us/MountainViewS/.
Westfield High School, which serves parts of Centreville, Herndon as well as Chantilly, opened its doors in September of 2000. Principal Mike Campbell reports that its enrollment has grown to more than 3,200. Recognized for its award-winning design and located on a 159-acre site in Chantilly, Westfield offers a rigorous academic program and is an Honors high school.Special features include: a photography lab, a fully equipped TV studio, four separate computer labs and a publications lab. Another unique program orients students to careers in aerospace! More than 100 students have chosen those courses this year. Westfield's combined SAT score averaged 1088 for the past academic year. See www.fcps.k12.va.us/WestfieldHS.
There are private schools nearby as well, such as Paul IV High School in Fairfax, and Flint Hill School in Oakton.