Herndon, Virginia, United States

🇺🇸 Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. It is the largest of the three incorporated towns in the county.

The actual dimensions of the town of Herndon are fairly small. However, the United States Post Office treats nearby unincorporated communities in north-western Fairfax County as part of a Greater Herndon region, including Dranesville, Floris, Franklin Farm, McNair, and Oak Hill.

History The early settlement was named Herndon in 1858, after Commander William Lewis Herndon, an 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. In the 1870s, many Northern soldiers and their families came to settle in the area, taking advantage of moderate climate and low land prices.

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). When the railroad was converted into a hike-and-bike trail, Herndon capitalized on history and small-town feel (in a major metropolitan region) by converting its train station into a museum and visitors centre and by relocating a Norfolk Southern Railway caboose to a nearby site and repainting it in W&OD livery.

The caboose was originally acquired in 1989 by Herndon Historical Society member, George Moore, to whose memory the caboose was dedicated after his death in 2003. Although the caboose itself never traveled through Herndon, it remains an iconic part of the downtown area that both locals and tourists visit daily. The caboose and station offer a glimpse of the original downtown's historic charm, which residents are passionate about preserving.

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 centre called the Herndon Official Worker Center (HOW Center), operated by Reston Interfaith's Project Hope and Harmony under a grant from surrounding Fairfax County. The HOW Center was created on March 23, 2006 in response to daily gatherings of Hispanic workers at a local 7-Eleven store. 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 centre closed after less than two years of operation, in September 2007.

The Herndon Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography 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. Just over two acres of land in the town are technically in Loudoun County.

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, XO Communications, K12, Verizon Business, and Network Solutions. Other principal employers in the Town include: Fannie Mae, Amazon Web Services, Navy Federal Credit Union, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Peraton, Northwest Federal Credit Union, Serco, Town of Herndon, Boeing Corporation, Airline Pilots Association.

Attractions Herndon boasts a wide variety of diversions and celebrations year round. Among the community events are: 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, HerndonHalf Marathon, 12k, and 5k

Herndon contains the Herndon Depot Museum, the site of "Mosby's Raid on Herndon Station", which was a Civil War skirmish that took place on St. Patrick's Day, 1863. Also within the town is The Herndon Centennial Golf Course, the Herndon ArtSpace (a community art gallery), community centre with basketball and racquetball courts and multiple baseball fields, and an aquatic center. Adjacent to the community centre is Bready Park, with indoor tennis courts. Additionally, every residence within the town borders is within a mile or less of a public park. Herndon is home to a professional live theatre, NextStop Theatre, which produces a variety of plays, musicals, concerts, and educational theatre programming each season.

Public libraries Fairfax County Public Library operates the Herndon Fortnightly Library in Herndon.

Transport The primary highway serving Herndon is Virginia State Route 228 and its truck route. SR 228 heads directly through the centre of town via Elden Street, Monroe Street, Park Avenue and Dranesville Road. SR 228 Truck diverges from Elden Street south-west of downtown on Herndon Parkway, following that road northwestward, northward and northeastward around central Herndon, finally reaching Dranesville Road north of downtown. At the south end of town, SR 228 meets Virginia State Route 267, a high speed, high-capacity toll road which provides access to Washington, D.C. (via Interstate 66) and Washington Dulles International Airport. In 2022, the Silver Line’s extension opened, providing service at Herndon station.