Gainesville, Virginia

About the Gainesville, Virginia Area

Conveniently located 25 miles from Dulles International Airport and only 40 minutes’ drive from Washington DC, Gainesville is a historic small town (population 4500) in an area experiencing rapid development and expansion. Set invitingly in the charming rolling hills of Northern Virginia, it offers rural living with an abundance of outdoor recreation, and all the opportunities of the DC Metropolitan area.

Location

Gainesville is located in Prince William County in northern Virginia, close to Route I-66. Manassas is 10 miles, Dale City is 22 miles, and Washington DC is 41 miles from Gainesville.

Geography

The northern Virginia countryside is characterized by gently rolling hills with pasture and areas of woods and hardwood forest. Gainesville elevation is 353 feet above sea level.

Jobs

With a highly-educated work force and strategic location adjacent I-66 and the Greater Washington, DC metropolitan area, residents of Gainesville and its surrounding area have a wide range of employment opportunities. The defense and education sectors attract many residents, and there is a growing influx of high-tech firms to the area. Almost a quarter of Prince William County residents are employed in government occupations. Average commute time for Prince William County commuters is just under 40 minutes.

Housing

Beautifully renovated homes can be found in the many historic areas of Prince William County, and there are growing numbers of golf communities, lake communities, and retirement communities, in addition to a wide selection of single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums in all price ranges.

The median price of a home in Gainesville is approximately $385,500, making it somewhat less expensive than neighboring Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Recreation

Any account of the attractions of Gainesville and Prince William County must include the incredible natural environment and outdoor recreation available here.

From the Potomac River to the Bull Run Mountains, among thousands of scenic acres of wetlands, fields and forest, there are deer, fox, beaver, eagles, osprey, wild turkeys and close to 200 other bird species to be seen, as well as opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping, biking, boating, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, rollerblading, cross-country skiing, or just enjoying the peace and solitude in some of the least-visited parks in the nation. The autumnal colors are a sight to behold, and in spring the hillsides and meadows are a blaze of beautiful wildflowers.

Not surprisingly, so close to Washington DC, there are a large number of excellent golf courses in Prince William County. Gainesville itself has several, including Virginia Oaks, Stonewall Golf Club at Lake Manassas Community, and the prestigious and demanding Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Renowned course designer Robert Trent Jones’ dream was to build a course in the tradition of Augusta National, Pine Valley and Cypress Point where the world's best golfers would play under championship conditions. Beautifully located on the shores of Lake Manassas, this internationally-acclaimed award-winning course has now hosted the Presidents’ Cup four times, fully realizing its designer’s dream. Prince William County has many beautiful parks and recreation areas, with some of the best in and around Gainesville.

The Bull Run Regional Park at Centreville is one of the most popular, especially in spring, when picnickers flock to its spacious fields and picturesque stream banks, ablaze with bluebells and other wild flowers. There are miles of scenic hiking trails to get away from it all in the woods, and such amenities as miniature golf, a public shooting center for sporting clays, skeet, trap, and indoor archery; and a large outdoor swimming pool.

A little further afield, Locust Shade Park offers entertainment and recreation for all the family, with trout fishing, pedal boats for the kids, picnic pavilions for all-weather picnicking, a splendid amphitheater where visitors enjoy live entertainment, and a driving range and mini-golf course. On weekend nights the mini-golf course offers night-time golf with glowing balls, illuminated balls, and other novelties, and there is an annual Haunted Golf event at Halloween.

On the Prince William campus of George Mason University, the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center offers a state-of-the-art, 110,000 square foot facility including two pools, a whirlpool; a full gymnasium, cardio, aerobic and strength studios, racquetball courts, a convenient drop-in child care service, and over 130 weekly fitness classes.

Historic Buildings and Places

The Gainesville area is rich in the history of the Civil War. In nearby Manassas, several annual events attract large crowds of interested onlookers.

On the former Liberia Plantation, visitors participate in a re-creation of a Civil War Christmas, with period decorations, the food, drink and traditions of a Victorian Christmas, carols by candlelight, and soldiers encamped on the plantation lawn. And at the Manassas Museum, local residents gather for the lighting of the holiday tree on the Museum lawn and later enjoy performances by local choirs and musicians, an exhibit of charming 19th century Christmas.

In summer, the Civil War Weekend is held near the anniversary of the Battle of First Manassas on July 21-22. The event includes a selection of book signings and lectures by noted Civil War authors, Civil War encampments and demonstrations, performances of period music and guided tours of Civil War sites in Manassas.

At Mayfield Fort, a fascinating living history exhibit allows both children and adults to explore the life of a Civil War soldier in the last remaining earthwork fortification built by Gen. Beauregard’s troops in 1861. Sentries give the password and visitors wander amongst the soldiers in their encampment, visit the commanding officer in his command tent and even enlist.

Although it first came into being as a changing point for stagecoach horses on the Fauquier & Alexandria Turnpike, Gainesville began to become important when the Manassas Gap Railroad reached the area in 1852. With the advent of the railroad the town quickly became a shipping point for grain, timber and cattle, and it remained a major cattle shipping point into the early 1960’s. It assumed importance early in the Civil War, when nearby Thoroughfare Gap in the Bull Run Mountains served as a path for soldiers to reach the First and Second Battles of Manassas.

Pre-dating the Civil War by decades, the recently restored Court House Complex in nearby Brentsville includes a courthouse and jail which were built in approximately 1822. Among the other structures on the site are the old Brentsville Union Church, built in 1874, and the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in the county.

A little further east is Rippon Lodge, built circa 1745, and the oldest house still standing in Prince William County. It has rich connections with local and national history. Originally the center of a tobacco plantation, the Lodge was ideally located on a hilltop overlooking the mouth of Neabsco Creek and the Potomac River, and with its own port featured significantly in the economic growth of the surrounding district. Colonel Thomas Blackburn, son of the original owner, served as an aide to George Washington, who is said to have often stayed as a house guest, while a later descendent, Admiral Richard Black was noted for his exploration of the North Pole alongside Admiral Byrd.

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