Herndon, Virginia
| Herndon, Virginia | ||
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| Town | ||
| Town of Herndon | ||
Historic area of Herndon
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 Location within Fairfax county |
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 Herndon, Virginia
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon, Virginia
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| Coordinates: 38°58′17″N 77°23′19″W / 38.97139°N 77.38861°WCoordinates: 38°58′17″N 77°23′19″W / 38.97139°N 77.38861°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Virginia | |
| County | Fairfax | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Town | |
| • Mayor | Lisa Merkel | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 4.2 sq mi (10.9 km2) | |
| • Land | 4.2 sq mi (10.9 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | |
| Elevation | 361 ft (110 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 23,292 | |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 20170 | |
| Area code(s) | 703, 571 | |
| FIPS code | 51-36648 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1495675 | |
| Website | http://www.herndon-va.gov | |
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 23,292 at the 2010 census, which makes it the largest of three incorporated towns in the county.
Herndon was named for Commander William Lewis Herndon, 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. The settlement was named Herndon in 1858. In the 1870s, many Northern soldiers and their families came to settle in the area, taking advantage of moderate climate and low land prices. Herndon also offered a group of friendly and local Native Americans who helped the town to prosper via trade and instruction.
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 center 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, whose memory the caboose was dedicated to 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.
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