A Guide to Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church is memorialized in the National Register of Historic Places for quite a few historic places. The Falls Church was registered in 1970, and the Federal District Boundary Marker, West Cornerstone, which identifies the corner of the City of Falls Church, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties, was registered in 1991.
Other historic landmarks include the Fairfax Chapel and Oakwood Cemetery from 1779, the original Columbia Baptist Church from 1857, and a marker for an official hangman’s tree from 1860. Legend has it that during the Civil War Colonel John Mosby of the Confederate cavalry had ordered his men to hang union soldiers from this tree. Unfortunately, the tree was destroyed in 1968 because of a construction accident, and only a marker remains today.
One popular historic structure that has survived as a working establishment is the State Theater. It first opened its doors to the public in 1936, showing the movie, “Thanks A Million” starring Dick Powell. The theater operated continuously until 1988. On November 27 of that year it showed its last movie, “Die Hard” starring Bruce Willis before closing its doors to the public. In its time it had been considered one of the finest theaters in the entire region, and one that was the first theater to open for Sunday performances. It was also the first theater on the East Coast that was centrally air-conditioned for the comfort of its patrons.
In the late 1990’s, and after a multi-million dollar restoration, The State Theatre reopened its doors as one of the Washington Metropolitan area’s favorite stage for live music. Unlike other local musical venues, the State Theatre now also offers full dining services with a classically trained European chef in its state-of-the-art kitchen.
While dining on some of the area’s finest cuisine, patrons have enjoyed such notable performers as America, Catfish Hodge, Charlie Hunter, Commander Cody, Dave Edmunds, John Mayer, Johnny Winter, Larry Carlton, Leon Russell, Little Feat, Nils Lofgren, the Pat McGee Band, Edgar Winter, Jimmy Buffet and many other known and less-known performers.
For those who want variety in their dining and nightly entertaining, there will be something to their liking in Falls Church. From the ritzy “2941” restaurant with its ambiance, valets, attentive waiters and a star-studded menu filled with such delights as calamari and zucchini tempura, tartare, saffron risotto with sweet clams, or a host of other delicacies, to the more lively and down-to-earth sports bars like “Grevey’s,” Falls Church has it all.
There are also the more traditional restaurants such as “Pistone’s Italian Inn,” the “Broad Street Grill”, “JV’s Restaurant,” the “Sign of the Whale,” and the “Bread House, “or the more exotic dining establishments like the “Bangkok Blues,” the “Bay Lo Restaurant,” the “CafÃ?© Bon Phuong,” or the “Cuu-Long Restaurant.
And of course Falls Church also caters to the palate of those who might want a billiards bar like the “Shark Club,” or the more day-to-day eateries such as the “Chicken Out Rotisserie” or “Edy’s Chicken & Steak” South American restaurant.
For the health conscious, “Bally’s Total Fitness” gym in the Loehmann’s Shopping center offers a full-service fitness establishment. Situated in a large, two-story building, club members can take advantage of aerobic stations, free-weights or machine-weights, indoor and outdoor pools, as well as a number of different exercise programs and private trainers. For busy moms who can’t get babysitters there is also a monitored toddler play area. Finally, a well-stocked store sells energy shakes, diet and exercise supplements, gym bags, work-out clothes and pretty much everything else that a gym regular would need.
For those who want to go shopping, Falls Church is the place to be. Besides the Loehmann’s shopping center on Rt. 50, Falls Church is next door to the nationally known Tyson’s Corner shopping mall, reachable by Rt. 50, Rt 123, Rt 495 and Rt 7, where almost everything and anything can be purchased. Falls Church is also next to the Bailey’s Crossroads shopping centers plus the Seven Corners Shopping Center, both of which can be reached by Rt. 50 or Rt. 7.
Falls Church also boasts about having one of the highest achieving secondary school systems in the country. High school graduates have ample opportunities to continue their higher education in the immediate area by attending Marymount University in Arlington, George Mason University in Fairfax City, Georgetown, George Washington, American and Howard Universities in nearby Washington, DC plus many commercial schools of higher education throughout the area.
Every major religion has its worshippers in or around Falls Church. Many of the different Christian churches are here, as are synagogues, temples and mosques.
With such a variety in its people, Falls Church has become a hub of activity. Providing housing for many employees of the Federal Government in nearby Washington, DC or the service men and women of the numerous military posts throughout the area, including the Pentagon in Arlington, or the hundreds of thousands of employees of the many national and international corporations in the area, Falls Church has had to address the ever-burgeoning pressures of housing, transportation and social service needs.
Many of the nation’s largest real estate companies as well as many local ones, help find housing accommodations for buyers and renters alike. Falls Church offers different types of housing including apartments, condos, townhouses and single family detached homes.
New arrivals to Falls Church, looking to purchase their homes, are often surprised by “sticker shock” when they realize that Falls Church boasts one of the highest price ranges for real estate in the country.
And if steep real estate prices aren’t intimidating enough, Falls Church is in a geographical area that has been deemed to be one of the nation’s most grid-locked traffic areas. It has become increasingly more difficult to note the end of the morning rush hour and the beginning of the afternoon one because of the unending stream of traffic. It is abysmal and the average Falls Church resident now spends more time in a car than ever before.
Local bus service, however, is very good. Falls Church operates its own local bus service that supplements Fairfax County’s metro system.
The subway system that connects many parts of Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia has two stops in Falls Church, both on the “Orange” line. The East Falls Church and the West Falls Church metro stations shuttle workers back and forth into the District of Columbia every day. Although very heavily used by its patrons, the subway is expensive and not as flexible and far-reaching as the systems in other parts of the country.
In spite of the daily grind, Falls Church has a good mix of entertainment and relaxation opportunities. There are many parks with weekend functions like Little League Baseball, PeeWee Football, Jazz, or any number of different forms of sport, music or entertainment.
Falls Church is no longer a small country outpost. It is a modern metropolis with all the good and the bad that modern cities have to offer.
