Editing Annandale, Virginia (section)

==History==
When Europeans arrived in the 17th century, the area around Annandale, which became Fairfax County, was inhabited by an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking sub-group called the ''[[Doeg tribe|Taux]]'', also known as the Doeg or Dogue.<ref name=swanton>{{cite book| last=Swanton| first=John R.| title=The Indian Tribes of North America| publisher=Smithsonian Institution| year=1952| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtHI5pkJOGMC| isbn=978-0-8063-1730-4| pages=67–69| oclc=52230544}}</ref>

In 1685, an Englishman, Col. William H. Fitzhugh, purchased over 24,000 acres (37.5 square miles) of wilderness in the area and converted it into one of the largest tobacco [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantations]] in Northern Virginia.<ref name = Capone>{{cite web |url= https://www.annandale.va.us/history.html|title= RAVENSWORTH: A Short History Of Annandale, Virginia |last= Capone |first= Audrey B. |date= 1985|website= www.annandale.va.us |publisher= |access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref> It stretched from current day [[Fairfax, Virginia|Fairfax City]] to [[Springfield, Virginia|Springfield]] and [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]] and south to Pohick Church.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/2006/04/01/a-piece-of-annandales-plotline/ea748c3d-be0d-4708-a4ab-683982344ecc/|title= A Piece of Annandale's Plotline |last= Fleishman |first= Sandra |date= April 1, 2006 |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |location = Washington, D.C.|access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref>  Fitzhugh's descendants later named it "Ravensworth."  For over six generations, the Fitzhugh family farmed at Ravensworth and slowly sold off portions of the land.<ref name=Capone/>

In 1830, the community of Annandale was named by a Scottish settler, after the town named [[Annan, Dumfries and Galloway|Annan]] located at the mouth of the [[River Annan]]. Annandale followed nearby [[Dumfries]] to become the second place in [[Dumfriesshire]] to become the name of a settlement in Virginia.<ref name = Tom/> In 1806, the Little River Turnpike (now [[Virginia State Route 236]]) had been completed through the community, connecting it with [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]] and Fairfax. In 1808, the Columbia Pike (now [[Virginia State Route 244]]) was built, connecting the [[District of Columbia (until 1871)|District of Columbia]] with Little River Turnpike in what is now Annandale. The first businessman to locate in Annandale was William Garges, who built a blacksmith shop and a livery stable at the intersection of Columbia Pike, Little River Turnpike and Backlick Road, which would become the center of town. Garges became the first postmaster at the Annandale Post Office, which opened in 1837. Small farms and businesses grew up around the town and its first church, the Annandale Methodist Chapel, was built in 1846.<ref name=Capone/>

===American Civil War===
The [[American Civil War]] touched Annandale several times between 1861 and 1865.  [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] troops defending the vicinity of [[Washington, D.C.]], frequently took positions in and around the town.  [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] forces probing those defenses skirmished with them from time to time.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=33512|title= Action At Annandale|date= July 7, 2021|website= The Historical Marker Database |access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=6926|title= Mason's Hill|date= April 5, 2008|website= The Historical Marker Database |access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://annandaletoday.com/new-signs-explain-civil-war-events-that/|title= New signs explain Civil War events that happened near Annandale |date= June 29, 2012|website= Annandale Today|access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.novahistory.org/FortSchneider/FortSchneider.htm|title= Fort Schneider, Purdy's Farm, Annandale, VA|last= Robison |first= Debbie |date= January 24, 2014|website= Northern Virginia History Notes |access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref>  The Methodist Chapel, which had fallen into disrepair during the war, was dismantled by Union troops to obtain construction materials in 1863.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.annandalechamber.com/annandale_united_methodist_church.rhtml|title= Annandale United Methodist Church, The True Story|last= Callahan |first= M. |website= www.annandalechamber.com|publisher= Annandale Chamber of Commerce|access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref>

After the war, farmers and businessmen returned to their pursuits and dairy farming began to grow in Fairfax County. Small communities continued to develop or grow near railroad stations and the dairy farms. Residents built stores, churches, and schools for their communities.

===20th century===
By 1925, Fairfax County contained more dairy farms than any other county in Virginia. In the 1930s and 1940s, work in the area for the federal government grew as [[President of the United States|President]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] implemented the [[New Deal]] and the United States entered [[World War II]].<ref name = FFXEcon>{{cite web |last= Lipsey |first= Mary |url= http://braddockheritage.org/archive/files/e0584b60bbd6cbc3d0d582d49c241478.pdf|title= Fairfax County's Economy|date= 2007|website= braddockheritage.org |publisher= Fairfax County, Virginia |access-date= January 26, 2022}}</ref>

After World War II, growth continued, with housing developments in suburbs like Annandale accompanied by businesses, schools, and roads to support the new residents. The suburbs became “[[Commuter town|bedroom communities]]” with many residents commuting to work in Washington or surrounding small cities. That trend has continued to today with further growth and many residents now commuting to work in Northern Virginia as well as in and around Washington.<ref name = FFXEcon/>