Editing Gainesville, Virginia

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Gainesville, Virginia
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]] (CDP)
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =
<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            =

|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =
<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Prince William County Virginia incorporated and unincorporated areas Gainesville highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]] and [[Virginia]]
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Virginia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Virginia|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        =
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  =  Imperial
|area_footnotes           =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 26.6
|area_land_km2            = 25.2
|area_water_km2           = 1.5
|area_total_sq_mi         = 10.3
|area_land_sq_mi          = 9.7
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.6
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = 2020
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 17,287

|population_density_km2   = 174.1
|population_density_sq_mi = 1150.2
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset = &minus;5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST = &minus;4
|elevation_footnotes      =
|elevation_m              = 108
|elevation_ft             = 354
|coordinates              = {{coord|38|47|41|N|77|37|14|W|region:US-VA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 20155-20156
|area_code                = [[Area code 703|703]], [[Area code 571|571]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 51-30176<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1494951<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  =
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Gainesville''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in western [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]], [[Virginia]], United States. The population was 17,287 in the 2020 census.<ref name="US Census 2020">{{cite web
| url =https://www.census.gov/2020census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=51:5130176 | title =2020 Census for Gainesville, Virginia, United States of America |access-date = 21 December 2015}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Gainesville United Methodist Church Cemetery - graves of the original Gaines family - cropped and darkened using GIMP.jpg|thumb|Graves of the Gaines family in Gainesville United Methodist Church cemetery; among them is that of Thomas Brawner Gaines, namesake of the community]]
[[File:Gvilleinterchange.jpg|thumb|Aerial view north along [[U.S. Route 29|US 29]] before the Gainesville interchange was completed, dated November 2011. The current roadway layout is significantly different from that depicted here.]]
Gainesville was once a changing point for [[stagecoach]] horses on the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike. In earlier times, the village that became known as “Gainesville” actually had two other names, though only briefly. In the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial]] era, the region was known as the "Middle Grounds", a reference to its location between [[Broad Run (Occoquan River tributary)|Broad Run]] and [[Bull Run (Occoquan River tributary)|Bull Run]]. 

===19th century===
In the early 1800s, Samuel Love of Buckland Hall started work on the Warrenton-Alexandria Turnpike. In the hamlet where the turnpike passed through the Middle Grounds, a new stable was erected for stagecoach drivers to switch horses. Other businesses followed, and the settlement became known as New Stable. 

In 1846, a post office by that name was opened there in Richard Graham's hotel and store. Mr. Graham also operated a large stable that catered to the drovers and stage drivers and other less pretentious travelers. The person responsible for bringing the railroad through the village was Thomas Brawner Gaines (1814-1856), who had begun buying up property in the area as early as 1835, and later became a major landowner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://piedmontlifestyle.com/uncategorized/history-gainesville-forever-on-the-beaten-path/|title=History: Gainesville–forever on the beaten path|last=Toler|first=John|date=October 31, 2017}}</ref>

In 1850, Thomas Brawner Gaines (1814-1856) sold to the [[Manassas Gap Railroad]] a right-of-way through his land along the Warrenton Turnpike ([[US Route 29]]). After the railroad was completed to [[Strasburg, Virginia]] in 1854, Gaines conveyed additional land for a train depot with the condition that the rail stop take his name. By 1856, a small community with a post office flourished around the Gainesville depot.<ref>Prince William County Historical Commission, 2017 (Historical Marker)</ref>

After the Civil War, emancipated former slaves bought land along [[U.S. Route 29]] and developed a small community that came to be known as "The Settlement". Residents founded the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, which would serve as a central community meeting place for over a century. Many current residents of the area can trace their lineage back to this period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sides |first=Emily |date=2019-05-30 |title=Preserving 'The Settlement' |url=https://www.insidenova.com/news/prince_william/preserving-the-settlement/article_f26d2084-8305-11e9-9c34-a3ae4e3ba1df.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=INSIDENOVA.COM |language=en}}</ref>

===20th century===
Gainesville became a shipping point for [[grain]], [[timber]], and [[cattle]] and remained a major cattle shipping point into the early 1960s. During the [[American Civil War]], Gainesville was occupied by both Confederate and Union armies and nearby Thoroughfare Gap in the [[Bull Run Mountains]] served as a path for soldiers to reach the [[First Battle of Bull Run|First]] and [[Second Battle of Bull Run|Second]] battles of Bull Run. Into the early 1940s the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] operated passenger service from [[Harrisonburg, Virginia|Harrisonburg]] and Strasburg Junction through Gainesville, to Manassas and Washington's Union Station.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Southern Railway, Table 13 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=74 |issue=1 |date=June 1941}}</ref> In 1994, the groundbreaking for Gainesville's first townhome community began; it was named Crossroads.  This marked the beginning of mass-development for Gainesville.

===21st century===
In 2006, the [[Virginia Department of Transportation|VDOT]] began working on the [[U.S. Route 29 in Virginia#Gainesville Interchange|Gainesville Interchange]] improvement project, with construction officially starting in July 2011, in order to ease the traffic in the rapidly growing Gainesville-[[Haymarket, Virginia|Haymarket]] area. It was completed on July 9, 2015.

==Geography==
Gainesville is located at {{Coord|38|47|41|N|77|37|14|W|type:city}} (38.794784, &minus;77.620651).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of 10.3&nbsp;square miles (26.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 9.7&nbsp;square miles (25.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.6&nbsp;square mile (1.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (5.45%) is water.

===Climate===
Gainesville has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa''), with mild winters with brief cold snaps, and hot and humid summers with frequent thunderstorms. Spring and autumn are pleasantly warm. January is the coldest month with highs around 45&nbsp;°F and lows around 25&nbsp;°F. July is the warmest month, with highs around 90&nbsp;°F and lows around 65&nbsp;°F.

{{Weather box 
|location = Gainesville, Virginia
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 44.1
|Feb high F = 50.5
|Mar high F = 58.0
|Apr high F = 68.7
|May high F = 75.3
|Jun high F = 86.2
|Jul high F = 90.0
|Aug high F = 87.8
|Sep high F = 83.3
|Oct high F = 72.4
|Nov high F = 58.6
|Dec high F = 49.1
|year high F=
|Jan low F = 25.6
|Feb low F = 29.1
|Mar low F = 36.6
|Apr low F = 42.4
|May low F = 52.3
|Jun low F = 60.8
|Jul low F = 67.1
|Aug low F = 64.8
|Sep low F = 58.7
|Oct low F = 46.3
|Nov low F = 36.2
|Dec low F = 28.3
|year low F=
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.6
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.5
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.8
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.9
|May precipitation inch = 3.7
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.2
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.1
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.2
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.3
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.1
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.1
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.7
|year precipitation inch= 36.2
|source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name="weather">{{cite web
| url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=043427&refer= | title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Gainesville, Virginia, United States of America |access-date = 2009-06-20}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=right
|2000= 
|2010= 11481
|2020= 
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 2000<ref name=2000CensusVA>{{Cite web|title= 2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Virginia|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-48.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusVA>{{Cite web|title= 2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Virginia|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 2020
}}

Gainesville was first listed as a [[census designated place]] in the [[2000 U.S. Census]].<ref name=2000CensusVA/>

[[Image:Battlefield-gainesville.jpg|thumb|A [[American Civil War|Civil War]] battlefield in Gainesville]]
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], Gainesville was the third-largest CDP in Prince William County. At the 2010 census,<ref name="GR3" /> there were 11,481 people, 3,959 households and roughly 3,100 families living in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|1,150.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 10,300 housing units at an average density of {{convert|189.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.

In 2022 Gainesville, VA is home to a population of 17k people, from which 94.9% are citizens. As of 2022, 18% of Gainesville, VA residents were born outside of the country (3.06k people).

In 2022, there were 3.44 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.12k people) in Gainesville, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.65k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 2.13k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.
There were 10,300 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The <ref>average household</ref> size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.91.

24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The [[median household income]] was $76,300 and the median family income was $82,627. Males had a median income of $46,934 and females $40,385. The [[per capita income]] was $35,196. About 1.9% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Development==
{{Further|Gainesville (VRE station)|Gainesville railway station}}
Major commercial and residential development has taken place since 2000, resulting in Gainesville having six large shopping centers. The intersection of [[Interstate 66|I-66]] and Lee Highway (29 Highway) has the largest shopping center with many big box stores. 

[[Gainesville (VRE station)|Gainesville railway station]] extension for the VRE was scheduled to open in 2022, connecting the region via [[commuter rail]] to [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]], [[Manassas, Virginia|Manassas]], and [[Washington, D.C.]] However, the project was voted down by the VRE Operations Board in favor of expanding services to the existing station in Broad Run.<ref>{{cite news|title=Plans for VRE expansion to Haymarket crumble|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/03/17/plans-for-vre-expansion-to-haymarket-crumble/|access-date=20 March 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=17 March 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.pwcgov.org/ Official website of Prince William County]

{{Prince William County, Virginia topics}}
{{Prince William County, Virginia}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Prince William County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Virginia]]
[[Category:Washington metropolitan area]]