Reston, Virginia: Difference between revisions
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Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226.<ref name="Reston CDP Profile"/>
Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movement that emphasized planned, self-contained communities that intermingled green space, residential neighborhoods, and commercial development.<ref>Tom Grubisich, "Reston, Virginia", Encyclopedia of Virginia, https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Reston_Virginia#start_entry Template:Webarchive, accessed 6 May 2018</ref> The intent of Reston's founder, Robert E. Simon, was to build a town that would revolutionize post–World War II concepts of land use and residential/corporate development in suburban America.<ref name="MasterPlan">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, Reston was included in Money magazine's "Best Place to Live in Virginia" ranking. Reston is known for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths, and Reston Town Center, a shopping mall with several restaurants.<ref>Kerri Anne Renzulli and Sergei Khlebnikov, "This is the Best Place to Live in Every State," Money Magazine, January 26, 2018, [1], accessed May 6, 2018.</ref>
Etymology
[edit]
Reston, Virginia was named after and by its founder, Robert E. Simon, who purchased a large tract of land in western Fairfax County in 1961. Simon, having recently sold his family’s share in Carnegie Hall, used the funds to acquire the property with the intention of developing a planned community. The name "Reston" is derived from Simon's initials, "R.E.S.," combined with theplace-name suffix "-ton."<ref name=":0">"A Brief History of Reston, Virginia," Gulf Reston, January 1970, George Mason Archival Repository Service, retrieved April 2018, http://mars.gmu.edu/handle/1920/1268?show=full Template:Webarchive</ref> This led to the name Reston being associated with the surrounding area. Simon decided to launch Reston on April 10, 1964 which was also his 50th birthday. Reston became the first planned community created within the United States. Reston was conceived as a suburban development that integrated residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, with a goal of preserving open spaces and natural landscapes.<ref name="MasterPlan">Template:Cite web</ref>
The name "Reston" reflects Simon's personal connection to the project while also following the common American naming practice of using a founder's initials combined with a place-name suffix.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As the community grew, the name Reston came to represent both the development itself and the seven principles it was founded on. Reston’s growth over time , like many modern American suburbs, evolved from private landholdings and expanded infrastructure, including roads, railways, and later, technology hubs. Its growth was influenced by its proximity to Washington, D.C., and the integration of both residential and commercial spaces, with a focus on preserving green spaces and creating a diverse suburban community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]Colonial era
[edit]
In the early days of Colonial America, the land that is present-day Reston was part of the Northern Neck Proprietary, a vast grant by King Charles II to Lord Thomas Fairfax that extended from the Potomac to the Rappahannock rivers. The property remained in the Fairfax family until they sold it in 1852.<ref name=":0">"A Brief History of Reston, Virginia," Gulf Reston, January 1970, George Mason Archival Repository Service, retrieved April 2018, http://mars.gmu.edu/handle/1920/1268?show=full Template:Webarchive</ref>
19th century
[edit]Carl A. Wiehle and William Dunn bought 6,449 acres in northern Fairfax County along the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad line in 1886, later dividing the land between them, with Wiehle retaining the acreage north of the railroad line. Wiehle envisioned founding a town on the property, including a hotel, parks, and community center, but completed only a handful of homes before his death in 1901.<ref name=":0" />
Wiehle's heirs eventually sold the land, which changed hands several times before being purchased by the A. Smith Bowman family, who built a bourbon distillery on the site.
20th century
[edit]
By 1947, the Bowmans had acquired the former Dunn tract south of the railroad, for total holdings of over Template:Convert. In 1961 most of the land was purchased byRobert E. Simon , all except for 60 acres (240,000 m2) on which the Bowman distillery continued to operate until 1987.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Simon officially launched Reston on April 10, 1964 (his 50th birthday). He laid out seven "guiding principles" that would stress quality of life and serve as the foundation for its future development. His goal was for Restonians to live, work, and play in their own community, with common grounds and scenic beauty shared equally regardless of income level, thereby building a stronger sense of community ties.<ref name="MasterPlan" /> The initial motto of the community, as articulated by Simon, was "Work, Play, Live"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or often was memorialized onto Reston merchandise as, "Live, Work, Play."
Simon envisioned Reston as a model for clustered residential development,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> also known as conservation development, which puts a premium on the preservation of open space, landscapes, and wildlife habitats. Reston was the first 20th-century private community in the U.S. to explicitly incorporate natural preservation in its planning.<ref name="WP-TNoR">Template:Cite news</ref>
Simon hired the architectural firm of Whittlesey, Conklin, & Rossant to design his new community.<ref>"Robert E. Simon, Jr./Reston, Virginia," Historical Marker Database, marker provided by the American Institute of Certified Planners, https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=89538 Template:Webarchive, accessed 15 May 2018.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The plans for Reston were designed by architect James Rossant, who studied under Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and his partner William J. Conklin. From the outset, Rossant and Conklin's planning conceptualized the new community as a unified, cohesive, and balanced whole, including landscapes, recreational, cultural, and commercial facilities, and housing for what was envisioned to be a town of 75,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For Lake Anne Plaza, the first of Reston's village centers, the architects combined a small shopping area with a mix of single-family houses, townhouses, and apartments next to a manmade lake featuring a large jet fountain. Close by were the cubist townhouses at Hickory Cluster, designed by modernist architect Charles M. Goodman in the International Style. Lake Anne also included an elementary school, a gasoline station, two churches, an art gallery, and several restaurants. The first section of a senior citizens' residence facility, the Lake Anne Fellowship House, was completed several years later.
Reston welcomed its first residents in late 1964. During the community's first year, its continued development was covered in such major media publications as Newsweek, Time, Life, and The New York Times, which featured the new town in a front-page article extolling it as "one of the most striking communities" in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Nikki Hornsby performed an hour-long paid concert, singing with her guitar outside for this new Reston Community.
Simon ran into financial difficulties as sales in the new community flagged. To keep his project going, he accepted a loan of $15 million from Gulf Oil that allowed him to pay off his creditors.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Even so, sales were sluggish as Simon's reluctance to compromise on his high standards for building designs and materials meant that a townhouse in Reston could cost as much as a single-family house elsewhere in Fairfax County.
By 1967, Gulf Oil forced Simon out and formed Gulf Reston, Inc., to manage the community. Gulf retained many of Simon's employees and continued to adhere largely to the spirit of the original Reston master plan as envisioned by Simon. During the 1970s, Gulf built the Reston International Center near the intersection of Sunrise Valley and Reston Parkway and added low- to moderate-income housing to the community's residential mix, including the Cedar Ridge, Laurel Glade, and Fox Mill apartment developments. Gulf also constructed housing for employees of the U.S. Geological Survey headquarters, located on Sunrise Valley Drive.<ref name=":1" />
Gulf Reston put a premium on protecting Reston's open spaces and pedestrian-friendly landscape throughout its ownership. The corporation also transferred title for many Reston recreational facilities, including land, parks, lakes, and facilities, to the Reston Homeowners Association, thereby preserving them from overdevelopment.<ref name=":1" />
Within ten years of buying Simon out, Gulf opted to begin pulling out of the real estate business to focus exclusively on energy. It sold Reston's developed portions, including three completed village centers (Lake Anne, Tall Oaks, and Hunters Woods), the Reston International Center, and Isaac Newton Square, to an investment firm.
In 1978, the company finalized the sale of Reston's remaining 3,700 undeveloped acres to Mobil, which pledged to continue respecting the ideals of Robert Simon. Mobil formed the Reston Land Corporation as a subsidiary to manage its holdings and began developing the remaining residential areas in what would become the South Lakes and North Point villages. Reston Land introduced a wider mix of housing choices, including more townhouses and smaller “starter” homes, and completed the North County Government Center, which houses the Reston District police station, Fairfax County government offices, and a regional library and homeless shelter.<ref name=":1" />
Reston Land also broke ground on the 460-acre Reston Town Center which formed part of Simon's original master plan for Reston. The first four-block development of this multi-phase mixed-use project were opened in 1996 and included a hotel, several restaurants, a cinema, and office buildings.<ref name=":1" />
By 1996, Mobil had decided to follow Gulf Oil's steps and pull out of the land management business. It sold its entire Mobil Land Development subsidiary, including its Reston holdings, to Westbrook Partners, LLC, for $324 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As Reston Town Center continued to develop, Boston Properties emerged as a leading player. The company became the sole owner of the core mixed-use tracts in Reston Town Center when it completed the purchase of the Fountain Square office/retail complex in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
[edit]Reston is located in northern Fairfax County at Template:Coord.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Neighboring communities are Great Falls to the north, Wolf Trap to the east, Franklin Farm, Floris, and McNair to the southwest, the town of Herndon to the west, and Dranesville to the northwest.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Reston has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 2.10%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Climate
[edit]The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Reston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Weather box
Planning and zoning
[edit]
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Reston is divided into three separate planning areas: the original Planned Residential Community (PRC) area that governs the majority of residential areas in the community; the Reston Town Center (RTC) District, which includes all of the high-density, high-rise portions of Town Center; and the Transit Station Area (TSA) on either side of the Dulles Toll Road.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
From Reston's inception, planning and zoning in the PRC area has emphasized the inclusion and integration of common grounds, parks, large swaths of wooded areas with picturesque runs (streams), wildflower meadows, golf courses, public swimming pools, bridle paths, a bike path, four lakes, tennis courts, and extensive foot pathways.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Reston was built in wooded areas of oak, maple, sycamore, and Virginia pine, and remains heavily wooded. Extensive canopy guidance protects tree cover throughout the PRC, and homeowners are prohibited from removing trees larger than 4 inches in diameter without written permission from Reston's Design Review Board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Total zoning density throughout the overall PRC area is currently capped at 13 persons per acre.<ref name=":2" /> This figure, however, does not include residents in Fairfax County workforce and affordable units (WDUs/ADUs), as well as the "bonus" units developers are allowed to add to their projects in compensation for having included ADUs in their proposals,<ref name=":2" />
Reston's five village centers are included in the PRC area. Simon envisioned a total of seven village centers, but only five were developed.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Reston Village Centers, Reston Association, https://www.reston.org/AroundReston/RestonVillageCenters/tabid/155/Default.aspx Template:Webarchive, accessed 8 May 2018.</ref> The village centers and the town center are an important part of Reston. Each village center, all of which (save North Point) predate the Reston Town Center, was intended to be a short walk from most homes and incorporate the daily retail and community service needs of residents. Moderately denser developments, such as apartments and townhouse clusters, as well as some single-family homes, encircle each center. The first to be built was the critically acclaimed Lake Anne, followed by (in chronological order) Hunters Woods, Tall Oaks, South Lakes, and North Point.<ref name="WP-TNoR" /> By 2015, however, Tall Oaks had become defunct as a village center and was purchased by a local development firm, Tall Oaks Development Company, with the intent of rezoning the 7.6-acre parcel and converting it to residential housing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston Town Center District
[edit]During Mobil's ownership period, the corporation worked with Fairfax County to create a new Town Center District to govern planning and design for existing and new development in the core Town Center area and to remove it from the oversight of Reston Association's Design Review Board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Review and comment of all RTCD development proposals is limited to members of the RTC District Association, which is overseen by the 9-member Board of Directors, 7 of whom represent commercial property owners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transit Station Area
[edit]The core portion of the Transit Station Area (TSA), consisting of the 12-lane Dulles Toll Road, Metro's heavy rail line, and the office parks on either side—cuts a half-mile wide swath through the community, with four north–south connections. A fifth crossover at Soapstone Drive has been proposed by Fairfax County transportation planners, though funding has not yet been identified.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Zoning and planning for TSA development is governed by Fairfax County; as with the RTC District, no direct oversight from Reston Association is included, while input from and notification to PRC residents is limited.<ref name=":2" /> TSA zoning guidance explicitly calls for this area to be designed as an urban center, with 30 million square feet of new and existing office development and 44,000 residential units.<ref name=":2" />
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]Economy
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, "professional, scientific, and technical services" are by far the largest economic activity in Reston, consisting of 757 different companies employing 21,575 people in 2007.<ref>"http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GQRTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=EC0700A1&-geo_id=E6000US5105966672&-_lang=en Template:Webarchive. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 21, 2011.</ref> The Information sector<ref>"http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MetadataBrowserServlet?type=codeRef&id=51&dsspName=ECN_2007&ibtype=NAICS2007&back=update&_lang=enTemplate:Dead link. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 21, 2011.</ref> follows second with 9,876 employees working at 150 companies in Reston. Reston is part of the Dulles Technology Corridor and is home to the following companies: Template:Div col
- Bechtel
- CACI
- Caliburn International
- Carahsoft
- Comscore
- ICF International
- Leidos
- Maximus
- Rolls-Royce North America
- Science Applications International Corporation
- NII
- NVR
- Noblis
- Revature
- Verisign
- Learning Tree International
- United States Geological Survey
- National Wildlife Federation
- American College of Radiology
- CNRI
- Google Federal Services<ref>"Google Offices Template:Webarchive." Google. Retrieved on July 12, 2009.</ref>
- Gate Group's North American division<ref>"Contact Us Template:Webarchive." Gate Group. Retrieved on September 17, 2011. "North America Regional Office11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 800 Reston, VA 20190 USA"</ref>
- General Dynamics<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Siteworx
- Volkswagen Group of America
Of the 20 largest venture capital firms in the Washington, D.C. area, five are in Reston. The amount of capital under management of the Reston firms, $6.9 billion, represents 53% of those top 20 regional venture capital firms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston also serves as the headquarters for the North American command of the German armed forces which oversees upwards up 1,500 troops deployed in the United States at any given time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Arts and culture
[edit]
A special tax district within Fairfax County was created to fund various recreational, educational, and cultural activities in Reston. The Reston Community Center (RCC) is a core element,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with its main building in south Reston at Hunters Woods Plaza and featuring a theater, indoor heated swimming pool with jacuzzi, ballroom, meeting rooms, and classroom space. A smaller RCC branch is at Lake Anne Plaza.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston is home to several performing arts groups. The Reston Community Players (originally known as Reston Players) has been in operation since 1966 and performs at Reston Community Center's Center Stage in Hunters Woods Plaza.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Reston Chorale was founded in the late 1960s as a mixed-voice chorus comprising both professional and amateur singers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Reston Community Orchestra, launched in 1988, also offers regular performances throughout the year, generally at the Reston Community Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the summer, free public concerts are offered at both Reston Town Center<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at Lake Anne Plaza.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), founded by local artists, is home-based at Reston Town Center and sponsors the annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The privately owned Reston Art Gallery at Lake Anne Plaza includes both regular art exhibits and artist studio spaces.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston's sole museum, the Reston Historic Trust & Museum, is also located in Lake Anne Plaza. It has maps, photos, and books that provide a detailed look at Reston from the 1960s on.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Washington West Film Festival is an autumn event in Reston center. The festival, co-founded by Mark Maxey and Brad Russell, offers a juried array of feature films, shorts and documentaries.<ref name="ValverdeProduction">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="MerryFestivals">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="FraleyFestival">Template:Cite news</ref>
Events
[edit]- Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (Reston Town Center) (May)
- Taste of Reston Food Festival (Reston Town Center) (June)
- Reston Triathlon (September)
- Reston Multicultural Festival (Lake Anne Plaza) (late September)
- Flavors of Fall (Reston Town Center) (October)
- Reston Holiday Parade (Reston Town Center) (November)
Parks and recreation
[edit]
Building on Robert Simon's emphasis on preserving green space and providing recreational opportunities, Reston features over 55 miles of walking and hiking paths for residents, with currently about 250 acres of woodlands and open space. Reston is noted for its tree canopy, which currently covers about half of Reston's total area. It is one of only eight localities in the U.S. to be a member of the worldwide Biophilic Cities Organization, which promotes the importance of protecting and promoting nature within urban areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The centerpiece of Reston's focus on nature is the Vernon J. Walker Nature Education Center. The Nature Center's Template:Convert of hardwood forest include a picnic pavilion, campfire ring, and other facilities that support its outreach programs. Its LEED gold-certified Nature House offers exhibits, an on-site naturalist, and various programs for children; it may also be rented for community or private meetings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Two golf courses are located in Reston. The 166-acre Reston National Golf Course in south Reston is certified by Audubon International as a Cooperative Sanctuary on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Hidden Creek Country Club was purchased in 2017 by Wheelock Communities, a real estate development company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trail, which runs through Reston, is a Template:Convert pathway built solely for pedestrian and bicycle traffic along the former W&OD train line.
Reston contains four manmade lakes: Lake Anne, Lake Audubon, Lake Newport, and Lake Thoreau. Also within Reston's area is the Template:Convert Lake Fairfax Park, operated by Fairfax County and which features boat rentals, a large outdoor pool complex called "The Water Mine", overnight campground facilities, and picnic areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A 30-acre (120,000 m2) zoo, NOVA Wild, is located on the northeast edge of the community.<ref>"Reston CDPTemplate:Dead link." United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.</ref><ref>Home page Template:Webarchive. Reston Zoo. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.</ref> It is dedicated to family-friendly animal interaction with bus rides and feeding stations. Animals include lambs, camels, zebras, antelope, bison, cheetah, emu, camels, goats, reptiles, horses, buffalo, and waterfowl.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston has an assortment of pools, including a year-round indoor pool at the Reston Community Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ice skating is available year-round at SkateQuest, a privately run indoor rink, and during the winter on an outdoor rink at Reston Town Center's Pavilion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
[edit]Reston is an unincorporated area in Fairfax County, and its schools, roads, and law enforcement services are provided by Fairfax County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Parks, recreation facilities, and common grounds, as well as the extensive trail system, are overseen by the Reston Association under the provisions of the Reston Deed, the community's basic governing document. A standard assessment is levied on each apartment or lot (for townhouses and houses). The Deed also allows for reduced assessments for those who "qualify for real estate tax reduction by Fairfax County Ordinance; (ii) their units are subsidized by the federal or state government; or (iii) their units are designed and used primarily for elderly congregate care or assisted living facilities and occupied by low or moderate income residents."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reston's individual clusters or neighborhoods have their own neighborhood associations which also levy assessments to cover grounds upkeep, snow removal, trash pick-up, and other maintenance. Each cluster has its own elected board of directors who report to the residents of that cluster.
The majority of Reston lies within Virginia's 11th congressional district and is currently represented in Congress by Representative Gerry Connolly (D).<ref>Virginia's 8th District | Congressman Gerry Connolly: 11th District Template:Webarchive Retrieved October 9, 2015.</ref> It is represented by Karen Keys-Gamarra (D) in the Virginia House of Delegates, and by Jennifer Boysko (D) in the State Senate.
While Reston has, from its inception, been an unincorporated area, several efforts have been made to achieve town status, primarily to gain more control over zoning and development decisions, which now are the purview of Fairfax County elected officials and staff. Robert Simon initially explored the option of incorporation as a town but was blocked by Fairfax County. Simon asserted to an interviewer that Fairfax officials informed him they would deny Reston access to Fairfax's water and sewer lines if he sought incorporation for his new community. In 1980, a group of Reston residents were successful in pushing for a referendum to incorporate Reston as a town, but the referendum failed in 1980 by a 2–1 margin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A similar initiative in 2005, which was publicly supported by Robert Simon, also failed.
Education
[edit]Primary and secondary schools
[edit]Template:Further As a part of Fairfax County, Reston is served by Fairfax County Public Schools and a number of private schools. Reston has one high school within its boundaries, South Lakes High School, which serves most of Reston.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Adjacent to South Lakes High School is Reston's only middle school, Langston Hughes Middle School. Students who live in the far northern part of Reston attend Herndon High School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Public elementary schools:
- Buzz Aldrin Elementary School
- Neil Armstrong Elementary School
- A. Scott Crossfield Elementary School
- Dogwood Elementary School
- Forest Edge Elementary School
- Fox Mill Elementary School
- Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences
- Lake Anne Elementary School
- Sunrise Valley Elementary School
- Terraset Elementary School
Private schools:
- Children's House Montessori School of Reston
- Community Montessori School
- Reston Montessori School
- Academy of Christian Education (elementary)
- Edlin (elementary and middle school)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- United Christian Parish Preschool
- Lake Anne Nursery and Kindergarten (LANK)
- Ideaventions Academy for Math and Science (4th - 12th)
- Reston Children's Center (RCC)
Colleges and universities
[edit]Reston has several higher education resources, including a satellite campus of NVCC (Northern Virginia Community College), the University of Phoenix – Northern Virginia campus, and Marymount University – Reston Center.
Public libraries
[edit]Fairfax County Public Library operates the Reston Regional Library.<ref>"Library Branches Template:Webarchive." Fairfax County Public Library. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.</ref><ref>"Reston CDP, VirginiaTemplate:Dead link." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.</ref> Also located in Reston is the United States Geological Survey Library, a federal research library that is open to the public with over 3 million items, ranging from books and journals to maps and photographs, as well as field record notebooks.
Media
[edit]Reston is served primarily by the Washington, D.C. media market. The community lies within the local newspaper distribution area for The Washington Post and The Washington Times,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as two local publications, the Fairfax Times and the Reston Connection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> All four also offer digital subscriptions. A third local paper, the "Observer," which covered Reston and nearby Herndon, closed in 2010 and transferred coverage to AOL's Patch service of local digital news sites, which launched a Reston site in August 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Website Reston Now provides daily local news coverage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, multiple television and radio stations in the Washington metropolitan area provide coverage of local developments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
[edit]_and_the_Silver_Line_of_the_Washington_Metro_from_the_overpass_for_Virginia_State_Route_286_(Fairfax_County_Parkway)_in_Reston,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpg){kind=link}
Reston sits astride the Dulles Toll Road, Template:Convert from Tysons and the Capital Beltway to the east, and Template:Convert from Washington Dulles International Airport to the west. Four roads cross the community from north to south: Fairfax County Parkway on the western side, Reston Parkway through the center of town, Wiehle Avenue through the northeastern residential section, and Hunter Mill Road on the eastern border.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Metro's Silver Line, which runs along the Dulles Toll Road, opened its first Reston station, Wiehle-Reston East, on July 26, 2014. Two additional stations, Reston Town Center and Herndon, opened on November 15, 2022 and serve the western half of Reston as part of an expansion towards Dulles International Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Reston Internal Bus System (RIBS) provides five regularly circulating routes connecting Reston's village centers, using Reston Town Center as a hub.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fairfax County's Fairfax Connector and Metrobus service both link commuters in Reston to Metro stations as well as points throughout Fairfax County.
Events
[edit]Ebola virus scare
[edit]Template:Main In December 1989, a filovirus, at first suspected to be Ebola virus (EBOV), was discovered among crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis) within a facility operated by Covance (now Fortrea). This attracted significant media attention, including the publication of the popular 1994 book The Hot Zone and the subsequent development of the National Geographic Channel TV Series The Hot Zone (television series). The filovirus was found to be distinct from EBOV and to be nonpathogenic for humans. It was named after the community, and is now known as Reston virus (RESTV). Macaques found to be or suspected to be infected with RESTV were euthanized, and the facility was sterilized.<ref>http://virus.stanford.edu/filo/ebor.html Template:Webarchive "Ebola Reston Outbreaks". Department of Human Virology, Stanford University</ref> The facility was located in an office park near Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue. It was eventually torn down, and a daycare was built in its place.
Accolades and coverage
[edit]The growth and development of Reston has been monitored by newspaper articles, national magazines, and scholarly journals on architecture and land use. In 1967 the First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson, visited Reston to take a walking tour along its pathways as part of her interest in beautification projects. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin visited Reston elementary schools named for them. The Washington Post featured a road trip to Reston in January 2006,<ref name="WP-TNoR" /> and the website "Beyond DC" has a page devoted to Reston with almost 150 photos.
Reston and Robert Simon were recognized by the American Institute of Certified Planners for their significant contributions to town planning. The AICP further recognized Reston as a National Planning Landmark, praising Simon's vision for ensuring that fields and trees would be threaded throughout the residential and commercial portions of the community, and recognized it as "one of the finest examples of American 20th century conceptual new town planning."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2017, the Lake Anne Village Center's historic district was named to the U.S. Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, which serves as the official list of historic places worthy of preservation and protection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Reston is one of just a handful of communities in the U.S. that has been designated a Backyard Wildlife Habitat community.
Reston generally follows "new urbanism" guidelines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The residential portion of the town was built with an extensive path system, and Fairfax County has constructed many sidewalks over the past decades.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The downtown and original areas also incorporate mixed-use development, with more mixed-use development planned near Washington Metro stations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
However, Reston differs from New Urbanism principles in several important ways. Many buildings in the PRC area are oriented away from main streets, and several major arteries lack complete sidewalk networks as a result of Fairfax County's control over Reston's transportation planning: until recentlyTemplate:When, the Fairfax County zoning code only required developers to build sidewalks in certain limited cases. The original inward orientation of the village centers was an intentional design element by Reston's early planners, who wished to avoid the commercial strip look that dominates many suburban developments.<ref name="WP-TNoR" />
Notable people
[edit]- Donna Andrews, fiction author, Murder with Peacocks
- Maame Biney, former speed skater, 2018 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics
- Benny Blanco, producer and songwriter
- Roy Buchanan, blues musician and guitarist<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Grant Hill, former professional basketball player, Detroit Piston, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns<ref name="ghill">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Lubomir Kavalek, chess grandmaster
- Jacob Sartorius, pop singer
- Alan Webb, track and field athlete, former U.S. record-holder for mile run
See also
[edit]Explanatory notes
[edit]References
[edit]External links
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- Reston Association – The official association website
- Reston Museum – The official website of the Reston Historic Trust and its Reston Museum.
- Reston Planned Community Archives – online images and articles from the Special Collections and Archives of George Mason University
- Wolf Von Eckardt, The Row House Revival is Going to Town–Not to Mention Country; Washington Post; July 24, 1966Template:Dead link
- James Rossant - Reston
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