Fairfax, independent city, northeastern Virginia; incorporated as a city 1961. Fairfax is primarily a residential suburb of Washington, D.C.; it serves as the seat of Fairfax County but is administratively independent of the county. George Mason University (1957) is here, and Dulles International Airport is nearby. The old courthouse, built in 1800 and restored in 1967, contains the original wills of George and Martha Washington. Incorporated as the town of Providence in 1805, the settlement was renamed in 1859 for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Baron Fairfax of Cameron. Population 19,390 (1980); 19,622 (1990); 21,498 (2000).
