Falls Church, city, in (but administratively independent of) Fairfax County, northeastern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.; settled 1690s, incorporated as a city 1948. It is primarily a residential community. The city takes its name from the Falls Church (original building 1730s, new structure 1760s), so named because of its proximity to the Little Falls of the Potomac River. Population 9,515 (1980); 9,578 (1990); 10,377 (2000).
