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C−History
History · Newington Forest

1 of Newington Forest’s places is on the National Register

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns · #169 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Silverbook Methodist Church. Most of Newington Forest was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1948 on.

1on the National Register
0.4%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Newington Forest’s history

How historic is Newington Forest?

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More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Newington Forest’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newington Forest is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #169 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newington Forest’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.4% of homes (±0.4) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register1 listing, 0.8 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 17%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 33%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Newington Forest’s 0.8 sits near the middle of its state (39% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Newington Forest’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Newington Forest are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Newington Forest’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newington Forest’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Newington Forest, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Newington Forest yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Newington Forest is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Newington Forest had a population of 12,957. It is part of the Washington metropolitan area. It includes the Newington Forest subdivision and several nearby neighborhoods of southern Springfield and northern Lorton .

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 12,442 to 12,957 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Newington Forest, decade by decade

Today17 recent
Townhouses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Townhouses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Vir…Street corner at Newington Forest Rd., Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Street corner at Newington Forest Rd., Newington Fore…Roadside scene with houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Roadside scene with houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fai…Houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, VirginiaHouses with large tree, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Houses with large tree, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax…Houses set back from the road, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Houses set back from the road, Newington Forest CDP, …Entrance to street, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Entrance to street, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax Cou…Cars and trees (Newington Forest, presumably), Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Cars and trees (Newington Forest, presumably), Newing…Backs of houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County, Virginia2018Backs of houses, Newington Forest CDP, Fairfax County…2018-10-30 12 23 13 View south along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 23 13 View south along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 22 23 View north along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 22 23 View north along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 19 27 View south along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 19 27 View south along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 18 39 View north along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 18 39 View north along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 16 00 View south along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 16 00 View south along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 15 40 View north along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 15 40 View north along Virginia State R…2018-10-30 12 12 32 View south along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) from the overpass for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 12 32 View south along Virginia State R…2018-10-26 14 02 39 View south along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) at the exit for Virginia State R…20182018-10-26 14 02 39 View south along Virginia State R…
On the map

Newington Forest on the map, 1948 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newington Forest. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Newington Forest on the 1948 USGS mapNewington Forest on the 1951 USGS mapNewington Forest on the 1965 USGS mapNewington Forest on the 1971 USGS mapNewington Forest on the 1980 USGS map1948Belvoir sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Newington Forest.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Newington Forest

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2004
Silverbook Methodist Church
Silverbook Methodist Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Gothic Revival1
Silverbook Methodist ChurchLate Gothic Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Newington Forest

Nobody well known was born in Newington Forest itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
John L. PhillipsAmerican astronaut · b. 1951
William OefeleinAmerican astronaut · b. 1965
Haley WebbAmerican actress · b. 1985
Meyers LeonardAmerican basketball player · b. 1992
Bill HamidAmerican soccer player · b. 1990
Ann E. DunwoodyU.S. Army, first four-star general in U.S. mili… · b. 1953
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Chapel AcresPohick Hills
Gone or out of use
Pohick Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Newington Forest
Silverbrook United Methodist Church

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Laurel Hill1 historic placeBNewingtonIts storyDBurke1 historic placeDCrosspointeIts storyD−South RunIts storyD−

Questions about Newington Forest’s history

How does Newington Forest rank for history?

Newington Forest is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #169 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Newington Forest?

One place: the Silverbook Methodist Church (listed 2004).

How old are the homes in Newington Forest?

0.4% of Newington Forest’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1984.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (17), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.