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DHistory
History · West Springfield

Half of West Springfield’s homes were built after 1974

More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #198 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

Most of West Springfield was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1970.

0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

About West Springfield’s history

How historic is West Springfield?

D

More historic than 7% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives West Springfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Springfield is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #198 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Springfield’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19401.0% of homes (±0.9) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical VA town 3.6 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 7%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 22%

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 West Springfield’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 (±0.9 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 West Springfield’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 West Springfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19007 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1994. Watch West Springfield change.Lost villages5 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Springfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Springfield’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

West Springfield on the map, 1900 to 1994

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

West Springfield on the 1900 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1945 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1951 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1965 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1971 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1984 USGS mapWest Springfield on the 1994 USGS map1900Washington sheet · 1:62,500

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

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Barkers CrossroadsCardinal ForestFairfax ParkKeene Mill ManorWestview Hills
1cemetery inside West Springfield
Barker Family

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

The story so far

West Springfield, in brief

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

West Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 23,369 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 22,460 to 23,369 (+4%).

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

Timeline

West Springfield, 1900 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1989Born hereBryn Renner is born here
  4. 1995Born hereLars Eckenrode is born here
By decade

West Springfield, decade by decade

Today22 recent
Suburban office park in2022Suburban office park inSuburban office park in West Springfield 22022Suburban office park in West Springfield 2Standalone Jersey Mikes restaurant in2022Standalone Jersey Mikes restaurant inShops in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center 22022Shops in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center 2Shops in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center 12022Shops in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center 1Mena Market in2022Mena Market inLake Accotink dam 20212021Lake Accotink dam 2021Fairfax County Parkway Pohick Creek crossing 20212021Fairfax County Parkway Pohick Creek crossing 2021Accotink Loop Trail lower crossing 20212021Accotink Loop Trail lower crossing 2021Braddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020c2020Braddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020cBraddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020b2020Braddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020bBraddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020a2020Braddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020aAccotink Loop Trail upper crossing 20202020Accotink Loop Trail upper crossing 20202018-10-30 13 21 51 View west at the west end of Virginia Route 289 (Franconia-Springfield Parkway) from the overpass f…20182018-10-30 13 21 51 View west at the west end of Virg…2018-10-30 12 46 29 View east at the west end of Virginia State Route 289 (Franconia-Springfield Parkway) from the over…20182018-10-30 12 46 29 View east at the west end of Virg…2018-10-30 12 43 18 View west along Virginia State Route 289 (Franconia-Springfield Parkway) at the exit for Virginia S…20182018-10-30 12 43 18 View west along Virginia State Ro…2018-10-29 12 48 31 View north along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) at the exit for Virginia State R…20182018-10-29 12 48 31 View north along Virginia State R…2018-10-29 12 47 28 View north along Virginia State Route 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) at the exit for Virginia State R…20182018-10-29 12 47 28 View north along Virginia State R…Rolling Road at dusk2016Rolling Road at duskIntersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill Road2016Intersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill RoadHouse in2016House inEntrance to a subdivision2016Entrance to a subdivision
People over time

West Springfield, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000198020002020Peak: 28,378

Between 14,143 and 28,378 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Springfield’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in West Springfield

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Bryn RennerAmerican football player · b. 1989
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Lars EckenrodeAmerican soccer player · b. 1995
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Burke1 historic placeDSpringfieldIts storyCNewingtonIts storyDKings ParkIts storyD−North SpringfieldIts storyC−

Questions about West Springfield’s history

How does West Springfield rank for history?

West Springfield is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #198 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.

How old are the homes in West Springfield?

1% of West Springfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1974.

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 (22), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.