Ask the residents of Burke Centre and they can tell you. In 1950 the farming community of Burke was the proposed site for Dulles Airport and due to the efforts of the few families that lived in the area at the time the airport plan was derailed and moved to Chantilly where Dulles Airport is today. Even though they fought and won the battle not to build the airport most of the farm homes and land had been purchased and condemned by the government leaving the area virtually deserted.
The area of Burke can trace it's history the same way as most of Fairfax County, by land grant through Lord Fairfax. When distribution of land parcels began in the 1700’s Lord Fairfax gave one parcel to the Ward family. Until this year the original Ward home was used as the Woods Community Center in Burke. Ward’s daughter married Silas Burke who was the plantation manager. Silas Burke worked to become the highest ranking public official in the county and brought the Orange and Alexandria railroad station to the area. Burke Station as it was originally called played a prominent role in the civil war in the area. At some point the "Station" was dropped from the name and Burke became the commonly used name for the entire area.
After the Dulles Airport proposal was killed the area of Burke began to develop. Part of the land that had been condemned was turned over to the newly created Fairfax County Park Authority and became Burke Lake Park. You can still find remnants of Burke Centre’s history throughout the area. The Silas Burke House built in 1824, Mulberry Hill built in 1790 and Brimstone Hill are a few of the older homes you will still find standing.
The homes that make up the area known as Burke Centre were built on a 1700 acre parcel of land and with the strong Burke Centre Conservancy retain a great connection with nature. Thirty miles of bike paths, six ponds, a lake residents and five community centers owners can find nature and activities right outside their doors. Terra Centre Elementary School was one of the first earth sheltered schools built in the area and the roof is still used today by students as their athletic field.
Burke Centre Map
With over 5800 homes divided into five distinct neighborhoods: Landing, Woods, Oaks, Commons and Ponds; Burke Centre is one of the largest planned communities in Fairfax County. With the Burke Station VRE, Metro Bus transportation and major highways close by Burke Centre is a popular location for Northern Virginia homeowners who work in DC. Since the first homes were built in Burke in 1976 the area has also been popular with military families stationed at Ft.Belvoir, the Pentagon and Military District of Washington installations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.
Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.
;)
;)
