Long before Homer Simpson made the TV town of Springfield famous, before the Springfield Interchange was created or Slug lines came to town their was a small ‘country” highway stop fifteen miles outside of DC that would come to be known as Springfield Virginia.
In 1946 the developer Edwin Carr realized that their was a huge piece of undeveloped land, close enough to DC to be appealing to government workers who worked in town and that would provide space for larger homes than were currently available in Arlington or Alexandria. My parents were one of those families who decided that Springfield provided a chance for them to buy their first home. In 1955 they bought a brand new split level home in the Yates Village neighborhood of Springfield.
When we moved in to our new home there wasn’t much around us. The only grocery store in the neighborhood was a small store called Bon Foods, there was a drug store with a soda fountain and Fischers Hardware had been open a couple of years.
My parents thought about a bigger house in one of the new West Springfield neighborhoods but in the end they stayed in their original home for 45 years. When I bougt my first house in Kings Park my mother said “who would want to live all they way out there?” Of course "out there" was less than 5 miles away. Over the years my family moved around Springfield and lived in Greentree Village, Springfield Oaks, and Charlestown to name a few. My kids laugh about the fact that we have lived in every zip code in Springfield and multiple generations of our family attended Fairfax County Schools.
Today Springfield is a bustling area with a wide selection of neighborhoods, dining choices and commuting options. It's central location makes it a great choice for military familes with orders to Fort Belvoir, Pentagon, or the Military District of Washington. The new NGA facilty is bringing numerous defense contractors and government agencies to Springfield as well.
If a move to Springfield VA is in your future let's meet to talk about your options and whether buying a home is the right choice for you in today's market. If you are thinking about selling your home in Springfield VA give me a call at 703-346-2213. With my personal knowledge of the neighborhoods and successful marketing strategies together we can put the SOLD sign in your yard.
No Hassle-No Pressure-Just Straight Talk About The Northern Virginia Real Estate Market
Military Relocation Specialist serving military families relocating to and from the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Quantico MCB and all of the Military District of Washington installations.
Licensed in Virginia
Nice remembrance Cindy. LOL about "every zip code in Springfield"
Looks like a great place to live,and buy a home. Another great local posting! Have a great weekend
Cindy, Nice history on the town! My biggest association with the area is trying to run the old mixer gauntlet where the beltway dumped onto I95 southbound. Haven't traveled it much in recent years, but much better than it used to be!
Love it! Only you can make this kind of history sound so interesting.
When I left the Northern VA area, they were making the Springfield bypass...it was a real mess. Now, when we go back to visit friends...there are so many new roads...but, we can still get around Springfield just fine.
Michael-it's true we have owned a home in every zip code in Springfield. I'm a wandering kind of gal.
Kristin-it isn't quite the same as your neck of the woods but it has suited our family fine for a long time.
Liz and Bill-I never understood the problem of trying to get across 6 lanes of traffic at 55 miles an hour. I learned to drive in the mess.
Margaret-Your posts on the history of Croton are my inspiration.
Rebecca-I grew up only a few blocks from the interchange. I learned to drive crossing multiple lanes so I can't figure out why they spent so much money "fixing" it :-)
Springfield really is a great location. It's close to everything and so convenient to Washington, DC. It's no wonder it's such a desirable place to live.
Nice time capsule of how Springfield has changed over the years.
Chris Ann-it is a hub on the Northern Virginia map for commuters and for anyone looking for a central location.
Thanks Pat-Springfield has changed over the years but it is still a great place for people to call home.