Burke

Burke, Virginia is named for Silas Burke (1796–1854), a 19th century farmer, merchant, and local politician who built a house on a hill in approximately 1824. The house is still standing and if you're driving on Burke Lake Rd near Shiplette, you'll see it on the hill nearby. When the Orange and Alexandria Railroad was constructed in the late 1840s, the railroad station at the base of that hill was named Burke's Station after Burke, who owned the land in the area and donated a right-of-way to the railroad company. Today, railroad tracks on the same historical line are part of the Manassas line of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter rail system, of which two stations lie in the Burke area.

The area remained predominantly rural well into the mid-20th century. After World War I, some employees of the Federal Government began moving into the area, and commuted to Washington, D.C. by train. In 1951, plans were announced to condemn 4,520 acres of land in Burke to construct a second airport to serve the Washington metropolitan area. After a lengthy lobbying campaign by area residents, the government in 1958 selected a site near Chantilly, Virginia, which is now Washington Dulles International Airport, instead of Burke.

The first large subdivision in the vicinity, Kings Park, was built around 1960, and was followed by many others over the next two decades, converting Burke into a densely-populated suburban community.

My family and I live in the Lake Braddock area. We enjoy Spartans Restaurant, walking, biking or running around Burke Lake and we can regularly be found at Gold's Gym. Gold's Gym is considered Fairfax Station but it's all the same area. I think of our local area as being Burke, Fairfax Station and West Springfield.

Elementary Schools:

• Cherry Run
• Terra Centre
• White Oaks

Middle and High Schools (Secondary Schools)

• Lake Braddock Secondary School
• Robinson Secondary School