Great Falls trip planner

Great Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 15,427, an increase of 80.5% from the 2000 census.CNNMoney ranked Great Falls first in the nation on its list of "top earning towns" in 2011.HistoryEarly farm settlements began to form in the area as early as the late 1700s.Early on, the village was known as Forestville (unofficially, since there was already a Forestville with a Post Office), but was named Great Falls in 1955.GeographyGreat Falls is located at at an elevation of 344ft. Located on Virginia State Route 7 in Northern Virginia, Great Falls is 15mi west-northwest of downtown Washington, D.C. and 10.5mi north of Fairfax, the county seat.Great Falls lies in the Piedmont upland on the right bank of the Potomac River. The river forms the northern and eastern border of the CDP, and several of its tributaries flow north and east through the CDP. From north to south, these include Nichols Run, Clarks Branch, and Difficult Run. Difficult Run forms the southeastern border of the CDP. Two of its tributaries, Captain Hickory Run and Piney Run, flow southeast through the southern part of the CDP. The Great Falls of the Potomac River, the community's namesake, are on the east side of the CDP.