About the District



VIRGINIA'S 42nd HOUSE OF DELEGATES DISTRICT

The 42nd House of Delegates district is located in the southern part of Fairfax County, Virginia.  It is bordered on the east by the Potomac River and on the south by the Occoquan River.  It is made up of 5 communities, including portions of Lorton, Springfield, Fairfax Station, Clifton, and Fort Belvoir.  The district lies predominantly in the Springfield and Mt. Vernon Magisterial Districts of Fairfax County, with two additional precincts in the Braddock District.

 

OUR COMMUNITIES
From the rural beauty and tranquility of Mason Neck to the thriving suburban landscape of Springfield to the growing townhouse communities of Fairfax Station and Lorton, the Forty-Second District is as varied and diverse as the people who inhabit it. The growth of the federal government in the years during and after World War II spurred rapid growth throughout the area. As a result, the once rural county has become a suburban commuter epicenter. Many of the district's communities have been distinguished as “Best Places to Retire” and recognized for “Best Quality of Life.”  

OUR SCHOOLS
Our District is graced with some of the best public schools in the country.  Several school clusters and multiple pyramid feeder systems come within the district’s boundaries. The high schools that educate the students of the 42nd district include Mount Vernon High School, Hayfield Secondary, Lee High School, Robinson High School, Lake Braddock High School, West Springfield High School and South County Secondary School.  These institutions continue to foster the growth of tomorrow’s leaders.  

OUR PARKLANDS
The 42nd District includes several expansive parklands, including Mason Neck State Park and the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fountainhead Regional Park, and Sandy Run Regional Park.

OUR HISTORY
The 42nd district is home to numerous historical landmarks, most notably:   

Gunston Hall-  the plantation home of founding father and signer of the U.S. Constitution George Mason, who, along with James Madison, was known as “The Father of the Bill of Rights.”
Pohick Church-  once the local church of George Mason and George Washington.
Woodlawn Mansion-  the plantation home gifted from the Mt. Vernon estate by George Washington to his nephew, Lawrence Lewis and Lewis’ wife, Nelly Custis, granddaughter of Martha Washington.

OUR SERVICEMEN & WOMEN
A vital part of our national defense system, Fort Belvoir is home to the United States Army Materiel Command and elements of ten other Army major commands.  The base supports nineteen different agencies and direct reporting units of the Department of Army; eight elements of the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard; and twenty-six Department of Defense agencies. The base was founded during World War I as Camp A. A. Humphreys on the former site of the plantation of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord of Cameron. The post was renamed Fort Belvoir in the 1930s in honor of the historic Belvoir Manor.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES