A Brief History of Tysons, Virginia

A Brief History of Tysons, Virginia

Known today for its luxurious shopping centers, high-end condominiums, and commercial offices, Tysons, Virginia has undergone a historic transformation from a small rural crossroads to a bustling center of community and commerce.

Tysons, Virginia is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, located between McLean, Virginia and Vienna, Virginia. The land that is now known as Tysons, Virginia was once home to Native American tribes, such as the Algonquin and the Iroquois. In the early 1700s, English settlers arrived in the area and established farms. During the Revolutionary War, the area now known as Tysons, Virgina served as a meeting place for American patriots, including George Washington.

In the 1800s, the area became informally known as Peach Grove due to the abundance of peach orchards. Then, in the mid-1800s, a man named William Tyson purchased the land and became the postmaster of the nearby Peach Grove Post Office. Later, when the construction of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad brought growth to the area, a station named "Tyson's Crossroads" was built in 1863, thereby transforming the once humble agricultural area known as Peach Grove into Tysons Corner.

From the latter half of the 1800s and into the early 1900s, Tysons Corner became known an ideal interchange for commerce, with several general stores, a post office, a blacksmith, and a gas station. Then, with the construction of the Capital Beltway in the early 1960s, Tysons Corner began to attract attention from businesses and transform into what has urban planners regard as an Edge City.

As the highway system expanded, Tysons Corner became an ideal hub for commercial development, particularly in the tech and defense industries. By the 1980s, the now famous Tysons Corner Center shopping mall was built, which became one of the largest malls on the East Coast.

In 2015, the area known as Tysons Corner was officially renamed Tysons, Virginia and reconstituted as a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community located in Fairfax County, Virginia. At around the same time, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority delivered the Silver Line, a new extension of the popular Metro rail that services commuters in Northern Virginia and the Washington Metropolitan Area.

The change from Tysons Corner to Tysons was made to reflect a larger strategic decision to shift the focus of the this unique area away from the more commercial connotation associated with "Tysons Corner" and towards a more inclusive and community-centered identity.

With the change in name has come a renewed effort to transform this area into a vibrant urban center with a mix of commercial, residential, and recreational spaces that are accessible to all.

Today, Tysons, Virginia is a thriving community with a population of over 25,000 people. It is home to the headquarters of several major corporations, including Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, and Hilton. With its growing urbanization, Tysons is becoming a major player in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and a destination for residents and visitors alike.