Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, and one of the major cities in the Washington metropolitan area. With an estimated population of 63,226, Reston is a vibrant city that offers its residents a unique combination of urban and suburban living. It was founded in 1928 as part of the Garden City movement, which sought to create new cities that combined the best of the country and the city. The suburban sprawl that followed the baby boom of the 1960s saw the emergence of single-family homes designed for those who could qualify for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration.
These homes lacked employment bases, cultural embellishments, and heterogeneity, as they were often exclusively white. In response to this, Mobil began to sell Reston as a better place to live, with dozens of companies and new home builders focusing on creating more aesthetically pleasing designs and better amenities. The Dulles Toll Road opened in 1984, giving Reston a fast connection to Washington D. C., and Mobil eventually sold its properties at a substantial profit.
Town Center added high-rise residential units to its urban core, but it still lacks significant civic or cultural expression. Meanwhile, Lake Anne Village Center needs a major renovation effort and new development to help pay for rising maintenance costs. On the other hand, Reston has seen some positive changes over time. Many of the first residents' children have returned to raise their own families in Lake Anne Village, bringing a new generation and new ideas to Reston's tradition of civic and community activism.
Herndon is another suburb of Washington D. C., located in Fairfax County with an estimated population of 24,000 inhabitants. It offers plenty of art centers, galleries, museums and a live theater for culture lovers. Herndon is also close to Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where visitors can camp, go sightseeing, fishing, hiking and horseback riding.
The Udvar-Hazy Center is an annex to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum located nearby, where visitors can see the Discovery space shuttle and other artifacts. Herndon is part of the Dulles Technology Corridor, home to many well-known defense and technology centers such as Exelis, Amazon, Northrup Grumman and Boeing. Herndon's sister city is Runnymede district in England, just west of London. This district is best known as the place where King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215. There is also a British monument in Runnymede for the USA. UU. Reston has become a beautiful city that is a designated habitat for wildlife in the backyard.
Much of Reston is forested and there is a lot of undeveloped land with streams, lakes and meadows. Quality of life has been the cornerstone in Reston's development planning, with an estimated population of 60,000 spread across 17 square miles.
