Commonwealth #4: An Animated History
I ran across the neatest tool on my favourite data mining blog: A tool which will illustrate graphically the development of any given area. I'd like to thank the kind folks at Trulia for putting this incredible tool together.
It's interesting to see that Fairfax County is almost completely deserted up until the early 20th century. From reports I've read, the county was primarily farmland up until the 1960's, but wasn't aware that it was this deserted. It's possible that some data points are missing, though: For instance, I'm not sure that our county tracks property records from before 1900. At least, I haven't found any evidence in the property assessment database that would indicate that it does. If you know of any old houses near you, try punching in the address and see what you get! I'm very interested to hear your results.
In any case, this provides a very intriguing look at the history of our fair County. I hope y'all enjoy it!
Click the image to view an animated history of Fairfax County.
It's interesting to see that Fairfax County is almost completely deserted up until the early 20th century. From reports I've read, the county was primarily farmland up until the 1960's, but wasn't aware that it was this deserted. It's possible that some data points are missing, though: For instance, I'm not sure that our county tracks property records from before 1900. At least, I haven't found any evidence in the property assessment database that would indicate that it does. If you know of any old houses near you, try punching in the address and see what you get! I'm very interested to hear your results.
In any case, this provides a very intriguing look at the history of our fair County. I hope y'all enjoy it!
Brian's Commonwealth of Virginiana is Copyright © 2007, Brian C. Ledbetter, except where otherwise noted.
