The story
History
In 1851, a post office and railroad stop servicing the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A) were established in the area then known as Tudor Hall, named for a nearby plantation home. Soon after, construction began on the Manassas Gap Railroad (MGRR), which was planned to run westward from the O&A at Tudor Hall to the Shenandoah Valley, by way of Manassas Gap. By 1854, the MGRR was completed between Tudor Hall and Strasburg.
In the early 1860s, following the construction of the railroad junction, the village of Tudor Hall became known as Manassas Junction.
Although the first known reference to the word "Manassas" appeared in the form of "Manassas Run" on a 1737 land survey, the origin of the word itself is unknown. There is some evidence that it may have originated from a Jewish innkeeper named Manasseh in the Shenandoah Valley, but this is disputed by others who cite evidence that the word may be of Native American origin, possibly relating to Massanutten, or to the Manahoac people who once inhabited the area.
In July 1861, the First Battle of Bull Run—also known as the Battle of First Manassas —was fought nearby, the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Manassas commemorated its 150th anniversary on July 21–24, 2011.
The Second Battle of Bull Run (or the Battle of Second Manassas) was fought near Manassas on August 28–30, 1862. At that time, Manassas Junction was little more than a railroad crossing, but a strategic one, with rails leading to Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Shenandoah Valley. Despite these two Confederate victories, Manassas Junction was in Union hands for most of the war.
Following the war, the crossroads grew into the town of Manassas, which was incorporated in 1873. In 1894, Manassas was designated the county seat of Prince William County, replacing Brentsville.
Between July 16 and July 22, 1911, veterans from both sides of the war reunited in Manassas for a Peace Jubilee marking 50 years since the First Battle of Bull Run. On July 21, after meeting and shaking hands at Henry House Hill, they picnicked together on the former battlefield before re-uniting again at the then-fairly new Prince William County Courthouse to hear a speech by President William Howard Taft, commemorating the event.
In 1975, Manassas was incorporated as an independent city, and as per Virginia law, was separated from Prince William County.
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Manassas is home to Annaburg, built in 1892 by Robert Portner as a summer home. It is believed to be one of the first homes in the United States to have mechanical air conditioning. Annaburg was purchased by the City of Manassas in July 2019 to be restored and preserved as a public park.
The Manassas Historic District; Liberia, a plantation house; the Manassas Water Tower; the Cannon Branch Fort; the Mayfield Fortification; the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth; and Annaburg are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Manassas had a population of 42,772, a 13.1% increase over the 37,821 residents recorded in 2010.
The median age was 34.5 years, 26.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 10.5% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males.
All residents lived in urban areas and none in rural areas.
There were 13,983 households, 39.8% of which had children under the age of 18, 49.4% were married-couple households, 17.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 26.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present; 22.9% of households consisted of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The census counted 14,365 housing units, of which 2.7% were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.3%.
Racially, the city was 39.1% White, 12.0% Black or African American, 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 28.0% some other race, 13.2% from two or more races, and 42.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2010 census
The 2010 census recorded a population of 37,821 in Manassas.
This can be broken up ethnically as follows (2010 numbers):
9.9% Mexican
1.1% Puerto Rican
0.2% Cuban
20.2% other Hispanic or Latino (Many from El Salvador and Guatemala)
The population density for the city is 3,782.1 people per square mile, and there are an estimated 13,103 housing units in the city with an average housing density of 1,310.3 per square mile. The greatest percentage of housing values of owner-occupied homes (34.8%) is $300,000 to $499,999, with a median owner-occupied housing value of $259,100. The city's highest period of growth was from 1980 to 1989, when 35% of the city's housing stock was constructed.
The ACS estimated median household income for the city in 2020 was $86,227. 36% of the population has a college degree. Almost as many people commute into the City of Manassas for work (13,316) as out (13,666), with the majority of out commuters traveling to Fairfax and Prince William counties for their jobs. Unemployment in the city as of February 2022 was 2.5%, which was below that of the United States at 3.8%. Of the 21,221 working age residents, 20,620 were employed. City residents are primarily employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, and Health Care and Social Assistance.
The ACS estimated mean travel time to work for the given population in 2021 was approximately 34.7 minutes. This travel time is about 25 percent higher than the figure for Virginia (28.2 minutes) and about 1.3 times the figure for the entire United States (26.8 minutes).
Regarding the means of transportation to work:
73% of individuals drive alone to work.
12% carpool with others.
4% use public transit.
2% walk to work.
8% work from home.
Parks and recreation
The city's park system encompasses 260 acres (110 ha) of parkland, featuring walking trails, playgrounds, athletic fields, and recreational facilities. Through a shared-use agreement with the City School Board, the municipal government operates an additional 44 acres (18 ha) of playgrounds and school recreational areas. Additionally, the city owns eight historic properties and operates the Manassas Museum, which preserves local history.
Stonewall Park & Pool
Annaburg Historic Site
Liberia House Historic Site
Cannon Branch Fort
Baldwin Park
Dean Park
From Wikipedia’s article on Manassas, Virginia, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5