[2] It is home to the oldest and largest branch of the Northern Virginia Community College system, and to one of the D.C. area's Koreatowns.

When Europeans arrived in the 17th century, the area around Annandale, which became Fairfax County, was inhabited by an Algonquian-speaking sub-group called the Taux, also known as the Doeg or Dogue.

[6] In 1685, an Englishman, Col. William H. Fitzhugh, purchased over 24,000 acres (37.5 square miles) of wilderness in the area and converted it into one of the largest tobacco plantations in Northern Virginia.

The first businessman to locate in Annandale was William Garges, who built a blacksmith shop and a livery stable at the intersection of Columbia Pike, Little River Turnpike and Backlick Road, which would become the center of town.

[13] After the war, farmers and businessmen returned to their pursuits and dairy farming began to grow in Fairfax County.

In the 1930s and 1940s, work in the area for the federal government grew as President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the New Deal and the United States entered World War II.

[14] After World War II, growth continued, with housing developments in suburbs like Annandale accompanied by businesses, schools, and roads to support the new residents.

With the construction of the Springfield Dam in 1918, Lake Accotink was created to serve as a water source for World War I-era Army Camp A.A. Humphreys (now named Fort Belvoir).

In 1960, when the lake was no longer needed by the Army, the Fairfax County Park Authority leased the land and finally bought the site in 1965.

[17] Today, Lake Accotink is a popular recreation area with walking, hiking and biking trails, fishing and boat rentals.

The trail meanders through parks and forests filled with deer, fox, geese and numerous species of native birds.

The sharp decrease in population from 54,994 in 2000 was due to the splitting off of the CDP's western portion to form the Wakefield and Woodburn CDPs.

[2] Annandale is home to a large working-class White community, and is one of the few remaining areas in Fairfax County where the group has a presence.

The influx of Koreans to Northern Virginia and Annandale can be traced to the ease of commute into the District of Columbia for federal employees, the quality of its schools, and even the opening of an office of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in Seoul.

[29] Most of the businesses and restaurants initially catered primarily to South Korean expatriates,[30] but some had a diverse clientele from the beginning.

The oldest and largest branch of the Northern Virginia Community College system is also located within Annandale and was founded in 1965.

A focal point of "NOVA", a commonly used nickname of the community college, is the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center which is a 66,000-square-foot (6,100 m2) facility containing a 525-seat, state-of-the-art theater with satellite downlink and video projection capability, an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) gymnasium/exhibition hall, a light-filled atrium entrance and a two-story art gallery.

The Annandale Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD), a non-profit organization started in 1940,[42] owns and maintains stations 8 and 23.

[47] Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Annandale include actor Mark Hamill;[48] country music performer Kelly Willis; actor Dylan Walsh; Christopher McCandless, the subject of author Jon Krakauer's 1996 book, Into the Wild; and Fawn Hall, a notable figure in the Iran-Contra affair.

[51] In the video, Mike claims that Annandale is a "funnel for the dregs of society"[50] and points out its flaws with "striking images of filth, ruin, and a dead rat".

[52] Although his intention was to create a lighthearted video in which Annandale residents could make fun of the city with him,[51] he has received criticism for misrepresenting the Washington, D.C.