Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.

[6] The small stream that passed near the tavern was named the River Thames, another London association.

The town of Centerville, shortly later spelled Centreville, was established in 1792 on the turnpike road at the village of Newgate by the Virginia General Assembly in response to petitions by local landowners.

[8] The petitioners reasoned that a town on the turnpike road leading from the Northwest Territory and centrally located to Alexandria, Colchester, Dumfries, Middleburg, George Town (later Georgetown), Fauquier Court House (later Warrenton), and Leesburg would be convenient.

James Hardage Lane, one of the landowners, conceived the idea of the town as a way to provide financial support to his widow and their children.

During the winter of 1861 and early 1862 the town was significantly fortified by the Confederacy and served as a supply depot for both sides at various points in the war, and is famous for being the site of the construction of the first railroad ever built exclusively for military use, the Centreville Military Railroad.

Centreville was of significant strategic value due to its proximity to several important roads, while its position atop a high ridge provided a commanding view of the surrounding area.

[citation needed] Like much of Northern Virginia, Centreville experienced sustained population growth in the 1990s and 2000s.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau (2010), the CDP has a total area of 12.04 square miles (31.2 km2), 99% of it land.

At the 2020 census (some information from the 2022 American Community Survey) there were 73,518 people, 25,931 housing units and 25,398 households residing in the CDP.

[18] The area is served by several Fairfax Connector bus routes connecting to the Metrorail system: 640, 641, 642.