[1] It encompasses a large area west of the city of Fairfax, centered on Fair Oaks Mall.

Suburban neighborhoods and office parks occupy most of Fair Oaks, largely developed since the 1980s.

The Fair Oaks Mall is at the center of the CDP, in the angle formed by U.S. Route 50 to the northeast and Interstate 66 to the south, which intersect at I-66's Exit 57.

U.S. Route 29 forms the southern border of the CDP, leading east into Fairfax and Washington and west 17 miles (27 km) to Gainesville.

[2] At the 2020 census (some information from the 2022 American Community Survey) there were 34,052 people, 15,561 housing units and 15,257 households residing in the CDP.