Great Falls is a census-designated place[3] in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.

[2][7] Located on Virginia State Route 7 in Northern Virginia, Great Falls is 15 miles (24 km) west-northwest of downtown Washington, D.C., and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north of Fairfax, the county seat.

[8][10] The Great Falls of the Potomac River, the community's namesake, are on the east side of the CDP.

It is bordered on all sides by other Washington suburbs, including: Darnestown and Travilah, Maryland to the north, Potomac, Maryland to the east, McLean to the southeast, Wolf Trap to the south, Reston and Dranesville to the southwest, Sterling to the west, and Lowes Island to the northwest.

[11] In February 2022, Great Falls was included in Veranda magazine's list of wealthiest cities in the United States.

[citation needed] This section includes some information from the 2022 American Community Survey At the 2020 census there were 15,953 people, 5,273 housing units and 5,019 households residing in the CDP.

Siena Academy is a Catholic Montessori preschool and elementary school in Great Falls, under the authority of the Diocese of Arlington.

River Bend County Park[19] is another gathering area in Great Falls, as is the Village Green, which hosts community celebrations around Easter (Spring Festival, including an Egg Hunt), Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (Tree Lighting), as well as concerts in the summer.

The MTV television series Finding Carter is partially set in Great Falls.

Due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., several figures from American politics and government live or have lived in Great Falls, including Senator Rick Santorum, former United States Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, Federal Bureau of Investigation director Louis Freeh and former Central Intelligence Agency director Stansfield Turner.

Other famous residents have included Governor Glenn Youngkin, political commentator Peggy Noonan, heiress Jacqueline Mars, Canadian Billionaire Emmanuel Akau, businessman Steve Case, Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, astronaut Dan Tani, and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts former president Michael Kaiser.