The Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Northern Virginia, a paved trail that draws more than 2 million people each year, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Monday.
The ribbon on the first section of the W&OD Trail was cut on Sept. 7, 1974, by then-Falls Church Mayor Harold Miller.
On Monday, leaders from the region gathered in Vienna to recognize the occasion and the significance of the trail itself.
“The trail goes through the heart of Vienna,” said Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said. “It connects our neighbors with each other.”
Often called the skinniest park in Virginia, the W&OD Trail is a 45-mile route along the former roadbed of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. The trail has multiple parking areas, allowing people to jump on and off the trail at various points.
Colbert called the trail a “treasure.”
“It’s one of the most important things that we have,” Colbert said. “People love to exercise on it, and they love to meet people.”
Colbert grew up in the area and said she used to be on the trail all the time as a teenager.
“Then I’d come here with my family when I was raising kids,” Colbert said. “Now, I’m out walking the dog, meeting neighbors and getting exercise.”
James Bierman, who’s on the Fairfax County board of supervisors, called the trail a “great place where the community comes together.”
“You’ve got walkers, you’ve got bike riders and you’ve got people pushing strollers,” Bierman said. “It goes through neighborhoods, it goes through towns.”
“It’s got a little bit of everything,” added Bierman.
The railroad route was considered vital in the 1800s and was the site of a few skirmishes during the Civil War. The railroad shut down in 1968.
It went through what is today Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Leesburg and Purcellville — all sites considered to be key for economic development.
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