City of Manassas Park
Cedar Waxwing, © Matt Felperin
Located 30 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., Manassas Park is squarely in the Metropolitan D.C. sprawl. One of Virginia's "micro-cities," Manassas Park is just a little over 2.5 sq. mi., making it the commonwealth's third smallest jurisdiction. Manassas Park achieved town status in 1957. With an annexation of 600 acres of land in 1974 (effectively doubling the size of the town), Manassas Park was incorporated as a city in 1975, the last city in the Commonwealth to do so.
Primarily residential, Manassas Park has just over 17,000 inhabitants (2019 est.), which makes birding difficult in this densely-populated area. Manassas Park didn’t cross the 100-species threshold in eBird until June 2020, though that was a sharp increase from the 70 species reported through early 2018. The rise in popularity of county birding, plus the acquisition of 270 acres of parkland explain the uptick in species. Despite the increase in parkland, the overall lack of public birding locations means additional species will likely be added slowly. There is virtually no standing water in the City, and with a lone exception, what little exists is storm-retention ponds in either residential developments or industrial areas. Such venues can make for uncertain birding, even for folks used to birding in populated residential areas. The one exception is a small pond found at Blooms Park.
Between the recently acquired Blooms Park (though an arrangement with Prince William County in 2019; more details included with the hotspot description) and the Russia Branch Trail, there are still gems to be found in the City. These two spots are the best birding spots in the city, offering an array of diverse habitats between them. Worth noting here is that Signal Hill Park is managed by the City of Manassas Park, however, it is geographically in Prince William County.
Encompassed entirely within Prince William County, Manassas Park does share a border with the City of Manassas. There are no major highways that pass through Manassas Park, but VA Route 28 is a major (and typically congested) thoroughfare that provides access to I-66 a few miles north.
—Todd Michael Day
(Updated July 2020)
Hotspots
Amenities
As a thickly-settled suburban city, one can expect to find some independent restaurants, as well as most chain restaurants, fast food establishments, gas stations, and convenient stores, either in Manassas Park, or nearby Manassas and Prince William County.
Sources
City of Manassas Park, “Overview and History,” https://www.cityofmanassaspark.us/about-manassas-park/overview-and-history.html (accessed February 2018)