Floris was once known as Frying Pan, and still has a park named exactly that. Jumping out of the Frying Pan and into Floris doesn't explain the origin of the original name. There are two theories: miners, soldiers, or Native Americans left a frying pan in the area when leaving camp quickly, possibly in the 18th century. Or the shape of a water flow caused the name to be used. The mystery lives on!
With a population of just over 8,375 as of the 2010 census, Floris is a community in the greater Herndon, VA area, just 31 minutes from the nation's capitol. It is primarily known as a bedroom community for the Washington, D.C. area.
Moving to Floris
If you're looking for places to live in Floris, you should give yourself plenty of time to find house rentals. With few vacant properties at any given time, you'll want to look carefully online and in area newspapers such as The Washington Post and the Fairfax Times. Explore the area yourself by car, too, when seeking one-bedroom apartment or two-bedroom apartments for rent. Some rentals will only be noticeable if you happen upon them, or inquire at apartment or condo complexes in person.
What to Bring
Winters are mild in this part of Virginia, so while you'll experience all four seasons, you shouldn't need snow boots. Do bring a spring sweater and a winter coat, though! And for your landlord, you'll want to have your ID, W2s, or if self-employed bank statements and tax returns. Be prepared to undergo a credit check, as well.
Neighborhoods in Floris
Commute times are an average of 15 to 30 minutes, and although public transportation is available, most commuters take their own vehicles or carpool to work. You'll be close to many tech companies right in Floris and in Herndon, and an easy drive into Washington, D.C. for more urban adventures!
Floris Center: This community is in and of itself a neighborhood in the greater Herndon area bordered by Centreville Road and West Ox Road, close to the Dulles Airport Toll Road. Pretty Frying Pan Farm Park is also located here with Horsepen Run Stream Valley Park just a few minutes away. You'll find single family homes and townhomes here - and the popular China King restaurant.
Centerville Road: In this area of medium to large single family homes, you'll also find townhomes and some apartment complexes. You'll need to look carefully for rentals, as vacancies can be quite tight here. Most properties were constructed between 1970 and the present for a decor from any decade.
Life in Floris
Let's start with a sojourn in Frying Pan Farm Park where the life of a 1920s to 1950s era farm and rural community life is preserved for education and recreation. This bucolic imagining of life is just one of the pleasant amenities in what is now Floris. Every May a spring festival welcomes visitors with reenactments of life on the farm.
Far removed from this non-tech setting is the booming Dulles Technology Corridor of which Floris is a part. Fortune magazine calls this general area the "Netplex" because of the concentration of Internet-centric companies such as AOL, Verizon, and Nolanda Technology, as well as Network Solutions and Deltek. The Center for Innovative Technology is also located in the area.
There are many shops and restaurants around and, in fact, you can practically traverse the globe in dining options from Ned Devine's Irish Pub, a local mainstay, to Minerva's Indian Cuisine and Hama Sushi.
You won't be wishing for green space here either: along with Frying Pan Park, you'll find Stratton Woods Park and Frying Pan Branch stream for many walking, jogging, biking and picnicking opportunities. Want to take a swing at recreation? Try the Herndon Centennial Golf Course to see if you're truly up to "par." Basketball, racquetball, and tennis courts are also available.
Culture and History
Floris also offers plenty of indoor activities, for those looking to take a break from the sun. If history's your thing, you'll find the Herndon Depot Museum, an excellent resource with information about Civil War skirmishes and the industry that supported the area long before the nearby high tech industries were ever even dreamt about.
Other local attractions include the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Here you can explore a Concorde passenger plane, the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress, and the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Prefer a little music? Check out Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, less than fifteen minutes from your doorstep where you can hear the classics and opera, or exciting rock acts in a stunning outdoor amphitheater setting. You'll also be just forty-five minutes from Mt. Vernon, George Washington's former abode, and a fascinating piece of living history.
From Fourth of July Celebrations to a Labor Day Jazz Festival, there are plenty of community activities to pursue, too.
If you ever need to get away, Dulles International Airport is less than fifteen minutes away to take you around the world, before returning to your new Floris home.
