City Honors Long-Time Residents

City employees and council paid homage Tuesday to the first people to settle in what would become Manassas Park and who are still here more than a half century later.

 It was 1955, just 10 years after World War II ended when the first family, the Horns, decided to hang a shingle on Evans Street, then part of a subdivision of new, cape cod-style homes in Prince William County. 

That year, several more families would follow suit and buy homes in the little area just south of the Bull Run and the Fairfax County line.

Six of those families are still there.

Manassas Park gained town status in 1957, but remained part of Prince William County.

There are 25 families living in Manassas Park that have been there since before 1960.

 Manassas Park officially became a city in 1975; the last area to do so before a moratorium on the creation of new cities in Virginia took effect, earning it the nickname,“the newest city in Virginia.”

Most of Manassas Park’s longest-standing residents were present at Tuesday’s City Council meeting where members of that body thanked them for their loyalty and steadfastness.

"These are not only our longtime residents, they are living history and witness to how our city evolved from being a subdivision to town to city. Honoring them is our way of recognizing their contribution to Manassas Park," Councilman Suhas Naddoni said.

Other councilmen echoed his sentiments.

The residents were also presented with certificates of appreciation and treated to a punch and sweets reception where they discussed the old days with each other and the city’s newer residents.