Virginia - 10th District

Incumbent -- Frank R. Wolf (R) ; Running for re-election

---

District Information

District Profile from Politics in America

Located in the northern tip of Virginia, the 10th bridges a dizzying range of economies and lifestyles, with mountains and farmland at one end and congested Washington suburbs at the other. A hotbed of economic activity, the 10th is a predominately white-collar area that includes some of the nation's wealthiest counties -- Loudoun and parts of Fairfax and Fauquier -- that are home to young professionals and their families.

Most of the district's population resides in the Northern Virginia region -- the densely populated suburbs west and south of Washington that are split among several districts -- and many residents commute to jobs in Washington or the urbanized area inside the Capital Beltway. About 30 percent of district residents live in Fairfax County, which is shared with the 8th and 11th districts. Explosive population growth in technology-magnet Loudoun County, which includes Leesburg and Washington Dulles International Airport, accounts for the 10th's place as one of the fastest-growing districts in the nation since 2000.

Agriculture and manufacturing fuel the economy in the rest of the 10th, which is solidly Republican and less densely populated. Clarke and Frederick counties produce about half of Virginia's apples and peaches. Winchester, within fast-growing Frederick County, is the center of the state's apple-growing industry.

The 10th swung left in the 2008 presidential race, giving Democrat Barack Obama 53 percent of its vote, with parts of Fairfax and Frederick counties carrying the most Democratic weight. Loudoun County also backed Obama in 2008, but the district as a whole still tends to vote Republican in federal and state legislative races. Slow-growth advocates play a role in local politics as the region grapples with its rapid expansion. The 10th also struggles with violent gang activity.

Major Industry

Technology, government, manufacturing, agriculture

Cities

McLean (unincorporated) (pt.), 46,331; Ashburn (unincorporated), 43,511; Leesburg, 42,616; Centreville (unincorporated) (pt.), 39,345

Notable

The Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb in World War II, is at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles.