Political Geography in Herndon!
What is political geography?
Political Geography is a way to show the political climate and powers in certain regions or places, and it can change the climate of an area and country. It operates differently from country, state, cities, and towns. Things like town councils and political boundaries like borders. Political power operates at national, global, and local levels. Politics can change living conditions, roads, and buildings — politics play a big part in geography.
Political geography of Herndon (federal, state, county, local levels)
Herndon is part of 4 governments. At a federal level, Herndon is a part of the United States of America and Herndon is also represented by 2 senators. The 2nd government is the State. Virginia creates laws that can affect people in the state and affects things like buildings and roads. The 3rd government Herndon is a part of is the county, which is Fairfax County. The county handles public schools, libraries, and property taxes too. The last part of the government Herndon is in is the local level. This would be like the mayor and the town councils, which Herndon has 6 town council members. These people affect the town budgets, local taxes, and community services.
Herndon was founded in 1858 and Herndon is leaning towards Democratic, although it's hard to be super accurate as Herndon's town government is officially non-partisan which means that votes do not show which side you voted for.
some of it is purple which means it's split evenly but most of the area is light blue which means Herndon tends to be more liberal, although it is not dark blue which would mean they would be leaning a lot more liberal
Sources:
What I expected to find before the field trip
Different government levels:
Federal — General Services Administration building or GSA
State — Virginia Department of Transportation, this is used for the state roads and it runs through Herndon
County — Public schools, libraries, and county supervisors
Local — city/town buildings
I walked on foot to the library because I have been there before, but the other places I might need to travel by car as they are slightly further away — maybe 15-20 minutes of walking.
Pre-existing knowledge
Well I definitely know of the community center which is part of the local government I believe, and then the library would be part of the county government.
geography indicators in the cultural landscape
1. Herndon Municipal Center — This is where the mayor's office is and also where the town council chambers are.
where the mayor and town council chambers is or where the council meetings are held. In the back you can see a train that I will also show a picture of because it is a part of the Herndon Train Depot Museum
2. Historic Train Depot Museum & Train — This is a historical museum. You can go inside the train and on it. I remember going there as a kid once. The trail behind it is where I go to walk and it leads all the way to the library and the community center as well.
3. Library during election period — The library is also used as a polling place to vote. When it's voting season you can see many signs promoting people to vote.
election period at the library — all the signs to vote for mayor I believe
4. Veterans Memorial Obelisk — This is a monument replica of the US Naval Academy that shows respect for military services. This is a memorial site for Commander William Lewis Herndon, who was a naval officer and a big explorer. He went to the Amazon to explore and also one time ensured the rescue of 152 women and children during a 3 day hurricane.
Wikipedia. (2025, November 9). William Lewis Herndon. Retrieved March 24, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lewis_Herndon
Conclusion
I learned more about monuments and the political landscape of Herndon and places that you can go to vote. I never visited the Mayor's office/council meeting place so that was a nice walk to see it.
Did I enjoy the field trip? Yes, I enjoyed this field trip through the weird weather.
Did I learn something new? Yes — I learned about the different levels of government and monuments in Herndon.
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