Bull Run

Whether you’re a Northern Virginia native or moving from across the country, the name Bull Run likely strikes you as familiar. This census-designated place (CDP), northwest of Manassas, is named for the two prominent Civil War battles that unfolded, less than two miles north. Over 160 years later, the area has become a convenient commercial-residential hub with dozens of businesses, several public schools and prominent parks nearby.

Bull Run is home to roughly 20,000 people, most living in rented apartments. However, you’ll find many homes for purchase in the CDP — mainly multifamily units, plus detached homes here and there. Condominiums and town houses proliferate along tightly winding streets, with single-level, 1,000-square-foot condos starting in the $200,000s. Two-level town houses start in the high $300,000s, while larger builds with single-car garages can reach the high $400,000s. Small clusters of single-family homes include 1980s Colonials, split-levels and ramblers in the Tudor Hall Estates subdivision to the southeast, costing from the $400,000s to the $600,000s. Meanwhile, you’ll find Bull Run’s newest, most expensive constructions in Blackburn, whose late-2010s Craftsman builds can exceed $900,000.

Bull Run Regional Park covers 1,500 acres to the northeast, about a 15-minute drive for residents. This prominent green space is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, with facilities for disc golfers, soccer players and skeet shooters. It’s also home to the Bull Run Festival of Lights, a 2-plus-mile stretch of glimmering holiday displays you can drive through from November to January. During the summer, visitors can cool off at the park’s Atlantis Waterpark, which features a dumping bucket, winding waterslides and a poolside restaurant. If you still can’t get enough of the water after Labor Day, launch a kayak on the Bull Run tributary of the Occoquan River. More sports facilities, including basketball and tennis courts, are available at Ellis L. Barron Park in the center of the CDP. And history buffs are a quick drive from Manassas National Battlefield Park, a 4,000-acre expanse with miles of trails, Civil War relics and more.

Eight Prince William County Public Schools serve students in Bull Run. Three operate within the CDP, including George P. Mullen and Suella G. Ellis Elementary Schools. Most pre-K through fifth graders in the area attend these two schools, while a few are zoned for the nearby C.A. Sinclair and Chris Yung Elementary Schools. Unity Braxton Middle School accommodates most of Bull Run’s sixth through eighth graders, with the rest attending Bull Run and Parkside Middle Schools. No matter where they spend their earlier years, all Bull Run teens end up at Unity Reed High School in the southeastern section of the CDP. Unity Reed has received a B grade from Niche and welcomes nearly 2,800 students to enroll in its International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

International and locally owned retailers, restaurants and service providers operate up and down State Route 234, to the east of Bull Run. Popular eateries include Texas Donuts, a family-owned bakery serving handmade sweets since 2002, and Wasabiko, a highly rated Japanese joint. “There’s a lot of variety as far as different cultural foods,” says local realtor Stephen Ritter of United Real Estate. “Whether it be Asian, South American, African or European, you can get almost any kind of food through that corridor.” Several convenient errand-running spots are within walking distance of town house and condo residents, from Giant Food to Costco Wholesale. You’ll find dozens more at Manassas Mall to the southeast, including Macy’s and Walmart Supercenter.

Written By

John Battiston

Photography Contributed By

Joseph Furio

Video By

Mark Barakat