The Lord Fairfax Planning District Commission operates the Map, Data & GIS Center for local governments, businesses, and public and private organizations. The Commission office is located in Front Royal at 103 East Sixth Street. The office is open between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Items in the Center are available for study and use by citizens and business people. Copies can be made at cost on the Commission's copy machine. Simple questions can often be answered over the phone.

In order to make research easier, a series of data sheets have been developed by the staff which answer common questions about population, housing, income, the economy, labor force, agriculture and unemployment. Much data is already assembled from plans and reports which can meet the data needs of individual projects. There are marketing books for each County which have much valuable data already organized. The Commission utilizes ArcView 3.0 for Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping which handles AutoCAD drawings, Census TIGER/Line files, Arc/Info coverages, and various image data. Detailed data which is not easily available can be assembled by the Commission staff at cost.

Examples of economic and demographic data include:

• Census statistics for years 1970, 1980, and 1990
• Highway and traffic data
• Housing: Building and Occupancy Permits; Distribution
• Household projections
• Income: Per Capita, Median Family, Adjusted Gross
• Labor Force: Employment, wages, industry, etc.
• Local Government Revenues and Expenditures
• Population: Estimates, Projections and Characteristics
• Public school comparative data
• Retail sales data
• Taxes: Rates, assessment ratios, etc.
• Vital Statistics: Births, deaths, etc.

Examples of maps include:

• Tri-State Regional Location Map available in size 11" x 13" and 25" x 30"
• Census Tract Map Book available in size 8 1/2 x 11" and 11" x 17"
• County, City, and Town base maps available in size 8 1/2 x 11" and 11" x 17"
• County base maps available in sizes up to 36" x 42"
• Digital County, City, Town base maps in AutoCAD or ArcView file formats.

We also have Aerial, Topographic, Land Use and Zoning Maps on file for most of the jurisdictions within the Planning District. These maps are available for study within the Commission office.

In 1995, the Commission joined with the 20 other Virginia Planning District Commissions to form the state-wide PDConnect Data Center Network. This was an outgrowth of the need for multi-district and state-wide data sets and mapping.

If you have a map, data or GIS question / need please send us an e-mail: lfpdc@shentel.net