The city of Fairfax is an enclave surrounded by the separate political entity Fairfax County.

The city is 17 miles west of Washington, D.C. The city is part of the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as a part of Northern Virginia.

The Metro’s Orange Line serves Fairfax through its Vienna station, which is a mile northwest of the city limits. The CUE Bus managed by the City, Fairfax Connection, and WMATA Metrobuses have stops in Fairfax City. Virginia Railway Express’s Burke Centre station is situated three miles southeast of the city’s boundaries.  George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public educational institution, is located along the city’s southern border.