Fairfax is located in northeastern Virginia. It is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat. Fairfax is primarily a residential suburb of Washington, D.C.. George Mason University (1957) is here, and Dulles International Airport is nearby. The old courthouse, built in 1800 and restored in 1967, contains the original wills of George and Martha Washington. A 2006 real estate survey has estimated the population of Fairfax, Virginia at 23,349.