Reston Association

Reston is a planned community in Northern Virginia. Robert E. Simon, Jr. was the founder of Reston, and he purchased the land with the proceeds from the sale of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1961. Construction began in 1963 with the building of Lake Anne. Simon wanted Reston to be a place where individuals could remain their entire lives, thus many different types of housing were constructed. The focus of Reston, according to Simon, was to develop a place where people could live and work. Essentially he wanted Reston to be a way to live. A priority of this way of life was leisure time, so a wide variety of recreational choices were made available. In 1967, Gulf Oil Corporation formed a subsidiary, Reston Gulf, Inc. and took complete financial and operational control. During the next year, Reston construction proceeded at a quicker pace and the population grew rapidly.

Reston is a planned community in Northern Virginia. Robert E. Simon, Jr., the founder of Reston, purchased the land with the proceeds from the sale of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1961. Construction began in 1963 with the building of Lake Anne. Simon wanted Reston to be a place where individuals could remain their entire lives, thus many different types of housing were constructed. The focus of Reston, according to Simon, was to develop a place where people could live and work. Essentially he wanted Reston to be a way to live. A priority of this way of life was leisure time, so a wide variety of recreational choices were made available. In 1967, Gulf Oil Corporation formed a subsidiary, Reston Gulf, Inc. and took complete financial and operational control. During the next year, Reston construction proceeded at a quicker pace and the population grew rapidly.

In 1968 the Reston Community Association (RCA) was created to take responsibility for community programs. The RCA's first program was the establishment of the Commuter Express Bus System in March of 1968. The Reston Home Owner Association was created in 1970 by consolidating the original First and Second Home Owner Associations that had been established in 1963. The new RHOA was given also in 1970 the deeds of recreational facilities by the Reston Gulf, Inc. These facilities included Lake Anne, swimming pools, parks and bridges. The Reston Home Owner Association was later renamed the Reston Association in 1987. Today the Reston Association is run by the Board of Directors and several committees and continues to be in charge of designs, covenant for Reston properties, maintaining the open space areas within Reston, and recreational and educational programs for all ages in Reston.