Arlington & Alexandria

We put these two jurisdictions together (despite the fact that Arlington is a county and Alexandria is a city) because they're neighbors and because of their proximity (just across the Potomac River) to Washington, DC.

The city of Alexandria was originally established as a tract of farms and a port in the first half of the 18th century. Tobacco was the major product passing through the Port of Alexandria. In 1789 Virginia "donated" Arlington (and a chunk of Fairfax County) to become part of the new District of Columbia. It was returned to Virginia in 1847. Only nine miles north of Mount Vernon, George Washington had a town house in Alexandria as a place to conduct social and business activities. At the start of the Civil War Alexandria was occupied by the Union army and acted as the capital of the "Restored Government of Virginia" (the northern parts of the state that were reappropriated by the Union).

The Torpedo Factory, sitting on the Alexandria waterfront, was a munitions factory used during both World Wars. Today it contains a large collection of artists' studios and galleries. Most of "Old Town" Alexandria remains in its historical state and contains hundreds of historic homes, shops and restaurants.

Arlington County lies just north west of Alexandria. If you look at a map of the county, you'll see that it completes the western corner of the rotated square that was originally the District of Columbia. Arlington reverted to the state of Virginia in 1846. Arlington County is most famous for being the home of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. Today it has a very diverse population and major centers of urban growth around the stations on the Metro Orange line that runs through the county. The Pentagon City and Crystal City areas (just south of the Pentagon and near National Airport, along Metro's Blue line) have also experience major growth in recent years.