Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is an urban county of about 200,000 residents in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the U.S., directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Originally part of the District of Columbia, the land now comprising the county was retroceded to Virginia in a July 9, 1846 act of Congress that took effect in 1847. At 26 square miles, it is geographically the smallest County in the United States. It is the location of Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon.

General Characteristics

As of January 1, 2006, the estimated population was 200,226.^[1] Strictly speaking, it is inaccurate to refer to it as the city of Arlington. All cities within the state are independent of counties, though towns may be incorporated within counties. However, Arlington has no existing incorporated towns because Virginia law prevents the creation of any new municipality within a county that has a population density greater than 1,000 persons per square mile. Its county seat is the census-designated place of Arlington^GR6, which is co-extensive with Arlington County; however, the neighborhood of Courthouse is often thought of as seat by residents.

History

Alexandria County, District center

Once part of Fairfax County in the Virginia Colony, the area that contains Arlington County was ceded to the U.S. government by the Commonwealth of Virginia to a surveying team that Andrew Ellicott led placed them in their present locations.^[2][3]

In 1791, the U.S. Congress established the final limits of the federal territory that would house the nation's capital as a square with 10 miles on each side, the maximum area permitted by Article I, Section 8, of the United States Constitution. However, the legislation that established these limits contained a provision that prevented the U.S. government from locating any federal offices within the portion of the territory that Virginia had ceded.

When Congress moved to the new District of Columbia in 1801, it enacted legislation that divided the District into two counties: (1) the county of Washington, which lay on the east side of the Potomac River, and (2) the county of Alexandria, which lay on the west side of the River.^[4] Alexandria County contained at the time a rural area that included the present Arlington County, as well as the urbanized town of Alexandria (now "Old Town" Alexandria), a port that was located on the Potomac River in the southeastern part of the present City of Alexandria.

Although some residents of Alexandria County had earlier hoped, for better or for worse, to benefit from the land sales and increased business activity that the federal capital's location might inspire, this benefit failed to appear. Instead, political and economic competition grew with the town of Georgetown, a port that was located in Washington County adjacent to the capital city (Washington City).

As the U.S. government could not establish any federal offices in the County, and as the economically important Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) on the north side of the Potomac River favored Georgetown, Alexandria's economy stagnated. This stagnation worsened as some of Georgetown's residents opposed federal efforts to maintain the Alexandria Canal, which connected the C&O Canal in Georgetown to Alexandria's port. Further, as they were residents of the District of Columbia, Alexandria's citizens had no representation in Congress and could not vote in federal elections.

In addition, Alexandria had become a port and market for the slave trade. As there was increasing talk of abolishing slavery in the nation's capital, some Alexandrians feared that the local economy would suffer if the federal government abolished slavery in the District of Columbia.

Simultaneously, there arose in Virginia an active abolitionist movement that created a division on the question of slavery in Virginia's General Assembly (Later, during the Civil War, Virginia's division on the slavery issue contributed to the formation of the state of West Virginia by its most anti-slavery counties). Pro-slavery Virginians recognized that Alexandria County could provide two new representatives who favored slavery in the General Assembly if the County joined the Commonwealth.

As a result, a movement grew to separate Alexandria County from the District of Columbia. After a referendum, the county's residents petitioned the U.S. Congress and the Virginia legislature to permit the County to return to Virginia. The area was retroceded to Virginia on July 9, 1846.^[5]

In 1852, the independent City of Alexandria was incorporated from a portion of Alexandria County.^[6] This created an ambiguity, as two separate legal entities had similar names. Alexandria County eventually renamed itself in 1920 to Arlington County. The county's new name derived from that of Arlington National Cemetery, whose own name had derived from that of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's former home, Arlington House, which since the Civil War had been located within the cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery

Main article: Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's home, Arlington House (also known as the Custis-Lee Mansion). It is directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., north of the Pentagon. With nearly 300,000 people buried there, Arlington National Cemetery is the second-largest national cemetery in the United States.

Arlington House was named after the Custis family's homestead on Virginia's Eastern Shore. It is associated with the families of Washington, Custis, and Lee. Begun in 1802 and completed in 1817, it was built by George Washington Parke Custis. After his father died, young Custis was raised by his grandmother and her second husband, the first US President George Washington, at Mount Vernon. Custis, a far-sighted agricultural pioneer, painter, playwright, and orator, was interested in perpetuating the memory and principles of George Washington. His house became a "treasury" of Washington heirlooms.

In 1804, Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh. Their only child to survive infancy was Mary Anna Randolph Custis, born in 1808. Young Robert E. Lee, whose mother was a cousin of Mrs. Custis, frequently visited Arlington. Two years after graduating from West Point, Lieutenant Lee married Mary Custis at Arlington on June 30, 1831. For 30 years, Arlington House was home to the Lees. They spent much of their married life traveling between U.S. Army duty stations and Arlington, where six of their seven children were born. They shared this home with Mary's parents, the Custis family.

When George Washington Parke Custis died in 1857, he left the Arlington estate to Mrs. Lee for her lifetime and afterwards to the Lees' eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee.

The Custis-Lee Mansion and 200 acres (81 hectares) of ground immediately surrounding it were confiscated from the wife of General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. The grounds were designated as a military cemetery on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. In 1882, after many years in the lower courts, the matter of the ownership of Arlington National Cemetery was brought before the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided that the property rightfully belonged to the Lee family. The United States Congress then appropriated the sum of $150,000 for the purchase of the property from the Lee family.

Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were re-interred after 1900.

The Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, DC. Kennedy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his wife and some of their children. His grave is marked with an "Eternal Flame." His brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy is also buried nearby. Another President, William Howard Taft, who was also a Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is the only other President buried at Arlington.

Other frequently visited sites near the cemetery are the USMC War Memorial, commonly known as the "Iwo Jima Memorial" and the Netherlands Carillon.

Town of Potomac

Main article: Potomac, Virginia

The Town of Potomac was formerly located in Arlington County adjacent to the massive Potomac Yard of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. A planned community, its proximity to Washington, D.C., made it a popular place for employees of the U.S. government to live. Potomac was developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The town was annexed by the independent city of Alexandria in 1930. Today, in Alexandria, the Town of Potomac Historic District designates this historic portion of the city, and includes 1,840 acres (7.45 km²) and 690 buildings. The Town of Potomac was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

The Pentagon

Main article: the Pentagon

The Pentagon in Arlington is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. It was dedicated on January 15, 1943 and it is the world's largest office building. Although it is located in Arlington, the United States Postal Service requires that "Washington, D.C." be used as the place name in mail addressed to the ZIP codes assigned to the Pentagon.

The building is pentagon-shaped in plan and houses about 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel. It has five floors and each floor has five ring corridors.

Built during the early years of World War II, it is still thought of as one of the most efficient office buildings in the world. It has 17.5 miles (28 km) of corridors, yet it takes only seven minutes or so to walk between any two points in the building.

It was built from 680,000 tons of sand and gravel dredged from the nearby Potomac River that were processed into 435,000 cubic yards (330,000 m³) of concrete and molded into the pentagon shape. Very little steel was used in its design due to the needs of the war effort.

The open-air central plaza in the Pentagon is the world's largest "no-salute, no-cover" area (where U.S. servicemembers need not wear hats nor salute). The snack bar in the center is informally known as the Ground Zero Cafe, a nickname originating during the Cold War when the Pentagon was targeted by Soviet nuclear missiles.

During World War II, the earliest portion of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway was built in Arlington in conjunction with the parking and traffic plan for the Pentagon. This early freeway, opened in 1943, and completed to Woodbridge, Virginia in 1952, is now part of Interstate 395.

September 11, 2001 attacks

Sixty years to the day after construction workers broke ground for the Pentagon, the building was seriously damaged by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. It was one of three major buildings hit by airliners hijacked by members of Al-Qaeda, a militant terrorist organization.

American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. EDT, killing all of its 58 passengers and six crew. The airplane hit a Pentagon "wedge" that was recently renovated and still consisted mainly of new, unoccupied offices. The crash and subsequent fire destroyed the outermost ring of the wedge and penetrated two more rings, leading to their collapse and the deaths of 125 people in the Pentagon. The efforts of Arlington County Fire Department and EMS personnel, among those of other jurisdictions, helped limit the loss of life and property damage. Pictures and graphics of the damage are available from the Department of Defense.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 189,453 people, 86,352 households, and 39,290 families residing in Arlington. The population density was 2,828/km² (7,323/mi²), the highest of any county in Virginia. There were 90,426 housing units at an average density of 1,350/km² (3,495/mi²).

The racial makeup of the county was 68.94% White, 9.35% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 8.62% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 8.33% from other races, and 4.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.62% of the population.

28% of Arlington residents were foreign-born.

There were 86,352 households out of which 19.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.30% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.50% were non-families. 40.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 16.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 42.40% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $63,001, and the median income for a family was $78,877. Males had a median income of $51,011 versus $41,552 for females. The per capita income for the county was $37,706. About 5.00% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over. In 2004 the average single-family home sales price passed $600,000, approximately triple the price less than a decade before, and the median topped $550,000^{[citation needed]}.

Arlington CDP population history

• 1960.....163,401^[7]
• 1970.....174,284
• 1980.....152,299
• 1990.....170,936
• 2000.....189,453
• 2006.....200,226 (estimated)[1]

Development Patterns

Arlington has won awards for its success in implementing Smart Growth development strategies. For over 30 years, Arlington has had a policy of concentrating new development near transit facilities, such as Metrorail stations, or the high-volume bus lines of Columbia Pike. At a greater distance from those areas, increased density is limited or prohibited. Within the transit areas, Arlington has a policy of encouraging mixed-use, pedestrian and transit oriented development.

In 2005, Arlington implemented a major new affordable housing policy, requiring most developers to contribute significant affordable housing in order to obtain the highest allowable amounts of increased building density in new development projects. The County also recently limited development in areas zoned for single-family houses with increased limitations on the proportion of a lot that can be built upon.

Much of Arlington's development in the last generation has been concentrated around 7 of the County's 11 Metro stations.

Government

Arlington is governed by a five person County Board, whose members are elected to four year terms.

Arlington also elects four Members of the 100 Member Virginia House of Delegates and two Members of the Virginia Senate. State Senators are elected to four year terms, while Delegates are elected to two year terms.

Arlington has an elected five person School Board, whose members are elected to four year terms. Virginia law does not permit political parties to place school board candidates on the ballot, but as in many other Virginia jurisdictions, most Arlington school board candidates run with an explicit party endorsement.

Arlington also has several Constitutional Officers, all of whom are elected County-wide.

Presidential Election Results

Each year's winner in the general election is listed first below.

• 2004 - 31.3% Bush (R), 67.6% Kerry (D)
• 2000 - 34.2% Bush (R), 60.1% Gore (D)
• 1996 - 60.5% Clinton (D), 34.6% Dole (R)
• 1992 - 57.8% Clinton (D), 31.9% Bush (R)
• 1988 - 45.4% Bush (R), 53.5% Dukakis (D)
• 1984 - 48.2% Reagan (R), 51.3% Mondale (D)
• 1980 - 46.1% Reagan (R), 39.6% Carter (D)
• 1976 - 50.4% Carter (D), 47.9% Ford (R)
• 1972 - 59.4% Nixon (R), 39% McGovern (D)
• 1968 - 45.9% Nixon (R), 42.6% Humphrey (D)
• 1964 - 61.7% Johnson (D), 37.7% Goldwater (R)
• 1960 - 51.4% Kennedy (D), 48.1% Nixon (R)

Transportation

Airports

Arlington is the home of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Public transportation

Arlington is served by the Orange, Blue and Yellow lines of the Washington Metro. Additionally, it is served by Virginia Railway Express (commuter rail), Metrobus (regional public bus), and a local public bus system, Arlington Transit (ART).

Roads in Arlington

Main articles: Streets and highways of Arlington County, Virginia and Arlington County, Virginia, street-naming system

Arlington is traversed by two interstate highways, Interstate 66 in the northern part of the county and Interstate 395 in the southern part, both with high-occupancy vehicle lanes or restrictions. In addition, the county is served by a number of multi-lane urban arterial roads and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Bicycle paths

Arlington has a number of paved off-road bicycle trails, all of which travel along the Potomac River and its tributaries, abandoned railroad beds, or major highways (maps).

One of these trails, the Mount Vernon Trail, runs for 17 miles along the Potomac, continuing through Alexandria to George Washington's plantation home. In Arlington's southeast corner, immediately south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Mount Vernon Trail connects to the Four Mile Run Trail, which travels westward through Arlington in a stream valley.

In addition, a rail trail, the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail (W&OD Trail), travels northwest for 45 miles from the Arlington/Alexandria boundary at Shirlington through Falls Church, Vienna, Herndon, and Leesburg to the town of Purcellville in western Loudoun County, Virginia. Other notable trails include both the Custis Trail, which travels westward beside Interstate 66 through Arlington, connecting the Mount Vernon Trail in Rosslyn with the W&OD Trail, and the Bluemont Junction Trail, a rail trail that travels between the W&OD Trail and Ballston, where it connects with the Custis Trail.

In addition, a partially off-road bike route bisects the County while traveling westward from Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial and Rosslyn to Falls Church while travelling as a paved trail near or adjacent to Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50) or within the Boulevard's service road. Further, many of the County's major streets contain designated bicycle lanes near their curbs or parking lanes.

Geography

Arlington is the smallest self-governing county in the United States (the largest being the North Slope borough of Alaska). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 67 km² (26 mi²), of which about 12 km² (4.6 mi²) is federal property. Two counties are smaller (but don't govern themselves): Kalawao, Hawaii (13.2 square miles) and Bristol, Rhode Island (24.7 square miles).

Arlington is located at 38°52′49″N, 77°6′30″W (38.880344, -77.108260)^GR1. It is bounded on the north by Fairfax County, on the west by the City of Falls Church, on the south by the City of Alexandria, and on the east by the Potomac River; across the river is the City of Washington, DC.

A person standing on Memorial Bridge in Arlington is exactly as far from the Cumberland Gap, Virginia's western extreme point, as they are from downtown Boston, Massachusetts -- 394 miles (636 km).

Neighborhoods in Arlington

There are numerous unincorporated neighborhoods within Arlington that are commonly referred to by name as if they were distinct towns. Some of these neighborhoods - particularly those located at Metrorail stations and other major transportation corridors - are characterized by the county as "urban villages." These are usually centers with commercial activity. These include:

There are also numerous neighborhoods which are largely residential including:

Arlington includes a large selection of Sears Catalog Homes, which were offered between 1908 and 1940, Considered to be of exceptional quality, in modern times, these houses are sought after by many home buyers. As well, Arlington features some of the first and among the best examples of post-World War II garden style apartment complexes in the U.S., some of which were designed by architect Mirhan Mesrobian.

Numerous residential neighborhoods and larger garden-style apartment complexes are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or designated as Local Historic Districts, including Arlington Village, Arlington Forest, Ashton Heights, Buckingham, Cherrydale, Claremont, Colonial Village, Fairlington, Lyon Park, Lyon Village, Maywood, Penrose, Waverly Hills and Westover.

Postal areas

The three-digit zip code prefix 222 uniquely identifies Arlington. Delivery areas north of Arlington Boulevard have odd-numbered ZIP codes (22201, 22203, 22205, 22207, 22209, and 22213), while delivery areas south of Arlington Boulevard have even-numbered ZIP codes (22202, 22204, and 22206). ZIP codes assigned to post office boxes, large mailers, and military facilities do not follow that rule.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Arlington is served by the Arlington Public Schools system. The public high schools in Arlington are Yorktown High School, Washington-Lee High School, Wakefield High School, and the H-B Woodlawn program. Arlington is also home to Bishop O'Connell, a Roman Catholic high school.

Arlington County spends about half of its revenue on education, making it one of the top ten per-pupil spenders in the nation (as of 2004, over $13,000, the second highest amount spent on education in the United States, behind New York City).

Through an agreement with Fairfax County Public Schools approved by the school board in 1999, up to 26 students residing in Arlington per grade level may be enrolled at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax at a cost to Arlington of approximately $8000 per student. For the first time in 2006, more students (36) were offered admission in the selective high school than allowed by the previously established enrollment cap.^[8]

Colleges and universities

George Mason University operates an Arlington campus in the Virginia Square area between Clarendon and Ballston. The campus is home to the School of Law, School of Public Policy and other programs. A new building is under construction at the campus, set to open in 2007 and supplement the capacity of the Original Building and the Law Building.

Satellite campuses of Northern Virginia Community College, Strayer University and DeVry University can be found in Arlington. Marymount University, a private four-year college, also calls the county home.

Sister cities

Arlington has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

• Coyoacán, Mexico
• Aachen, Germany
• Reims, France

See also

• Arlington Independent Media
• List of Famous People from the Washington Metropolitan Area

References

1. ^ Profile. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
2. ^ BOUNDARY MARKERS OF THE ORIGINAL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Official Arlington Historical Society Website. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
3. ^ Boundary markers of the Nation's Capital : a proposal for their preservation & protection : a National Capital Planning Commission Bicentennial report. National Capital Planning Commission, Washington, DC, 1976; for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
4. ^ Sixth Congress, Session II, Chapter XV (An Act concerning the District of Columbia), Section 2 (Stat. II, Feb. 27, 1801) (United States Statutes at Large, Vol. II, p. 103)
5. ^ Frequently Asked Questions About Washington, D.C.. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
6. ^ Alexandria's History. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
7. ^ Although Arlington CDP had a population of 135,449 in 1950, the Census did not treat Arlington as a CDP because in 1950 CDPs were assigned to rural areas only. They were first assigned to urban areas during the 1960 Census.
8. ^ TJHSST Admissions Statistics for 2005-06 (PDF). Retrieved on August 30, 2006.

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