Located just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., Arlington County is one of Northern Virginia's premier communities. It is well known for the important federal facilities it hosts, including Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, and the Army's Fort Myer. Reagan National Airport is also in Arlington.

With over 200,000 residents, Arlington is the 9th largest local government unit in Virginia. The County includes a wide variety of urban and suburban neighborhoods, shopping and retail areas, and major business centers (Ballston, Crystal City and Rosslyn).

Location: Arlngton is bordered by the City of Alexandria to the south, Fairfax County to the southwest and northwest, the City of Falls Church to the west, and the District of Columbia (Potomac River) to the north and east.

Transportation: Arlington is served by several major transportations systems. Major highways include I-66 & I-395; U.S. Routes 1, 29 & 50; the Geo. Washington Parkway; and the Chain, Roosevelt, Key, and 14th St. Bridges across the Potomac. Transit systems include Metrorail (11 stations on the Orange, Blue and Yellow lines), Metrobus, ART bus, and VRE commuter rail.

History: Arlington was originally an unincorporated part of Fairfax County. The areas now known as Arlington and Alexandria were ceded by Virginia to the federal government in the late 18th century as part of the District of Columbia; they were returned to Virginia in 1846 as "Alexandria County". In 1870, Alexandria City became independent from the rest of the county. In 1920, county voters changed the name to "Arlington County", to avoid confusion with Alexandria City. In 1927, Alexandria City annexed part of Arlington (the area now known as "Del Ray").

Neighborhoods in Arlington: Addison Hts., Alcova Hts., Arlington Forest, Arlington Hts., Arlington Ridge, Arlington View, Arlington Village, Ashton Hts., Aurora Hills, Ballston, Barcroft, Bellevue Forest, Bluemont, Buckingham, Chain Bridge Forest, Cherrydale, Chesterbrook, Claremont, Clarendon, Colonial Village, Columbia Forest, Columbia Hts., Country Club Hills, Court House, Crescent Hills, Crystal City, Dominion Hills, Dominion Hts., Donaldson Run, Douglas Park, Dover-Crystal, East Falls Church, Ft. Barnard Hts., Ft. Myer Hts., Garden City, Glencarlyn, Hall's Hill, Highland Park, Lacey Forest, Larchmont, Lee Hts., Lee Boulevard Hts., Lyon Park, Lyon Village, Madison Manor, Maywood, Nauck, North Fairlington, Overlee Knolls, Penrose, Pentagon City, Radnor Hts., Rivercrest, Riverwood, Rock Spring, Rosslyn, Shirlington, South Fairlington, Stratford Hills, Tara Leeway, Virginia Highlands, Virginia Square, Waverly Hills, Waycroft-Woodlawn, Westmont, Westover, Williamsburg, Woodmont, Yorktown.

Arlington maps:

• Official maps (from the County)
• Interactive street map (from Google)