Alexandria, Virginia

Early history

According to archaeologists' estimates, a succession of indigenous peoples began to occupy the Chesapeake and Tidewater region about 3,000 to 10,000 years ago. Various Algonquian-speaking peoples inhabited the lands in the Potomac River drainage area since at least the early 14th century.^[6]

In the summer of 1608, English settler John Smith explored the Potomac River and came into contact with the Patawomeck (loosely affiliated with the Powhatan) and Doeg tribes who lived on the Virginia side, as well as on Theodore Roosevelt Island, and the Piscataway (also known as the Conoy), who resided on the Maryland side.^[7] On this visit, Smith recorded the presence of a settlement called Assaomeck near the south bank of what is now Hunting Creek.^[8]

Colonial era

On October 21, 1669, a patent granted 6,000 acres (24 km²) to Robert Howsing for transporting 120 people to the Colony of Virginia; this land would eventually become Alexandria.^[9]: 5 Virginia's comprehensive Tobacco Inspection Law of 1730 mandated that all tobacco grown in the colony must be brought to locally designated public warehouses for inspection before sale. One of the sites designated for a warehouse on the upper Potomac River was at the mouth of Hunting Creek.^[10] After the original site south of the creek was deemed "very inconvenient", the warehouse was built at West's Point to the north. This land had been given to John Alexander and Hugh West by John's father Robert Alexander. Robert's cousin, Philip Alexander, owned a 500 acres (2.0 km²) estate to the south, which was bounded by Hunting Creek, Hooff's Run, the Potomac River, and the future Cameron Street.^[11]

In 1742, Fairfax County was split from Prince William County. Local planters and merchants, including Thomas Fairfax and Lawrence Washington, sought to establish a port for the new county.^[12] At the opening of Virginia's 1748–49 legislative session, the House of Burgesses received a petition on November 1, 1748 that stated that the "inhabitants of Fairfax (Co.) praying that a town may be established at Hunting Creek Warehouse on Potowmack River". Lawrence's younger brother George Washington, an aspiring surveyor, made a sketch of the shoreline touting the advantages of the tobacco warehouse site.^[13] Opponents of the warehouse site submitted a petition asking for the small settlement of Cameron along Hunting Creek to be selected instead. Both of these original petitions were rejected by the House of Burgesses.^[11]

On May 2, 1749, the House of Burgesses approved the river location and ordered "Mr. Washington do go up with a Message to the Council and acquaint them that this House have agreed to the Amendments titled An Act for erecting a Town at Hunting Creek Warehouse, in the County of Fairfax".^[14] A "Public Vendue" (auction) was advertised for July, and the county surveyor laid out street lanes and town lots. The auction was conducted on July 13–14, 1749.^{[citation needed]} The Fairfax County Court began meeting in Alexandria's Market Square in 1752.^[11]

The origin of the name "Alexandria" is not clearly documented. Alexandria's city government states that it was likely chosen to try to win the support of the Alexander family. If so, the effort failed, as Philip Alexander endorsed the Cameron site. The city government further connects the name to the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which would have appealed to the "classically educated elites of the day". An alternative designation for the town was "Belhaven", with the first known use of the name being a 1749 plat entitled "A Plan of Alexandria now Belhaven". The name was intended to honor Scottish anti-unionist John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton, as "patriotic" Scottish merchants were active along the Potomac at the time.^[11] The name Belhaven was used in official lotteries to raise money for a church and market house.^[15] Though the alternative name did not find lasting success, some maps continued to label the town as Belhaven as late as 1783.^[11]

In March 1755, Edward Braddock arrived in Alexandria with a force of about 1400 British regulars and 450 colonial troops as he prepared for operations against the French during the French and Indian War. There, he hosted a meeting with the governors of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York at Carlyle House to discuss the war. His army subsequently departed Alexandria for an expedition against Fort Duquesne that ended in Braddock's defeat and death against a French and Native American force.^[11]

American Revolution

In 1774, the British closure of Boston Harbor prompted pro-Boston Alexandrians, including John Carlyle, to establish a committee of correspondence. On July 18 of that year, George Washington, George Mason, and other residents of Fairfax County met at Alexandria's Market Square to issue the Fairfax Resolves, which called for a congress of colonial representatives and a boycott of British goods. After the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, Alexandria remained sympathetic towards the revolutionaries, supplying the colonial military with troops and purging local Loyalists. The town was "virtually unscathed" by combat, but nonetheless was a hub of military activity, hosting a Hessian prisoner of war camp, numerous fortifications to defend against British attack, and a smallpox vaccination center for the Southern Department. The sale of grain and other foodstuffs to revolutionary troops and their French backers provided a significant boost to Alexandria's economy.^[11]

The revolutionary government of Virginia began chartering and re-chartering many of its communities amidst the conflict. Under this effort, Alexandria was formally incorporated as a town in December 1779. The town's trustees were replaced by directly elected officials, including a six-man common council as well as a Court of Hustings consisting of a mayor, a recorder, and four aldermen.^[11][16]

1779 also saw Virginia designate Alexandria as an international port of entry with its own customs system. As the war came to a conclusion, Alexandria's export of flour and tobacco greatly increased. Trade with Europe, which was the destination of about half of the town's exports, was reestablished, while the West Indies served as another major customer of Alexandrian goods. A decline in tobacco production caused economic contraction in the late 1780s, but trade rapidly recovered in the 1790s. Alexandria was the dominant port along the Potomac by 1790 and was the seventh-largest port in the United States by 1796.^[11]

In March 1785, commissioners from Virginia and Maryland met in Alexandria to discuss the commercial relations of the two states, finishing their business at Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon Conference concluded on March 28 with an agreement for freedom of trade and freedom of navigation of the Potomac River. The Maryland legislature, in ratifying this agreement on November 22, proposed a conference among representatives from all the states to consider the adoption of definite commercial regulations. This led to the calling of the Annapolis Convention of 1786, which in turn led to the calling of the Federal Convention of 1787.^[17]

As part of the District of Columbia

As the United States began planning for the creation of a new federal capital city, Virginia passed an act on December 3, 1789 that approved the cession of up to 10 square miles of territory to the proposed capital. The Residence Act of 1790 authorized the creation of a federal capital along the Potomac River, with its exact borders to be determined by George Washington. Washington insisted upon Alexandria's inclusion in the new city, which was approved in an amendment to the act in 1791.^[18] That year, the first and southernmost boundary marker of the capital was erected at Alexandria's Jones Point. Ahead of Alexandria's expected cession, the Fairfax County Court moved to Fairfax City in April 1800.^[11] The District of Columbia was organized under the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, formally splitting Alexandria from Virginia. With their inclusion in the new capital, Alexandrians lost Virginia state citizenship as well as the right to vote in federal elections.^[19] Alexandria continued to operate under Virginia law until 1804, when Congress granted a new charter for the town that abolished the positions of recorder and alderman, expanded the common council to 16 members, and divided the town into four wards.^[11]

In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British military carried out a successful raid on Alexandria, which surrendered without a fight. In order to avoid the town's destruction, twenty-two merchant ships and large quantities of flour, tobacco, cotton, wine, and sugar were handed over by Alexandria's municipal authorities to the British.^[20]

Alexandria's economy stagnated with a decline in Northern Virginia's agricultural output, and the slave trade became increasingly important as Alexandria sought to supply the cotton industry of the Deep South. Even as "observers perceived the downward trend of Alexandria's relative economic power", Alexandria grew to become the country's largest center of slave trading by the 1830s.^[11] From 1828 to 1836,^[21] Alexandria was home to the Franklin & Armfield Slave Market, one of the largest slave trading companies in the United States. By the 1830s, they were sending more than 1,000 slaves annually from Alexandria to their Natchez, Mississippi, New Orleans, and later Texas markets to help meet the demand for slaves in Mississippi and nearby states.^[22] Later owned by Price, Birch & Co., the slave pen became a jail under Union occupation.^[23]

As discontent with the District of Columbia grew south of the Potomac, many local residents called for Alexandria County to be retroceded to Virginia. Amidst economic troubles, many in Alexandria felt neglected by Congress, which Alexandrians had no say in due to the disenfranchisement of District residents. As the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal spurred development on the north side of the Potomac, Alexandria invested heavily into its own canal to provide a direct connection to the C&O Canal's terminus at Georgetown, which failed to provide the desired economic benefits despite the steep cost. Meanwhile, Georgetown's port emerged as a major rival to Alexandria's. Alexandria was also ineligible to host federal buildings under the 1791 amendment to the Residence Act.^[11] Further, proposals to abolish the slave trade in the District would have devastated one of Alexandria's major industries. Pro-slavery factions in Virginia likewise wanted the land to be returned to provide the state legislature with an additional two members that would likely favor slavery.^[19][24]

On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to hold a referendum in Alexandria County on the issue of retrocession. On September 1 and 2, 763 voted in favor of retrocession while 222 opposed it. President James K. Polk accepted the results on September 7, and Virginia formally assumed control over the land on March 13, 1847. Alexandria was re-chartered as a city in 1852.^[11]

Late 19th century

Alexandria's port, the ninth-largest in the nation in 1847, remained a valuable asset, but the town sought to diversify its economy with an industrialization effort after leaving the District. Despite its financial burdens, the Alexandria Canal helped provide coal and raw materials that were useful for the development of industry. Having returned to Virginia, Alexandria was also no longer subject to the financial regulations that Congress imposed upon the District. Alexandria soon became a significant railway hub, beginning with the founding of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1848 and continuing with the Manassas Gap Railroad in 1850 and the Alexandria, Loudoun, & Hampshire Railroad in 1854. The manufacturing industry expanded as numerous machine shops and foundries were established, and by 1850, Alexandria's richest man was a manufacturer rather than a merchant. Alexandria's Whig leadership, which had dominated local politics since the 1830s, also made significant investments in public works during this period, greatly improving its infrastructure.^[11]

In the 1860 presidential election, Alexandria supported Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell. As talk of secession grew in early 1861, Alexandria continued to support the Union, sending Unionist George William Brent as its representative to a Virginia convention on secession in February. After the Civil War began in earnest with the Battle of Fort Sumter, Alexandria rapidly came to oppose remaining in the Union. On May 23, 958 Alexandrians voted to approve Virginia's secession, while 106 voted against. The following day, Union troops landed at the base of Cameron Street, hoping to secure the city's rail network and port.^[11] Shortly after landing, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth of the New York Fire Zouaves removed a large Confederate flag from the roof of the Marshall House, for which he was shot and killed by proprietor James W. Jackson. One of Ellsworth's soldiers, Francis E. Brownell, immediately killed Jackson. The deaths of Ellsworth and Jackson were widely publicized, and both men became martyrs for their respective sides.^[25][26][27]

Alexandria was the subject of the longest Union occupation of any settlement in the country during the Civil War, remaining under military control for the duration of the conflict. The city became a major logistical hub for the Army of the Potomac, with many buildings seized for supply depots and medical centers.^[11] Fort Ward, one of a ring of forts built by the Union army for the defense of Washington, D.C., is located inside the boundaries of present-day Alexandria.^[28] There were five military prisons in the city, the largest being the Washington Street Military Prison.^[29][30] The war caused a steep increase in the city's black population due to the arrival of thousands of escaped slaves, designated "contrabands" to avoid returning them to their masters.^[31] The Restored Government of Virginia, the Unionist rival to Virginia's secessionist government, was headquartered in Alexandria from August 1863 until May 1865 after its previous stronghold became the new state of West Virginia.^[32]

As Reconstruction began, Alexandria's population was roughly half black. With local Unionists and Republican carpetbaggers helping shape policy under military protection, these black residents experienced a brief period of enhanced rights. In 1869, Virginia was readmitted to the union with a new state constitution. Federal troops withdrew from the city on January 26, 1870, restoring civilian control. Alexandria subsequently became an independent city distinct from Alexandria County, as Virginia's new constitution stipulated that any city of at least 10,000 people would be independent. The city's black population, aligned with the local Republicans, gained the right to vote with the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment. The Conservative Party emerged as a serious rival to the Republicans, and the Conservative candidate won a narrow victory in the first post-war mayoral race on May 26, 1970. Nonetheless, that election also saw the first black man elected to city council, and a Republican was elected mayor in 1872. By the mid-1870s, however, the Democratic Party came to dominate city politics, pushing the Republicans and their African American supporters to the political fringe. The implementation of Jim Crow laws reversed many of the gains that black people had made after the war.^[11]

Alexandria's economy struggled throughout much of the late 19th century. The Civil War had burdened the city with large numbers of refugees and numerous ruined structures, including its port, but debt from pre-war investments into railroads and canals limited its ability to fund recovery efforts. 1873 saw a milestone for transportation in the city with the opening of its first horse-drawn streetcar in July, but the Panic of 1873 further harmed the city's economy. An 1881 essay in Scribner's Monthly described Alexandria as "dead commercially". The city's history of wooden shipbuilding came to an end around 1883 due to the expense of producing fittings elsewhere and delivering them to Alexandria. The Alexandria Canal brought in record amounts of coal, but its continuous failure to attain desired levels of profitability resulted in its permanent closure in 1887. Even as many East Coast cities experienced surges in immigration, Alexandria's population growth was negligible in the 1870s and 1880s, and the city had fallen far behind regional peers like Washington and Baltimore. The 1880s did see "modern conveniences" come to Alexandria, including telephone service in 1881 and electricity in 1889. The first electric streetcars arrived in Alexandria in 1892, fueling the growth of suburbs to the north and west of the city.^[11]

In the waning years of the 19th century, Alexandria suffered its two documented lynchings. The first, in 1897, was Joseph H. McCoy and the second, in 1899, was Benjamin Thomas. Both were Black male teenagers accused, but never convicted, of assaulting young white girls that were known to them. They were both kidnapped from jail and hanged by mobs.^[33]

20th century

The early 1900s were a prosperous time for Alexandria's manufacturing industry, with Lynchburg being the only city in Virginia to experience a greater increase in production. Glass was among the city's most important products, with the Virginia Glass Company, the Alexandria Glass Company, Old Dominion Glass Company, and the Belle Pre Bottle Company emerging as prominent businesses in this sector. Other key products included fertilizer, beer, and leather.^[11] Most businesses were relatively small, with the business occupying the first floor of a building and the owner and family living above.^[34]: 50

In 1915, Alexandria annexed territory west of the city from Fairfax and Alexandria Counties, including the neighborhoods of Rosemont, Eisenhower East and Carlyle, and Shuter's Hill.^[16] Alexandria Union Station, established in 1905 to consolidate the city's passenger rail stations, was within the annexed land.^[11][35] Shuter's Hill soon hosted the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, which opened in 1932.^[36]

America's need for vessels in World War I led to the establishment of the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation in 1918, a massive shipyard at Jones Point. President Woodrow Wilson visited the shipyard on May 30, 1918 to drive the first rivet into the yard's first keel to be laid down, the SS Gunston Hall. While the yard was expected to employ thousands of men for the construction of a dozen ships, the war ended before any could be deployed. The shipyard was largely abandoned in the early 1920s after legal investigations were launched into its owner, businessman and fraudster Charles W. Morse.^[37]

In 1930, Alexandria doubled in size by again annexing portions of Fairfax and Alexandria Counties, the latter of which had changed its name to Arlington County in 1920. The annexed land was bounded by the Little River Turnpike/Duke Street to the south, Quaker Lane to the west, and Four Mile Run to the north.^[16] This included the incorporated town of Potomac within Arlington County, a streetcar suburb that was formed in 1908 from the residential neighborhoods of Del Ray and St. Elmo. These areas housed many workers of Potomac Yard, one of the largest rail yards on the East Coast.^[36][38]

On August 28, 1939, African-American lawyer and Alexandria native Samuel Wilbert Tucker organized a sit-in at the city's library to protest its policy of racial segregation. This was among the first sit-in protests against segregation in the United States, establishing what would become a key tactic of the civil rights movement.^[39] The Robert Robinson Library, intended for the city's black population, opened the following year. The new library was converted into the Alexandria Black History Museum after desegregation.^[40]

Urban renewal in Alexandria began in 1939 as the city sought to carry out the slum clearance provisions of the Housing Act of 1937. As part of this policy, multiple black or mixed-race neighborhoods were demolished and replaced with segregated public housing developments. In 1946, part of Alexandria's "Old Town" core was designated the Alexandria Historic District, the third historic district in the United States. Many buildings in this district were demolished in the 1960s as part of the urban renewal effort, leading to the emergence of a strong historic preservation movement that called for the protection of the city's old structures. Alexandria's final urban renewal project was completed in 1984.^[41][42][43]

The New Deal and World War II brought large numbers of new residents to Alexandria as the federal government expanded. After the war, the city's old maritime and industrial economy faltered as the rise of large container ships rendered small river ports obsolete. As Alexandria's manufacturing base largely died out, the city sought to replace it with tourism, redeveloping its previously industrial waterfront into a recreational hub. Though Alexandria did attract some corporate offices, the city largely became a residential community for government employees.^[41][43][44]

In October 1950, Alexandria filed a lawsuit to annex 7.65 square miles of Fairfax County, stating that the city needed room to expand and would be better equipped to provide utilities for the land's residents than the county. The suit was approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia on December 3, 1951.^[45] When the annexation took effect on January 1, 1952, Alexandria's land area again roughly doubled.^[46] The annexed territory was the site of the Virginia Theological Seminary, established in 1823 by William Holland Wilmer, Francis Scott Key, and other prominent Episcopalians.^{[47]: 116  [48]} The land was "sparsely populated", however, hosting only 11,000 residents.^[45] The annexation was swiftly followed by the massive development of both single-family homes as well as large apartment buildings.^[46] The post-annexation development brought many new streets to the area, and the city passed an ordinance in 1953 that stipulated that new north-south streets should be named for Confederate military officers.^[49]

On December 28, 1961, the original Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened as part of the Capital Beltway, connecting Alexandria with Oxon Hill, Maryland.^[50] On July 1, 1969, Alexandria agreed to have the proposed Washington Metro expand into the city.^[51] After extensive delays, the King Street, Braddock Road, and Eisenhower Avenue stations opened as Metro's first three stations in Alexandria on December 17, 1983.^[52] To reduce its reliance on the Metrobus network, Alexandria opened its own bus transit system, DASH, on March 12, 1984.^[36] Metro's Van Dorn Street station opened in 1991.^[34]: 63

In 1965, the city integrated schools. In 1971, Alexandria enacted a "K-6, 2, 2, 2 plan" in an attempt to racially "balance" the student population throughout the city's public schools to better reflect its racial makeup. Students were assigned to schools in grade-based groups, beginning with kindergarten through sixth grade, then seventh and eighth, then freshman and sophomore classes, and finally junior and senior classes. That same year, Herman Boone joined T.C. Williams High School, which all junior and senior students had been reassigned to, and lead the football team to a 13–0 season, a state championship, and a national championship runner-up, which was the basis for the 2000 film Remember the Titans.^{[53]: 69 [54]}

In 1973, Nora Lamborne and Beverly Beidler became the first women elected to the city council.^[34]: 63 In 1974, the Torpedo Factory Art Center opened.^[55] In 1991, Patricia Ticer became the first woman to be elected mayor.^[34]: 63

Changes in railroad technology reduced the utility of Potomac Yard as a rail hub. Alexandria 20/20, a joint venture between the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and CSX, announced in September 1988 that it would be pursuing plans to redevelop the railyard into a mixed-use community. The project, which was intended to be built over the course of 30 years, aimed to be the "largest ever development" in Alexandria's history.^[56] The site was an unsuccessful contender for a new Washington Redskins stadium in 1992.^[57] A strip mall opened in Potomac Yard in 1997, which was intended to only last for 20 years until the mixed-use housing and office development could materialize.^[58]

21st century

The city repealed its policy of naming new north-south streets for Confederate officers in 2014.^[59] In 2019, the name of U.S. Route 1 in Alexandria was changed from Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway.^[60] Amidst the George Floyd protests, support grew for renaming Alexandria's T. C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School, which were named for a segregationist school superintendent and a Confederate pro-slavery activist, respectively. The school board unanimously voted to rename both schools in November 2020, with the high school becoming Alexandria City High School and Maury Elementary becoming Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School on July 1, 2021.^[61][62] In 2023, Mayor Justin Wilson proposed renaming streets named for Confederates, beginning a phased process by which three to five streets would be renamed per phase.^[49]

In May 2023, a Metro station opened at Potomac Yard, roughly 30 years after such a station was first proposed for the redeveloped community. By that time, some housing had been built in addition to the existing retail, but the neighborhood was "clearly still under development", with full development not expected for several years or decades.^[63] In December of that year, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder Ted Leonsis announced plans to develop a 70-acre area in Potomac Yard that would have featured a new arena for the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.^[64] The proposal failed in March 2024 after it did not advance in the Virginia General Assembly, with Monumental instead keeping its teams in Washington, D.C.^[65] An "Innovation Campus" for Virginia Tech opened at Potomac Yard in January 2025.^[66]

Neighborhoods and planning areas

As of 2024, the City of Alexandria is divided into 19 "Small Area Plans" and 11 additional overlapping plans.^[69] These areas and their component neighborhoods include:

Many areas outside the city have an Alexandria mailing address yet are a part of Fairfax County including: Hollin Hills, Franconia, Groveton, Hybla Valley, Huntington, Lincolnia, Belle Haven, Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Engleside, Burgundy Village, Waynewood, Wilton Woods, Rose Hill, Virginia Hills, Hayfield, and Kingstowne. Some refer to these areas as Lower Alexandria, South Alexandria, or Alexandria, Fairfax County.^[89]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Alexandria has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[90]

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Alexandria had a population of 159,467. The median age was 36.5 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.0 males age 18 and over.^[106][107]

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.^[108]

There were 75,555 households in Alexandria, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.9% were married-couple households, 22.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[106]

There were 80,479 housing units, of which 6.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.^[106]

2010 census

At the 2010 census,^[2] there were 139,966 people, 68,082 households and 30,978 families residing in the city. The population density was 8,452.0 inhabitants per square mile (3,263.3/km²). There were 68,082 housing units at an average density of 4,233.2 per square mile (1,634.4/km²). The racial/ethnic mix of the population was:

• 60.9% White
• 21.8% African American
• 6.0% Asian (1.3% Indian, 1.0% Filipino, 0.9% Chinese, 0.8% Korean, 0.5% Thai, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 1.0% Other)
• 0.4% Native American
• 0.1% Pacific Islander
• 3.7% from two or more races
• 16.1% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any national origin (4.6% Salvadoran, 1.7% Mexican, 1.6% Honduran, 1.1% Guatemalan, 1.1% Puerto Rican, 0.9% Bolivian, 0.8% Peruvian, 0.4% Colombian)

2000 census

In 2000, there were 61,889 households, of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.2% were non-families. 43.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.87.

The age distribution was 16.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 43.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

American Community Survey

According to 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, the median household income was $124,593 and median family income was $178,036.^[109] Additionally, 5.9% of the population of the population were below the poverty line.^[110] 5.6% of those under the age of 18 and 8.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. 69.4% of Alexandria residents aged 25 and older have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 43.3% statewide.^[111]

Events

A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk, which was established in 1969.^[118] The event, which involves a parade through the center of Old Town Alexandria, celebrates the city's Scottish heritage, and is the centerpiece of a yearly holiday festival.^[119] It serves as a fundraiser for social services in Alexandria.^[118] Other parades in Old Town celebrate Saint Patrick's Day^[120] and the birthday of George Washington.^[121] Other annual events include the Red Cross Waterfront Festival in June, the city's birthday celebration with fireworks show in July, various ethnic heritage days at Tavern Square, and "First Night Alexandria" on New Year's Eve.

These parades and other official events are typically led by Alexandria's town crier, who, often dressed in elaborately, by a tradition dating to the 18th century, in a red coat, breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat, welcomes participants.^[122][123]

Sites of Interest

Landmarks within the city include the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (also known as the Masonic Temple) and Observation Deck, Christ Church, Gadsby's Tavern, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, John Carlyle House, Lee-Fendall House, Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, and the Alexandria City Hall with the adjacent Market Square. Other sites of historical interest in the city include Fort Ward Park and Museum, Phoenix Mill, and the Alexandria Canal lock re-creation at Canal Office Center. The Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria Archaeology Museum, and the Lyceum display various aspects of the city's history.^[124]

The Torpedo Factory Art Center, located on the Old Town waterfront, is a former torpedo factory that now serves as an art center filled with independent art studios and exhibits. The Athenaeum is another center for the arts. Also located in Old Town is Little Theatre of Alexandria, a community theatre at 600 Wolfe Street. South of Old Town on the Potomac River is the Jones Point Light and the nearby south cornerstone of the original District of Columbia. Immediately west of Old Town is the United States Patent and Trademark Office which includes the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum.^[125] The Birchmere is a concert hall that features musical acts as well as ethnic and comedic performers. Site of interests with Alexandria addresses but located outside of the city include River Farm, Collingwood Library & Museum, Green Spring Gardens Park, Huntley Meadows Park, Historic Huntley, Pope-Leighey House (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), Woodlawn Plantation, and George Washington's Grist Mill and Mount Vernon Estate.

In 1830, John Hollensbury's home in Alexandria was one of two homes directly bordering an alleyway that received a large amount of horse-drawn wagon traffic and loiterers.^[126] In order to prevent people from using the alleyway, Hollensbury constructed a 7 feet (2.1 m) wide, 25 feet (7.6 m) deep, 325-square-foot (30.2 m²), two-story home using the existing brick walls of the adjacent homes for the sides of the new home.^[126] The brick walls of the Hollensbury Spite House living room have gouges from wagon-wheel hubs; the house is still standing, and is occupied.^[126]

The Oswald Durant Center in the Upper King Street neighborhood of the Old Town is named after Dr. Oswald Durant, one of the first African American doctors in Alexandria.^[127]

History

Since its foundation, Alexandria's government has had several different forms of government. Before 1921, Alexandria had an elected eight-member Board of Aldermen and a sixteen-member Common Council whose members were elected by ward. In addition, there was an elected mayor with the power to veto legislation from the two councils. Reformers within the city during the early 20th century hoped to adopt the then-popular council-manager system. As a means to implementing this new system, the reformists proposed a plan to create a single city council elected at-large. This new system was adopted in 1921 and the first at-large councilmen were elected in June 1922.^[147]

In 1930, Alexandria annexed the town of Potomac from Arlington County. Alexandria and Potomac stood in stark contrast. The streetcar suburb commuter town of Potomac had, as part of Arlington, been heavily influenced by the anti-vice crusades of staunch progressive Commonwealth's Attorney Crandal Mackey. In Potomac, slaughterhouses and saloons were banned. Residents of the former town of Potomac had a different identity from those in Alexandria, and after annexation former Potomac residents began to push for the reimplementation of the ward system. In a 1932 referendum, voters decided in favor of a new plan that would expand the city council to nine members; three elected at-large and six elected by ward. Support for the new plan was highest in the former town of Potomac.^[148]

City councils elected under the new ward system began to take a more direct role in city administration. The city council and city manager gave conflicting orders to city employees while spending increased to accommodate appropriations coming from both the council and manager. With over one million dollars spent on unauthorized projects, a movement to go back to at-large councilmen emerged. In 1944, a referendum to eliminate the ward system ended with a vote in favor of the ward system. Shortly afterwards, a number of high-ranking city officials resigned, and residents appealed to the Circuit Court for an order to force a referendum. Unbeknownst to the city government, Delegate Armistead Boothe introduced a bill in Richmond to hold another referendum. This bill passed the General Assembly and a vote was held on March 2, 1948. The options in the referendum included retaining the extant system or replacing it with a council of seven at-large members. Voters approved the new system with 61% of votes in favor.^[148] More recently, a 1983 push by the Virginia NAACP to return to the ward system failed because of a lack of support from elected officials.^[149]

Ecocity

In 2008 the City Council approved a charter where "citizens, businesses, and city government participate in a vibrant community that is always mindful of the needs and lifestyles of the generations to come".^[150]: 4 That charter defined sustainability as "meeting our community's present needs while preserving our historic character and ensuring the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".^[150]: 5 An ecocity is defined as "an ecologically healthy city".^[151]: 3 In 2022, Alexandria enacted a 5-cent plastic bag tax consistent with the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags in the United States.^[152]

Public safety

Alexandria's primary law enforcement is the Alexandria Police Department (APD) which is led by a Chief of Police who is appointed by city government.^[153] In April 2022, Don Hayes was appointed as Chief of Police.^[154] As of 2023, the APD employs roughly 300 officers that receive training at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.^[155]

Every four years, Alexandria residents elect a sheriff that leads the Sheriff's Office in overseeing roughly 200 deputies and a detention center for pre-trial and short-term inmates.^[156] This jail is used to house pre-trial inmates in federal espionage cases.^[157]

The Alexandria Fire Department is the city's fire protection and emergency medical services provider and is led by Fire/EMS Chief Corey A. Smedley.^[158] The AFD operates 10 stations throughout the city and employs over 300 fire and EMS professionals.

Colleges and universities

Virginia Tech's Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, also known as WAAC, is located on Prince Street in Old Town, offering graduate programs in Urban Affairs and Planning, Public and International Affairs, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture. In 2018, Virginia Tech announced the construction of an "Innovation Campus" in Potomac Yard with graduate programs in computer science and computer engineering.^[159] Virginia Commonwealth University operates a Northern Virginia branch of its School of Social Work and The George Washington University also has a campus near the King Street–Old Town station. This campus mainly offers professional and vocational programs, such as an executive MBA program, urban planning and security studies. The city also has a campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. The largest seminary in the Episcopal Church, Virginia Theological Seminary, is located on Seminary Road.

Primary and secondary schools

The city is served by the Alexandria City Public Schools system. Alexandria's public school system consists of twelve elementary schools for grades Kindergarten through 5th grade, with three of them also offering Pre-K. Two schools, Patrick Henry and Jefferson-Houston, are Pre-K through 8th grade schools while the middle schools, George Washington and Francis C. Hammond, serve 6th through 8th graders. Alexandria City High School serves as the only high school (9th through 12th) for the entire city across two campuses - "Minnie Howard" and "King Street."

The demographics of the public school system contrast with those of the city. In 2008, only 14% of the students at Francis C. Hammond Middle School were non-Hispanic whites, compared to about 60% when looking at the city as a whole. 27% were of Hispanic descent, and 48% were black. About 9% of the school was of Asian descent. In 2004, 62% of school-going children received free lunches; by 2008, that number had decreased to 56%.^[160] At George Washington Middle School, 41% of students are non-Hispanic whites, 34% were Hispanic, 21% was black, and 2% of the students were Asian; 52% of students received free lunch.^[161] Alexandria City High School follows this trend as well; 23% of the students were classified as non-Hispanic whites, 25% as Hispanic, 44% as black, and 7% of the school was Asian; 47% of all students received free lunch.^[162]

Alexandria is home to private schools such as St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, Bishop Ireton High School, and Episcopal High School. Also in the city are Alexandria Country Day School, Commonwealth Academy, the Basilica School of Saint Mary, St. Rita's Catholic School, Blessed Sacrament School, and Global Health College.

Healthcare

Alexandria is served by Inova Alexandria Hospital. The city's health department operates a health clinic at Mark Center in the city's West End and a teen wellness center at Alexandria City High School.^[163]

Transportation

Concurrent highways I-95 and I-495 (the Capital Beltway), including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River, roughly parallels the city's southern boundary with Fairfax County before very briefly passing through D.C. and entering Maryland. I-395 crosses north and south through the western part of the city. Alexandria is bisected east and west by SR 7 (King Street). The most western section of King Street in the city was once the terminus of the Leesburg Turnpike. SR 7 terminates at SR 400 (Washington Street), which connects the northern and southern segments of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. SR 236 (Duke Street) runs east–west along the southern side of the city, also terminating at VA 400 in Old Town. Other primary state highways serving Alexandria include the short limited-access SR 241 (Telegraph Road), as well as multiple thoroughfares serving the western side of the city, which are SR 401 (Van Dorn Street), SR 402 (Quaker Lane), and SR 420 (Seminary Road in the west, Janneys Lane in the east). US 1 (Richmond Highway) passes north–south through the city, parallel and west of Washington Street and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Through Old Town, the highway follows Patrick and Henry streets.^[164][165]

The Alexandria city government operates its own mass transit system, the DASH bus, connecting points of interest with local transit hubs. Since 2021, DASH is fare-free.^[166] DASH also offers a "trolley" diesel bus service on King Street from the King Street–Old Town Metro station to the Waterfront.^[167] Metrobus also serves Alexandria along with Metrorail's Blue and Yellow Lines with stops at Potomac Yard, Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, and Van Dorn Street. Hornblower Cruises operates the Potomac Water Taxi to and from Georgetown and The Wharf development in D.C. and the National Harbor development in Prince George's County.^[168]

Union Station, the city's historic train station, has Amtrak intercity services and the Virginia Railway Express regional rail service. The station is directly adjacent to the King Street–Old Town Metro station. The traditional boundary between Old Town and the latterly annexed sections of the city follows the railway acquired by Virginia in 2021 and formerly owned by CSX Transportation.^[169] In addition, Norfolk Southern Railway operates a freight rail line and a transload terminal in the city.^[170]

Capital Bikeshare, a bicycle-sharing public transportation system, launched in Alexandria in 2012.^[171] The system has 62 rental locations throughout the city.^[172] The East Coast Greenway and Mount Vernon Trail cycle routes pass through Alexandria.