Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County
County and census-designated place
Arlington's Rosslyn neighborhood seen across the Potomac River from Washington Harbour
Flag Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38.880278°N 77.108333°W / 38.880278; -77.108333
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	February 27, 1801
Named for	Arlington House
Area
• Total	26 sq mi (70 km2)
• Land	26 sq mi (70 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	238,643
• Density	9,200/sq mi (3,500/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.arlingtonva.us

Arlington National Cemetery

1878 map of Alexandria County, now Arlington County

Aerial view of a growth pattern in Arlington County, Virginia. High density, mixed use development is often concentrated within 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the county's Metrorail rapid transit stations, such as in Rosslyn, Courthouse, and Clarendon (shown in red from upper left to lower right).

Arlington County is a county in Virginia. It has so many buildings that it looks like a city. It is one of the smallest counties in the United States by area. It is across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and parts of it were once part of Washington. In 2020, 238,643 people lived there. It is where many U.S. government offices are, such as The Pentagon. It is also the location of Arlington National Cemetery, which was built at the former plantation of Robert E. Lee, and the Ronald Reagan National Airport. ANC is where John F. Kennedy and many American soldiers are buried. Several battles of the American Civil War were fought in and around Arlington.

The District of Columbia was made with land contributed by Virginia and Maryland. In 1846, Congress agreed to give the land south of the Potomac back to Virginia. Most of the returned land became Arlington.

Notable People

• John Glenn, Astronaut
• Al Gore, Bill Clinton's vice president
• Ilhan Omar, US Congresswoman