Alexandria, Virginia

{{further|History of Alexandria, Virginia|Timeline of Alexandria, Virginia}}

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.{{Cite book |title=The Piscataway Indians of Southern Maryland |last=Ferguson |first=Alice and Henry |publisher=Alice Ferguson Foundation |year=1960 |pages=11}}

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.Humphrey, Robert L.; Chambers, Mary Elizabeth (1977). Ancient Washington: American Indian Cultures of the Potomac Valley. George Washington University. On this visit, Smith recorded the presence of a settlement called Assaomeck near the south bank of what is now Hunting Creek.{{Cite web |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=41290 |title=Assaomeck village depended on fish |last=Cressey |first=Pamela |date=6 June 1996 |publisher=Alexandria Gazette Packet |access-date=30 November 2019 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812130313/https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=41290 |url-status=live}}

File:1878 Alexandria County Virginia.jpg and the City of Alexandria. Map includes the names of property owners at that time. City boundaries roughly correspond with Old Town.]]

On October 21, 1669, a patent granted {{convert|6,000|acre|km2}} to Robert Howsing for transporting 120 people to the Colony of Virginia.{{cite book |last1=Brockett |first1=Franklin Longdon |last2=Rock |first2=George W. |title=A Concise History of the City of Alexandria, Va: From 1669 to 1883, with a Directory of Reliable Business Houses in the City |date=1883 |publisher=Gazette Book and Job office |pages=140}}{{rp|5}} That tract later became the City of Alexandria.{{rp|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.{{cite web |url=http://www.tobacco.org/History/colonialtobacco.html |title=Economic Aspects of Tobacco during the Colonial Period 1612–1776 |website=Tobacco.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222043059/http://www.tobacco.org/History/colonialtobacco.html |archive-date=February 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} However, the ground proved to be unsuitable, and the warehouse was built half a mile up-river, where the water was deep near the shore.

Following the 1745 settlement of the Colony of Virginia's 10-year dispute with Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron over the western boundary of the Northern Neck Proprietary, when the Privy Council in London found in favor of Lord Fairfax's expanded claim, some of the Fairfax County gentry formed the Ohio Company of Virginia. They intended to conduct trade into the interior of America, and they required a trading center near the head of navigation on the Potomac. The best location was Hunting Creek tobacco warehouse, since the deep water could easily accommodate sailing ships. Many local tobacco planters, however, wanted a new town further up Hunting Creek, away from nonproductive fields along the river.{{cite web |url=http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28266 |title=Discovering the Decades: 1740s | Historic Alexandria | City of Alexandria, VA |website=Alexandriava.gov |date=January 5, 2011 |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324140337/http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28266 |url-status=live}}

Around 1746, Captain Philip Alexander II (1704–1753) moved to what is south of present Duke Street in Alexandria. His estate, which consisted of {{convert|500|acre|km2}}, was bounded by Hunting Creek, Hooff's Run, the Potomac River, and approximately the line which would become Cameron Street. At the opening of Virginia's 1748–49 legislative session, there was a petition submitted in the House of Burgesses on November 1, 1748, that the "inhabitants of Fairfax (Co.) praying that a town may be established at Hunting Creek Warehouse on Potowmack River," since Hugh West was the owner of the warehouse. The petition was introduced by Lawrence Washington, the representative for Fairfax County, the son-in-law of William Fairfax, and a founding member of the Ohio Company. To support the company's push for a town on the river, Lawrence's younger brother George Washington, an aspiring surveyor, made a sketch of the shoreline touting the advantages of the tobacco warehouse site.{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gwmaps.html |title=George Washington: Surveyor and Mapmaker |website=Loc.gov |access-date=July 31, 2009 |archive-date=August 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813151546/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gwmaps.html |url-status=live}}

Since the river site was amidst his estate, Philip opposed the idea and strongly favored a site at the head of Hunting Creek (also known as Great Hunting Creek). It has been said that in order to avoid a predicament the petitioners offered to name the new town Alexandria, in honor of Philip's family. As a result, Philip and his cousin Captain John Alexander (1711–1763) gave land to assist in the development of Alexandria and are thus listed as the founders. This John was the son of Robert Alexander II (1688–1735). 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."{{cite book |author=Virginia. General Assembly. House of Burgesses |title=Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1742–1747, 1748–1749 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_ktAAAAYAAJ |year=1909 |publisher=Colonial Press, E. Waddey Company |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331090346/https://books.google.com/books?id=y_ktAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live}} 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.

Almost immediately upon establishment, the town founders called the new town "Belhaven", believed to be in honor of a Scottish patriot, John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton, the Northern Neck tobacco trade being then dominated by Scots. The name Belhaven was used in official lotteries to raise money for a Church and Market House, but it was never approved by the legislature and fell out of favor in the mid-1750s.{{cite web |url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/richmondcity/newspapers/gazette5.txt |title=The Scheme of a Lottery, at Belhaven, in Fairfax County: January 24, 1750/51; Virginia Gazette extracts; The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol.12 No.2 (October 1903) |website=Files.usgwarchives.net |access-date=August 22, 2018 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171955/http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/richmondcity/newspapers/gazette5.txt |url-status=live}} The town of Alexandria did not become incorporated until 1779.

In 1755, General Edward Braddock organized his fatal expedition against Fort Duquesne at Carlyle House in Alexandria. In April 1755, the governors of Virginia, and the provinces of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York met to determine upon concerted action against the French in America.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=573}}

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.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=573}}

File:Alexandria Virginia slave ship.png

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.{{cite web |url=http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28306 |title=Discovering the Decades: 1810s |publisher=Alexandria Archaeology Museum |access-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324140038/http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28306 |url-status=live}} In 1823 William Holland Wilmer, Francis Scott Key, and others founded the Virginia Theological Seminary.{{cite book |last1=Cromey |first1=Robert Warren |title=Essays Irreverent |date=Sep 27, 2012 |publisher=iUniverse |pages=184}}{{rp|116}} From 1828 to 1836,{{cite web |url=http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=31254#African_American |title=Self-Guided Walking Tour Black Historic Sites |publisher=Alexandria Black History Museum |access-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-date=October 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011125908/http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=31254#African_American |url-status=live}} Alexandria was home to the Franklin & Armfield Slave Market, one of the largest slave trading companies in the country. 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.{{cite journal |author=Jim Barnett and H. Clark Burkett |title=The Forks of the Road Slave Market at Natchez |journal=Mississippi History Now |year=2004 |url=http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature36/forks_of_the_road.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926084831/http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature36/forks_of_the_road.html |archive-date=September 26, 2008}} Later owned by Price, Birch & Co., the slave pen became a jail under Union occupation.{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/081_cwaf7.html |title=Photographs of African Americans During the Civil War: A List of Images in the Civil War Photograph Collection |publisher=Library of Congress |date=May 20, 2004 |access-date=December 30, 2017 |archive-date=July 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714012827/http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/081_cwaf7.html |url-status=live}}

A portion of the City of Alexandria—most of the area now known as Old Town as well as the areas of the city northeast of what is now King Street—and all of today's Arlington County share the distinction of having been the portion of Virginia ceded to the U.S. Government in 1791 to help form the new District of Columbia. Over time, a movement grew to separate what was called "Alexandria County" from the District of Columbia. As competition grew with the port of Georgetown and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal fostered development on the north side of the Potomac River, Alexandria's economy stagnated; at the same time, residents had lost any representation in Congress and the right to vote and were disappointed with the negligible economic benefit (on the Alexandria side) of being part of the national capital. Alexandria still had an important port and market in the slave trade, and as talk increased of abolishing slavery in the national capital, there was concern that Alexandria's economy would suffer greatly if this step were taken. After a referendum, voters petitioned Congress and Virginia to return the portion of the District of Columbia south of the Potomac River (Alexandria County) to Virginia. On July 9, 1846, Congress retroceded Alexandria County to Virginia.{{cite web |url=http://www.citymuseumdc.org/gettoknow/faq.asp |title=Get to know D.C. – Frequently Asked Questions About Washington, D.C. |publisher=History Society of Washington, D.C. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206013429/http://www.citymuseumdc.org/gettoknow/faq.asp |archive-date=February 6, 2007}} The City of Alexandria was re-chartered in 1852 and became independent of Alexandria County in 1870. The remaining portion of Alexandria County changed its name to Arlington County in 1920.

File:Fort-lyon-alexandria-virginia-vhs00032-1-.jpg]]

File:Alexandria Bird's Eye View 1863.jpg with Fort Ellsworth visible on the hill in the center background]]

The first fatalities of the North and South in the American Civil War occurred in Alexandria. Within a month of the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Civil War's first battle, Union Army troops occupied Alexandria, landing troops at the base of King Street on the Potomac River on May 24, 1861. A few blocks up King Street from their landing site, the commander of the New York Fire Zouaves, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, sortied with a small detachment to remove a large Confederate flag displayed on the roof of the Marshall House Inn that had been visible from the White House. While descending from the roof, Ellsworth was shot dead by James W. Jackson, the hotel's proprietor. One of Ellsworth's soldiers immediately killed Jackson.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126154230/https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=101305 |archive-date=2019-01-26 |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=101305 |title=Wayfinding: Marshall House |date=2018-03-28 |publisher=City of Alexandria, Virginia |access-date=2019-01-26}}(1) {{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/harpersweeklyv5bonn/page/357 |title=The Murder of Colonel Ellsworth |journal=Harper's Weekly |volume=5 |pages=357–358 |number=232 |date=1861-06-08 |access-date=2019-01-28 |via=Internet Archive}}
(2) {{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/harpersweeklyv5bonn/page/369 |title=The Murder of Ellsworth |journal=Harper's Weekly |volume=5 |number=233 |page=369 |date=1861-06-15 |access-date=2019-01-28 |via=Internet Archive}}
Ellsworth was publicized as a Union martyr, and the incident generated great excitement in the North, with many children being named for him. Jackson's death defending his home caused a similar sensation in the South.{{cite web |editor-first=Bill |editor-last=Pfingsten |url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=65490 |title="The Marshall House" marker |publisher=HMdb: The Historical Marker Database |access-date=2019-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126034243/https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=65490 |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}

Alexandria remained under military occupation until the end of the Civil War. 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.{{cite web |url=http://alexandriava.gov/FortWard |title=Fort Ward Museum |website=Alexandriava.gov |access-date=September 19, 2014 |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811065758/http://alexandriava.gov/FortWard |url-status=live}} There were five military prisons in the city, the largest being the Washington Street Military Prison.{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-09-28-0309270177-story.html |title=The uncivil war for Alexandria |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 28, 2003 |accessdate=March 31, 2022 |author=Kilian, Michael}}{{cite news |title=Alexandria cotton mill that became a Civil War torture chamber |work=Alexandria Times |date=May 11, 2017 |author=Lee, Daniel}} After the creation by Washington of the state of West Virginia in 1863 and until the close of the war, Alexandria was the seat of the so-called Restored Government of Virginia, also known as the "Alexandria Government".{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=573}} During the Union occupation, a recurring contention between the Alexandria citizenry and the military occupiers was the Union army's periodic insistence that church services include prayers for the President of the United States. Failure to do so resulted in incidents including the arrest of ministers in their church.

In 1861 and 1862, escaped African American slaves poured into Alexandria. Safely behind Union lines, the cities of Alexandria and Washington offered comparative freedom and employment. Alexandria became a major supply depot and transport and hospital center for the Union army.{{cite web |url=http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/historic/info/archaeology/ARFreedmensHistoricalOverview.pdf |title=Office of Historic Alexandria, Alexandria Freedmen's Cemetery: Historical Overview, April 2007, p. 2. |access-date=January 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324140231/http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/historic/info/archaeology/ARFreedmensHistoricalOverview.pdf |archive-date=March 24, 2012}} Until the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, escaped slaves legally remained the property of their owners. Therefore, they were labeled contrabands to avoid returning them to their masters. Contrabands worked for the Union army in various support roles.

After all slaves in the seceding states were liberated, even more African Americans came to Alexandria. By the fall of 1863, the population of Alexandria had exploded to 18,000{{mdash}}an increase of 10,000 people in 16 months.

As of ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, Alexandria County's black population was more than 8,700, or about half the total number of residents in the county. This newly enfranchised constituency provided the support necessary to elect the first black Alexandrians to the City Council and the Virginia Legislature.[http://www.alexandriaweba.com/go/alexandriaafricanamericanhistory/freedmancemetery]{{dead link|date=January 2012}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Theismann |first=Jeanne |title='This Soil Cries Out' |accessdate=2023-04-24 |date=2022-09-29 |url=http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2022/sep/29/soil-cries-out/ |archive-date=April 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424143901/http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2022/sep/29/soil-cries-out/ |url-status=live }}

File:A few of the young boys working on the night shift at the glass factory. Alexandria, Va. - NARA - 523440 (cropped).jpg

File:The Confederate Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia (3359940265).jpg memorial on George Washington Memorial Parkway, {{Circa|1920}}]]

At the turn of the 20th century the most common production in the city was glass, fertilizer, beer, and leather. The glass often went into beer bottles. Much of the Virginia Glass Company effort went to supply the demands of the Robert Portner Brewing Company, until fire destroyed the St. Asaph Street plant on February 18, 1905. The Old Dominion Glass Company also had a glass works fall to fire, then built a new one. The Belle Pre Bottle Company held a monopoly on a milk bottle that they patented, yet that organization only lasted 10 years.Commerce: {{Hanging indent | {{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Al |last2=Cressey |first2=Pamela J. |last3=Dennee |first3=Timothy J. |last4=Miller |first4=T. Michael |last5=Smith |first5=Peter |title=Discovering the Decades: 1900s |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28728 |access-date=March 20, 2017 |publisher=City of Alexandria |date=December 13, 2015 |archive-date=March 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321082558/https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=28728 |url-status=live}}}} {{Hanging indent | {{cite book |last1=Pulliam |first1=Ted |title=Historic Alexandria: An Illustrated History |date=2011 |publisher=HPN |pages=96}}{{rp|49}}}} Most businesses were smaller where the business occupied the first floor of a building and the owner and family lived above.{{cite book |last1=Pulliam |first1=Ted |title=Historic Alexandria: An Illustrated History |date=2011 |publisher=HPN |pages=96}}{{rp|50}} Prohibition closed Portner Brewing in 1916.{{rp|50}}

President Woodrow Wilson visited the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation on May 30, 1918, to drive the first rivet into the keel of the {{SS|Gunston Hall}}.{{rp|50}} In 1930, Alexandria annexed the town adjacent to Potomac Yard incorporated in 1908 named Potomac. In 1938 the Mt. Vernon Drive-In cinema opened.{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/virginia/alexandria?status=all |title=Movie Theaters in Alexandria, VA |publisher=Cinema Treasures LLC |location=Los Angeles |access-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307145913/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/virginia/alexandria?status=all |url-status=live}} In 1939, the segregated public library experienced a sit-in organized by Samuel Wilbert Tucker.Alexandria Library Sit-In: {{Hanging indent | {{cite book |last1=Combs |first1=George K. |last2=Anderson |first2=Leslie |last3=Downie |first3=Julia M. |title=Alexandria |date=2012 |publisher=Arcadia |pages=127}}{{rp|39}}}} {{Hanging indent | {{cite web |title=America's First Sit-Down Strike: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In - Determining the Facts - Reading 2: The Nation's First Sit-In |url=http://oha.alexandriava.gov/bhrc/lessons/bh-lesson2_reading2.html |publisher=City of Alexandria |website=Alexandria Black History Museum |access-date=August 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528015924/http://oha.alexandriava.gov/bhrc/lessons/bh-lesson2_reading2.html |archive-date=May 28, 2010}}}} {{Hanging indent | {{cite web |title=1939 Alexandria Library Sit-in |url=http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/main/sitinhome.html |publisher=City of Alexandria |website=Alexandria Library |access-date=September 4, 2010 |archive-date=September 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901115132/http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/main/sitinhome.html |url-status=dead }}}} In 1940, both the Robert Robinson Library, which is now the Alexandria Black History Museum, and the Vernon Theatre openedRobinson Library: {{Hanging indent | {{citation |url=http://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-alexandria/history/timeline/ |title=Alexandria Historic Timeline |publisher=Visit Alexandria |location=Virginia |access-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521191802/http://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-alexandria/history/timeline/ |archive-date=May 21, 2015}}}} Vernon Theatre: {{Hanging indent | {{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/virginia/alexandria?status=all |title=Movie Theaters in Alexandria, VA |publisher=Cinema Treasures LLC |location=Los Angeles |access-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307145913/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/virginia/alexandria?status=all |url-status=live}}}} Jim Morrison of The Doors, as well as Cass Elliot and John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas attended the George Washington High School in the 1950s.

In 1955, then-Representative and future President Gerald R. Ford and his family moved to Alexandria from Georgetown.{{cite book |last1=Mieczkowski |first1=Yanek |title=Gerald Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s |date=April 22, 2005 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |pages=480}}{{rp|95}} The Fords remained in their Alexandria home during Ford's tenure as Vice President (1973–1974), as the vice president did not yet have an official residence.{{Cite web |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Ford |title=Gerald Ford in Alexandria |website=Alexandriava.gov |language=en-US |access-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-date=October 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024042856/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Ford |url-status=live}} Following the resignation of Richard Nixon, Ford spent his first 10 days as President in the house before moving to the White House.

In March 1959, Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Whalen, the "highest-ranking American ever recruited as a mole by the Russian Intelligence Service", provided Colonel Sergei A. Edemski three classified Army manuals in exchange for $3,500 at a shopping center parking lot within the city.Manuals: {{Hanging indent | {{cite book |last1=Richelson |first1=Jeffery T. |title=A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century |date=Jul 17, 1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=544}}{{rp|280}}}} Highest-ranking: {{Hanging indent | {{cite web |last1=Epstein |first1=Edward Jay |title=Question of the Day |url=http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/question_mole.htm |access-date=March 20, 2017 |quote="highest-ranking American ever recruited as a mole by the Russian Intelligence Service" |archive-date=January 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112215353/http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/question_mole.htm |url-status=live}}}} $3,500: {{Hanging indent | {{cite news |last1=Associated Press |title=Yank Gets 20 Years For Helping Soviets |publisher=Amarillo Globe-Times |date=March 1, 1967}}{{rp|p1}}}} Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation later arrested Whalen on July 12, 1966, at his home in the city.{{cite news |title=Ex-Army Officer Accused Of Spying For Russians |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=July 13, 1966}}{{rp|p1}} In 1961 the original Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened.{{cite web |url=http://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=49454 |work=Alexandria in the 20th Century |title=Timeline of Alexandria History |publisher=City of Alexandria, VA |access-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521220844/http://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=49454 |url-status=live}}

In 1965, the city integrated schools.{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Len |last2=Pollin |first2=Andy |title=The Great Book of Washington DC Sports Lists |date=Dec 16, 2008 |publisher=Running |pages=304}}{{rp|69}} In 1971, the city consolidated all high school junior and senior students into T. C. Williams High School. Freshman and sophomore students were assigned to attend either Francis C Hammond or George Washington, formerly four-year high schools, as part of a system-wide overhaul of the public school system, beginning with kindergarten classes, in an attempt to racially "balance" student population throughout the city's public schools to better reflect the city's racial makeup. The plan was known as the "K-6, 2, 2, 2 plan". Classes were broken out, beginning with kindergarten through sixth grade; then seventh through eighth; then freshman and sophomore classes; and finally junior and senior classes, with the changes including being moved to a different school building.{{rp|69}} The same year that head coach Herman Boone joined the school and lead the football team to a 13–0 season, a state championship, and a national championship runner-up; the basis for the 2000 film Remember the Titans where Boone was portrayed by Denzel Washington.1971 T. C. Williams High School football team season: {{Hanging indent |{{cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=Monika S. |title=Legendary Locals of Edgecombe and Nash Counties, North Carolina |date=2013 |publisher=Arcadia |pages=127}}{{rp|117}}}} {{Hanging indent |{{cite book |last1=Ellington |first1=Scott A. |title=Risking Truth: Reshaping the World through Prayers of Lament |date=Sep 1, 2008 |publisher=Wipf and Stock |pages=214}}{{rp|23}}}} {{Hanging indent |{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Len |last2=Pollin |first2=Andy |title=The Great Book of Washington DC Sports Lists |date=Dec 16, 2008 |publisher=Running |pages=304}}{{rp|69}}}}

In 1972, Clifford T. Cline purchased the 1890 Victorian house at 219 King Street and converted it into the Creole serving Two-Nineteen Restaurant.{{cite book |last1=Nunley |first1=Debbie |last2=Elliott |first2=Karen Jane |title=A Taste of Virginia History: A Guide to Historic Eateries and Their Recipes |date=2004 |publisher=John F. Blair |pages=294}}{{rp|167}} In 1973, Nora Lamborne and Beverly Beidler became the first women elected to the city council.{{rp|63}} In 1974, the Torpedo Factory Art Center opened.{{citation |url=http://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-alexandria/history/timeline/ |title=Alexandria Historic Timeline |publisher=Visit Alexandria |location=Virginia |access-date=May 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521191802/http://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-alexandria/history/timeline/ |archive-date=May 21, 2015}} In 1983, the King Street–Old Town station, Braddock Road station, and Eisenhower Avenue station opened as the Washington Metro system expanded. In 1991, the Van Dorn Street station opened and Patricia Ticer became the first woman to be elected mayor.{{rp|63}}

File:AlexandriaHoffmanTowne.jpg

Until 2014, local legislation mandated that all new north–south streets in the city be named for Confederate military leaders.{{cite news | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/09/how-many-confederacy-tied-alexandria-streets-can.html | title=Will Alexandria take action on its Confederacy-tied street names? Here's the full list. | work=Washington Business Journal | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817204238/https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/09/how-many-confederacy-tied-alexandria-streets-can.html | archive-date=August 17, 2017 | first=Michael | last=Neibauer | date=September 4, 2015 | accessdate=August 17, 2017}} Efforts have increased in recent years to expedite the renaming of these streets with Mayor Justin Wilson and the City Council setting a goal of renaming three of these streets annually.{{Cite web |last=Dauray |first=Kevin |date=2023-01-12 |title=Mayor Wilson Wants To Speed Up Process for Renaming Streets That Honor Confederacy |url=https://thezebra.org/2023/01/12/mayor-wilson-wants-to-speed-up-process-for-renaming-streets-that-honor-confederacy/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=The Zebra |language=en-US |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200300/https://thezebra.org/2023/01/12/mayor-wilson-wants-to-speed-up-process-for-renaming-streets-that-honor-confederacy/ |url-status=live }} In 2019, the name of U.S. 1 was changed from Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway.{{Cite web |author= |last=Alexandria Living Magazine |date=2018-06-24 |title=Jefferson Davis Highway to be Renamed |url=https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/api/content/88dbd858-77f4-11e8-a5dc-12408cbff2b0/ |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=Alexandria Living Magazine |language=en-us |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331090410/https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/jefferson-davis-highway-to-be-renamed/ |url-status=live}}

In November 2020, the school board unanimously voted to rename T. C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School. The high school was renamed Alexandria City High School and Maury Elementary was renamed Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, effective July 1, 2021.{{cite news |url=https://alextimes.com/2020/12/school-board-votes-to-rename-t-c-williams-high-school/ |first=Lindsey |last=Sullivan |title=School board votes to rename T.C. Williams High School |work=Alexandria Times |date=2020-12-03 |access-date=2020-12-29 |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229094514/https://alextimes.com/2020/12/school-board-votes-to-rename-t-c-williams-high-school/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=The Identity Project / The Identity Project: Renaming Our Schools |url=https://www.acps.k12.va.us/identityproject |url-status=live |access-date=2021-06-12 |website=ACPS The Identity Project |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020171414/https://www.acps.k12.va.us/identityproject |archive-date=October 20, 2020}}

In December 2023, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder Ted Leonsis announced plans to develop a 70-acre area in Potomac Yards to include a concert venue, businesses, and a new arena that would have been home to the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Winston |date=2023-12-13 |title=Massive proposed expansion plan for Capitals and Wizards in Alexandria unveiled |url=https://wjla.com/news/local/washington-dc-capitals-wizards-move-alexandria-virginia-potomac-yard-monumental-sports-entertainment-basketball-hockey-concerts-ncaa-alexandria-esports-performing-jbg-smith-arts-media-community-gathering-spaces-retail |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=WJLA |language=en}} The proposal failed in March 2024 with the announcement Virginia negotiations were ending and Monumental planning to sign an additional lease with Washington, D.C. after it did not advance in the Virginia General Assembly.{{Cite web| last=Leayman| first=Emily| title = Potomac Yard Arena Proposal Not Advancing, Arena To Stay In D.C.| work = Del Ray, VA Patch| access-date = 2024-03-29| date = 2024-03-27| url = https://patch.com/virginia/delray/potomac-yard-arena-proposal-not-advancing-city}}

File:AlexandriaThornton.jpg

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|40.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|38.9|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|1.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 2.85%, is water.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 23, 2011 |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |url-status=live}} Alexandria is bounded on the east by the Potomac River (which forms the boundary between the city and Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland), on the north and northwest by Arlington County, and on the south by Fairfax County. The western portions of the city were annexed from those two entities beginning in the 1930s.{{cite news | url=https://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/aug/29/how-alexandria-got-its-shape/ | title=How Alexandria Got Its Shape | first=Vernon | last=Miles | date=August 29, 2017 | work=The Connection To Your Community | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630115350/https://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/aug/29/how-alexandria-got-its-shape/ | archive-date=June 30, 2024}}

The addressing system in Alexandria is not uniform and reflects the consolidation of several originally separate communities into a single city. In Old Town Alexandria, building numbers are assigned north and south from King Street and west (only) from the Potomac River. In the areas formerly in the town of Potomac, such as Del Ray and St. Elmo, building numbers are assigned east and west from Commonwealth Avenue and north (only) from King Street. In the western parts of the city, building numbers are assigned north and south from Duke Street.

The ZIP Code prefix 223 uniquely identifies the Alexandria postal area.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} However, the Alexandria postal area extends into Fairfax County and includes addresses outside of the city. Delivery areas have ZIP Codes 22301, 22302, 22303, 22304, 22305, 22306, 22307, 22308, 22309, 22310, 22311, 22312, 22314, and 22315, with other ZIP Codes in use for post office boxes and large mailers (22313, 22331, 22332, 22333).

Part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway is the one national protected area within the borders of Alexandria.

{{Main|Neighborhoods of Alexandria, Virginia}}

As of 2024, the City of Alexandria is divided into 19 "Small Area Plans" and 11 additional overlapping plans.{{cite web |title=City Master Plan map (PDF) |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/City-Master-Plan-Map.pdf |website=City of Alexandria, Virginia |access-date=25 June 2024}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://nesbittrealty.com/guide/fairfax-county/southern-fairfax-county/alexandria/ |title=About homes and condos of Alexandria VA in Fairfax County |publisher=Nesbitt Realty |access-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-date=December 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223122627/http://nesbittrealty.com/guide/fairfax-county/southern-fairfax-county/alexandria/ |url-status=live}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=609844&cityname=Alexandria%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |title=Climate Summary for Alexandria, Virginia |work=Weatherbase |access-date=September 19, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714060844/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=609844&cityname=Alexandria%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |url-status=live}}

{{US Census population

|1790= 2748

|1800= 4971

|1810= 7227

|1820= 8218

|1830= 8241

|1840= 8459

|1850= 8734

|1860= 12652

|1870= 13570

|1880= 13659

|1890= 14339

|1900= 14528

|1910= 15329

|1920= 18060

|1930= 24149

|1940= 33523

|1950= 61787

|1960= 91023

|1970= 110927

|1980= 103217

|1990= 111183

|2000= 128283

|2010= 139966

|2020= 159467

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000 |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-date=May 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507121432/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |url-status=live}}
1790–1960{{cite web |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |title=Historical Census Browser |publisher=University of Virginia Library |access-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-date=August 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ |url-status=live}} 1900–1990{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-date=December 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215150359/http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt |url-status=live}}
1990–2000{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-date=December 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203824/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=live}}
2010-2020{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824081449/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |url-status=live}} 2010 2020

}}

At the 2010 census,{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website |archive-date=December 27, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live}} there were 139,966 people, 68,082 households and 30,978 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|8,452.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 68,082 housing units at an average density of {{convert|4,233.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. 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)

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.

According to 2019 Census Bureau data, the median household income was $103,284 and median family income was $130,395.{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US51510 |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=data.census.gov |archive-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312191046/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US51510 |url-status=live}} Additionally, 8.6% of the population of the population were below the poverty line.{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US51510&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1901&moe=false |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=data.census.gov |archive-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312191046/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US51510&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1901&moe=false |url-status=live}} 14.2% of those under the age of 18 and 3.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

According to 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, 69.9% of Alexandria residents aged 25 and older have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 42.2% statewide.{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1501?g=050XX00US51510 |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=data.census.gov}}{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1501?g=040XX00US51 |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=data.census.gov}}

File:Hoffman Town Center - 1.jpeg

Companies headquartered in Alexandria include Crooked Beat Records, Five Guys, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), The Motley Fool, Oblon law firm, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed), Port City Brewing Company, Purple Strategies, ThinkFun, and VSE. Several federal agencies are based in Alexandria, including the National Credit Union Administration, United States Patent and Trademark Office, National Science Foundation, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense, and the Food and Nutrition Service. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the federal school system for military dependents, is headquartered in Alexandria.{{cite web |url=https://www.dodea.edu/newsroom/contact.cfm |title=Contact Us |publisher=Department of Defense Education Activity |accessdate=2022-07-05 |quote=DoDEA Headquarters Department of Defense Education Activity 4800 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22350-1400 |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705192240/https://www.dodea.edu/newsroom/contact.cfm |url-status=live }}

Alexandria is home to many charities and non-profit organizations including the national headquarters of Catholic Charities, Citizens for the Republic, Global Impact, Good360, International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, Islamic Relief USA, United Way, and Volunteers of America. Trade associations located in the city include the American Counseling Association, the Human Resource Certification Institute, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Beer Wholesalers Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Industries for the Blind, American Physical Therapy Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores, and the American International Automobile Dealers Association. Alexandria also has a Chamber of Commerce and other business associations including the West End Business Association, the Del Ray Business Association and the Old Town Business Association.

File:King Street Alexandria.jpg is the primary commercial corridor through Old Town.]]Major employment sectors in Alexandria include management consulting, business and finance, office and administrative support, computer and mathematical, sales, and legal. Jobs in Alexandria are highly concentrated around the city's Metrorail stations, primarily in Old Town North and the Braddock Road area, Old Town, and Carlyle near the Eisenhower Avenue station, as well as along the I-395 corridor on the west side of the city.

13% of people that work in Alexandria live in the city, while 87% commute in, with 37% of those commuters being from Fairfax County. An additional 61,000 people commute out of Alexandria to work. 35% commute to Washington, D.C., and 29% commute to Fairfax County.{{cite web |title=Community Profile : Alexandria, Virginia |url=http://virginialmi.com/report_center/community_profiles/5104000510.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823042031/http://virginialmi.com/report_center/community_profiles/5104000510.pdf |archive-date=August 23, 2018 |access-date=August 22, 2018 |website=Virginialmi.com}} As of March 2024, 2.0% of Alexandria residents are unemployed.{{Cite web |last=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |date=1990-01-01 |title=Unemployment Rate in Alexandria City, VA |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/VAALEX5URN |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513161457/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/VAALEX5URN |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}

File:GeorgeWashingtonMasonic.jpg was built from 1922 to 1932.]]

A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk, which was established in 1969.{{cite web |url=http://www.saintandrewsociety.org/?q=ChristmasWalk |title=Scottish Christmas Walk – St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C. |website=Saintandrewsociety.org |access-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620091653/http://www.saintandrewsociety.org/?q=ChristmasWalk |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.campagnacenter.org/events/scottish-christmas-walk-weekend |title=Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend |website=Campagnacenter.org |access-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514021515/http://www.campagnacenter.org/events/scottish-christmas-walk-weekend |url-status=live}} It serves as a fundraiser for social services in Alexandria. Other parades in Old Town celebrate Saint Patrick's Day{{cite web |url=http://dc.about.com/od/stpatricksday/a/AlexStPatsDay.htm |title=2015 Alexandria Virginia Saint Patrick's Day Parade |first=Rachel |last=Cooper |website=About.com Travel |access-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406061145/http://dc.about.com/od/stpatricksday/a/AlexStPatsDay.htm |url-status=live}} and the birthday of George Washington.{{cite web |url=http://www.visitalexandriava.com/calendar-of-events/alexandria-george-washington-birthday/ |title=George Washington Birthday Celebration – Alexandria, VA |website=Visitalexandriava.com |access-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506071433/http://www.visitalexandriava.com/calendar-of-events/alexandria-george-washington-birthday/ |url-status=live}} 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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=NMile_QCKlcC&q=peter+logan+and+ben+f&pg=PT18]{{dead link|date=November 2016}}{{cite news | url=https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/people/oyez-oyez-alexandria-town-crier-brings-history-alive-benjamin-fiore-walker/ | title=Oyez, Oyez: Alexandria Town Crier Brings History Alive | work=Alexandria Living | last=Lawton | first=Beth | date=December 10, 2018 | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223005957/https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/people/oyez-oyez-alexandria-town-crier-brings-history-alive-benjamin-fiore-walker/ | archive-date=February 23, 2024}}

File:Christ_Church_(Alexandria,_Virginia).JPG and Robert E. Lee.]]

File:OldtownAthenaeum (cropped).jpg

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.{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Museums | title=Visit Museums and Historic Sites | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | publisher=City of Alexandria | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718081241/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Museums | archive-date=July 18, 2024}}

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.{{cite news | url=https://wtop.com/business-finance/2018/06/alexandria-museums-get-involved-in-ptos-10-millionth-patent/ | title=Alexandria museums get involved in PTO's 10-millionth patent | work=WTOP News | date=June 18, 2018 }} 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.{{cite news | last=Bailey | first=Steve | date=February 29, 2008 | work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29away.html | title=A Tiny, Beloved Home That Was Built for Spite | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327023724/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29away.html | archive-date=March 27, 2022 | page=F6}} In order to prevent people from using the alleyway, Hollensbury constructed a {{convert|7|ft|m}} wide, {{convert|25|ft|m}} deep, {{convert|325|sqft|m2|adj=on}}, two-story home using the existing brick walls of the adjacent homes for the sides of the new home. The brick walls of the Hollensbury Spite House living room have gouges from wagon-wheel hubs; the house is still standing, and is occupied.

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.{{cite web |title=Oswald Durant Center |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/rpca/location/oswald-durant-center |website=City of Alexandria |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829121147/https://www.alexandriava.gov/rpca/location/oswald-durant-center |url-status=live }}

Alexandria has two local weekly newspapers: the Alexandria Gazette Packet and the Alexandria Times.{{cite web| url=https://www.vpa.net/member-spotlight-denise-dunbar-the-alexandria-times/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033249/https://www.vpa.net/member-spotlight-denise-dunbar-the-alexandria-times/| title=Member Spotlight: Denise Dunbar, The Alexandria Times| accessdate=24 July 2018| date=16 February 2018|publisher=Virginia Press Association| archive-date=25 July 2018 |url-status=dead}} The Alexandria Gazette was once published in the city from 1834 to 1974.{{cite web|title=Alexandria Gazette|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/|work=Chronicling America|publisher=Library of Congress|accessdate=21 March 2014}}

The city is home to the Alexandria Aces of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. The team's home field is Frank Mann Field.{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2021/jun/12/theyre-back-alexandria-aces-open-season-frank-mann/ | title=They’re Back! Alexandria Aces Open Season at Frank Mann Field | last=Theismann | first=Jeanne | work=Alexandria Gazette Packet | date=June 12, 2021 | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201201552/http://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2021/jun/12/theyre-back-alexandria-aces-open-season-frank-mann/ | archive-date=December 1, 2023}} Alexandria had previously been home of one professional sports team, the Alexandria Dukes, a minor league baseball team which moved to Woodbridge in 1984 to become The Prince William Pirates (now known as the Fredericksburg Nationals).{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Bart |date=July 12, 1983 |title=Alexandria Dukes to Play in New Pr. William Park |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/07/12/alexandria-dukes-to-play-in-new-pr-william-park/03175c34-7d87-4920-a74a-af8704d28162/ |access-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828083935/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/07/12/alexandria-dukes-to-play-in-new-pr-william-park/03175c34-7d87-4920-a74a-af8704d28162/ |url-status=live }}

File:AlexandriaVAWaterfront.jpg]]

Alexandria has over {{convert|900|acre|km2}} of protected open space with 566 acres of city-owned park land and 10 recreation centers,{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Parks | title=Park Information | publisher=City of Alexandria | date=May 21, 2024 | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808003627/https://alexandriava.gov/Parks | archive-date=August 8, 2024}} of which Chinquapin is one of the largest. Chinquapin offers facilities for swimming, tennis, racquetball, and other sports.{{cite news | url=https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/locations/chinquapin-park-recreation-center-and-aquatic-facility/ | title=Chinquapin Park Recreation Center and Aquatic Facility | work=Alexandria Living | year=2024 | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519083325/https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/locations/chinquapin-park-recreation-center-and-aquatic-facility/ | archive-date=May 19, 2024}} The city also organizes several sports leagues throughout the year including volleyball, softball and basketball.

The city is home to Cameron Run Regional Park, operated by NOVA Parks, which includes a water park, a miniature golf course, and batting cages. NOVA Parks also operates the Winkler Botanical Preserve in the city's West End.{{cite web | url=https://www.novaparks.com/parks/parks-map | title=Parks | publisher=NOVA Parks | year=2024 | accessdate=August 20, 2024}} A portion of the Mount Vernon Trail, a popular bike and jogging path, runs through Old Town near the Potomac River on its way from the Mount Vernon Estate to Roosevelt Island in Washington, D.C. There is also a largely unbroken line of parks stretching along the Alexandria waterfront.

{{see also|List of mayors of Alexandria, Virginia}}

File:West Facade Alexandria VA City Hall.png]]

{{PresHead|place=Alexandria, Virginia|source={{cite web |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |first=David |last=Leip |website=uselectionatlas.org |access-date=August 22, 2018 |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323225526/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |url-status=live }}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|16,112|62,326|2,466|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|14,544|66,240|1,724|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|13,285|57,242|5,235|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|20,249|52,199|963|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|19,181|50,473|710|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|19,844|41,116|555|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|19,043|33,633|2,523|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|15,554|27,968|1,877|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|16,700|30,784|5,191|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|20,913|24,358|533|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|21,166|23,552|535|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|17,865|17,134|5,389|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|16,880|19,858|1,172|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|20,235|15,409|525|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|13,265|14,351|4,200|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|8,825|16,828|30|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|8,826|9,662|63|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|8,633|7,451|365|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|8,579|6,471|22|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|3,903|3,917|887|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|3,405|4,391|27|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,802|4,004|25|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,225|3,381|44|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,199|2,941|44|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,617|1,307|0|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|556|1,136|268|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|921|1,417|41|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|364|1,038|10|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|132|951|118|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|247|1,218|8|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|187|738|7|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|935|2,003|6|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,281|1,830|69|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|1,162|1,982|19|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|1,523|1,665|17|Virginia}}

{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|1,273|1,730|13|Virginia}}

{{PresFoot|1880|Democratic|994|1,540|0|Virginia}}

As an independent city of Virginia (as opposed to an incorporated town within a county), Alexandria derives its governing authority from the Virginia General Assembly using the Dillon Rule. In order to revise the power and structure of the city government, the city must request the General Assembly to amend the charter. The present charter was granted in 1950 and it has been amended in 1968, 1971, 1976, and 1982.

Alexandria adopted a council-manager form of government by way of referendum in 1921. This type of government empowers the elected City Council to pass legislation and appoint the City Manager. The City Manager is responsible for overseeing the city's administration.

The Mayor, who is chosen on a separate ballot, presides over meetings of the Council and serves as the ceremonial head of government. The Mayor does not have the power to veto Council action. Council members traditionally choose the person receiving the most votes in the election to serve as Vice Mayor. In the absence or disability of the Mayor, the Vice Mayor performs the mayoral duties.

In 2024, the city has 55 boards and commissions to advise the City Council on major issues affecting the community.{{cite web | url=https://boards.alexandriava.gov/ | title=Boards & Commissions | year=2024 | publisher=City of Alexandria | accessdate=August 21, 2024}} The majority of members are appointed by the City Council.{{cite web |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/boards-and-commissions/boards-and-commissions-faqs |title=Boards and Commissions FAQs |publisher=City of Alexandria |year=2024 |access-date=August 21, 2024}} In addition, Alexandria City Public Schools has a school board with nine members. Three are elected from each of the city's three school board districts.{{cite web |title=Members of the School Board |url=https://www.acps.k12.va.us/domain/41 |website=Alexandria City Public Schools |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118035509/https://www.acps.k12.va.us/domain/41 |url-status=live}}

Alexandria has a circuit court and a general district court. The city also has a juvenile and domestic relations district court. All of these courts are located in the Alexandria Courthouse at 520 King Street.{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Courts | title=Courts | year=2024 | publisher=City of Alexandria | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627150127/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Courts | archive-date=June 27, 2024}} The city is also the site of the Alexandria Division of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.{{cite web | url=https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/ | title=United States District Court Eastern District of Virginia | year=2024 | publisher=United States Courts | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815042514/https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/ | archive-date=August 15, 2024}}

In the Virginia General Assembly, Alexandria is represented in the House of Delegates as part of the 3rd district, 4th district, and 5th district.{{cite web | url=https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/legdistricting/comments/plan/548/1 | title=MyDistricting - Virginia | publisher=Virginia Redistricting Commission | year=2021 | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808073725/https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/legdistricting/comments/plan/548/1 | archive-date=August 8, 2024}} In the Virginia Senate, the city is represented as part of the 39th district.{{cite web | url=https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/legdistricting/comments/plan/549/1 | title=MyDistricting - Virginia | publisher=Virginia Redistricting Commission | year=2021 | accessdate=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808073728/https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/legdistricting/comments/plan/549/1 | archive-date=August 8, 2024}} At the federal level, Alexandria is part of Virginia's 8th congressional district, represented by Democrat and Alexandria resident Don Beyer, elected in 2014. The state's senior member of the United States Senate is Democrat Mark Warner, first elected in 2008. The state's junior member of the United States Senate is Democrat Tim Kaine, first elected in 2012.

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.{{cite news |title=A Constant Question: Why No Wards? |url=https://alextimes.com/2009/04/a-constant-question-why-no-wards/ |access-date=31 December 2020 |work=Alexandria Times |date=30 April 2009 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116092001/https://alextimes.com/2009/04/a-constant-question-why-no-wards/ |url-status=live}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Lee Pope |first1=Michael |title=Alexandria's Failed Experiment with Wards |url=http://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2020/oct/01/alexandrias-failed-experiment-wards/ |access-date=31 December 2020 |work=Alexandria Gazette-Packet |date=1 October 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108065459/http://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2020/oct/01/alexandrias-failed-experiment-wards/ |url-status=live}}

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. 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.{{cite news |last1=Marriott |first1=Michel |title=N. Va. Blacks Differ On Election by Ward |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/06/23/n-va-blacks-differ-on-election-by-ward/3311783f-4df7-40c9-a5b0-1087c1e8cb99/ |access-date=31 December 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 June 1983 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116092004/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/06/23/n-va-blacks-differ-on-election-by-ward/3311783f-4df7-40c9-a5b0-1087c1e8cb99/ |url-status=live}}

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".{{cite book |vauthors=((Environmental Policy Commission)), ((Virginia Polytechnic & State University)) |title=Eco-City Charter 2008 |date=June 14, 2008 |publisher=Alexandria City Council |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/tes/oeq/EcoCityCharter2008.pdf |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220234722/https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/tes/oeq/EcoCityCharter2008.pdf |url-status=live}}{{rp|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".{{rp|5}} An ecocity is defined as "an ecologically healthy city".{{cite book |last1=Register |first1=Richard |title=Ecocity Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future |date=1987 |publisher=North Atlantic |pages=140}}{{rp|3}} In 2022, Alexandria enacted a 5-cent plastic bag tax consistent with the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags in the United States.{{Cite web |title=Plastic Bag Tax |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/tes/solidwaste/info/default.aspx?id=123190 |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=www.alexandriava.gov |language=en-US |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127001930/https://www.alexandriava.gov/tes/solidwaste/info/default.aspx?id=123190 |url-status=live}}

{{see also|Alexandria Police Department|Alexandria Fire Department}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Office of the Police Chief |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/police-department/office-of-the-police-chief |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=City of Alexandria, VA |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173716/https://www.alexandriava.gov/police-department/office-of-the-police-chief |url-status=live }} In April 2022, Don Hayes was appointed as Chief of Police.{{Cite web |title=Don Hayes Appointed Alexandria Police Chief |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/news-apd/2022-04-18/don-hayes-appointed-alexandria-police-chief |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=City of Alexandria, VA |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173720/https://www.alexandriava.gov/news-apd/2022-04-18/don-hayes-appointed-alexandria-police-chief |url-status=live }} As of 2023, the APD employs roughly 300 officers that receive training at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.{{Cite web |title=Alexandria Police Department |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Police |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=City of Alexandria, VA |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173717/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Police |url-status=live }}

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.{{Cite web |title=Alexandria Sheriff's Office |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Sheriff |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=City of Alexandria, VA |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173716/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Sheriff |url-status=live }} This jail is used to house pre-trial inmates in federal espionage cases.{{cite news | last=Wise | first=David | url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2012/06/07/chinas-mole-in-training/ | title=Mole-in-Training: How China Tried to Infiltrate the CIA | work=Washingtonian | date=June 7, 2012 | accessdate=August 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815155550/https://www.washingtonian.com/2012/06/07/chinas-mole-in-training/ | archive-date=August 15, 2016}}

The Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) is the city's fire protection and emergency medical services provider and is led by Fire/EMS Chief Corey A. Smedley.{{Cite web |title=Alexandria Fire Department |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Fire |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=City of Alexandria, VA |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173718/https://www.alexandriava.gov/Fire |url-status=live }} The AFD operates 10 stations throughout the city and employs over 300 fire and EMS professionals.

{{seealso|Alexandria Library (Virginia)}}

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.{{Cite web |title='This is day one' - Sands affirms Virginia Tech's commitment to Innovation Campus |url=https://news.vt.edu/content/news_vt_edu/en/articles/2018/11/innovation-campus-day.html |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=news.vt.edu |language=en}} 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 {{wmata|King Street}} 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.

{{Further|Alexandria City Public 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. Minnie Howard Ninth Grade Center serves 9th graders while the Alexandria City High School serves 10th through 12th for the entire city.

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%.{{cite web |url=http://www.bestplaces.net/school/SchoolStats.aspx?uid=5100069&udid=15100030 |title=Best Places to Live in the United States |website=Bestplaces.net |access-date=November 29, 2009 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331090350/https://www.bestplaces.net/error/404.aspx |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.bestplaces.net/school/SchoolStats.aspx?uid=5100071&udid=15100030 |title=Best Places to Live in the United States |website=Bestplaces.net |access-date=November 28, 2009 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331090341/https://www.bestplaces.net/error/404.aspx |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.bestplaces.net/school/SchoolStats.aspx?uid=5100080&udid=15100030 |title=Best Places to Live in the United States |website=Bestplaces.net |access-date=November 28, 2009 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331090344/https://www.bestplaces.net/error/404.aspx |url-status=live}}

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.

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.{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/health-department/program/clinical-services | title=Clinical Services | publisher=City of Alexandria | date=August 15, 2024 | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524201353/https://www.alexandriava.gov/health-department/program/clinical-services | archive-date=May 24, 2024}}

File:2019-06-26 12 17 29 View south along Interstate 95 and west along Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) from the overpass for the ramp connecting Mill Road to Interstate 95 northbound and Interstate 495 eastbound in Alexandria, Virginia.jpg/I-495 (the Capital Beltway), in Alexandria]]

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. Interstate 395 crosses north and south through the western part of the city. Alexandria is bisected east and west by State Route 7 (VA 7/King Street). The most western section of King Street in the city was once the terminus of the Leesburg Turnpike. VA 7 terminates at State Route 400 (VA 400/Washington Street), which connects the northern and southern segments of George Washington Memorial Parkway (G.W. Parkway). State Route 236 (VA 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 State Route 241 (Telegraph Road), as well as multiple thoroughfares serving the western side of the city, which are State Route 401 (Van Dorn Street), State Route 402 (Quaker Lane), and State Route 420 (Seminary Road in the west, Janneys Lane in the east). U.S. Route 1 (Richmond Highway) passes north–south through the city, parallel and west of Washington Street and the G.W. Parkway. Through Old Town, the highway follows Patrick and Henry Streets.{{cite web | url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/Street_Map2023_w_index.pdf | title=City of Alexandria Street Map | publisher=City of Alexandria | year=2023 | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240810112838/https://www.alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/Street_Map2023_w_index.pdf | archive-date=August 10, 2024}}{{cite web | url=https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/media/vdotvirginiagov/travel-and-traffic/maps/cities/arlington-alexandria-map.jpg | title=Virginia cities in detail - Arlington and Alexandria | year=2024 | publisher=Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608235347/https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/media/vdotvirginiagov/travel-and-traffic/maps/cities/arlington-alexandria-map.jpg | archive-date=June 8, 2024}}

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.{{Cite web |title=The Fare-Free New DASH Network is Coming this Sunday, Sept. 5 | DASH |url=https://www.dashbus.com/Sept5 |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=Dashbus.com | archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127001931/https://www.dashbus.com/Sept5 |url-status=live}} DASH also offers a "trolley" diesel bus service on King Street from the {{wmata|King Street–Old Town}} Metro station to the Waterfront.{{cite web |url=http://www.dashbus.com/Trolley |title=DASH : King Street Trolley – FREE |website=Dashbus.com |access-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150209153908/http://www.dashbus.com/Trolley |archive-date=February 9, 2015 |url-status=dead}} Metrobus also serves Alexandria along with Metrorail's Blue and Yellow Lines with stops at {{wmata|Potomac Yard}}, {{wmata|Braddock Road}}, King Street-Old Town, {{wmata|Eisenhower Avenue}}, and {{wmata|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.{{Cite web |title=Water Taxi Ferry Service Washington DC | City Cruises |url=https://www.cityexperiences.com/washington-dc/city-cruises/water-taxi/washington-dc-water-taxi/ |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=City Experiences anchored by Hornblower |language=en-US |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127001930/https://www.cityexperiences.com/washington-dc/city-cruises/water-taxi/washington-dc-water-taxi/ |url-status=live}}

File:Amtrak 82 at Alexandria Union Station in 2007.jpg train at Alexandria's Union Station]]

Alexandria Union Station, the city's historic train station, has Amtrak intercity services and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) 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.{{Cite web |title=CSX.com - CSX Closes Sale on First Phase of the $525-Million Rail Transaction with the Commonwealth of Virginia |url=https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/media/press-releases/csx-closes-sale-on-first-phase-of-the-525-million-rail-transaction-with-the-commonwealth-of-virginia/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=www.csx.com |language=en |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200258/https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/media/press-releases/csx-closes-sale-on-first-phase-of-the-525-million-rail-transaction-with-the-commonwealth-of-virginia/ |url-status=live }} In addition, Norfolk Southern Railway operates a freight rail line and a transload terminal in the city.{{cite web | url=https://www.norfolksouthern.com/en/ship-by-rail/our-rail-network | title=Our Rail Network | publisher=Norfolk Southern Railway | year=2024 | accessdate=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718155244/https://www.norfolksouthern.com/en/ship-by-rail/our-rail-network | archive-date=July 18, 2024}}

Capital Bikeshare, a bicycle-sharing public transportation system, launched in Alexandria in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Press Kit |url=http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/press-kit |access-date=2022-01-28 |website=Capital Bikeshare |language=en |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121091929/https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/Press-Kit |url-status=live}} The system has 62 rental locations throughout the city.{{Cite web |title=Capital Bikeshare |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/Bikesharing |access-date=August 20, 2024 | publisher=City of Alexandria |language=en-US |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145333/https://alexandriava.gov/bikesharing}} The East Coast Greenway and Mount Vernon Trail cycle routes pass through Alexandria.

File:Gilbert_Stuart_Williamstown_Portrait_of_George_Washington.jpg was a Town Trustee, philanthropist, and resident. ]]

File:Robert_E_Lee_Edward_Caledon_Bruce_1865.jpeg grew up in Alexandria.]]

• Diedrich Bader, actor{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1993/07/11/diedrich-bader/b69bc28e-8475-45dc-a411-d579610bb328/ |title=Diedrich Bader |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 11, 1993 |accessdate=March 31, 2022 |author=Winslow, Harriet |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331091444/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1993/07/11/diedrich-bader/b69bc28e-8475-45dc-a411-d579610bb328/ |url-status=live}}
• Hannibal Brumskine III, internet entrepreneur{{Cite news |url=https://guardian.ng/life/music/hannibal-brumskine-iii-excites-industry-with-free-online-music-business-tips/ |title=HANNIBAL BRUMSKINE III EXCITES INDUSTRY WITH FREE ONLINE MUSIC BUSINESS TIPS |author=Diamond, Maria |publisher=Guardian.ng |date=September 26, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028204759/https://guardian.ng/life/music/hannibal-brumskine-iii-excites-industry-with-free-online-music-business-tips/ |url-status=live}}
• Sandor Bustamante, soccer player{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2019 |title=Loudoun United FC Aquire Midfielders Collin Verfurth and Sandor Bustamante |url=https://www.loudoununitedfc.com/news/2019/03/08/loudoun-united-fc-aquire-midfielders-collin-verfurth-and-sandor-bustamante/ |access-date=February 19, 2025 |website=Loudoun United FC}}
• Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police
• Leon Day, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher who played in the Negro leagues
• Elena Delle Donne, forward-guard, Washington Mystics, WNBA champion, two-time league MVP{{cite news |last1=Secrest |first1=Caroline |title=The Ultimate Guide to Alexandria's Celebrity Connections |url=https://blog.visitalexandriava.com/celebrity-connections/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=April 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420173928/https://blog.visitalexandriava.com/celebrity-connections/ |url-status=live}}
• Stefon Diggs, wide receiver for the Houston Texans
• Donna Dixon, former actress, model
• William O. Douglas, American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US 1939–75, and environmentalist resided in Old Town for four decades
• Chad Dukes, Alexandria, Virginia radio personality, pioneer in podcasting{{Cite web |url=http://www.bigoanddukes.com/index.asp |title=Home – The Big O And Dukes |website=boad |access-date=December 4, 2016 |archive-date=December 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208223036/http://www.bigoanddukes.com/index.asp |url-status=live}}
• Marion Moncure Duncan, 25th President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution
• Cass Elliot and John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas
• Charles Esten, actor, singer
• Margaret Fetterolf, previously unidentified murder victim discovered in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland in 1976, identified in 2021
• Gerald R. Ford, former President of the United States, lived at 1521 Mount Eagle Place in Parkfairfax, and later at 514 Crown View Drive, where he lived during his term as vice president and for the first ten days of his presidency
• Rick Franklin, a Piedmont blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, was born in Alexandria{{cite book |first1=Bob L. |last1=Eagle |first2=Eric S. |last2=LeBlanc |title=Blues: A Regional Experience |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 |date=May 1, 2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-34424-4 |page=133 |access-date=May 24, 2017 |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817163956/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 |url-status=live}}
• Dave Grohl, founder and frontman of Foo Fighters, drummer for Nirvana
• Moses Hepburn, first African American town councilor of West Chester, Pennsylvania
• Sarah Gibson Jones, African American educator, journalist, poet, lecturer, and clubwoman
• Archie Kao, actor, who grew up in Alexandria and graduated from George Mason University in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.
• Thomas Kail, theater director[http://www.lct.org/showBlog.htm?id=188&blogEntryId=133 "Thomas Kail"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717023032/http://www.lct.org/showBlog.htm?id=188&blogEntryId=133 |date=July 17, 2011 }}. Lincoln Center Theater. July 31, 2009.
• Angus King, U.S. Senator for the state of Maine{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Colin WoodardStaff |date=2012-09-22 |title=The making of a man without a party |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2012/09/22/the-making-of-a-man-without-a-party_2012-09-23/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Press Herald |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610183341/https://www.pressherald.com/2012/09/22/the-making-of-a-man-without-a-party_2012-09-23/ |url-status=live }}
• Gregory Lawler, mathematician who won the 2019 Wolf Prize in mathematics
• Henry Lee III, often known by his nickname "Light-Horse Harry", Revolutionary War lieutenant colonel, Virginia Governor, father of Robert E. Lee moved to Alexandria in 1810
• Robert E. Lee, Civil War general, grew up on Oronoco Street{{Cite book |first=Emory M. |last=Thomas |title=Robert E. Lee |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co. |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-393-31631-5}}{{rp|32}}
• George Washington, owned a house in Alexandria where he would stay while conducting business. He was also active in the local government and masonic lodge.
• Thad Levine, general manager of Minnesota Twins, was born in Alexandria
• Emma Louise Lowe, American musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/12/30/obituaries/ab35a258-a4be-4dca-bbf1-47ddbd27e283/ |title=OBITUARIES - EMMA LOUISE LOWE Home Restorer |newspaper=Washington Post |date=December 30, 1995 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024092707/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/12/30/obituaries/ab35a258-a4be-4dca-bbf1-47ddbd27e283/ |url-status=bot: unknown}}()
• Noah Lyles, Olympian{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-track-and-field/athletes/Noah-Lyles |title=Noah Lyles |website=TeamUSA.org |publisher=United States Olympic Committee |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815160149/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-track-and-field/athletes/Noah-Lyles |url-status=dead}}
• Scott McKenzie, musician
• Jim Morrison of The Doors lived at 310 Woodland Terrace 1959–61
• David Lynch, filmmaker
• Dean Muhtadi, former American football player and former WWE wrestler{{cite web |url=http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mojo-rawley-9113.html |title=Mojo Rawley: Profile & Match Listing |website=profightdb |access-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-date=April 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402043821/http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/mojo-rawley-9113.html |url-status=live}}
• Dermot Mulroney, American Actor, known for his role in My Best Friend's Wedding, among others
• Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget and former U.S. Congressman representing South Carolina, born in Alexandria
• Richard Nixon, former President of the United States, lived at 3426 Gunston Rd in Parkfairfax{{cite news |last1=Bobeczko |first1=Laura L. |title=A Study in Decentralized Living: Parkfairfax, Alexandria, Virginia |url=https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedfiles/historic/haq/HistoricAlexandriaQuarterly1997Spring.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2017 |issue=v3n6 Spring |publisher=Historic Alexandria Quarterly |date=1997 |archive-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210054737/https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedfiles/historic/haq/HistoricAlexandriaQuarterly1997Spring.pdf |url-status=live}}{{rp|11}}
• Sandie Pendleton, Lieutenant Colonel in the C.S Army, Adjutant to Stonewall Jackson and other Confederate Generals.
• Eddie Royal, Chicago Bears wide receiver{{cite web |url=http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=498&contentID=8656 |title=Official Site of the Denver Broncos |website=Denverbroncos.com |date=July 8, 2010 |access-date=July 15, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Willard Scott, national television personality, grew up in RosemontWillard Scott: {{Hanging indent |{{cite web |last=Tennant |first=Thomas |url=http://talkshows.about.com/od/thetodayshow/a/Willard-Scott-Biography.htm |title=Willard Scott Biography | A brief snapshot of 'The Today Show' forecaster |website=Talkshows.about.com |access-date=November 27, 2016 |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122071820/http://talkshows.about.com/od/thetodayshow/a/Willard-Scott-Biography.htm |url-status=live}}}} {{Hanging indent |{{cite web |url=http://www.searchnetworth.com/tag/willard-scott-stroke |title=Willard Scott Stroke | Search Net Worth of Celebrities |website=Searchnetworth.com |date=March 7, 1934 |access-date=November 27, 2016 |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122222910/http://www.searchnetworth.com/tag/willard-scott-stroke/ |url-status=live}}}}
• Garren Stitt, actor known for his roles in General Hospital and Andi Mack
• Nicholas Trist, Diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo
• Kali Uchis, singer
• Wernher von Braun, NASA rocket scientist, residence on Vicar Lane, buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery{{cite web |url=http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2012/mar/22/space-struck-resident |title=Space-Struck Resident |website=Connectionnewspapers.com |access-date=November 27, 2016 |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122225419/http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2012/mar/22/space-struck-resident/ |url-status=live}}
• Ella Wall Van Leer, American artist, architect and women's rights activist
• Richard Hooker Wilmer, former Episcopal bishop, second Bishop of Alabama
• Megan Young, Miss World Philippines 2013 and Miss World 2013{{cite web |title=Miss World Megan Young – Get To Know Her [Video] |first=Chelo |last=Aestrid |url=http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/miss-world-megan-young-get-to-know-her-video/ |date=September 29, 2013 |website=Las Vegas Guardian Express |access-date=September 29, 2013 |archive-date=October 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001055454/http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/miss-world-megan-young-get-to-know-her-video/ |url-status=live}}

{{In popular culture|section|date=July 2017}}

File:USA-Alexandria Marina0.jpg

• The PBS TV series Mercy Street is set in Alexandria during the American Civil War
• The Walking Dead comic book series and subsequent TV adaptation features a protected area of Alexandria known as the Safe Zone.{{cite magazine |last1=Thomas |first1=Leah |title=What Happens To Alexandria In The 'Walking Dead' Comics? The Safe-Zone Isn't Going Anywhere |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/194452-what-happens-to-alexandria-in-the-walking-dead-comics-the-safe-zone-isnt-going-anywhere |access-date=March 25, 2017 |magazine=Bustle |date=November 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326051226/https://www.bustle.com/articles/194452-what-happens-to-alexandria-in-the-walking-dead-comics-the-safe-zone-isnt-going-anywhere |url-status=live}}
• The 2000 film Remember the Titans about the T.C. Williams High School football team's 1971 state championship team, takes place in Alexandria and the cemetery scene was filmed at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria. However, the school featured in the movie was not the actual T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria.
• Alternative rock band the Foo Fighters has a track titled "Arlandria" on their 2011 release Wasting Light; front man (and ex-Nirvana drummer) Dave Grohl lived in Alexandria during the early 2000s and recorded two Foo Fighters albums in his home studio. The Arlandria neighborhood is also referenced in the song "Headwires" from the band's 1999 release, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.{{cite web |last1=Childers |first1=Chad |title=16 Years Ago: Foo Fighters Release 'One By One' Album |url=http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-one-by-one-album-anniversary/ |website=Loudwire |access-date=February 11, 2019 |language=en |date=October 22, 2017 |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218173639/http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-one-by-one-album-anniversary/ |url-status=live}}
• In The X-Files, the address of Special Agent Fox Mulder is given as Apartment 42, 2630 Hegal Place, Alexandria, VA 23242.{{cite episode |episode-link=Small Potatoes (The X-Files) |title=Small Potatoes |series=The X-Files |series-link=The X-Files |credits=Cliff Bole (director); Vince Gilligan (writer) |network=Fox |season=4 |number=20 |airdate=April 20, 1997}}

Alexandria has four sister cities:{{cite web |url=https://www.municode.com/library/va/alexandria/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCOGEOR_TIT1GEPR_CH2SICI_S1-2-1ES |title=Code of Ordinances of the City of Alexandria, Virginia (Title 1, Chapter 2, Sec. 1-2-1) |date=June 26, 2019 |publisher=City Council, City of Alexandria, Virginia |access-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916012945/https://www.municode.com/library/va/alexandria/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCOGEOR_TIT1GEPR_CH2SICI_S1-2-1ES |url-status=live}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

• {{flagdeco|ARM}} Gyumri, Shirak Province, Armenia
• {{flagdeco|SWE}} Helsingborg, Skåne County, Sweden
• {{flagdeco|SCO}} Dundee, Scotland{{cite web |title=Tobacco to Tourism: Celebrating Alexandria's Scottish Heritage – "Dundee, Scotland: Alexandria's Sister City" |url=http://oha.alexandriava.gov/oha-main/oha_tobacco_exhibit.html |publisher=City Council, City of Alexandria, Virginia |access-date=March 18, 2008 |archive-date=December 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202014814/http://oha.alexandriava.gov/oha-main/oha_tobacco_exhibit.html |url-status=live}}
• {{flagdeco|FRA}} Caen, Calvados, France{{cite web |url=http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4#tabs3 |title=National Commission for Decentralised cooperation |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=Délégation pour l'Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) |language=fr |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131127063207/http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4#tabs3 |archive-date=November 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}{{cite web |url=http://alexandriacaen.wordpress.com/ |title=Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee website |work=Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee |access-date=September 19, 2014 |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802060516/https://alexandriacaen.wordpress.com/ |url-status=live}}

{{div col end}}

Alexandria was twinned with Gyumri as a means of showing goodwill in the wake of the 1988 Armenian earthquake.{{cite web |url=http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/fy04/042704rm/di%2014.pdf |title=Alexandria–Gyumri Sister Cities Committee Report to the Alexandria City Council (March 2004) |date=March 2004 |publisher=Alexandria–Gyumri Sister Cities Committee of the City of Alexandria, Virginia |access-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915130133/http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/fy04/042704rm/di%2014.pdf |url-status=live}}

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Alexandria, Virginia
• Wales Brewery

{{Reflist}}

{{US government sources|article=Potomac River Mineral Oil Spill; Alexandria, VA|url=http://www.weather.gov/oun/events-19990503}}

• {{EB1911|wstitle=Alexandria (Virginia)|display=Alexandria|volume=1|pages=572–573}}
• Powell, Mary G., The History of Old Alexandria Virginia, Richmond: William Byrd Press, 1928.
• Seale, William. The Alexandria Library Company, Alexandria, VA: Alexandria Library, 2007.

{{Sister project links |collapsible=collapsed|voy=Alexandria (Virginia)}}

• {{officialwebsite|alexandriava.gov}}
• [https://thechamberalx.com/ The Chamber ALX - Alexandria Chamber of Commerce]
• [http://www.historicalexandriafoundation.org/ Historic Alexandria Foundation]
• [https://visitalexandria.com/ Visit Alexandria]

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Alexandria, Virginia

|North = Arlington County

|Northeast =

|East = District of Columbia

|Southeast =

|South = Fairfax County

|Southwest =

|West = Fairfax County

|Northwest =

}}

{{Alexandria, Virginia|nocat=yes}}

{{DCMetroArea|nocat=yes}}

{{Virginia|nocat=yes}}

{{District of Columbia}}

{{Northeast Megalopolis|nocat=yes}}

{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}

{{All-American City Award Hall of Fame|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1745 establishments in the Colony of Virginia

Category:Art gallery districts

Category:Cities in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

Category:Cities in Virginia

Category:History of the District of Columbia

Category:Northern Virginia

Category:Majority-minority counties and independent cities in Virginia

Category:Populated places established in 1745

Category:Virginia populated places on the Potomac River

Category:Washington metropolitan area