Q: Where exactly is Arlington, VA located?
A: Arlington is the closest point in Virginia to Washington, D.C., which is situated at the center of a metropolitan area, the “D.C. region”, that incorporates Northern Virginia, Maryland suburbs and the eastern portion of the West Virginia panhandle. In the 19th century, Arlington was actually the southern portion of the diamond-shaped land that made up the nation’s capital. In 1846, the land across the Potomac River was granted back to the Commonwealth of Virginia, making Arlington literally steps from D.C. Because of its proximity to the nation’s capital, Arlington is home to many research organizations, federal agencies and the Pentagon.
Q: What does "the DMV" stand for?
A: In Arlington, DMV doesn’t always mean the Department of Motor Vehicles. Most often, a reference to the DMV stands for D.C., Maryland and Virginia, representing the three distinct states/governing regions in the D.C. metropolitan area.
Q: Is Arlington a city or a county?
A: Arlington is a county, although it’s easy to be mistaken as a city. With just 26 square miles of land, Arlington is the smallest geographic county in the United States. The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, along with Crystal City and Pentagon City are part of an urban core built around the Metrorail system, but these urban centers are also surrounded by suburban, post World-War II era tree-lined neighborhoods. So, while the urban centers and proximity to Washington, D.C. give Arlington an urban feel, much of the county is suburban, with plenty of housing options. In fact, Arlington has over 40 million square feet of office space (more than downtown L.A., Denver and Atlanta) which is located on just 20% of the County’s land.
Q: Do people really take the Metro to work?
A: Means of transportation to an Arlington workplace include: