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Arlington
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the Pentagon The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, Arlington county, Virginia.

Arlington

county, Virginia, United States
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Biden delivers remarks at Arlington for Veterans Day • Nov. 12, 2024, 1:54 AM ET (CBS)
Army releases redacted police report on altercation during Trump's Arlington cemetery visit • Oct. 25, 2024, 5:15 PM ET (AP)
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington, Virginia

Arlington, urban county in northern Virginia, U.S., lying across the Potomac River (southwest) from Washington, D.C., and adjoining the city of Alexandria (south). Arlington is connected to Washington by five bridges—Francis Scott Key, Arlington Memorial, George Mason, Theodore Roosevelt, and Rochambeau Memorial.

Established as Bellehaven (later Alexandria) county, it was ceded to the Federal Government in 1789 and became part of the District of Columbia. The county was returned to Virginia in 1846 and was renamed Arlington in 1920 for the former estate of the Custis-Lee families. Arlington has developed from a number of small villages (including Arlington, the county seat) into an integral part of metropolitan Washington. Governed as a unit, it has no incorporated places.

Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

One of the smallest counties in the nation, Arlington covers 24 square miles (62 square km) of which about 20 percent is federal property occupied by Arlington National Cemetery, Washington National Airport, Fort Myer, and the Pentagon (Department of Defense) and other government offices. The county has become a residential and bustling business community with clusters of high-rise buildings and some light manufactures (electric components, scientific instruments, machinery). Housing developments include Ballston, Buckingham, Cherrydale, Clarendon, Columbia Pike, East Falls, Fairlington, Rosslyn, and Westover. Marymount University (Roman Catholic) was founded (1950) in Arlington. Pop. (2000) 189,453; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro Division, 3,727,565; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro Area, 4,796,183; (2010) 207,627; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro Division, 4,377,008; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro Area, 5,582,170.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.