Arlington, Virginia

As of 2000, the population is 189,453. Its county seat is the census-designated place of Arlington⁶. Strictly speaking, it is inaccurate to refer to a city or town of Arlington. Arlington County has no incorporated area within its borders. While Virginia law normally allows cities or towns to be incorporated within counties, a special provision prevents the creation of any municipality within Arlington County. Under Virginia law, there is no such thing as an Arlington city.

This county is a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 67 km² (26 mi²). 67 km² (26 mi²) of it is land and 0 km² (0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water.

Arlington County is the smallest county in the State, and is one of the smallest in the United States.

Demographics

There are 86,352 households out of which 19.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.30% are married couples living together, 7.00% have a female householder with no husband present, and 54.50% are non-families. 40.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.15 and the average family size is 2.96.

In the county, the population is spread out with 16.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 42.40% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $63,001, and the median income for a family is $78,877. Males have a median income of $51,011 versus $41,552 for females. The per capita income for the county is $37,706. 7.80% of the population and 5.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.10% are under the age of 18 and 7.00% are 65 or older.

Arlington County is also the home of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as well as the Pentagon, although it has a Washington, D.C. address. The Arlington National Cemetery is also located here, which contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the grave of John F. Kennedy.

History

Arlington County was part of the original ten-mile square created as the District of Columbia in 1791 pursuant to Article I, Section 17, of the United States Constitution. The portion of the District created from territory ceded by Virginia was termed Alexandria County of the District of Columbia. It included the present Arlington County plus part of what is now the independent city of Alexandria, Virginia. The area was returned to Virginia by an act of the United States Congress on July 9, 1846 following a referendum of its citizens. In 1870, Alexandria seceded from Alexandria County, and because of the confusion between the city and the county having the same name, a movement started to rename Alexandria County. In 1920, the name Arlington County was adopted, after Arlington House, the home of the American Civil War general Robert E. Lee, which stands on the grounds of what is now Arlington National Cemetery.

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