Alexandria, Virginia
In the summer of 1608, English settler John Smith explored the Potomac River and came into contact with the Patawomeck and Doeg tribes who lived on the Virginia side. Archaeologists estimate that 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. On this visit, Smith recorded the presence of a settlement called Assaomeck near the south bank of what is now Hunting Creek.
On the 21st of October 1669, a patent granted to Robert Howsing for transporting 120 people to the Colony of Virginia created the tract that later became the City of Alexandria. 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. 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.
Around 1746, Captain Philip Alexander II moved to what is south of present Duke Street in Alexandria. His estate consisted of 500 acres 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 the 1st of November 1748. The petition asked that "the inhabitants of Fairfax (Co.) praying that a town may be established at Hunting Creek Warehouse on Potowmack River." Lawrence Washington introduced the petition as the representative for Fairfax County. George Washington made a sketch of the shoreline touting the advantages of the tobacco warehouse site.
Philip opposed the idea since the river site was amidst his estate. He strongly favored a site at the head of Hunting Creek. To avoid a predicament, the petitioners offered to name the new town Alexandria in honor of Philip's family. On the 2nd of May 1749, the House of Burgesses approved the river location. A Public Vendue auction was advertised for July. The county surveyor laid out street lanes and town lots. The auction was conducted on the 13th of July 14, 1749. Almost immediately upon establishment, the town founders called the new town Belhaven. This name fell out of favor in the mid-1750s. The town of Alexandria did not become incorporated until 1779.
Within a month of the Battle of Fort Sumter, Union Army troops occupied Alexandria landing troops at the base of King Street on the Potomac River on the 24th of May 1861. A few blocks up King Street from their landing site, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth sortied with a small detachment to remove a large Confederate flag displayed on the roof of the Marshall House Inn. 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.
Alexandria remained under military occupation until the end of the Civil War. There were five military prisons in the city, the largest being the Washington Street Military Prison. 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. Until the Emancipation Proclamation of the 1st of January 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. This represented 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. This newly enfranchised constituency provided the support necessary to elect the first black Alexandrians to the City Council and the Virginia Legislature.
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 the 18th of February 1905. Prohibition closed Portner Brewing in 1916. President Woodrow Wilson visited the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation on the 30th of May 1918 to drive the first rivet into the keel of a ship.
In 1930, Alexandria annexed the town adjacent to Potomac Yard incorporated in 1908 named Potomac. In 1938 the Mt. Vernon Drive-In cinema opened. In 1939, the segregated public library experienced a sit-in organized by Samuel Wilbert Tucker. In 1940, both the Robert Robinson Library and the Vernon Theatre opened. Jim Morrison of The Doors attended George Washington High School in the 1950s along with Cass Elliot and John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.
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.
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. Tourism generated $2 billion in revenue in 2024. As of March 2024, 2.0% of Alexandria residents were unemployed.
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. In order to prevent people from using the alleyway, Hollensbury constructed a 15 feet wide, 25 feet deep, 18 feet high, 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 occupied.
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 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.
In 2008 the City Council approved a charter where citizens, businesses, and city government participate in a vibrant community always mindful of the needs and lifestyles of the generations to come. 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. An ecocity is defined as an ecologically healthy city. In 2022, Alexandria enacted a 5-cent plastic bag tax consistent with the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags in the United States.
Until 2014, local legislation mandated that all new north, south streets in the city be named for Confederate military leaders. 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. In 2019, the name of U.S. 1 was changed from Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway. In December 2023, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Ted Leonsis announced plans to develop a 70-acre area in Potomac Yards.
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. Robert E. Lee grew up on Oronoco Street. Henry Lee III moved to Alexandria in 1810. Richard Nixon lived at 3426 Gunston Rd in Parkfairfax. Gerald Ford lived at 1521 Mount Eagle Place in Parkfairfax and later at 514 Crown View Drive. He lived there during his term as vice president and for the first ten days of his presidency.
Jim Morrison of The Doors lived at 310 Woodland Terrace from 1959 to 1961. Dave Grohl is founder and frontman of Foo Fighters and drummer for Nirvana. Stewart Copeland is drummer for The Police. Stefon Diggs is wide receiver for the New England Patriots. Elena Delle Donne is forward-guard for the Washington Mystics and WNBA champion. Noah Lyles is an Olympian. Wernher von Braun was a NASA rocket scientist residing on Vicar Lane buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery.
The city has four sister cities: Gyumri, Shirak Province, Armenia; Helsingborg, Skåne County, Sweden; Dundee, Scotland; and Caen, Calvados, France. Alexandria was twinned with Gyumri as a means of showing goodwill in the wake of the 1988 Armenian earthquake. A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk which was established in 1969. The event involves a parade through the center of Old Town celebrating the city's Scottish heritage.
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Common questions
When was the City of Alexandria officially established by the House of Burgesses?
The House of Burgesses approved the river location for the town on the 2nd of May 1749. A public vendue auction to lay out street lanes and town lots was conducted on the 13th of July 1749.
Who founded the original settlement that became Alexandria Virginia?
Captain Philip Alexander II moved to the area around 1746, and his estate formed the basis for the new town. The petitioners named the town Alexandria in honor of Philip's family to resolve a dispute over the site location.
What happened to Union Army troops in Alexandria during the Civil War?
Union Army troops occupied Alexandria on the 24th of May 1861 shortly after the Battle of Fort Sumter. The city remained under military occupation until the end of the Civil War with five military prisons operating within its borders.
How did the population of Alexandria change between 1861 and 1863?
By the fall of 1863 the population of Alexandria had exploded to 18,000 people representing an increase of 10,000 residents in just 16 months. This growth occurred as escaped African American slaves poured into the city seeking safety behind Union lines.
Which famous musicians attended high school in Alexandria during the 1950s?
Jim Morrison of The Doors attended George Washington High School in the 1950s along with Cass Elliot and John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas. Jim Morrison lived at 310 Woodland Terrace from 1959 to 1961 while attending the school.