Arlington’s history dates back Native American sites from over 13,500 years ago. Recorded history indicates that the Iroquois ceded to colonial Virginia all of their lands south of the Potomac and east of the Blue Ridge in 1722 . At this time, Gerald Alexander built the first mansion named Abingdon, in the region. The site of the ruins of Abingdon are restored on the grounds of the Reagan Washington National Airport.
In 1749, the town established on Alexander land at was named Alexandria. Three years later, George Town was established on the Maryland side of the river west of Rock Creek. The four corners of the community that later became Arlington were Alexandria, Falls Church, Falls Warehouse, and Awbery’s Ferry. The District of Columbia was not organized until 1801 and at that time Arlington County (then called Alexandria County) was located in the ten mile square of the District of Columbia. In 1846, the County voted to recede from DC and Alexandria County once again became a separate county in the Virginia. In 1920 to avoid confusion between Alexandria County and the City of Alexandria, the name of the County was changed to Arlington.
During World War I and World War II, the region was flooded with military personnel and civilian workers supporting the war effort. Arlington’s population doubled. The Pentgon, opened in 1943, and employed more than 36,000 military and civilian workers. The post-World War II period brought rapid urbanization of Arlington County and that growth has continued through the 2000’s. Today, Arlington is a major employment and tourism center. Increasing numbers of businesses and federal agencies choose Arlington for expansion and millions of tourist flock to Arlington County each year.
