Arlington

Sitting at the doorstep of the nation’s capital, Arlington is a dynamic collection of communities that marry cosmopolitan energy with suburban tranquility. The county extends across an area of just under 26 square miles on the west bank of the Potomac River, across from Washington D.C., and it’s bounded by McLean to the north, Alexandria to the south, and Falls Church and Fairfax County to the west.

Famous for being home to Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon, it is a major hub of the Washington metropolitan area and is a patchwork of dense urban centers bristling with high-rises and quiet, tree-shaded residential neighborhoods.

What You’ll Love About Arlington

• Easy commute: With 16 bus routes, 11 Metro stations, an airport, and five bridges that link it to D.C., it’s relatively painless to get into, out of, and around Arlington. Major thoroughfares are US-1, US-29, US-50, I-66, and I-395. And if you’d rather bike, you’re in luck — the county’s bicycle network features over 100 miles of multiuse trails, bike lanes, and bike routes.
• Employment opportunities abound: Apart from the Pentagon and Fort Myer, Arlington boasts a high concentration of federal government agencies. (Fun fact: around a fifth of Arlington’s area is federal property.) These include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In the private sector, top employers include Deloitte, Accenture, Amazon, Boeing, Gartner, Lockheed Martin, and Virginia Hospital Center.
• Excellent shopping and dining: Arlington has a vibrant, world-class shopping and dining scene. You’ll find all kinds of restaurants and cuisines here, from Mexican (try Buena Vida Gastrolounge), Italian (Sfoglina), and Japanese (Yume Sushi) to Southern comfort food (Ruthie’s All Day). There are craft cocktail spots, rooftop bars, classic diners, and more. Shopaholics head to Fashion Centre at Pentagon City for the largest selection of retailers in the area and to Ballston Quarter and the Village at Shirlington for independent brands.
• No end of things to see and do: There’s always something to do in Arlington, whether you want to catch a play at the Signature Theatre, pay your respects at Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial, run or bike the 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail, or go ice skating.
• Well-established neighborhoods: Arlington is composed of around five dozen neighborhoods, each with its own unique character. There’s the aptly named tree-shaded Arlington Forest, trendy Clarendon and Ballston-Virginia Square, bustling Crystal City, historic Arlington Heights, and many more.

Arlington Real Estate

Buyers will find plenty to choose from in Arlington, whether they’re looking for a one-bedroom condo in a 55+ community, a garden apartment, a charming ranch or Cape Cod, a spacious penthouse, a venerable brick colonial, or a newly built modern home.

Options vary by neighborhood: if you want luxe condos with great views, head to Rosslyn; if you’d prefer a townhome or townhouse-style condo in a walkable neighborhood, check out Columbia Heights or Fairlington. Looking for a vintage home? Explore neighborhoods like Alcova Heights, Aurora Highlands, and Barcroft. Many neighborhoods, such as Penrose, also offer a wide range of property types.