About
The City of Alexandria, first known as Belle Haven, was named in honor of John Alexander, who in the last quarter of the 17th century had bought the land on which the city now stands from Robert Howison; the first settlement here was made in 1695. Alexandria was laid out in 1749 and was incorporated in 1779.
Old Town, in the eastern and southeastern areas of Alexandria and on the Potomac River, is the oldest section of the city, originally laid out in 1749, and is a historic district. Old Town is chiefly known for its historic (and expensive) town houses, its art galleries and antique shops, and its restaurants and nightlife, although it is in reality a diverse area that includes substantial public housing. Old Town is laid out on a grid plan of substantially square blocks.
The city has a distributed park system with approximately 950 acres spread across 70 major parks and 30 recreation centers of which Chinquapin is one the largest, offering facilities for swimming, tennis, racquetball and other sports. The city also organizes several sports leagues throughout the year including volleyball, softball and basketball. Alexandria is also unusual in that Cameron Run Regional Park includes a water park with a wave pool and water slides, as well as a miniature golf course and batting cages – facilities usually operated by private companies. A portion of the Mount Vernon Trail, a popular bike path, runs through Old Town near the Potomac River. There is also a line of parks stretching along the Alexandria waterfront from end to end which is largely unbroken.
Alexandria Virginia : 2009 Census Snapshot
| People QuickFacts | Alexandria city | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2009 estimate | 150,006 | 7,882,590 |
| Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 | 16.9% | 11.4% |
| Population estimates base (April 1) 2000 | 128,351 | 7,079,048 |
| Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 | 18.3% | 23.4% |
| Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Female persons, percent, 2009 | 51.5% | 50.8% |
| White persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 69.6% | 72.8% |
| Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 22.4% | 20.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Asian persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 5.8% | 5.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2009 | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2009 (b) | 14.7% | 7.2% |
| White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2009 | 56.3% | 66.3% |
| Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 36.7% | 52.2% |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 25.4% | 8.1% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 30.0% | 11.1% |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 86.8% | 81.5% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 54.3% | 29.5% |
| Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 | 17,559 | 1,155,083 |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000 | 29.7 | 27.0 |
| Housing units, 2009 | 70,781 | 3,330,461 |
| Homeownership rate, 2000 | 40.0% | 68.1% |
| Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000 | 63.8% | 21.5% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 | $252,800 | $125,400 |
| Households, 2000 | 61,889 | 2,699,173 |
| Persons per household, 2000 | 2.04 | 2.54 |
| Median household income, 2008 | $82,487 | $61,210 |
| Per capita money income, 1999 | $37,645 | $23,975 |
| Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008 | 8.0% | 10.2% |
| Business QuickFacts | Alexandria city | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Private nonfarm establishments, 2007 | 4,582 | 200,5031 |
| Private nonfarm employment, 2007 | 81,798 | 3,196,9141 |
| Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2007 | 0.3% | 10.1%1 |
| Nonemployer establishments, 2007 | 11,345 | 502,175 |
| Total number of firms, 2002 | 13,801 | 529,520 |
| Black-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 12.5% | 7.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.5% |
| Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 8.4% | 5.8% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.1% |
| Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 7.3% | 3.6% |
| Women-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 28.5% | 29.7% |
| Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) | 272,232 | 83,952,547 |
| Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) | 902,076 | 69,267,796 |
| Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) | 2,053,604 | 80,509,062 |
| Retail sales per capita, 2002 | $15,825 | $11,069 |
| Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) | 395,295 | 10,929,429 |
| Building permits, 2009 | 236 | 21,452 |
| Federal spending, 2008 | 5,554,726 | 118,526,7031 |
| Geography QuickFacts | Alexandria city | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Land area, 2000 (square miles) | 15.18 | 39,594.07 |
| Persons per square mile, 2000 | 8,552.2 | 178.8 |
| FIPS Code | 510 | 51 |
| Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area | |
