Alexandria, Virginia Real Estate
Alexandria: From Berkeley to DC

Alexandria is located on the west bank of the Potomac River, six miles below Washington, D.C. and nine miles north of Mount Vernon. Much of present-day Alexandria was included in a land grant from Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, to Robert Howsing, an English ship captain, on October 21, 1669. The tract, which extended along the Potomac River from Hunting Creek on the south to the Little Falls on the north, was made by authority of King Charles II in recognition of Captain Howsing's bringing 120 people to live in Virginia. Less than a month later, Howsing sold the land to John Alexander.

In 1789, Alexandria and a portion of Fairfax County were ceded by the State of Virginia to become a part of the newly created 10-mile-square District of Columbia. Formally accepted by Congress in 1801, Alexandria remained under the aegis of the new federal government until it was retroceded to Virginia in 1847. In 1852, it acquired city status and gained a new charter.

Since 1988, Alexandria has experienced unprecedented commercial development. Today the Old Town historic district is known for its array of museums, architecture, special events, fine restaurants and hotels, and other attractions that draw more than 1.5 million international and domestic visitors to it each year. More than two million square feet of new office complexes have been constructed. With this development, the City has become a mecca for divisional, regional, national, and multinational headquarters for operations ranging from research and development to high technology, associations, and professional services.

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