General History of Arlington- by Isabel Amend

1.http://library.arlingtonva.us/departments/libraries/history/librarieshistorylocalhistory.aspx

2. http://www.helloarlington.com/history.cfm

3. http://www.homesofarlingtonvirginia.com/history-arlington-virginia.htm

The county/city of Arlington Virginia is the 2nd smallest in the nation. Founded in 1749 as a part of Alexandria, Arlington finally adopted its current name in 1920 when the local government wanted to avoid confusion between the City of Alexandria and Alexandria County.

During World War 1 and World War 2 Arlington saw a rapid growth in the number of military personnel and civilian workers supporting the war effort. This led to increased urbanization, especially since important landmarks such as the Pentagon were developed in the county, and the opportunities held by the District of Columbia sprawled just across the Potomac River (within easy driving distance). As the Pentagon, the largest office building in the world to date, opened in 1943, 36,000 military and civilian workers flocked to Arlington.

With more working professionals came more urbanization and growth, hence the development of Roslyn, Clarendon, Ballston, Shirlington, and Pentagon City. Outside of these cultural and economic centers of growth was the simultaneous move to build more comfortable homes sheltered in suburban areas, with more silence and less everyday hustle and bustle of dense populated areas. The neighborhoods around North Glebe Road, Williamsburg Circle, parts of Carling Springs, Old Dominion, and Military Road are manifestations of the suburbanite ideal.

Now Arlington is the smallest self governing county in the United States, but is extremely successful, boasting a median annual household income of $95,000 and a 4.2% unemployment rate. A number of prominent government and private industries take shelter in Arlington, including the National Science Foundation, the Pentagon, the Office of Naval Research, the Nature Conservancy, the US-Taiwan Business Council, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and Rosetta Stone.