Northern Virginia Local Living Guide
New to Northern Virginia, or still weighing it? Start here. What each town is actually like, what homes really cost, and what's going on this week.
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The towns
They're not interchangeable. Open any one for what you'd pay, how the schools rate, and what it's like to live there day to day.
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Arlington County
The urban county directly across the Potomac from Washington: the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the Pentagon, and National Landing, served by Metro's Orange, Silver, Blue, and Yellow lines.
Alexandria City
An independent city on the Potomac just south of DC. Old Town's King Street and waterfront, the Del Ray strip, and the redeveloping West End and Potomac Yard.
Fairfax County
Virginia's most populous locality and the metro's suburban core: Tysons, Reston, and the Mosaic District, with the Silver Line running out the Dulles corridor.
Fairfax City
A six-square-mile independent city surrounded by Fairfax County, with a walkable historic downtown at the crossroads of Routes 123 and 29-50, next door to George Mason University.
Falls Church City
A two-square-mile independent city between Arlington and Fairfax County with its own school division and a walkable center along West Broad Street.
Loudoun County
Dulles airport and the data-center corridor in the east, Leesburg's county seat in the middle, and wine-and-horse country toward the Blue Ridge in the west.
Prince William County
The metro's second ring: Woodbridge and Potomac Shores along the river, Gainesville and Haymarket at the foot of Bull Run Mountain, and Manassas National Battlefield Park in between.
Manassas City
An independent city built around a historic downtown and its train depot: VRE and Amtrak share the station, and Prince William's courts sit here.
Manassas Park City
One of Virginia's smallest independent cities, tucked between Manassas and Prince William County, with its own VRE station on the Manassas line.
Tools & lists
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Comparing costs in Northern Virginia? Use the moving guide for costs, taxes, and local tradeoffs.
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This page is focused on Northern Virginia. Open a neighboring guide when your search crosses into another part of the region.