Arlington County, Virginia: A History

ix, 274 pp. This is a comprehensive history of the area known today as Arlington County, Virginia. It tells of the early Indian occupation, the days when explorers, traders, and land speculators came up the Potomac River from Jamestown to this new frontier. Settlement was sparse for decades; at the time of the Revolution barely 800 people lived here. The County acquired a separate identity in 1801 when it became part of the District of Columbia. Retroceded to Virginia in 1846, it was occupied by Federal troops during the Civil War. Recovery was slow, but by the turn of the century, Arlington was thriving. The pace of development quickened. Population density increased. Farms gave way to villages, villages to subdivision developments, single family homes to high rise apartments until now Arlington is part of the core of the Washington Metropolitan Region. All these events are set against the background of the times in which they occurred so that the history of Arlington can be seen in perspective.