An independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Alexandria is situated on the Western bank of the Potomac River and is about 10 km south of downtown Washington, D.C. Being close to the United States’ capital city, Washington D.C., it is largely populated by people who work in the federal civil service or the U.S. military, the Center for Naval Analyses or for private companies who sub-contract their services to the federal government.
The historic city center of this town is called the Old Town. This charming part of town has several restaurants, upmarket boutiques, theaters and antique shops and tourists love the ambience here. In other parts of Alexandria as in the Old Town, neighborhoods are walkable and posh suburbs of Washington D.C. In fact, it is Virginia State’s No. 7 largest city, besides also being the state’s highest income city among all independent cities here.
If you visit Alexandria and want to go to Old Town, you can see the whole city from the west from the observation deck of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. It comprises 70 large parks and has 30 recreation centers, of which one of the biggest is Chinquapin. If you come with your family, you can go to Cameron Run Regional Park to enjoy the water sports.
Other important historical sites here are Christ Church, John Carlyle House, Gadsby's Tavern, Little Theatre of Alexandria, Alexandria City Hall, Lee-Fendall House, Fort Ward Park, the Torpedo Factory Art Center, the Jones Point Light, etc.