Arlington, Va. is a city of 200,000, just across the river from the nation�s capital, Washington, DC. The city of Arlington, of just 26 square miles and is coexistent with the county of Arlington. This area of Virginia was originally supposed to be part of the District of Columbia, the United States� capital. Arlington homes are very desirable, with its easy access to Washington DC, and homes start at about $350,000, with some small condo apartments at lower prices. For example, in the 1800 Wilson Condominium, one bedroom condos are for sale for about $350,000, and these are located five blocks from the orange line metro (subway) station of Clarendon, which takes you directly into Washington DC. The kitchen has granite countertops and other nice features. New development is organized near several of the Washington area subway stops in Arlington, in order to keep less built up areas of the county in that condition. This is in keeping with Arlington�s development plan, with development sites close to the Rosslyn, Courthouse and Clarendon Metro stations.

Despite some noises about over-building of condos and overpricing, Arlington, due to its proximity to WDC is still an area of high demand for housing. At a greater distance from those urban village areas, increased density is limited or prohibited. Arlington implemented a new affordable housing policy, requiring most developers to contribute significant amounts to affordable housing, in order to be able to build the most stories and size developments. Arlington is served by the Orange, Blue and Yellow lines of the Washington Metro. Additionally, it is served by Virginia Railway Express, Metrobus, and a local public bus system, Arlington Transit (ART). Other urban neighborhoods of Arlington include Ballston, Pentagon City and Crystal City. Many hotels for staying in while visiting the Washington area are also located in Arlington.

Arlington Va. is also the home of Arlington National Cemetery, the resting grounds of almost 300,000 people, including President John Kennedy. It is located along the Potomac River. On the grounds of the cemetery are historic sites such as Arlington House, which was built in 1817, and has a collection of heirlooms of the George Washington family. Another attraction is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on a hill overlooking Washington, DC. Other sites near the cemetery are the USMC War Memorial, commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Netherlands Carillon, which is a series of bells that can be played by an organ.

The Pentagon in Arlington is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and was built during World War II. It is the world's largest office building. The building is shaped like a pentagon and has five floors, with each floor having five ring corridors. Unless you are planning your vacation to Washington six months in advance, you are not getting in, but many tourists travel to the Pentagon metro stop, just to get a closer look, and take pictures of this massive structure.

George Mason University operates an Arlington campus in the Virginia Square area. George Mason also has a Law School in Arlington. The George Mason Law School was recently ranked as 34th best law school, by US News & World Report magazine.

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Howard Giske writes about
Arlington homes
and nationwide real estate at http://www.millionsaver.com