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Virginia

Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia is highly populated, and smashes most all stereotypes of Virginia, that one-time Southern state. Though much of it is considered a suburb of metropolitan , the inner suburbs are really cities in their own right, with world class attractions and nightlife, and the ensuing sprawl is likewise dense with its own attractions and culinary gems.
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Photo: Joel D Gray, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain.

Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Arlington and Alexandria.

Photo: Protoant, Public domain.
forms part of the urban conglomeration around - inside the beltway. In Northern Virginia, and directly across the Potomac River from D.C. proper, is one of America's most densely populated regions.

Photo: AlbertHerring, CC BY 3.0.
is an independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the approximately 7 miles south of The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 census made it the sixth-most populous city in Virginia and 169th-most populous city in the U.S.

Photo: Ralf Roletschek, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is in . Just across the Potomac River from , adjacent to the Pentagon, this national military cemetery includes John F.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Fairfax County and Loudoun County.

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.
is a suburb of Washington, DC, in . It often trades places with next-door neighbor Loudoun County as the nation's wealthiest county.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
in the state of is one of the fastest growing counties in the , yet it still offers lots of charm to those who visit.

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.
lies beside the in the Commonwealth of . At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county.

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.
is a county in . is located 25 miles south of Washington, DC and is one of the fastest growing counties in the state.

is a county in . is 50 miles south of Washington DC and is the 5th fastest growing Virginia county and the fastest Northern Virginia county as of 2023.

Photo: Justinandsarah, Public domain.
is a city in Northern Virginia. The downtown area has experienced a revival since the 1970s allowing a strong arts community to thrive. Galleries, music venues, and fine dining can all be found in the historic district.

Northern Virginia

Latitude of center
38.7307° or 38° 43′ 51″ north
Longitude of center
-77.7119° or 77° 42′ 43″ west
Population
2,710,000
Elevation
433 feet (132 metres)
Geo­Names ID
12216875
Wiki­data ID
Q596021
This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover Northern Virginia from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
© Stadia Maps, Airbus DS, CNES, PlanetObserver, and Copernicus

In Other Languages

From Arabic to Western Frisian—“Northern Virginia” goes by many names.
  • Arabic: “فرجينيا الشمالية”
  • Arabic: “فيرجينيا الشمالية”
  • Bulgarian: “Северна Вирджиния”
  • Catalan: “Northern Virginia”
  • Catalan: “Virginia del Nord”
  • Catalan: “Virgínia del Nord”
  • Catalan: “Virginia Septentrional”
  • Catalan: “Virgínia Septentrional”
  • Chinese: “北弗吉尼亚”
  • Chinese: “北弗吉尼亞”
  • Chinese: “北維吉尼亞”
  • Chinese: “北維珍尼亞”
  • Czech: “Severní Virginie”
  • Egyptian Arabic: “شمال ڤيرچينيا”
  • French: “Virginie (États-Unis ; nord)”
  • French: “Virginie septentrionale”
  • Greek: “Βόρεια Βιρτζίνια”
  • Hebrew: “וירג’יניה הצפונית”
  • Indonesian: “Virginia Utara”
  • Italian: “Virginia settentrionale”
  • Japanese: “ノーザン・バージニア”
  • Japanese: “ノーザン・バージニア地域”
  • Japanese: “ノースヴァージニア”
  • Japanese: “バージニア州北部”
  • Japanese: “北バージニア”
  • Persian: “ویرجینیای شمالی”
  • Russian: “Северная Виргиния”
  • Slovak: “Northern Virginia”
  • Slovak: “Severná Virgínia”
  • Slovenian: “Northern Virginia”
  • Slovenian: “NoVa”
  • Slovenian: “NOVA”
  • Slovenian: “Severna Virginija”
  • South Azerbaijani: “نورترن ویرجینیا”
  • Urdu: “شمالی ورجینیا”
  • Western Frisian: “Noardlik Firginia”

Virginia: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Newport News.

Explore These Curated Destinations

Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Northern Virginia”. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain.