Arlington County, Virginia
Fiscal Year 2005 Adopted Budget

ARLINGTON COUNTY PROFILE

BRIEF HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

Arlington County is located in northern Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The County encompasses 25.8 square miles of land, which was originally split off from Fairfax County in 1801 and ceded by Virginia to be included in the ten-mile square Federal District. In 1847, however, Congress allowed the land to return to the jurisdiction of Virginia following a vote in favor of retrocession by its members. This area was then known as Alexandria City and Alexandria County. In 1920, to avoid confusion, the county was renamed Arlington County.

In a 1923 decision by the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia, the Alexandria County portion was determined to be a continuous, homogeneous community and, as such, could not be subdivided for the establishment of a town. This area was renamed Arlington.

Annexation of any part of Arlington County by neighboring jurisdictions is prohibited by present law unless the entire County is annexed with the approval of County voters. There are no jurisdictions with overlapping debt or taxing powers. The water and sewage systems are operated on a self-supporting basis by the County government.

Arlington’s location in the center of the Washington metropolitan region, just five minutes from Washington by car or Metrorail, has made the County a highly desirable business and residential location. Arlington has maintained high-quality residential neighborhoods while supporting well-managed growth. High-density commercial and residential development is focused around Metro stations in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and the Jefferson Davis corridor, which includes both Pentagon City and Crystal City.

Arlington County has an estimated 2004 population of 198,739, an increase of 16.3 percent over the 1990 population. Additionally, Arlington is home to an estimated 196,448 jobs in 2004.

Almost all of the land in Arlington County has been developed. This development consists of extensive single-family residential areas, as well as commercial, office, and multi-family residential structures.

Economic activity in Arlington County has historically been closely associated with numerous governmental activities of the Washington Metropolitan region. In 2004 about 28 percent (or about 55,000) of the jobs in Arlington County are with the numerous federal, state or local government agencies. In recent years, however, the private employment base, particularly in the service sector, has increased substantially. The 2004 estimate is that 44 percent of total employment (about 86,000 jobs) is in the service sector.

ORGANIZATION OF ARLINGTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The government of Arlington County has been organized according to the County Manager Plan of Government since 1932. Arlington County was the first jurisdiction in the United States to adopt a manager form of government by popular vote.

The five members of the County Board are elected at large for staggered, four-year terms. No more than two members are elected at one time. The Chairman of the County Board is elected annually by the members.

The County Board is responsible for several appointments. The County Board appoints a County Manager to serve as the chief executive and administrator of the County. The County Manager serves at the pleasure of the County Board, implements its policies, directs business and administrative procedures, and appoints department directors.

Assisting the County Manager are a Deputy County Manager, the five Assistant County Managers and the Directors of 12 departments: Fire; Police; Emergency Management; Environmental Services; Human Services; Economic Development; Community Planning, Housing and Development; Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources; Management and Finance; Libraries; Human Resources; and Technology Services.

The County Board also appoints a County Attorney. The County Attorney provides legal services to the County Board, County agencies, and personnel, elected County officials, independent County boards and commissions, and the Arlington School Board.

The operation of public schools in Arlington County is the responsibility of a five-member School Board. School Board members serve staggered, four-year terms in a sequence similar to that of County Board members.

A 1992 revision of the State Code provided a local option to elect the School Board; Arlington voters chose to exercise that option via a November 1993 referendum. As of November 1994 and continuing each year thereafter, School Board members are elected.

The Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the School Board for a four-year term; the Superintendent administers the operations of the County’s public schools. The local share of the cost of operating public schools in the County is met with an appropriation and transfer by the County Board from the County’s General Fund. Operations of the School Board, however, are independent of the County Board and the County administration as prescribed by Virginia law.

In addition to the County Board, other elected County officials include the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff, Commissioner of the Revenue, Treasurer, and Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Judges of the Circuit Court, the General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are appointed by the State legislature.

The structure of Arlington County’s Government is depicted in the chart below.

DEMOGRAPHICS

The Planning Division of the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development (DCPHD) estimates Arlington County’s 2004 population to be 198,739 making it among the most densely populated jurisdictions in the country. The County’s population has grown steadily over the past decade, as shown in the adjacent chart, and is projected to continue at a similar rate. (The exception is 2001, when the population dipped slightly.) The 2004 population estimates indicate that pre-school children (ages 0-4) make up 5.2 percent of the total population; school-age children (ages 5-17) constitute 11.0 percent; career and family forming adults (ages 18-44) constitute 50.7 percent; established family and career adults (ages 45-64) account for 23.5 percent; the younger seniors (ages 65-84) constitute 8.1 percent; and the 85 and over population is 1.5 percent of the total population.

The population figure for 2000 in the adjacent chart is a CPHD revision of the U.S. Census 2000 number. Population estimates for 1993-1999 are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates for 2001-2004 are provided by the DCPHD Planning Division, and are based on new residential construction and estimates of averages household size and vacancy rates.

RACIAL/ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Arlington County takes pride in, and gains vitality from, the diversity of its population. According to the 2004 population estimates, 57.9 percent of Arlington residents are white, 20.4 percent are Hispanic, 9.1 percent are black or African-American, 9.4 percent are Asian or Other Pacific Islanders, 0.2 percent are American Indian, and 3.0 percent identified as another race or two or more races.

EDUCATION

Arlington’s population is among the most highly educated in the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000, 88 percent of all residents age 25 and older were high school graduates, 60 percent were college graduates, and 31 percent had graduate or professional degrees. Eighty-four percent of the Arlington Public School (APS) class of 2003 planned to pursue higher education, and the average expenditure per pupil was $13,309 in the 2002-2003 school year.

PERSONAL INCOME

HOUSING

According to Planning Division estimates, there are 95,688 total housing units in Arlington as of January 2004. A housing unit is a multi-family dwelling or a single-family dwelling attached to other dwellings or a single-family detached dwelling. The majority (60 percent or 57,261) of housing units in Arlington are multi-family. In addition, there are an estimated 27,780 single-family detached (29%), and 10,546 single-family attached housing units (11%) in Arlington. Fewer than 1% (101) of housing units are described as other.

Of the 91,776 occupied housing units in 2004, the Planning Division estimates that owners occupy 41 percent and renters occupy 59 percent.

HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

All persons living in a housing unit are termed a household. As of May, 2004, the DCPHD Planning Division estimates that there are 91,776 households in Arlington County. The number of people living in households is estimated at 194,367. An estimated 4,372 persons reside in group quarters, which includes dormitories, group homes of 10 or more, institutions such as jails, or other congregate housing such as the nursing home portions of retirement facilities. The estimated average number of people living in a household in 2004 is 2.12 persons. According to the 2000 Census, 45 percent of Arlington households were family households and 55 percent were non-family households.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN ARLINGTON

SELECTED ATTRACTIONS IN ARLINGTON

Fine Arts and History:
The Actor’s Center, American Century Theatre, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington Dance Theatre, Arlington Historical Society Museum, Arlington Players, Arlington Symphony, Arlingtones Barbershop Quartet, Asian Stories in America (A.S.I.A.), Bowen-McCauley Dance, Center Dance Company, Children’s Theater of Arlington, Classika Theatre, Crossroads Dance Project, Dominion Stage, Educational Theatre Company, Ellipse Arts Center, Gunston Arts Center, Hesperus, Horizons, Jane Franklin Dance, Keegan Theatre Company, Le Neon Theater, Los Quentzales Mexican Dance Ensemble, Metropolitan Chorus, New Polish Theatre, Old Dominion Cloggers, “Old Guard” Museum, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Potomac Harmony Chorus, Requiebros Spanish Dance Group, Signature Theater, Teatro de la Luna, Trumpet Vine Theatre Company, Washington Shakespeare Company, Youth Dancers of Arlington.

Major Parks, Recreational and Community Facilities:
Custis Memorial and Four Mile Run Bike Trails, Bon Air Memorial Rose and Azalea Gardens, Wild Flower Garden, Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, Thomas Jefferson Community Center, Gulf Branch and Long Branch Nature Centers, Bluemont Tennis Complex, Fort C.F. Smith Park, Gateway Park, Crystal Park, Lubber Run Amphitheater, Farmers’ Market.

AT-PLACE EMPLOYMENT

The service sector, followed by the government sectors (federal/state/local), continue to comprise the largest proportion of the estimated 196,448 jobs in Arlington County in 2004 (43.5 and 28.2 percent respectively). The total number of jobs in the County increased by about 7.3 percent between 1990 and 2004. In March 2004, the unemployment rate in Arlington was 1.7 percent. (This is the most recent data available from the State employment commission.)

Jobs Per 100 Residents 99   Daytime Population 271,133

 

Arlington County has a solid economic base as evidenced by the presence of numerous major employers and the County's sophisticated blend of traditional commerce, such as health services and retail sales, and technological industries, such as telecommunications and software. These factors point to continued economic growth in Arlington County.

* Figures include the number of specialty sport camps managed by the County.