Browse Alexandria Attractions

History
The first settlement in 1695 soon grew to a respectable size, was incorporated into the District of Columbia in 1791, and then returned to the Commonwealthof Virginia in 1846. The city was the site of the first violence between the North and South in the American Civil War, and was occupied by military forces up until the end of that war. Since the end of the Civil War, Alexandria's economy has boomed, mostly due to the influx of government building and employees, making it one of the most important cities in the state.