Arrington, VA

Arrington is a town located in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 8,527 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Washington- Arlington- Alexandria metropolitan area.

The town of Arrington was founded in 1759 by John Arrington and his brother-in-law, James Patton. The town was named for Sir Thomas Fairfax, 6th Baronet (1694–1781), who had recently acquired an estate in the area.

The first houses were built on what is now Main Street and Second Street. By 1800 there were enough people living in Arrington to form a village with a church and schoolhouse. In 1810 the first post office opened and by 1840 there were enough businesses to form a business district on Main Street between Second and Third Streets.

During the American Civil War, Arrington served as a supply depot for Confederate troops marching through Loudoun County. After the war ended, many veterans settled in Arrington and began to build homes on lots that they had purchased from Union soldiers who had been forced to leave their homes after the war ended.

In 1870 Arrington incorporated as a town with a population of 1,000 people. By 1900 there were 3 schools, 2 churches, 4 businesses (including a bank), 5 stores, 2 hotels and several mills operating in Arrington.

In 1910 railroad service arrived in Arrington when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway built its line through Loudoun County connecting Washington D.C., Alexandria and points eastward. This increased economic activity in Arrington as businesses began to move away from Main Street onto Railroad Avenue which became known as "the Avenue of Commerce".

By 1940 there were 10 stores on Railroad Avenue including two banks (one of which remains open today), two shoe stores, two clothing stores (one of which closed down but reopened under new ownership), two restaurants (one of which closed down but reopened under new ownership), one barbershop/beauty salon (which remains open today) and one movie theater (which closed down but reopened under new ownership).

During World War II many men enlisted or were drafted into military service leaving women behind to run most businesses while men were away fighting overseas . However by 1950 most men had returned home so women once again took over most roles within the commercial community . In 1960 Interstate 66 was completed cutting off access to Arlington from points west meaning that many business owners decided it was time to move their businesses off Railroad Avenue onto newly developed shopping centers located closer to I-66 such as The Shops at Stone Ridge Plaza which opened its doors in 1965 . Today only one store remains on Railroad Avenue - an antique store - although several other small businesses have opened up since then including a hair salon , tattoo parlor , coffee shop , bakery , pet store etc .