King Street (Alexandria, Virginia)

King Street
	King Street through Old Town Alexandria, as seen from the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
	Map showing King Street's path through the city
Part of	City of Alexandria
Length	5.1 miles (8.2 km)
East end	King Street Park at 0 King St Alexandria, VA 22314 38°48′15″N77°02′21″W / 38.804119°N 77.039282°W
West end	S George Mason Drive 38°50′42″N77°06′53″W / 38.844921°N 77.114696°W

Last updated October 14, 2024

King Street is a major road in Alexandria, Virginia, United States and historic Old Town Alexandria. It extends westward from the Potomac River waterfront near the Torpedo Factory Art Center and nearby bustling tourist gift shops and restaurants, passing City Hall and the Alexandria General District Court.^[1]

History

In 1964 Richard Muzzrole begins nine years of excavations along King Street.^[2]^: 7 In 1965 artifacts from King Street homes, shops, and taverns are excavated by Malcolm Watkins of the Smithsonian Institution.^[2]^: 7 During the 1960s urban renewal prompted the demolition of a six block area along King Street.^[2]^: 12 In 1965 Bulldozers revealed creamware, glasswork, porcelain, and pottery.^[2]^: 12 Bulldozers preparing for parking garage construction revealed brick lined wells.^[2]^: 14 In 1977 Pamela Cressey begins excavations at the King Street courthouse.^[2]^: 7 Deep wear marks on wine bottles found within King Street privies reveal the practice of refilling bottles at taverns.^[2]^: 12

In 2007 the American Planning Association listed King Street as a "2011 Great Place in America" within the "Great Streets" category.^[3]

King Street is currently seen as an active strip of commerce and tourism that successfully accommodates both Alexandria's local residents as well as its visitors. Historically the street was used as access to the seaport and later as a main center of trade. The balance between past and present is noticeable with the vitality of the street's noteworthy character. Architectural and demolition regulations have been employed to allow for the continued visual appeal of 18th and 19th century buildings. Zoning laws, particularly those established in 2005 and 2007, are responsible for ensuring mixed use on this street. Various businesses, outdoor dining and other activities can be found all along King Street. One amenity to this street is the Market Square found at Alexandria City Hall as it is one of the oldest U.S. farmers markets and is often used to provide venue space for concerts, festivals, and community events. Other features found on King Street include Alexandria City Hall, which is in the style of the period during the Second Empire, and clock tower that was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is another hotspot for tourism and is currently used as studio housing for artists.

205 King Street, a spite house, dates to the late 18th century or early 19th. It is the oldest of Old Town's spite houses.^[4]

Route

On reaching the Washington Metro and Amtrak stations and the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, King Street bends.^[5]^: 817 Between Russell Road and Janney's Lane, green bike lanes exist. Wealthier residents fought against these.^[6] King Street passes Chinquapin Recreation Center, Alexandria City High School and several historic churches, becoming Leesburg Pike as it leaves Alexandria at Bailey's Crossroads. King Street becomes State Route 7 west of Washington Street (State Route 400). In Old Town, King Street is designated as the dividing line between north and south in the addressing system, while Duke Street (State Route 236) is designated as the dividing line in the West End area of Alexandria.^[7] King Street follows the original southwest border for the District of Columbia, becoming Leesburg Pike then Route 7 as it extends westward into Fairfax County.^[7]

Transportation

The Washington Metro has a station at King Street, just west of Old Town, on the Blue and Yellow Lines. Also, the King Street Trolley takes passengers on a ride along King Street every 15 minutes.^[8]

Related Research Articles

Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.

U.S. Route 211 is a spur of US 11 in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as Lee Highway, the U.S. Highway runs 59.09 miles (95.10 km) from Interstate 81 (I-81) and Virginia State Route 211 in New Market east to US 15 Business, US 29 Business, and US 211 Business in Warrenton. US 211 connects the Shenandoah Valley with the Piedmont town of Warrenton via Luray and Sperryville, where the highway runs concurrently with US 340 and US 522, respectively.

State Route 244 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Columbia Pike, the state highway runs 8.25 miles (13.28 km) from SR 236 in Annandale east to SR 27 and Interstate 395 (I-395) at The Pentagon in Arlington. SR 244 is a major southwest–northeast thoroughfare in northeastern Fairfax County and eastern Arlington County, connecting Annandale with SR 7 at Bailey's Crossroads and SR 120 in the multicultural Westmont neighborhood of Arlington.

Virginia State Route 7 (VA 7) is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to SR 400 in downtown Alexandria. Its route largely parallels those of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and the Potomac River. Between its western terminus and Interstate 395 (I-395), SR 7 is part of the National Highway System. In 1968, the Virginia State Highway Commission designated the road as the "Harry Flood Byrd Highway" between Alexandria and Winchester to commemorate Harry F. Byrd Sr. (1887–1966).

State Route 236 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 15.63 miles (25.15 km) from U.S. Route 29 and US 50 in Fairfax east to SR 400 in Alexandria. SR 236 is a major suburban arterial highway that connects the independent cities of Fairfax and Alexandria via Annandale in Fairfax County. The state highway is known as Main Street in City of Fairfax, Little River Turnpike in Fairfax County, where the highway meets Interstate 495 (I-495), and Duke Street in Alexandria, where the road has junctions with I-395 and US 1.

The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad located in Northern Virginia, United States. The railroad was a successor to the bankrupt Washington and Old Dominion Railway and to several earlier railroads, the first of which began operating in 1859. The railroad closed in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park</span> Regional park in Northern Virginia

The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a linear regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail, an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban communities as well as through rural areas. Most of the trail travels on top of the rail bed of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which closed in 1968.

Bluemont is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the eastern base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The village's center is located along Snickersville Turnpike, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the incorporated town of Round Hill. The village borders Virginia's fox hunting country and is within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the Appalachian Trail and the Bears Den and Raven Rocks formations in the Blue Ridge.

The Northern Virginia trolleys were the network of electric streetcars that moved people around the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., from 1892 to 1941. They consisted of six lines operated by up to three companies connecting Rosslyn, Great Falls, Bluemont, Mount Vernon, Fairfax, Camp Humphries, and Nauck across the Potomac River to Washington, D.C.

Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of Alexandria, Virginia, and is located about a half hour by car from Washington, D.C., of which it used to make up the southern part. It was the oldest district of D.C. until it was ceded back to Virginia in 1846. Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River and is laid out on a grid plan of substantially square blocks.

U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 50 extends 86 miles (138 km) from the border with Washington, D.C. at a Potomac River crossing at Rosslyn in Arlington County to the West Virginia state line near Gore in Frederick County.

Maryland Route 187 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Old Georgetown Road, the highway runs 5.32 miles (8.56 km) from MD 355 and MD 410 in Bethesda north to Executive Boulevard in North Bethesda. MD 187 is a four- to six-lane highway that runs parallel to MD 355 through suburban areas of southern Montgomery County. The highway was paved through Bethesda by 1910. The remainder of MD 187 was constructed in the mid- to late 1920s. The highway was relocated at its northern end and expanded to a divided highway over most of its length in the late 1960s. MD 187's interchanges with Interstate 270 (I-270) and I-495 were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, respectively; the former interchange was reconstructed in the early 2000s. The northern terminus was cut back from MD 355 to Executive Boulevard in 2016.

State Route 228 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 4.53 miles (7.29 km) from SR 657 at the southern town limit of Herndon north to SR 7 near Dranesville. SR 228 is the main north–south highway through Herndon, connecting the town directly with SR 7 and indirectly with SR 267 in northwestern Fairfax County.

Northern Virginia is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area of the United States, and its surface transit system is integrated with that of the city of Washington, D.C. However, because of the Potomac River separating Northern Virginia from the city, the two systems have evolved largely independently. At present, most major bus routes, including all that cross the Potomac, are operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), while several smaller systems are city- or county-owned. Since the Washington Metro opened to Virginia, most of the bus routes have terminated on either side of the Potomac River, where passengers can transfer to the rapid transit system, or to one of the few WMATA Metrobus routes that cross the river.

Arlington Boulevard is a major arterial road in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the independent City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia in metropolitan Washington, DC, United States. It is designated U.S. Route 50 (US 50) for its entire length and is part of the National Highway System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route</span> National Historic Trail of the United States

The Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a 680-mile (1,090 km) series of roads used in 1781 by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the Expédition Particulière under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 14-week march from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia.

Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of downtown Washington, D.C. Alexandria is the third-largest principal city of the Washington metropolitan area, which is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. As of 2022, the city's population of 159,467 made it the sixth-most populous city in Virginia and the 173rd-most populous city in the nation.

Alexandria, Virginia is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located along the western bank of the Potomac River. The city of approximately 151,000 is about six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.

The unincorporated hamlet of Malden is a bedroom community that is located on the historic 'Old National Pike' in borough of Centerville Washington County, Pennsylvania. Originally an early wagon stop in rural Pennsylvania, it became a small transportation hub during the surge of westward migration to the Northwest Territory after 1790.

The Leesburg Pike Line, designated Route 28A, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Tysons station of the Silver Line of the Washington Metro and King Street – Old Town station of the Yellow and Blue lines of the Washington Metro. The 28A trips run every 12 minutes between 7AM and 9PM and 30 minutes after 9PM. This line provides service from Tysons Corner in Fairfax County to Old Town Alexandria. Route 28A trips are roughly 90 minutes long. It is the busiest metrobus route in Virginia at around 6,400 riders per weekday in 2023.

References

↑ Elise H. Ford (October 26, 2010). Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2011. Frommer's. pp. 298–. ISBN 978-0-470-63004-4 . Retrieved June 6, 2011.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cressey, Pamela J.; Anderson, Margaret J. (May 11, 2006). Alexandria, Virginia. Oxford University Press. p. 48.
↑ "King Street Alexandria, Virginia". Great Places in America. American Planning Association. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
↑ "Which of Old Town Alexandria's Spite Houses is Narrowest? It's a Game of Inches!" – Old Town Home, February 23, 2018
↑ Hudson, Kenneth; Nicholls, Ann (June 18, 1985). Directory of Museums & Living Displays. Springer. p. 1047.
↑ Tuss, Adam (November 11, 2013). "King Street Bike Lane Battle Heats Up in Alexandria". WRC-TV. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
1 2 Bikeways Network (July 14, 2015). "Alexandria bike map" (PDF). City of Alexandria. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
↑ "King Street Trolley". DASH. Alexandria Transit Company. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2017.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Ford2010-1] Elise H. Ford (October 26, 2010). Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2011. Frommer's. pp. 298–. ISBN 978-0-470-63004-4 . Retrieved June 6, 2011.

[Alexandria_by_Cressey_&_Anderson-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cressey, Pamela J.; Anderson, Margaret J. (May 11, 2006). Alexandria, Virginia. Oxford University Press. p. 48.

[3] "King Street Alexandria, Virginia". Great Places in America. American Planning Association. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.

[4] "Which of Old Town Alexandria's Spite Houses is Narrowest? It's a Game of Inches!" – Old Town Home, February 23, 2018

[5] Hudson, Kenneth; Nicholls, Ann (June 18, 1985). Directory of Museums & Living Displays. Springer. p. 1047.

[6] Tuss, Adam (November 11, 2013). "King Street Bike Lane Battle Heats Up in Alexandria". WRC-TV. Retrieved March 24, 2017.

[bike_map-7] 1 2 Bikeways Network (July 14, 2015). "Alexandria bike map" (PDF). City of Alexandria. Retrieved March 24, 2017.

[8] "King Street Trolley". DASH. Alexandria Transit Company. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]