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Please appraise NorthernVirginia.mobi.
Besides being the home of the Pentagon and tens of defense contracting firms, this area is the richest part of Virginia state and one of the richest areas in the US. You can read more about Northern Virginia in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Virginia
The article starts as follows: Northern Virginia "is a region in the U.S. state of Virginia consisting of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford counties and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Together with Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland and West Virginia, it makes up the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country."
Some other quotations from the article:
"Economy
In recent years, Northern Virginia has become so filled with technology companies, especially in the Dulles Technology Corridor, that it is often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of the East." The best-known of these technology companies is AOL. This economic boom has attracted many people from outside the region, from all over the country and throughout the world. The region has recovered relatively quickly from the effects of the dot-com bubble. Other large corporate employers include ExxonMobil in Falls Church, IBM in Manassas, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Reston.
It also is a desirable spot for government and defense contractors due to proximity to the Pentagon and the national capital.
The Federal government is a major employer in Northern Virginia, which is home to numerous government agencies; for example, Central Intelligence Agency headquarters and the Pentagon (headquarters of the Department of Defense) are located there, as are Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and the United States Geological Survey. All of this tends to shield Northern Virginia from the effects of recession.
After the large shopping malls such as Potomac Mills and Tysons Corner, the sites which attract the greatest numbers of visitors are Washington, D.C., and Civil War battlefields. Old Town Alexandria is popular with its noted historic townhouses, restaurants, gift and art shops. The waterfront and outdoor recreational amenities such as biking and running trails (the Washington and Old Dominion Rail Trail is the longest paved path in the U.S.; the Mount Vernon Trail, and trails along various stream beds are also popular), whitewater and sea kayaking, and rock climbing areas are focused along the Potomac River, but are also found at other locations in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Scenic Great Falls Park and historic Mount Vernon (which opened a new visitor center in 2006) are especially noteworthy. Woodbridge is home to two minor-league sports franchises, the Northern Virginia Royals soccer team and the Potomac Nationals baseball team."
"Transportation
The area has two major airports, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. While flights from the older National Airport are restricted for distance, frequency, and flight paths due to the proximity to federal facilities, Dulles is the fastest-growing airport in the world, and as of this writing is number five in terms of aircraft movement. In recent years it has become a major center for low-cost flights as it is the primary hub of (now defunct) Independence Air as well as a major hub for jetBlue, Ted, and others."
Besides being the home of the Pentagon and tens of defense contracting firms, this area is the richest part of Virginia state and one of the richest areas in the US. You can read more about Northern Virginia in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Virginia
The article starts as follows: Northern Virginia "is a region in the U.S. state of Virginia consisting of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford counties and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Together with Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland and West Virginia, it makes up the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country."
Some other quotations from the article:
"Economy
In recent years, Northern Virginia has become so filled with technology companies, especially in the Dulles Technology Corridor, that it is often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of the East." The best-known of these technology companies is AOL. This economic boom has attracted many people from outside the region, from all over the country and throughout the world. The region has recovered relatively quickly from the effects of the dot-com bubble. Other large corporate employers include ExxonMobil in Falls Church, IBM in Manassas, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Reston.
It also is a desirable spot for government and defense contractors due to proximity to the Pentagon and the national capital.
The Federal government is a major employer in Northern Virginia, which is home to numerous government agencies; for example, Central Intelligence Agency headquarters and the Pentagon (headquarters of the Department of Defense) are located there, as are Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and the United States Geological Survey. All of this tends to shield Northern Virginia from the effects of recession.
After the large shopping malls such as Potomac Mills and Tysons Corner, the sites which attract the greatest numbers of visitors are Washington, D.C., and Civil War battlefields. Old Town Alexandria is popular with its noted historic townhouses, restaurants, gift and art shops. The waterfront and outdoor recreational amenities such as biking and running trails (the Washington and Old Dominion Rail Trail is the longest paved path in the U.S.; the Mount Vernon Trail, and trails along various stream beds are also popular), whitewater and sea kayaking, and rock climbing areas are focused along the Potomac River, but are also found at other locations in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Scenic Great Falls Park and historic Mount Vernon (which opened a new visitor center in 2006) are especially noteworthy. Woodbridge is home to two minor-league sports franchises, the Northern Virginia Royals soccer team and the Potomac Nationals baseball team."
"Transportation
The area has two major airports, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. While flights from the older National Airport are restricted for distance, frequency, and flight paths due to the proximity to federal facilities, Dulles is the fastest-growing airport in the world, and as of this writing is number five in terms of aircraft movement. In recent years it has become a major center for low-cost flights as it is the primary hub of (now defunct) Independence Air as well as a major hub for jetBlue, Ted, and others."
