Originally surveyed in 1749, Alexandria claims some of the richest history in the D.C. metropolitan area. At various points in her past, Alexandria has been part of the District of Colombia, a regional slave trading market, an occupied city, a washed-up post-industrial hamlet, and a hometown to famous American heroes and rebels. Today, the town serves as an interesting day-trip alternative for weary tourist looking to escape the capital, a romantic getaway for metro-area residents, and a bedroom community for the white-collar workers that fuel the Federal labor mills to the north. http://wikitravel.org/en/Alexandria (Virginia)