Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in South Arlington comprised primarily of high-rise buildings, condos and apartments. It is walkable to both the Pentagon and Reagan National Airport. It is bound by Army-Navy Drive to the north and Four Mile Run to the south. Crystal City is served by the Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines. Crystal City will also be a part of the National Landing Neighborhood. 

In November 2018 it was announced that Crystal City would be home to Amazon’s HQ2, the companies second US headquarters.

Crystal City History

In the early 1900s, Crystal City was an industrial area known for its brickmaking and railyards that supplied raw materials for area construction. Sixty years later, developer Robert Smith designed and built the first apartment building in the area. He called it Crystal House for the elaborate crystal chandelier in the lobby. The use of the word “crystal” was later adopted by other local developers. During the 1960s, a growing demand for office space transformed Crystal City into an attractive urban center. The US Patent Office and the Institute of Defense Analysis established offices in Crystal City in the late 1960s. The Crystal City Metro and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) stations opened in the late 1970s to serve the many companies and associations with headquarters or offices in Crystal City.

Crystal City Real Estate

Crystal City is almost exclusively populated by high-rise apartment and condominium buildings.

Crystal City Community

The popular FRESHFARM Market brings farm-fresh produce and products to Crystal Drive every Tuesday from April through November. The Crystal City Business Improvement District offers a wide variety of unique events throughout the neighborhood, including yoga, meditation, rock climbing, Toastmasters meetings, and more.

Crystal City Entertainment

Synetic Theater produces several mainstage and family productions every season and offers an educational studio for children and adults. Every Friday evening in April, runners meet for the Crystal City 5K, which is followed by happy hour at a nearby watering hole. 

Crystal City Favorites

There is so much to do when living in Crystal City. Start your evening with sangria and tapas at Jaleo. College football fans, head over to the Crystal City Sports Pub for its impressive lineup of Saturday games (and many other sports too).

 

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