Places in
Northern VA

Northern Virginia’s close proximity to the nation’s capital created a unique sense of place for those who lived in the suburban communities of Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. In this region, the appearance of racially restrictive covenants reflected both national housing trends as well as the state and local politics that were used to justify racial discrimination and residential segregation.

Within each jurisdiction, developers used racial covenants as they constructed segregated subdivisions; the covenants reinforced racial boundaries that shaped not only residents’ sense of place but also the identity of all who lived in Northern Virginia. The place called home was one of expanding opportunities or it was a place of increasing restrictions and exclusion, depending on who you were.