Old Town
(Incl. Braddock)Old Town Alexandria is the third-oldest historic district in the nation and has been bustling with activity since it was founded in 1749. With its brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets, this lively, walkable neighborhood is a popular destination for businesses and tourists alike. Old Town offers a vibrant mix of commercial properties that are ideally suited for small-to-midsized businesses. These properties include large modern, commercial buildings directly adjacent to the King Street Metrorail Station, as well as historical townhouses containing an eclectic array of boutique shops and unique restaurants. The neighborhood is home to a growing concentration of creative and professional services firms located above the storefronts.
Neighborhood Callouts
- Old Town North, which stretches from Princess Street to Slaters Lane, was designated an Arts and Cultural District by the City Planning department in 2018. Within this district, developers are allowed up to 30% more density for projects than what is normally allowed by code, if their project provides space for an arts or cultural user. These potential users can be galleries, art schools, live performance theaters, and museums.
- Major development is happening along the waterfront, including retail and residential development at Robinson Landing, Watermark and Robinson Terminal North.
Organizations For Businesses & Networking
Quick Stats
Average gross rent per SF (office)
independently owned restaurants and boutiques
daily riders (King Street Metro Station)
Amenities & Features
- Old Town Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday in front of City Hall and is the oldest farmer’s market in the country to be held continuously at the same site for over 260 years.
- Waterfront Park features rotating public art displays and hosts many events throughout the year including open air concerts and beer gardens.
Notable Neighbors
Check out our Growing in Alexandria Business highlights for Old Town businesses:
- Growing in ALX: The Hour – Victoria Vergason
- Victoria Vergason: “The business community is also full of a great number of female entrepreneurs in both the retail and service industries who are a great source of inspiration, motivation and counsel.”
- Growing in ALX – Spaeth Hill – Jill Spaeth
- Jill Spaeth: “Our favorite thing about Alexandria is its rich history, dating back to the late 1800s. In our work, we often look to the past as a reference and starting point as we conceptualize a project. In Alexandria, the historic charm is all around us and is especially evident from our location on the 3rd floor of the old firehouse building.”
- Growing in ALX – Signal Vine – Jeff Mutimer
- Jeff Mutimer: “At first, we located in Alexandria because our CEO was a resident, but we’ve since appreciated the growth in education- and technology-centered businesses that are growing as a result of Amazon’s HQ2 selection of the area. Higher education institutions like Virginia Tech, George Mason, George Washington, and UVA are all creating a presence in the area that provide access to our customers and high-tech talent.”
- Growing in ALX – McChrystal Group – Will Smith
- Will Smith: “We located our business in Alexandria because of unparalleled access to talent. Our business was founded by veterans and hiring veterans who had unique leadership experienced forged in post-9/11 service was important to us. There are few places in the country with as many veterans as Alexandria and the surrounding towns and being able to access that talent and create an organization where we could unleash that amazing talent on our clients around the country was very important to us.”