Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County, up until 1920. It's located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC and no incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington's boundaries. Alexandria County (now Arlington County), was originally part of the ten-mile square surveyed in 1791 for the Nation's Capital, but in 1846, the portion on the west bank of the Potomac River was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia by the U.S. Congress. Arlington County got its name from the Arlington House - the home of Robert E. Lee and his family for thirty years. Lee's father-in-law, built the house between 1802 and 1818 to be his home as well as a memorial to George Washington, his step-grandfather. Arlington House, with its associated slave quarters and gardens, are now preserved as a memorial to Robert E. Lee.
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