Rosslyn, Virginia

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The skyscrapers of Rosslyn as seen behind The Pentagon.

Rosslyn is an unincorporated area located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Characterized as one of several "urban villages" by the County, the numerous skyscrapers in the dense business section of Rosslyn make its appearance in some ways more urban than much of Washington proper. Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn and Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights. It has been considered an edge city.

1 Transportation
2 History
3 Popular culture
4 External links

[edit] Transportation

Nighttime view of Rosslyn, Virginia skyline from Georgetown

The Washington Metro Blue and Orange lines service the Rosslyn Metro station.

Rosslyn is a minor transportation hub, and is partially made by the intersection of the Key Bridge (U.S. Route 29), Virginia State Route 110, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Interstate 66.

[edit] History

West tower of the River Place apartment complex

Before the building boom of the 1960s, Rosslyn was known for its pawn shops and used car dealers. During the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s, "Deep Throat" (W. Mark Felt) passed information to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in the middle of the night in an underground parking garage at 1401 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn.

In 2003, the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority attempted to attract the relocating Montréal Expos to Northern Virginia by proposing three Arlington County locations for a new baseball stadium. Two sites were in the urban village of Pentagon City; the third was a site in the southeastern corner of Rosslyn that was already occupied by four apartment buildings which were the first high-rise towers in Arlington County, now known as River Place. Though polls appeared to show that a majority of Arlington residents supported locating the stadium in the county, the issue proved highly divisive, and Virginia's bid failed completely when governor Mark Warner ruled out state financing for stadium construction. The Expos eventually moved to D.C. after the 2004 season to become the Washington Nationals, with a stadium planned to be built in southeast Washington.

[edit] Popular culture

In the first season finale of the popular television show The West Wing, the fictional President Bartlet is nearly assassinated while leaving a town hall meeting in Rosslyn. Rosslyn interestingly is home to Arlington Temple United Methodist Church, the world's only church located on top of a gasoline station. With its transient population living in sterile modern apartments, Rosslyn is said to be a neighborhood without much character, with streets not overly pedestrian-friendly.