Northern Virginia (colloquially referred to as "NOVA" or "NoVA") consists

of several counties and cities in the U.S. state of Virginia in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, DC. Northern Virginia is the most populous region of Virginia and the Washington, DC area.American FactFinder

Communities in the region form the Virginia portion of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV MSA or the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia DC-MD-VA-WV CSA. Northern Virginia is the most diverse (in terms of both the number of ethnic groups and nationalities represented) and highest-income region of Virginia, having six of the twenty highest-income counties in the nation, including the two highest as of 2007.

Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure includes major airports Washington National and Dulles International, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) suburban commuter rail system, several lines of the Washington DC Metro subway system, transit bus services, and an extensive network of Interstate highways and expressways.

Notable features of the region include the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, and the many technical and contracting companies which serve them and the federal government. The area's attractions include various monuments and Colonial and American Civil War-era sites such Mount Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery.

Source of the name

Early development of the northern portion of Virginia was in that easternmost area, which encompasses the modern counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. At some point, these eastern counties came to be called separately simply "the Northern Neck", and, for the remaining area west of them, the term was no longer used. (By some definitions, King George County is also included in the Northern Neck, which is now considered a separate region from Northern Virginia).The Official Guide of Virginia's Northern Neck (2007), Northern Neck Tourism Council

One of the most prominent early mentions of "Northern Virginia" (sans the word "Neck") as a title was the naming of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861-1865). However it came about, at some point in the past, the description "Northern Virginia" became a common label for a portion of the state, one that is used widely in modern times. Fact: date=September 2008

Colonial period

Historically, in the British Colony of Virginia first permanently settled at Jamestown in 1607, the area now generally regarded as "Northern Virginia" was defined by a land grant from King Charles II of England on September 18, 1649, while the monarch was in exile in France during the English Civil War. Eight of his loyal supporters were named, among them Thomas Culpeper.