Arlington Heights is one of Arlington's oldest neighborhoods. The name Arlington Heights has been used since the first half of the 19th Century, when it designated a large area extending from the current site of the Custis-Lee Mansion, westward and southward. Civil War maps clearly show this area. Maps at the turn of the century, however, show establishment of smaller neighborhoods that once were part of the larger area known as Arlington Heights. As each of these areas was carved out and established, such as Barcroft, Alcova Heights and Clarendon, our neighborhood remained as the only area still using the Arlington Heights name. More information is available in the Charlie Clark Center for Local History at Arlington County's Central Library.
Our neighborhood is bounded by Arlington Boulevard, Fillmore Street - Walter Reed Drive, Columbia Pike, and Glebe Road. We are proud to host the Columbia Pike Blues Festival, the Arlington County Fair, and many County facilities: Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Middle School, Alice West Fleet Elementary School, Montessori Public School of Arlington, Arlington Career Center, Arlington Tech, and Arlington Public Library—Columbia Pike Branch; as well as Congregation Etz Hayim, Columbia Pike Artist Studios, Arlington Drafthouse, Bangkok 54 Restaurant, Panda Bowl, Ruthie's All Day, Thai Square, and other restaurants, shops, and offices on Columbia Pike, Westmont Apartments at Columbia Pike and Glebe Road, the businesses in Dominion Apartments, Town Car Auto, and 7-Eleven, to name just a few.
With the County's help, we installed pedestrian-friendly Carlyle street lamps in our neighborhood, repaired sidewalks, rebuilt and renamed Arlington Heights Park at 9th and South Irving Streets, and converted a vacant lot at Garfield & Arlington Boulevard to a park.
We publish a neighborhood newsletter, OVER THE FENCE, four times a year (at least we do when we have a volunteer newsletter editor). We host our annual garden tour, a block party, a kids' Hallowe'en costume party, and a holiday caroling party. We meet quarterly, alternating between the two elementary schools in the neighborhood, to discuss and solve neighborhood problems.
Our neighborhood has more than 1,000 households and about 50 businesses. We invite other Arlington Heights neighbors to join our Civic Association and help us make our neighborhood even better.
Thank you for visiting our neighborhood!
Jay Jacob Wind, President emeritus
Joan Gill, Social Chair emerita
Richard Bullington-McGuire, Webmaster