A Tale of Two Cities: Arlington, Virginia

With the technology we have nowadays people are rarely, if ever, looking up from their devices while in public. If you read what I write often, you have heard me talk about this subject frequently. Something else we have perfected though, since our ears are often plugged listening to something, is our tunnel vision. Apart from our immediate surroundings (aka trying not to run into something), we are becoming less and less aware of the world around us.

As someone who loves people watching, and generally is curious about the world, this makes me a little sad. But, I also fall prey to it rather frequently. However, recently I found myself in a state of just enjoying my surroundings and being hyper observant. And what I noticed, especially in the context of where I was, was particularly striking. Where was I making these observations?

Arlington, Virginia.

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I know I have people who read this not only from across the US but also quite a few places around the world, so I’ll explain Arlington a little bit. Arlington is one of the counties that surrounds the US nation’s capital of Washington D.C. It is a place where you can find federal offices, three Fortune 500 companies, one of Amazon’s headquarters, THE PENTAGON…I think you get the point. It is also a place where according to the 2023 census the median household income was $140,160 and per capita income was $88,024.

As a result, Arlington frequently checks in as one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. According to USA By Numbers, in 2024 they checked in at number 8. This list also had 6 out of 10 counties/cities in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area on their list as well, which is also a constant. However, when you compare Arlington to places like Loudoun County, VA at number 1 or Fairfax County, VA at number 5, there are some noticeable differences between them and Arlington. First, Arlington is a lot more condensed and smaller than the other two, it is right next to Washington DC, and as a result feels more like a city than the suburbs sometimes.

But make no mistake, you are absolutely in the suburbs in Arlington. With the aforementioned affluence you also have one of the best public school systems in the country. Despite its condensed nature, you can find beautiful parks within its confines. Its roads have bike lanes and there’s county sponsored Wi-Fi, even in some parks! There are beautiful old neighborhoods with a mix of original and modern houses. You can also find plenty of upscale condos and apartments amongst the impressive modern office buildings.

And then there are the people. While there are plenty of older folks who live in Arlington whether they are retired or with more established families, it is a relatively young suburb with an outsized number of people in their 20s and 30s amongst the residents. While there are the previously mentioned modern amenities there are also plenty of local businesses and restaurants that give the county and people its charm. With the younger crowd there is a robust bar scene, especially around the Clarendon Metro stop, but then there are also the aforementioned public parks, a children’s museum, and exceptional public libraries where you’re likely to meet folks you’d more associate with suburban living.

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If I have done my job well, you have a pretty good indication of what Arlington is. It’s a place of considerable wealth and resources. The taxpayer dollars that residents pay go right back into public amenities. It’s a place where big businesses want to call home. It is objectively a “nice” place to live and/or work. I’d even venture to say that even with all the tunnel vision, most of the people you run into while in Arlington are very nice! That is, so long as you’re not driving.

So what did I see that struck me so much that I was taken aback on my morning walk?

There are also a lot of homeless people in Arlington.

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In this area in general it is not unusual to see someone who is unhoused, especially around public transportation or on a bench. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, even where I grew up slightly further out in Fairfax County. Seeing an unhoused person riding the Metro or a Metrobus can almost be a daily thing if you use public transportation frequently.

So what was it that made me have a “wow there’s a lot of unhoused folks out this morning” kind of shock? It was just that, the number. It felt like it was an incredibly high volume, to the point where I legitimately had to take notice. From the person right outside the Metro, to the gentlemen sleeping on a bench while another one across the street drank from his 40 bottle, it seemed super concentrated. All of this less than a block away from the (objectively impressive) FDIC building. I didn’t even think about it until later, but I encountered more than a few unhoused people near bus stops on my way in as well.

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I will say that since the end of January of this year, there seem to be a lot more unhoused people out as well, especially when I was riding the Metro more frequently. There’s also a heightened police presence at Metro stations as well, but we won’t get distracted by that right now. The main point is that the number seems to be rising, and unless you have some powerful tunnel vision, you can’t help but notice this fact.

Now, let’s be very clear here. Not only are people unhoused/homeless for different reasons, not every unhoused person has the same story. There are more than a handful that have severe mental disabilities. Others suffer from heavy substance abuse/addiction. Many are people that have their “spot” at certain bus stops where all of their belongings are there with them. Some even work but just don’t have the means at that specific time to afford a roof over their head in such an affluent area. Like the diverse area I live in, their stories and situations are diverse as well.

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Someone might be reading this and say “Oh Preston, this is something we see everywhere in the US. This isn’t that unique. Have you ever heard of San Francisco?”

While this is of course the case, and the US has a legitimate unhoused dilemma, I think what makes it being so pronounced in a place like Arlington so stark are some of the unique qualities that the county has. I mentioned all of the public amenities and the wealth. Along with the Pentagon and FDIC, other federal agencies such as the DEA also call Arlington home. Amazon CHOSE to put their second headquarters here.

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But we do have to take the location into consideration as well. This is not to say that you only find people who are unhoused within the limits of major cities, but there’s no doubt that the closer you are to the city, the more likely you are to see unhoused people. If you go even a few miles away from Arlington, say a Fairfax or Falls Church, areas both equally as affluent, you see almost no unhoused people. The further out into Fairfax County you go or all the way out in Loudoun, it would be a surprise to see someone unhoused at all.

There are some things factoring into this, chief among them, Metro accessibility. While the Metro does go out much further than it ever has, that’s still quite a hike for anyone, let alone someone with less than modest means. There are buses that can get you to these places as well, but it takes hours, and a knowledge of the area and a smartphone to do so. Basically, if Arlington is clean and close, why try to make your way out to Ashburn, Leesburg, or Langley.

I also would like to mention that clearly not everyone that lives in these areas is either wealthy or unhoused. Plenty of folks around here live within modest means. There is a thriving, and I mean thriving, population of first and second generation immigrants that I am always encountering in public, especially on public transit. This also makes the area one of the odd places in the world where you can find authentic cuisine from almost anywhere in the world. So there’s plenty of people (me being one of them) who live in that in between as well. But, that still doesn’t make the stark difference between wealth and unhoused any less pronounced.

But, there is hope here as well.

With such vast public resources, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Alexandria specifically have a lot of resources that go towards helping unhoused individuals. There are centers that help with everything under the sun from laundry to hot food to learning career skills. There are shelters that are too numerous to count on one's fingers and toes. There are even government subsidized apartments specifically to help people move out from shelters into affordable living once they are employed and on more even footing.

Even with all of these resources, there’s still not enough. And we also have to be honest about this as well. Some people who are unhoused do not want to be in a shelter. Some may not want to seek the medical attention that is needed. Not everyone’s story is the same and it’s something we have to grapple with as humans with empathy.

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When I first thought about this, I was legitimately shocked by the number of unhoused people I saw on a particular day. But rather than feel some kind of way, it just made me think. We are in one of the most affluent suburbs in the country next to one of the most powerful cities in the world, and yet there are so many people who obviously need help right here in front of us. Our tunnel vision and devices often shield or blind us from this fact, but sometimes it just smacks you in the face when you least expect it.

But like I said, there is hope. We can only hope the unhoused people who have refused resources in the past will eventually willingly partake in them. Affluent counties like Arlington and Fairfax along with the non profits that help them can continue to provide services needed.

I don’t think there’s a way we will be able to end the unhoused dilemma in the United States overnight. But if there is a place anywhere in the world that can at least manage to significantly improve it, it is a place like Arlington County and the suburbs of Washington DC.

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