Ballston, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ballston, Arlington, Virginia
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The skyline of Ballston in September 2019
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 Ballston, Arlington, Virginia
Location in Northern Virginia
Ballston, Arlington, Virginia
Location in Virginia
Ballston, Arlington, Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Virginia |
| County |  Arlington |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
22203
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| Area code(s) | 703 |
Ballston is a lively neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. It's located at the western end of the Rosslyn-Ballston area. This neighborhood is a major transportation spot. It also has many scientific research centers and research and development groups. These include places like DARPA and the Office of Naval Research. Ballston is also home to many engineering and consulting companies.
Part of Ballston is known as Virginia Square. Sometimes, people call the whole area Ballston-Virginia Square. The Ballston–MU station serves Ballston. The Virginia Square-GMU station serves the Virginia Square part. Both stations are on the Orange and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro. They are only about a half-mile walk from each other. Ballston is one of the busiest neighborhoods in the Washington metropolitan area.
Contents
History of Ballston
How Ballston Got Its Name
Ballston is named after the Ball family. You can find one of their old family cemeteries in the neighborhood. It is located at N. Stafford Street and Fairfax Drive. This road is also known as VA State Route 237.
Ballston started as Birch's Crossroads. Later, it became Ball's Crossroads. This was at the intersection of what is now N. Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard.
A historical marker near this intersection tells us more: This spot has been important since about 1740. Two main roads were built here. One went from the future site of Alexandria to Pimmit Run. The other went from Awbury’s Ferry (near Rosslyn) to The Falls Church. The first road became known as Glebe Road. The second was later named Wilson Boulevard. This intersection became known as Ball’s Crossroads when Ball’s Tavern opened in the early 1800s.
Trolleys and Growth in the 19th and 20th Centuries
In 1896, an electric trolley line started running. It was called the Fairfax line. This trolley line went north of the crossroads along what is now Fairfax Drive. The name Fairfax Drive comes from the trolley's final stop, Fairfax City. The trolley line also connected to Rosslyn and downtown Washington, D.C.. This new transportation shifted development away from the old crossroads for a while.
A historical marker tells us about the Ballston trolley station: By 1900, a village called Central Ballston grew. It was located between Wilson Boulevard, Taylor Street, Washington Boulevard, and Pollard Street. More homes spread out to the west and south. The electric railroad tracks ran along what is now Fairfax Drive. The Ballston Station was at Ballston Avenue, which is now North Stuart Street.
The old Ball family burial ground on Washington Boulevard has its own marker. It says: This is one of Arlington's oldest family burial grounds. Ensign John Ball (1748–1814) is buried here. He was a soldier in the American Revolution. Many of his family members are also buried here. This includes John Wesley Boldin, a soldier from the American Civil War.
In 1912, another electric trolley line, the Washington and Old Dominion Railway, built a branch. It crossed the Fairfax line near the west end of Ballston. Today, Interstate 66 and the Bluemont Junction Trail follow the route of this old railroad.
A marker called "Lacey Car Barn" explains more: In 1896, the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway started electric trolleys. They ran from Rosslyn to Falls Church. By 1907, the Fairfax trolley connected Fairfax, Vienna, and Ballston with downtown Washington, D.C.. In 1910, the railway built a car barn, workshops, and offices here. In 1912, the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad built a bridge to cross the tracks nearby. The Fairfax trolley stopped running in 1939. But today, the Metrorail Orange Line follows its route through Arlington.
In 1951, the Parkington Shopping Center opened. It was at the old Ball's Crossroads. This is where Ballston Quarter is today. Parkington had the main store for the Hecht Company. It was said to have the biggest parking garage in the country when it opened.
Ballston started to grow quickly after the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) opened the Orange Line's Ballston Metrorail station. This happened on December 1, 1979. Also, an entrance to Interstate 66 (I-66) opened on December 22, 1982. These changes helped Ballston become the busy place it is today.
Shopping and Fun in Ballston
Ballston Quarter is a big complex for shopping, entertainment, and living. It reopened in 2019 after being closed for two years for updates.
The MedStar Capitals Iceplex is built on top of the Ballston Quarter parking garage. It's where the Washington Capitals hockey team trains. The Iceplex has two indoor ice rinks. It also has offices, locker rooms, a pro-shop, a Capitals team store, and a snack bar. You can go public skating there, or join figure skating and hockey programs.
Ballston also hosts the yearly Taste of Arlington food festival. This street fair has been happening every spring since 1987. In 2009, over 40 local restaurants offered their food. About 15,000 people came to the event. The festival raises money for local charities.
Ballston's Economy
Ballston is a hub for many important organizations. It has many scientific research centers and research and development groups. You'll also find think tanks (groups that do research and offer advice), lobbying-advocacy groups, and trade associations here. Many government agencies and companies that work in aerospace and defense are also in Ballston. Plus, there are many firms that offer engineering and management advice.
Some of the major employers in Ballston include:
- Accenture (their main office)
- Applied Research Associates (ARA)
- AvalonBay Communities
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- CACI International
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- Deloitte
- E*Trade
- Evolent Health
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Office of Naval Research
- Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
- National Highway Institute
- Software Engineering Institute
- WeWork
- Industrious
- Mastercard
- Privia Health
- Prudential
- Willis Towers Watson
In 2011, Accenture decided to move its offices to a new, large building in Ballston.
Education in Ballston
Ballston is home to Washington-Liberty High School. It also has several university campuses and centers:
- A Marymount University (MU) satellite campus. In 2014, plans were approved to build new buildings here. The new campus opened in August 2017.
- A Virginia Tech research center.
- A George Washington University graduate education center.
- A George Mason University satellite campus and graduate center. This is in the Virginia Square part of Ballston. It's mainly used by the university's law school and other graduate programs.
Images for kids
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The former headquarters of the National Science Foundation in March 2009
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View of Ballston from above Fairfax Drive in June 2004
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Former DARPA headquarters in the Virginia Square section.
