THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S MADE OF ADORABLE

Del Ray is a charming urban village in Alexandria, Virginia,

Known for its individuality, artsy bent, mom & pop business district, Saturday farmer’s market, dog friendliness and cute-as-a-button housing stock, Del Ray is one of a kind.

The main drag is Mount Vernon Avenue. where you’ll find unique restaurants & pubs like The Evening Star Cafe, St. Elmo’s, Matt & Tony’s, Stomping Ground, Cheesetique, butchery Let’s Meat, and iconic shops like Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative.

Del Ray’s residential streets look much as they did many decades ago, lined with large shade trees, deep lots with generous backyards, and 15-foot front setbacks. Architectural styles range from Craftsman Bungalow, Folk Victorian and American Foursquare to Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Art Deco, Queen Anne and Italianate.

Some of Del Ray’s grandest houses were built on Mount Vernon Avenue. You can still see several of the original Foursquare houses, converted for retail use. As the area grew and developed, Mount Vernon Avenue evolved from a grand residential avenue to a funky retail corridor full of charm and character.

Del Ray grew from several subdivision tracts; Hume, Mount Ida, Saint Elmo’s and its namesake Del Ray. The historic communities of Del Ray and St. Elmo’s originated in early 1894, when developer Charles Wood organized a grid pattern of streets running north–south and east–west. The neighborhoods were separated by the St. Asaph Racetrack (closed in1904 following a gambling raid). In 1908, the tracts of Del Ray, St. Elmo’s, Mt. Ida, and Hume were incorporated into the town of Potomac.

Homes here were originally built for workers at Potomac Yard., which opened in 1906 and employed 1,200 people. At its peak during World War II, the workforce grew to nearly 1,500. Most were affordable, detached single family dwellings of modest size. The desirability of today’s Del Ray is partially due to these working class beginnings and its unpretentious, eclectic personality.

Del Ray is bounded on the south by Braddock Road, Russell Road on the west, East and West Glebe on the north and U.S. Route 1 on the east. It’s adjacent on the west to Potomac Yard and its southernmost tip is separated from Old Town West by the Metro line.