Notes: Today marks 276 years since 60 acres were designated for a new settlement called Alexandria

Good Sunday morning, Alexandria!

⛈️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny, with a high near 83 degrees. Calm wind becoming west around five mph in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59 degrees. Southeast wind around six mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

🚨 You need to know

Today, Alexandria celebrates 276 years since colonial Governor William Gooch set aside 60 acres along the Potomac River for a new settlement.

On May 11, 1749, Gooch established what would become Alexandria, kickstarting the creation of a key tobacco inspection point and a growing community.

The city’s roots are deeply tied to colonial trade. Hugh West’s tobacco warehouse, set up by 1732 at what’s now the foot of Oronoco Street, was a cornerstone of the early settlement. West’s operation, which included a ferry and tavern, became an official inspection point under the 1730 Tobacco Inspection Act.

There are several theories about how Alexandria got its name. It might honor Philip and John Alexander, who previously owned the land, or it could be inspired by Alexandria in Egypt or its Scottish counterpart.

George Washington, then just 17 and working as an assistant surveyor, played a big part in shaping the city. He drew up a map of the new town, including street names that are still used today.

The city’s layout was carefully planned. On July 14, 1749, 84 half-acre lots were auctioned off. Buyers had two years to build on their properties.

Two central lots were kept for a marketplace and a town hall/courthouse, setting up the community’s civic center from the start.

Here’s what the City of Alexandria shares on its website;

On May 11, 1749, colonial Governor William Gooch designated sixty acres of land adjacent to a small bay along the Potomac River in Northern Virginia as the site for a new settlement to be called Alexandria. Several theories support the naming for the new settlement; • that it was named for Philip and John Alexander who formerly owned the land; or • that the name was selected after Alexandria, Egypt a center of knowledge in the early civilized world; or • that the name was taken from the tiny town of Alexandria, Scotland, known to the Scottish founders that proposed the site; or • all of the above. An auction of 84 half-acre lots was scheduled for July 14 that same year, with a deadline of two years for successful lot purchasers to erect a structure on the property. Two lots were set aside at the center of the new community for a market place and town hall/courthouse. A seventeen-year-old assistant surveyor, George Washington prepared a map of the new town, including the names of the gridded streets, most of which are still used today. In the 17th century, plantations could be found along the Potomac River in Northern Virginia. By 1732, Hugh West had established a tobacco warehouse on high bluffs overlooking a small but deep bay, at what is today the foot of Oronoco Street in Alexandria. The Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730, one of the most successful laws promoted by colonial Governor William Gooch designated West’s warehouse as the official inspection point for this area. The creation of such stations in the colony reduced fraud and affirmed the high quality of Virginia tobacco, thus allowing it to become a premium product for European trade. Hugh West oversaw the warehouse along with a ferry and tavern, while Philip and John Alexander farmed much of the surrounding land. To facilitate shipping, Scottish and English merchants petitioned the Virginia General Assembly in the fall of 1748 to establish a town at West’s Hunting Creek Warehouse. After some debate that considered a competing location along Cameron Run, on May 11, 1749, Sir William Gooch, Colonial Governor of Virginia designated 60 acres of land surrounding West’s tobacco station for the founding of Alexandria. John West, Fairfax County surveyor, assisted by 17-year-old George Washington, laid out 60 acres for creation of the new town and lots were auctioned off in July 1749.

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The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for May 10, 2025.

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📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on this weekend in Alexandria.