Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

News

Elevated interest rates are putting a chill in Alexandria’s real estate market

By Scott McCaffrey
Bright open living and dining area with a wooden dining table for four and a beige sofa set around a coffee table in front of large windows.
Home living room and dining room (via Francesca Tosolini/Unsplash)

Affordability issues and higher interest rates led to a rough month in real estate across Alexandria in September.

Sales for the month totaled 143, down from 167 a year before and below the five-year average of 150 for the month, according to data reported Oct. 12 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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Alexandria’s jobless rate drops, but so does the number of residents in workforce

By Scott McCaffrey
Job interview (via Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s recently reported unemployment rate was down from a year before and on the lower end of what has been seen citywide during the past year.

But like much of the rest of Northern Virginia, there also has been an exodus in the total number of city residents with jobs.

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News

Alexandria leader sees Route 7 transit project as model for rest of state

By Scott McCaffrey
F20 Metrobus service runs from Tysons east to Alexandria (photo courtesy of NVTC)

A key Alexandria leader wants the planned Route 7 bus rapid transit (BRT) network to serve as a statewide transportation blueprint.

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley said the Tysons to Alexandria BRT initiative represents a “landmark project” others will be able to learn from.

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News

Alexandria apartment rents follow cyclical norms, cooling with the fall temperatures

By Scott McCaffrey
Open-concept living and dining area with hardwood floors, large windows, and a seating nook by the window.
Apartment interior (via Francesca Tosolini/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s apartment rental market is moving into the cooler stage of the year, and rental rates are down slightly from a year ago.

The city saw a median apartment rental rate of $2,193 — $2,008 for one-bedroom units and $2,467 for two bedrooms — in September, according to data reported Sept. 29 by Apartment List.

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News

Beyer’s challengers want congressional term limits, reduced federal role in education policy

By Scott McCaffrey
Three panelists sit at a long purple table on a stage with a blue curtain backdrop and LWV banners visible on the front.
Challengers to Rep. Don Beyer, D-8, at candidate forum (screenshot via League of Women Voters)

Rep. Don Beyer’s three challengers in the 8th District want less — or no — federal involvement in public education.

“The government should stay out of it. I don’t think it’s their business,” said Shelly Arnoldi, the Libertarian candidate, in a Sept. 28 forum presented by a coalition of local League of Women Voters organizations.

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News

Alexandria residents playing key roles in record-setting 2026 Senior Olympics

By Scott McCaffrey
Two elderly men sprinting on an indoor track, bibs 108 and 138, leaning forward in a race.
Competitors in men’s 60-meter running event (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Alexandria is well-represented in the record-breaking 2026 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

A total of 1,356 residents ages 50-plus from across the local area are participating in 96 events across 34 locations during the 22 days of competition.

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News

Alexandria home sales soften in August as buyers react to higher interest rates

By Scott McCaffrey
Happy couple moving into a new home, the woman holding a small potted plant in a white wooden crate and the man carrying a large cardboard box.
Home move (photo by Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

Alexandria recorded a significant year-over-year decline in home sales during August as the regional and national markets slowed due to rising interest rates.

Total sales across the city for the month were 130, down 28.6% from 182 transactions in August 2025, according to figures reported by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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Alexandria unemployment stabilizes but remains elevated amid federal downsizing

By Scott McCaffrey
Two colleagues collaborate at a desk, examining papers as one points with a pen and the other looks on over the document.
Employees in office (image via Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s jobless rate was stable year over year in new data but remains elevated compared to levels recorded before the Trump administration’s federal government downsizing began.

A total of 96,600 city residents were counted as employed in the civilian workforce in July, with 3,150 seeking jobs, according to figures reported Sept. 2 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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News

Alexandria rents drop 2.8% from last year but remain well above pre-pandemic levels

By Scott McCaffrey
Apartment living room (photo via Quillia/Unsplash)

Despite a year-over-year decline, median Alexandria apartment costs remain 15% above pre-pandemic rates and 26% higher than the mid-Covid low, according to new data.

August’s median city rental rates were $2,019 for one-bedroom units, $2,481 for two bedrooms and $2,205 overall, according to figures reported Aug. 26 by Apartment List.

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News

Alexandria employment drops 2.6% since start of second Trump term

By Scott McCaffrey
Job interview (via Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

Alexandria has seen a drop in citywide employment since the start of the second Trump administration.

Total employment reported in the city by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the first quarter of 2026 was 79,000, down 2.6% from the first quarter of 2025. Updated figures were reported Aug. 28.

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Alexandria leaders wary of impacts from data centers outside city’s borders

By Scott McCaffrey
Six panelists seated at a long table in a conference room, with a colorful cloth covering the table and a projection screen behind them.
Councilman Abdel Elnoubi (second from right) joins panelists at the Alexandria People’s Assembly forum on the Plaza 500 data center project (via Alexandria People’s Assembly)

Alexandria may not be ground zero in the growing contentious public debate over the impact of data centers. But the city is gearing up to address an increasing number of indirect consequences.

Even if not located in the city, data centers “still have regional impacts — they don’t stop at a city line or county line,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said at the Aug. 26 Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit.

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