News

Gayle Reuter is retiring.

The news will travel fast around Del Ray, where the Alexandria Living Legend has lived and volunteered for decades. For the last five years, she’s also worked full-time as the accreditation manager for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office (ASO).


Sponsored

Among the movers serving Alexandria, VA, 495 Movers stands out for a simple reason: its local hourly rate includes packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and protection for floors, walls, and elevators. The company has been in business since 2009 and has completed more than 20,000 moves, a number that keeps climbing.

Anyone who has hired movers in the DC area knows the familiar pattern. A low hourly rate wins the call. Then the invoice arrives with a charge for boxes, a charge for taking the bed apart, a fee for the stairs, and another for the elevator. By the end, the number on the bill has little to do with the number in the ad. 495 Movers was built to avoid that.

495 Movers at a glance

  • In business since: 2009 (17 years)
  • Moves completed: more than 20,000, local and long-distance
  • Licensed in: Virginia
  • Serves: Alexandria and the rest of the DMV
  • Local hourly rate includes: packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and home protection on every move
  • No separate fees for: stairs or elevators
  • Also offers: junk removal, custom crating, and self-storage
  • Reputation: 4.7 stars across nearly 1,000 Google reviews

Who is 495 Movers?

495 Movers is a full-service moving company serving Alexandria and the rest of the DMV, founded in 2009 by people who had worked as movers for several other companies first. They wanted to do it differently.

“We wanted to take a different approach, offering a simple, honest, and transparent approach for the customer,” said Moti Kachlon, co-owner at 495 Movers. For local moves, that meant building the most common extras into the hourly rate. Seventeen years and more than 20,000 moves later, the company is still growing.

What makes moving in Alexandria different?

Alexandria is a hard place to move. A truck on an Old Town block gets watched by neighbors, property managers, and a family wondering whether the sofa will make the turn on a staircase built long before sofas got this big.

Old Town’s rowhouses have narrow staircases and tight turns, which is why large furniture often has to come apart to get out. Del Ray’s bungalows and rowhouses have basements that hold more than anyone remembers. And condo and apartment buildings in Carlyle, Potomac Yard, and the West End often require movers to carry a certificate of insurance and book the elevator, with building managers who care a great deal about scuffed hallways. The street adds its own complications, from cobblestones to limited curb space.

That’s the context for how 495 Movers prices its work.

What does 495 Movers include in its hourly rate?

For local moves, the rate covers four things that many movers bill separately:

  • Packing materials. Boxes, tape, paper, and wrap are provided at no additional cost, whether a move needs a few or a few hundred.
  • Furniture disassembly and reassembly. Beds, tables, desks, sectionals, and wardrobes are taken apart, moved, and put back together at the new home. In an Old Town rowhouse, that’s often the only way a dresser gets down the stairs.

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News

The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is sharing details on a June 19 potential measles exposure in Northern Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Health was notified that on June 19, a child with a confirmed case of measles traveled from another country to Washington Dulles International Airport en route to North Carolina. VDH announced the potential exposure on June 25 (Wednesday).


News

Good news if you’re traveling in and around Alexandria for the upcoming July 4 weekend.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) just announced that it will suspend many highway work zones and lift temporary lane closures on interstates and major roads from 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, to 12 p.m. on Monday, July 7.


News

Senator Mark Warner is demanding a full cost-benefit analysis of the federal government’s decision to relocate the Department of Housing and Urban Development to Alexandria, expressing skepticism about claimed taxpayer savings and concern for displaced National Science Foundation employees.

The Virginia Democrat, speaking during a media availability Thursday (June 26), said he has not seen any cost evaluation for the move that will displace approximately 1,800 NSF employees from their headquarters at 2415 Eisenhower Ave.


News

The heatwave continues, as the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory and flood watch for Alexandria.

Heat index values of up to 107 degrees are expected in the region, and the advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. The NWS has also issued a Flood Watch, which will be in effect from 3 p.m. into the evening.


Around Town

This weekend in Alexandria is packed with major events, including the annual Alexandria Pride Fair at City Hall on Saturday. Plus, Port City Brewing Company is getting a very early start on Oktoberfest, a Mystical Pride Prom takes over the Torpedo Factory, and there’s a full slate of live music, workshops, and family-friendly activities across the city.

Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.


News

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has endorsed Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett in the special election for Virginia’s open 11th Congressional District seat.

There are 10 Democrats and seven Republicans vying for the seat, following the death of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly in May. Both the 11th District Democratic Committee  and the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee have chosen Saturday, June 28, as the primary date to choose their respective candidates. The special election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9.


News

There are only four days left to choose Alexandria in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

Alexandria has been consistently ranked as one of the top five small cities in the country for the past six years. Last year, the city got third place nationwide. The voting deadline is Monday, June 30.