Community Corner

Welcome to West End Alexandria Patch!

Your new local news site and community platform.

Welcome West-Enders!

The new West End Alexandria Patch is your go-to place for info about the city’s western half and an interactive community hub.

Formerly the editor for Fort Hunt Patch in the Mount Vernon area, I’m honored to be your new editor for the West End. I’ve lived in western Alexandria for more than three years, after moving to the area from South Carolina to attend graduate school.

Find out what's happening in West End Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The launch of West End Alexandria Patch fills a gap in Patch’s coverage in Northern Virginia, where it operates in more than 30 communities, including Annandale, Old Town Alexandria and Del Ray.

For those of you unfamiliar with Patch, we offer much more than just daily local news. We also have a growing events calendar (post your events here), and space for you to post your own announcements.

Find out what's happening in West End Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Plus, we're looking for contributors to our Local Voices section, where we give community groups, non-profits and residents their own space to share information with readers. (Interested? Email me at rachel.leonard@patch.com.)

And, we're on Facebook and Twitter

According to the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, the West End is Alexandria's largest and fastest-growing submarket. It’s home to more than 68,000 people — nearly half the city’s population.

We’re also a diverse group of people, from families to young professionals to retirees. The West End is also diverse when it comes to ethnicity, race and native language — one of the things I love about where I live.

We’re also a highly educated community. Nearly 52 percent of West End residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the economic development partnership. The West End is also home to hundreds of retail establishments, dozens of restaurants and 10 hotels.

The West End offers a number of outdoor spaces and parks. It boasts Dora Kelley Nature Park, Holmes Run Greenway and Winkler Botanical Preserve, all spots where I’ve spotted deer and other wildlife on numerous occasions. And Ben Brenman Park offer a peaceful retreat from the noise of city life, as well as hosting the West End Farmers’ Market. There’s also Cameron Run Regional Park.

The West End includes Alexandria’s public high school, T.C. Williams, and T.C.’s Minnie Howard Campus for grade 9. Our coverage area also includes Francis C. Hammond Middle School and several elementary schools: John Adams, Patrick Henry, William Ramsay, Samuel W. Tucker and James K. Polk. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School and Bishop Ireton High School also call West Alexandria home, as does the the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, which serves more than 17,000 students each year.

The West End is also home to Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site, built in 1861 to protect Washington during the Civil War. We also cover Inova Alexandria Hospital, Virginia Theological Seminary and the Mark Center BRAC office complex, which employs 6,400 people.

We’re also living in a changing community. The outdated Landmark Mall is slated to be replaced by mixed-use town center, and plans are under way to revitalize the Beauregard corridor.

In all, there’s no shortage of news coming out of the West End. I hope you’ll make West End Alexandria Patch your go-to source for information about your community.

This is your Patch.  We want you to participate by sending us news tips and posting events and announcements at any time. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay abreast of what’s going on and for exclusive content not published on the website. And, our daily newsletter delivers our top stories of the day directly to your inbox.

West-Enders, we’ve got you covered. Come along for the ride!

Sincerely,

Rachel Leonard
rachel.leonard@patch.com 

 

Love West End Alexandria Patch? Like us on Facebook for news updates throughout the day at www.facebook.com/WestEndAlexandriaVAPatch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from West End Alexandria