City of AlexandriaLocal authority

The City of Alexandria is an independent municipal government located along the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Operating under a council-manager system, its mandate is to provide public safety, infrastructure, education, urban planning, and administrative services to its local residents. Founded in 1749 as a colonial port town, it served as an early commercial trading hub closely associated with George Washington. It was later ceded to become part of the District of Columbia in 1801 before being retroceded to Virginia in 1846.