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About Court House
First, let's clear up some confusion about the name of this urban village. The name of the Metro station at the center of the neighborhood is, and has always been, Court House (two words). Next to the Metro station, but built long after it, is a pedestrian mall surrounded by shops, offices, and apartments, which was named Courthouse (one word) Plaza. We're sticking with the older name, largely because the presence of the Metro station is so important to the urban village. Walking in Court House, you begin to feel the pulse of our nation's capital, only two Metro stops away. But the area is not merely a suburb of D.C. As you may have guessed from the name, Court House is the center of Arlington County government. And, as you might also expect, the neighborhood immediately surrounding the Metro is defined by a feeling of stateliness – a little slice of Washington on the Virginia side of the river. The Arlington County courts, police department, and administrative offices are all right here, and a large Verizon office building ensures that the private sector is also well represented. Several new apartment buildings that house young professionals complete the grand cityscape.
Along with Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, and Rosslyn, Court House is located on the Wilson Boulevard-Clarendon Boulevard corridor, which was named one of 10 "Great Streets" in the U.S. by the American Planning Association in 2008. Restaurants, from fast food chains to local favorites like Summers Restaurant and Pines of Florence, keep the residents and visitors well fed at good prices. Bars, such as Ireland's Four Courts, or the upscale Gua Rapo lounge (which also serves tapas) ensure that Clarendon doesn't have all the fun. And the coffee-house crowd can sip lattes at any of several cafes close by the Metro station.
Perhaps the most obvious advantage to this area is simply its convenience. The quick Metro ride to Washington, DC or to the other urban villages along Metro's Orange Line make for an amazing number of possibilities. With so many of the perks of city life right in the Court House area, residents rarely feel like they're missing anything, but if they do want to go to DC or to another Arlington neighborhood for a change of pace, it's extremely easy. |
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Arlington's urban villages are walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods well served by public transportation. People who live in these neighborhoods are able to walk to shopping or to restaurants and hop on Metrorail, Metrobus or ART when they need to go anywhere else in the Washington Metro area. More about Arlington's urban villages. |
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Court House isn't just about majestic architecture – people who live and work in this area also have plenty of choices for shopping and fun things to do. An escalator from the Metro station leads to Courthouse Plaza, a lovely pedestrian mall with 19 shops and restaurants, where outdoor concerts are often held summer evenings among the trees and bubbling fountains. There is also a six-screen movie theatre here, and a farmers market on Saturday mornings when the weather allows. The Arlington campus of 
As we get farther from Metro, Court House becomes more village and less urban. Rocky Run Park and Key Elementary School are the focal points of the quiet residential communities on either side of Wilson and Clarendon boulevards, and families of all shapes and sizes call this part of Court House their home.