Northern Virginia is home to several counties surrounding our nation's capital, Washington, DC. Companies like Fannie Mae and AOL live there, as well as much of the defense establishment, and GMU and GWU universities.

Generally considered to consist of Fairfax, the cities of Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park, and Prince William and Loudoun counties on the outer edges. Virginia exurbs of Washington extend as far west as Winchester and as far south as Fredericksburg.

Most of the rest of the state does not consider NoVA to be part of Virginia. A favorite fact used as evidence for this point is that the first Virginia Welcome Center on Interstate 95 as you enter from the north is in Fredericksburg.