Suburban Washington

Many prominent places are in suburban Virginia. Overlooking the Potomac River just south of the capital is Mount Vernon, the home, estate, and burial place of George Washington. Directly across the river from downtown Washington, in Arlington, is the Pentagon, the world's largest office building and the headquarters of the Department of Defense. Nearby are Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery is the nation's largest and probably best-known national cemetery. It is the burial site of some 200,000 persons, including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. At the Tomb of the Unknowns are buried four unidentified American servicemen, one each from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns attracts many visitors. Arlington House, on a hill in the cemetery, is the pre-Civil War mansion of the Custis and Lee families. It was made a national memorial in honor of General Robert E. Lee.

Also in suburban Virginia are Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts; the Central Intelligence Agency; and Manassas (Bull Run) National Battlefield Park, site of two Civil War battles.

Suburban Maryland has some of the finer residential sections in the Washington metropolitan area. Federal installations in Maryland suburbs include the National (Bethesda) Naval Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health, Andrews Air Force Base, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Bureau of the Census. Nearby Prince Georges County is home to FedEx Field, where the Redskins (professional football) play. At College Park is the main campus of the University of Maryland.