Belle Haven is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.

Nearby CDPs are Huntington (northwest), Groveton (southwest) and Fort Hunt (south).

[1] The CDP is located just south of Old Town Alexandria and bounded on the west by Richmond Highway (U.S. 1) and on the east by the Potomac River.

It encompasses Belle Haven, a wealthy subdivision dating from the 1920s, and several adjoining neighborhoods.

The Belleview branch of the Alexandria Post Office is located here, and serves the 22307 ZIP code in which the majority of the CDP falls.

The name "Belle Haven" derives from when Scottish pioneers settled along the Potomac River in the early 18th century.

Hugh West himself was a burgess from Fairfax County, a vestryman, and a trustee of the town of Alexandria.

Johnston died several years before the Civil War, and his widow ran the plantation in his place.

[3] In 1862 the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Garibaldi Guard) occupied the plantation and later burned it to the ground, retaliating against the owner's sons for serving as officers on General Robert E. Lee's staff.

The current Belle Haven residential community had its start in the 1920s when David Howell, a civil engineer from Alexandria, purchased the land from owners Mrs. Thomas Wilfred Robinson, Sr. and her brothers.

Upon purchasing the land, Howell set up two corporations, one to construct a golf course and club, and the other to develop a residential subdivision.

[5] Belle Haven is located 20 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census (some information from the 2022 American Community Survey) there were 6,851 people, 3,263 housing units and 2,747 households residing in the CDP.