Although Arlington is so geographically small that it does not have component towns or cities, the Court House neighborhood is sometimes referred to as county seat, as it is home to the primary county government administrative complex as well as a justice center consisting of a jail, courthouse and police HQ.

The neighborhood consists of high-rise residential and business buildings including offices of PAE and an 8-screen AMC movie theater.

It is home to more than 25 bars and restaurants, ranging from informal lunch take-out spots, to a venue for local bands, to upscale Latin and Thai evening establishments.

Built in the 1930s,[2] Colonial Village consists of private condos, co-op housing, and apartments for rent and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was part of the "Arlington Line" of fortifications built after the Union seized the area in May 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War.