Though mailing addresses in Hollin Hills are listed as being in Alexandria, it is actually in an unincorporated part of southeast Fairfax County, Virginia.

In all, roughly 450 houses with contemporary construction techniques and landscape plans were established in northern Virginia, offsetting the area's more common Colonial Revival homes.

[4] Today, the neighborhood is known primarily for its mid-century modern architecture homes, each is uniquely oriented on its lot to maximize its privacy and landscape view, with sight lines intentionally chosen to enhance the common space shared by each structure.

The historic district encompasses all of the present 326 acres (132 ha) of Hollin Hills, composed of single-family dwellings, parks, and recreational areas.

[8][9] "The land subdivision in general has been designed to bring out the best qualities of each individual site, rather than to obtain the maximum number of lots per acre.

Between 1949 and 1961, Charles Goodman designed eight modern unit types with variations in square footage and interior amenities, comprising 15 different combinations for Hollin Hills.

The popularity of the homes, which feature huge expanses of glass, established Goodman as a nationally acclaimed guru of modern architecture.

[11] Each provided property owners with landscaping plans intended to harmonize the contours of the land and highlight each building's individual design and siting.

[17] Stormwater throughout Hollin Hills is part of the Little Hunting Creek watershed that flows to the Potomac River and onto the Chesapeake Bay.

[24] Virtually all public roads (interstate, primary and secondary) in Fairfax County are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The Huntington station serves as the nearest rapid transit terminal of the Washington Metro (WMATA) system.

The school was built at a cost of $275,964 (present value: $3.14 million) and opened its doors to students from Hollin Hills and other neighborhoods on September 6, 1955.

In 1965, Hollin Meadows Elementary School was built on Nordock Place, directly adjoining the neighborhood near its southern end.

[34] Each of these changes prompted objections from resident within Hollin Hills and other neighborhoods, not the least because of rivalry between the high schools and perceptions of class differences between them.

The Civic Association of Hollin Hills (CAHH) is a volunteer residential membership organization structured to promote the common good of the community.

It is led by a nine-member, democratically elected Board of Directors which manages a variety of community activities, social and educational events, including a monthly newsletter, a resident/owner directory, an architectural design review committee, management and oversight of 30 acres of parkland, the Hollin Hills Pool, Hollin Hills Pickleball and Tennis Club, and the biennial House and Garden Tour.

Goodman and Davenport originally planned and submitted to Fairfax County for zoning approval in 1952 that Hollin Hills would have its own shopping center and gas station; however, the county rejected the plan and the shopping center is never built on the corner of Paul Spring Road and Fort Hunt Road.

Completed in 1954, Hollin Hills Pool & Swim Club, which was established on 2.95 acres (1.19 ha) of land purchased by the Civic Association from Robert Davenport.

Today, the HMSTC is separate from the CAHH as a private-membership based club operating a 5-acre complex in a wooded area, bordering the historic district boundaries.

[6][45] Over the decades, this mid-century modern community has attracted artists, architects, politicians, lawyers, doctors and numerous other individuals typical of the metropolitan DC region, including and the production designers for Mad Men, Dan Bishop and Jeremy Conway.