It adjoins Arlington County's government center (including the courthouse and police/jail complex), and is approximately one mile west of Rosslyn and less than a mile north of Clarendon, of which it is sometimes considered a sub-neighborhood, as is Cherrydale, the mostly residential district immediately west of Lyon Village.

Major thoroughfares provide access to commercial and employment centers in the surrounding county and nearby Washington, D.C.

According to the Arlington County Library, Robert Cruit, an immigrant from Devon, England, purchased land in the Clarendon area in 1825 for a farm.

The Civil War Fort Strong which once protected Washington DC is now long gone, replaced by multi-story apartment buildings overlooking Interstate 66.

Building forms and styles extend from the imposing brick Colonial Revival-style dwelling to the smaller bungalow.