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Prior to the turn of the sixteenth century, the site that is now Alexandria was the happy haunt of Indians who dwelt in this region. In 1608, Captain John Smith explored this area.

It was in 1669 that Governor Berkeley granted to Robert Howsing 6,000 acres of land for bringing 120 colonists to Virginia. During the same year, this land, including the future site of Alexandria (originally known as Belle Haven), was sold to John Alexander for 6,600 pounds of tobacco.

In 1832, the General Assembly of Virginia authorized the building of a tobacco warehouse in Belle Haven on the banks of the Potomac River and this area soon became an important shipping center.

In 1748, by act of the General Assembly, it was declared that a town be erected on a parcel of land in Belle Haven containing 60 acres. The following year this land was divided into 84 lots of half an acre each and was sold with the understanding that each owner would erect a home on their land within two years. The first lots were sold on July 13, 1749 and pursuant to the direction of the trustees then appointed, the town was called Alexandria, for the Alexander family.

In the year 1779, the first act of incorporation of the Town of Alexandria was passed by the General Assembly of Virginia, and during the same year the town was made a port of entry.

By an act of the General Assembly in 1789, the State of Virginia ceded to the Federal Government a portion of its territory, part of which was a section of Alexandria, to help make a ten-mile square area for the seat of government of the United States.

Alexandria was under British control for a short period of time when the British invaded the Capital by water in 1814.

In 1847, by an act of the General Assembly of Virginia, recession of the Town of Alexandria from the District of Columbia was accepted and Alexandria was again declared to be an integral part of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In May 1852, the Charter of the Town of Alexandria was amended to provide that the town should thereafter be known as the City of Alexandria. Alexandria is one of the few cities in America, which has the unique distinction of being an independent city, without any county affiliation. This has been true since 1852, with the exception of the Civil War years (1861-1865) when Alexandria was under Federal Authority.

From the year of its origin in 1749 to the year 1779, a Board of Trustees consisting of four Aldermen and six Councilmen governed Alexandria. In 1852, the council was reorganized to include eight Aldermen and sixteen Councilmen.

Since 1948, the City Council has consisted of a Mayor and six council members all elected at large. In 1950, an act of the General Assembly provided a new charter.