Nauck, Virginia facts for kids

Nauck is a neighborhood in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, known locally as Green Valley. It is bordered by Four Mile Run and Shirlington to the south, Douglas Park to the west, I-395 to the east, and Columbia Heights and the Army-Navy Country Club to the north. The southeastern corner of the neighborhood borders the City of Alexandria.

The neighborhood acquired the name of "Nauck" when John D. Nauck, a former Confederate Army soldier who was serving the County as a Justice of the Peace and in other positions, purchased, subdivided and sold 46 acres of farmland from 1874 to 1900 in its area, thus laying the foundation for the neighborhood's development. In 2019, the Nauck Civic Association voted to change its name to the "Green Valley Civic Association" to remove the name of a Confederate from that of an organization which by that time represented what had become a historically black neighborhood. The association next asked the Arlington County Civic Federation to approve its proposed name change, which the Federation did later that year. Although the County government will change its relevant databases and maps to reflect the association's new name, the County Board has not voted to alter the name of the neighborhood itself.

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, Green Valley's population was 35.9% non-Hispanic Black or African-American, 27.3% non-Hispanic White and 25.7% Hispanic or Latino.

Development

There has recently been quite a lot of residential redevelopment in the neighborhood including the Townes of Shirlington, Shirlington Crest, and the Macedonia apartments. Many older homes have been torn down and replaced with larger, newer homes due to the large increase in land prices the last decade. The land along Shirlington Road has been the target of major redevelopment in recent years. In 2011, Walmart showed interest in developing a store there, which resulted in the county changing zoning rules that effectively rejected Walmart's plan.

Landmarks

In 2013 the Green Valley Pharmacy was designated a historical district designation by the Arlington County Board.

A Guide to the African-American Heritage of Arlington County Virginia

African American History in Arlington Virginia: A Guide to the Historic Sites of a Long and Proud Heritage

Images for kids

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  Mount Vernon Ladies' Association Portrait of John Parke Custis by Charles Willson Peale, ca. 1774

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  1863 map of Union Army convalescent camp in the area of the future Nauck neighborhood. The camp was north of Four Mile Run, a swamp, and the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad.

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  Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (2012)