Virginia to District of Columbia

Distance from Alexandria to Washington

Straight-line distance

6.9mi

Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC are 6.9 miles (11.1 km) apart in a straight line. From Alexandria, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (32°).

kilometers
11.1
nautical miles
6.0
heading from Alexandria
32° NNE
heading from Washington
212° SSW
AlexandriaWashington

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Alexandria is from Washington

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Alexandria and Washington is 6.9 miles, 11.1 km or 6.0 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 6.9 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
6.9
Kilometers
11.1
Nautical miles
6.0
Bearing from Alexandria
31.6° NNE
Bearing arriving at Washington
31.7°
Bearing from Washington
211.7° SSW

Halfway between Alexandria and Washington

The great-circle midpoint is at 38.861755, -77.050120 (38°51'42.32"N 77°03'0.43"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Washington, DC, with 702,250 residents, 3.4 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Alexandria gets 14 h 53 min of daylight and Washington 14 h 54 min; on December 21, 9 h 27 min and 9 h 26 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Washington has 4.4 times the population of Alexandria. From July 2020 to July 2024, Alexandria changed by -0.0% and Washington by +4.7%. The trip crosses from Virginia into District of Columbia.

  1. 01Alexandria, VA159,102 (-0.0%)
  2. 02Washington, DC702,250 (+4.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Alexandria from Washington?

6.9 miles, 11.1 km or 6.0 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Washington from Alexandria?

NNE. The great-circle path leaves Alexandria on a bearing of 31.6° and arrives at Washington on 31.7°. The return trip starts on 211.7°.

What is halfway between Alexandria and Washington?

The midpoint is at 38.861755, -77.050120. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Washington, DC, 3.4 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Alexandria and Washington?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Alexandria or Washington?

Washington, with 702,250 residents in July 2024 against 159,102 for Alexandria, 4.4 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.