10,000 Strong!

OK, not actually 10,000 but the 2000 Census reported that Columbia Heights/Penrose had a population of 9,874 residents. For comparison in 2000, the City of Falls Church had a population of 10,377. Columbia Heights/Penrose's population grew by 18.9% from 1990 when its population was recorded as 8,389. As new development happens in our community, we can expect the population will increase by the 2010 census but probably not at the rate that occurred between 1990-2000.

Also from the 2000 Census. Columbia Heights/Penrose had 5,301 households living in 5,418 housing units. Of those housing units, 1183 were owner occupied which equates to a home ownership rate of 21.8% This isn't a very high home ownership rate but the vast majority of the community's housing stock is rental. There is probably the widest range of housing types in this community within Arlington County but that topic merits a blog of its own.

There are five parks in the community - four full size (Butler-Holmes, Penrose, Towers & Walter Reed) and one pocket park (Cleveland). Towers Park also features a Community Canine Area for all you dog owners. All the full size parks have basketball courts and playgrounds. Towers Park and Walter Reed also have tennis courts. There is a 27 hole private golf course, the Army Navy Country Club, on the southern border of the community.


There is only one local government building located in the community proper which is the Walter Reed Community Center at . The Columbia Pike branch library along with the Fenwick Center (a county health facility) and Patrick Henry Elementary School and the Arlington Public Schools' Career Center are located just over the western edge.

There are two churches located in the community - St. Johns Baptist Church at 1905 Columbia Pike and Trinity Episcopal Church at 2217 Columbia Pike.

The downtown of the community, where all the commercial retail is located, is along Columbia Pike between Walter Reed Drive and S. Wayne St. There are roughly 40-50 businesses in the downtown area currently. New development projects will boost this number as more retail spaces are created.

There are nine office buildings in the community - the B.M. Smith building (a nine story building in the downtown area), five government office buildings in a Department of Defense facility on S. Courthouse Road, and three large office buildings in the Sequoia Complex in the northeastern corner of the Penrose neighborhood.

Schools. Children in Columbia Heights/Penrose attend a variety of public and private schools. Within the top rated Arlington Public School (APS) system, residents choose from a variety of programs. Listed are the public schools predominantly chosen by residents, with neighborhood schools indicated with an asterik.

Elementary Schools - Arlington Traditional, Hoffman-Boston*, Key Spanish Immersion, Long Branch*, and Patrick Henry*

Middle Schools - Gunston Immersion, Kenmore Technology & Communications, Thomas Jefferson International Baccalaureate (IB)*, and H.B. Woodlawn

High School - H.B. Woodlawn, Wakefield*, and the Washington & Lee IB program