After the retrocession of "the county and town of Alexandria" (v.s., p. 13) not only were the boundaries changed, but the Town was chartered as a City. Section 22 of the new charter[43] ] provided:
"The line of the City of Alexandria shall be extended on the north and west as follows: Beginning in the Potomac River at a point distant northerly in the direction of Fairfax Street four hundred nineteen feet and two inches from the north line of the present corporate limits of the town of Alexandria in said river, and running thence westerly, parallel with said north line, to a point at which it would intersect the present western line if extended north four hundred nineteen feet and ten inches; thence southwesterly with the present western line but the said city council shall have authority to make such police and sanitary regulations of the territory reaching ten feet west of the western bank of Hooff's or Mushpot Run; then parallel to and at that distance from said run to the line dividing Alexandria from Fairfax county; then southeasterly with said dividing line to the present southwest corner of the said town of Alexandria."
The next year the Charter was amended,[44] ] again altering the boundaries:
"Beginning in the Potomac river at a point distant northwardly in the direction of Fairfax street four hundred and nineteen feet and two inches from the present north line of the corporate limits of the town in said river, and running westerly parallel to said north line to intersect the west line of said limits produced northwardly four hundred and nineteen feet and two inches; thence southwardly with said west line produced to the northwest corner of the said limits; thence eastwardly with the said north line into the river; then northwardly to the beginning: Beginning again at the intersection of the northwestern line of said limits with the north line of Cameron street; then southwardly with said western line, to the county line; then northwardly with the county line to the point where it intersects the brick wall on the south side of the Little River Turnpike road; then northwardly by a straight line to the east corner of John Hooff's lot on the south side of King street extended; then crossing King street extended to the west corner of the lot of the late Col. Francis Peyton; then with the west line of said lot and the course thereof to the north line of Cameron street extended; then by a straight line to the beginning."
The next addition came in 1858[45] ] when the boundaries were described as:
"Beginning in the Potomac River, at a point distant northerly, in the direction of Fairfax Street five hundred and ninety five feet and nine inches from the north line of Montgomery street, as now established in said city, and extended into said river; and running thence westerly and parallel with said north line to a point at which this course will intersect a line one hundred twenty three feet and five inches west of and running parallel to the western line of West street as now established, when extended; thence southerly parallel with West street, to the north line of Cameron street as now established; thence westerly in the direction of the north line of Cameron street extended, to a point in a line with the west line of the lot of the late Francis Peyton, on which he resided; thence southerly, parallel with West street, to the south line of King street, extended; thence in a straight line to a point in the line dividing the county of Fairfax and Alexandria from each other, ten feet west of Hoof's Run; thence southerly, parallel to, and distant 10 feet from Hoof's Run to the middle of Hunting Creek thence with the middle of Hunting Creek into the Potomac River; then up the said river to the beginning."
This line remained in effect until January 27, 1865, when an amendment to the charter[46] ] withdrew from the jurisdiction of the city all the territory in Fairfax county (bounded by the old District line, Hooff's Run and Hunting Creek) which had been added to the town by the charter of 1858. The next year, on January 25, 1866, the General Assembly rescinded this action and restored the boundaries of 1858.[47] ] A further change occurred in this area on February 20, 1871, when the last part of the description was changed to read:
"… to a point in the line dividing the county of Fairfax and Alexandria from each other, ten feet west of Hooff's Run; thence southerly with the said line into the Potomac River; thence up said river to the beginning."[48] ]
A major change occurred on May 1, 1870, when the City of Alexandria was excluded from the County. This came about through the implementation of an Act of the Assembly[49] ] following the adoption of a new Virginia Constitution in 1869. In delineating the magisterial districts into which counties were to be divided it was provided that "no part of any town or city having a separate organization, or a population of five thousand or more inhabitants, shall be embraced." Alexandria was such a city and thereafter was independent of as well as outside of the County.
