Northern Virginia (colloquially referred to as "NOVA") consists of several counties and independent cities in the U.S. state of Virginia in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C. It is the most populous region of both Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area.

Communities in the region form the Virginia portion of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV MSA and the larger Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia DC-MD-VA-WV CSA. Northern Virginia is the most diverse (in terms of both the number of ethnic groups and nationalities represented) and highest-income region of Virginia, having six of the twenty highest-income counties in the nation, including the two highest as of 2007

Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure includes major airports Washington National and Dulles International, several lines of the Washington Metro subway system, the Virginia Railway Express suburban commuter rail system, transit bus services, and an extensive network of Interstate highways and expressways.

Notable features of the region include the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, and the many companies which serve them and the federal government. The area's attractions include various monuments and Colonial and Civil War-era sites such as Mount Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery. It is the most affluent region in the nation.

The federal government is a major employer in Northern Virginia, which is home to numerous government agencies; these include the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters and the Pentagon (headquarters of the Department of Defense), as well as Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the United States Geological Survey.

Government contracting is an important part of the region's economy. Arlington alone is home to over 600 federal contractors, and has the highest weekly wages of any major jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area.

As of 2007[update], the Northern Virginia office submarkets contain 172 million square feet of office space, 33% more than those in Washington and 55% more than those in its Maryland suburbs. 8 million square feet of office space is under construction in Northern Virginia. 60% of the construction is occurring in the Dulles Corridor submarket.

Northern Virginia's data centers currently carry more than 50% of the nation's Internet traffic, and by 2012 Dominion Power expects that 10% of all electricity it sends to Northern Virginia will be used by the region's data centers alone.

In September 2008 the unemployment rate in Northern Virginia was 3.2%, the lowest of any metropolitan area if ranked. The national unemployment rate in September 2008 was 6.2%. While the U.S. as a whole had negative job growth from September 2007 to September 2008, Northern Virginia gained 12,800 jobs, most of which were in the professional and business services sector, and represented half of Virginia's new jobs. After months of increases, the unemployment rate of Northern Virginia held steady at 5.2% in March 2008.

Notable companies

AES Corporation | BearingPoint | Booz Allen Hamilton | CACI | Capital One | Computer Sciences Corporation | DynCorp International | FHLMC (Freddie Mac) | Gannett Company | General Dynamics | NII Holdings | NVR | SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae) |

Additionally, ExxonMobil's downstream division is based in the region. Companies formerly headquartered in the region include Mobil, and Nextel/Sprint Nextel, PSINet, MCI Communications, and UUNET.