Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank …Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately 7 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. Alexandria is the third-largest principal city of the Washington metropolitan area, which is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. As of 2022, the city's population of 159,467 made it the sixth-most populous city in Virginia and the 173rd-most populous city in the nation.