Tysons corner, Virginia

Beginning around the time of the Sputnik crisis of 1957, a number of specialized, defense-related firms moved to the Washington, D.C. area. Their primary function was vague: they often defined their work as “systems integration”—but that was not well-defined. Journalists, not understanding the nature of this activity, called the firms “Beltway Bandits,” a misnomer since nearly all were located not around the Washington Beltway but rather close by one another in an area known as Tysons Corner, Virginia. Though little understood and by 1997 all but gone as independent companies, these firms laid the foundation for one of the most vibrant and economically successful regions of the country: Tysons Corner. Tysons is now an anchor for Internet activity and probably has more high-technology software activity than anyplace, save Silicon Valley, in the United States. It is also home to one of the most successful retail centers in the northeastern United States. Tysons is a classic “Edge City” in the words of urban geographer Joel Garreau: tremendous commercial vitality yet none of the qualities one associates with a “community.” Tysons Corner has no post office or ZIP code of its own, no political boundary, no subway or railroad station, no library, public school, park, or town square. Yet is is an easily-recognized “place.” This study looks at the area, its origins, and its present status, with a view toward some general comments about the place for such “Edge Cities” in the country’s future.