Shirlington is an unincorporated urban area, officially called an "urban village",[1] in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, United States, adjacent to the Fairlington area. The word "Shirlington" is a combination of "Shirley" (from the Shirley Highway or Interstate 395) and "Arlington".
Shirlington is billed as "Arlington’s Arts and Entertainment District"[2] and is a largely mixed-use development based on New Urbanist principles. It is mostly middle-class residential, but like most of Arlington County has been experiencing an economic renaissance and is now home to many upscale dwellings and retail and service establishments that also serve the nearby Fairlington, Parkfairfax, Green Valley and Long Branch Creek areas.