The Story
It's made of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William County.
However, it also includes the independent cities of
Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
and these towns
(Prince William County) Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan, and Quantico ,
(Fairfax County) Herndon, Vienna, Clifton
(Loudoun County) Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Round Hill.
So what does it mean to be a town or city in Virginia?
Towns can expand their boundaries but are not independent from counties. Therefore, town residents are also county residents. However, towns can make their own land use decisions.
Cities can also expand but are independent jurisdictions, separate from the county. City residents pay city taxes, elect city officials, and have no say in county affairs. Cities run their school systems, maintain city streets, and make land use decisions.
Most Virginia counties (except for Arlington and Henrico) rely upon VDOT for road maintenance. Counties must compete with each other and other VDOT priorities for a substantial portion of their road budget, while cities get a fixed allocation of state funding.