Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Langley is often used as a metonym for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as it is home to its headquarters, the George Bush Center for Intelligence. The land which makes up Langley today once belonged to Thomas Lee, former Crown Governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1749 to 1750. Lee’s land was named Langley in honor of Langley Hall, which was part of the Lee home estate in Shropshire, England. In 1839, 700 acres (283 ha) of land was purchased by Benjamin Mackall from the Lee family, while keeping the name.
The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School. In addition to being a bedroom community for Washington, D.C. and home to the CIA's headquarters, the area is the site of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration and the Claude Moore Colonial Farm of the National Park Service.
In popular culture
Peter Quinn at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia - Homeland S05E01.
- The animated TV show American Dad!, created by Seth MacFarlane, is set in Langley Falls, Virginia. Langley Falls is the fictional community where the Smith family reside in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The town name is a portmanteau of Langley and Great Falls, which are unincorporated communities located in Fairfax County. It could also be a portmanteau of Langley and Falls Church. Falls Church, however, is an independent city.
- The Emmy Award-winning show Homeland takes place in Langley.
- In the later games of the Syphon Filter series, the Agency, known as the International Presidential Consulting Agency, is headquartered in Langley. Gabe Logan, the lead character of the series and head of the Agency, is shown to also live in Langley.
- The TV show Covert Affairs is set in the city of Langley.
- In the second season of Quantico, the premise of the show shifts from the FBI to the CIA. In one of the episodes, the CIA recruits are tasked to complete part of their training exercise at the organization's headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
See also
- Quantico, Virginia
External links
- Why Is It Named Langley, Virginia? - Ghosts of DC history blog
References
