Dahlgren is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,946 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 2,653 at the 2010 census, that representing an increase from 997 in 2000.
History
Since 1918, Dahlgren has been the site of a U.S. naval base named for Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren. It was first the "U.S. Naval Proving Ground" but was renamed the "U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory" after 1950, the "Naval Surface Weapons Center" in 1974, the "Naval Surface Warfare Center" in 1987, and the "U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)" around 1990. In 2006, it was renamed "Naval Support Activity-South Potomac (NSA-SP)", with NSWCDD becoming a tenant command of the base. The U.S. Naval Space Surveillance Systems command was located at that base, but that responsibility was transferred to the Air Force in 2004. The AEGIS Training and Readiness Center is currently a tenant command at NSA-SP. The naval base lies just east of the Dahlgren CDP within its own census-designated place, Dahlgren Center.
Geography
Dahlgren is in northeastern King George County, south of and west of the Potomac River. It is bordered to the east by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The Dahlgren CDP extends north to state route 635, to the west to the unincorporated community of Owens, and south to the tidal Upper Machodoc Creek, an arm of the Potomac.
U.S. Route 301 (the James Madison Parkway), runs through Dahlgren, leading northeast across the Potomac to La Plata, Maryland, and southwest to Port Royal.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Dahlgren CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.51%, are water.<br> 2000 2010 2020
Dahlgren was first listed as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census. Machodoc Creek has a full service marina. The Raptor Challenge is a roadside attraction, where visitors try to locate the statues of Velociraptors along route 301.
Infrastructure
The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge on U.S. Route 301 funnels interstate traffic across the wide Potomac River at Dahlgren, offering an alternative to using Interstate 95. Dahlgren has a growing number of small businesses along 301.