==King George County, VA==

There seems to be some a contridiction of the status of King George County. The King George County page indicates that King George County is NOT a part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area. Yet, according to the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area page, it is.

This also brings to light a local controversey regarding King George County and whether or not it is part of the Northern Neck of Virginia. Historically, King George County has been included as part of the Northern Neck. The Northern Neck Tourism Council website lists locations in King George County amongst its historical sites and museums, and the King George County Homepage labels the county as the "Gateway to the Historic Northern Neck". I was educated in Northumberland County, Virginia, and this is what we were taught during our segment on local history for 11th grade US History, that there are FIVE counties in the Northern Neck, including King George County.

However, until 11th grade, I had always grown up under the assumption that the Northern Neck consisted of only four counties: Northumberland, Lancaster, Westmoreland, and Richmond counties. Locals think of the Northern Neck more as a community with similar  values and interests, rather than a geographical area. King George county is considered to be "suburban", part of the Washington DC urban sprawl and therefore doesn't share the same community interests as the rest of the Northern Neck.

This article from the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star highlights both sides of the King George debate.

The inclusion of King George County as part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area stems from three facts: King George's proximity to Fredericksburg, its inclusion in the Washington DC media market, and the presence of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren. However, the historical connections between King George County and the Northern Neck shouldn't be dismissed. It wouldn't be inappropriate to consider King George County as part of both, as Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area seems to be a statistical category, while the Northern Neck is a historical/geographical region.

I have also added this discussion to the pages on both the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and the King George County pages. If there is no further discussion or objection, I will edit the Northern Neck page to include mention of the local debate on the status of King George County.