Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is located 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 58 miles north of Richmond. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 19,279.[3] The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Fredericksburg with neighboring Spotsylvania County for statistical purposes. It is a part of the Washington Metropolitan Area.
A sizable part of Fredericksburg and its side of the Washington Metropolitan Area commute by car, bus, and rail to Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington Counties as well as Washington, D.C. This has led to a long-standing debate in the area over whether or not Fredericksburg has become a part of Northern Virginia culturally, with strong arguments on both sides.