Welcome to the region! Quantico is both the name of the Marine Corps Base as well the name of the small town encircled by the base. In 1917 when the U.S. Marine Corps needed an easily accessible waterfront property on which to train, they leased 5,300 acres aside the town of Quantico, and the following year the land was purchased for the base. The word Quantico is a Native American word meaning "by the large stream," with the stream being a reference to the Potomac River.

 

Marine Base Quantico is located approximately 35 miles south of Washington,  D.C., and is bordered by three counties, Prince William to the north, Fauquier to the west, and Stafford to the south. The eastern side of Quantico is bordered by the Potomac River.

With such an ideal location it should be no surprise that the Quantico Region supports a growing federal presence.

The combined population estimate in 2008 of Stafford and Prince William Counties was 486,470. Prince William County has a higher population than Stafford County because of its proximity to Washington, D.C. and Fairfax County.