ARLINGTON, Va. — Next to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and directly across the Potomac River from Washington, the Crystal City neighborhood, which because of federal cuts had become a virtual ghost town, is quietly and persistently reinventing itself.

At first glance, there appears to be nothing new among the high-rise offices and apartments lining Crystal Drive and its bisecting streets in this Arlington County enclave. In fact, there is little new construction. Instead, buildings from the 1960s to 1980s are being retrofitted, some converted from offices to apartments, others welcoming new commercial tenants, including tech start-ups, co-working spaces and restaurants.

The area, which suffered with the departure of military agencies and contractors under the federal Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission process, is attracting residents and younger workers with competitive rents and convenient transportation options as well as with its proximity to the Pentagon, a fashion mall in neighboring Pentagon City and, of course, the nation’s capital.

“Think Brooklyn and Manhattan,” said Mitchell N. Schear, president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, the dominant property owner and landlord here. “You’re close enough, but you’re not paying higher taxes and utilities. Here, we are a slightly geekier crowd, and we are embracing it.”