Loudoun County | |
---|---|
![]() Loudoun County Courthouse and a World War II monument (right) in Leesburg, February 2021 | |
Motto: "I Byde My Time"[1] | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Virginia | |
![]() Virginia's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 39°05′N 77°38′W / 39.09°N 77.64°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1757 |
Named for | John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun[2] |
Seat | Leesburg |
Largest town | Leesburg |
Area | |
• Total | 521.33 sq mi (1,350.2 km2) |
• Land | 515.74 sq mi (1,335.8 km2) |
• Water | 5.6 sq mi (15 km2) 1.1% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 420,959 ![]() |
• Density | 810/sq mi (310/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 10th |
Website | www |
Loudoun County (/ˈlaʊdən/) is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959,[3] making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg.[4] Loudoun County is part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
As of 2023, Loudoun County had a median household income of $156,821,[5] the highest of any county in the nation.[6]
History
[edit]18th century
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/William_and_Sarah_Nettle_House_Waterford_Loudoun_County_Virginia.jpg/220px-William_and_Sarah_Nettle_House_Waterford_Loudoun_County_Virginia.jpg)
Loudoun County was established in 1757 from Fairfax County. The county is named for John Campbell, Fourth Earl of Loudoun and governor general of Virginia from 1756 to 1759.[2] Western settlement began in the 1720s and 1730s with Quakers, Scots-Irish, Germans and others moving south from Pennsylvania and Maryland, and also by English and enslaved Africans moving upriver from Tidewater.[7]
By the time of the American Revolution, Loudoun County was Virginia's most populous county. It was also rich in agriculture, and the county's contributions of grain to George Washington's Continental Army earned it the nickname "Breadbasket of the Revolution."[8]
19th century
[edit]During the War of 1812, important Federal documents and government archives were evacuated from Washington and stored at Leesburg.[9] Local tradition holds that these documents were stored at Rokeby House.[10]
U.S. president James Monroe treated Oak Hill Plantation as a primary residence from 1823 until his death on July 4, 1831.[11] The Loudoun County coat of arms and flag, granted by the English College of Arms, memorialize the special relationship between Britain and the United States that developed through his Monroe Doctrine.[12]
Early in the American Civil War, the Battle of Ball's Bluff took place near Leesburg on October 21, 1861. Future jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was critically wounded in that battle along the Potomac River. During the Gettysburg Campaign in June 1863, Confederate major general J.E.B. Stuart and Union cavalry clashed in the battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. Confederate partisan John S. Mosby based his operations in Loudoun and adjoining Fauquier County (for a more in-depth account of the history of Loudoun County during the Civil War, see Loudoun County in the American Civil War).[13]
20th century
[edit]During World War I, Loudoun County was a major breadbasket for supplying provisions to soldiers in Europe. Loudoun farmers implemented new agricultural innovations such as vaccination of livestock, seed inoculations and ensilage. The county experienced a boom in agricultural output, outputting an annual wheat output of 1.04 million bushels in 1917, the largest of any county in Virginia that year. 1.2 million units of home produce were produced at home, much of which went to training sites across the state such as Camp Lee. The Smith–Lever Act of 1914 established increased agricultural education in Virginia counties, increasing agricultural yields. After the war, a plaque was dedicated to the "30 glorious dead" from the county who died in the Great War. Five of the thirty died on the front, while the other twenty five died while in training or in other locations inside the United States.[14]
In 1962, Washington Dulles International Airport was built in southeastern Loudoun County in Sterling. Since then, Loudoun County has experienced a high-tech boom and rapid growth. Accordingly, many have moved to eastern Loudoun and become residents of planned communities such as Sterling Park, Sugarland Run, Cascades, Ashburn Village, and Ashburn Farm, making that section a veritable part of the Washington suburbs. Others have moved to the county seat or to the small towns and rural communities of the Loudoun Valley.[8]
Government and politics
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Backroads_in_Loudoun_County.jpg/220px-Backroads_in_Loudoun_County.jpg)
Between 1952 and 2008, Loudoun was a Republican-leaning county. However, this has changed in recent years with Democrats winning Loudoun in all statewide campaigns after Republicans narrowly carried it in 2014. As of the 2023 elections, Democrats hold a 7 to 2 majority on the Board of Supervisors and a 6 to 3 majority on the School Board, but Republicans hold all five countywide elected constitutional offices (Clerk of the Circuit Court, Commissioner of the Revenue, Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, and Treasurer). This makes Loudoun County a reliable state bellwether, having voted for every statewide presidential election winner since 1932.
The county's official motto, I Byde My Time, is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Earl of Loudoun.[1][15] In the mid to late 20th century, as northerners gradually migrated to Southern suburbs, Loudoun County increasingly shifted to the Republican Party in supporting presidential candidates, and more local ones. Before the 2008 election of Barack Obama, county voters had not supported a Democratic president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
In recent years, the county's rapid growth in its eastern portion, settled by educated professionals working in or near Washington, D.C., has changed the demographics of the county, and the Democratic Party has become increasingly competitive. After giving Senator Barack Obama nearly 54% of its presidential vote in 2008, the county supported Republican Bob McDonnell in 2009, who received 61% of the gubernatorial vote. Voters also replaced two incumbent Democratic delegates, making Loudoun's state House delegation all Republican. In 2012 county voters again supported Obama, who took 51.5% of the vote, with Republican challenger Mitt Romney garnering 47%.[16]
Democrats carried the county again in the 2016 presidential election, when Loudoun swung heavily towards Hillary Clinton, giving her 55.1% to Donald Trump's 38.2%. In 2020, Joe Biden won 61.5% to Trump's 36.5%.[17] A year later, in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election, Democratic nominee and former Governor Terry McAuliffe won the county with 55.3% to now Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's 44.2%.[18] Loudoun was one of ten counties that was won by McAuliffe, though it was his smallest margin of victory in Northern Virginia.[19]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 82,088 | 36.51% | 138,372 | 61.54% | 4,402 | 1.96% |
2016 | 69,949 | 38.21% | 100,795 | 55.06% | 12,306 | 6.72% |
2012 | 75,292 | 47.04% | 82,479 | 51.53% | 2,289 | 1.43% |
2008 | 63,336 | 45.42% | 74,845 | 53.67% | 1,278 | 0.92% |
2004 | 60,382 | 55.69% | 47,271 | 43.60% | 777 | 0.72% |
2000 | 42,453 | 56.12% | 30,938 | 40.89% | 2,262 | 2.99% |
1996 | 25,715 | 52.13% | 19,942 | 40.43% | 3,673 | 7.45% |
1992 | 19,290 | 46.40% | 14,462 | 34.79% | 7,822 | 18.81% |
1988 | 20,448 | 66.26% | 10,101 | 32.73% | 313 | 1.01% |
1984 | 17,765 | 67.99% | 8,227 | 31.49% | 136 | 0.52% |
1980 | 12,076 | 58.93% | 6,694 | 32.67% | 1,722 | 8.40% |
1976 | 9,192 | 51.79% | 7,995 | 45.05% | 561 | 3.16% |
1972 | 9,417 | 69.46% | 3,941 | 29.07% | 199 | 1.47% |
1968 | 4,577 | 45.91% | 3,262 | 32.72% | 2,131 | 21.37% |
1964 | 2,594 | 37.72% | 4,278 | 62.21% | 5 | 0.07% |
1960 | 2,526 | 50.99% | 2,399 | 48.43% | 29 | 0.59% |
1956 | 2,489 | 53.41% | 1,960 | 42.06% | 211 | 4.53% |
1952 | 2,540 | 54.86% | 2,075 | 44.82% | 15 | 0.32% |
1948 | 1,430 | 44.07% | 1,545 | 47.61% | 270 | 8.32% |
1944 | 1,485 | 45.08% | 1,802 | 54.71% | 7 | 0.21% |
1940 | 1,061 | 32.84% | 2,156 | 66.73% | 14 | 0.43% |
1936 | 867 | 27.42% | 2,287 | 72.33% | 8 | 0.25% |
1932 | 600 | 19.54% | 2,440 | 79.45% | 31 | 1.01% |
1928 | 1,325 | 40.84% | 1,915 | 59.03% | 4 | 0.12% |
1924 | 152 | 7.48% | 1,794 | 88.33% | 85 | 4.19% |
1920 | 757 | 30.21% | 1,720 | 68.64% | 29 | 1.16% |
1916 | 404 | 21.02% | 1,490 | 77.52% | 28 | 1.46% |
1912 | 256 | 14.48% | 1,386 | 78.39% | 126 | 7.13% |
1908 | 447 | 21.37% | 1,570 | 75.05% | 75 | 3.59% |
1904 | 442 | 21.33% | 1,558 | 75.19% | 72 | 3.47% |
1900 | 1,684 | 37.43% | 2,690 | 59.79% | 125 | 2.78% |
1896 | 1,991 | 41.16% | 2,741 | 56.67% | 105 | 2.17% |
1892 | 1,738 | 37.32% | 2,719 | 58.39% | 200 | 4.29% |
1888 | 2,190 | 43.03% | 2,842 | 55.83% | 58 | 1.14% |
1884 | 1,978 | 41.22% | 2,795 | 58.24% | 26 | 0.54% |
1880 | 1,792 | 39.20% | 2,780 | 60.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
County Board of Supervisors
[edit]Like many counties in Virginia, Loudoun is locally governed by a board of supervisors, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. The chairman of the board is elected by county voters at-large while the remaining supervisors are elected from eight single-member districts roughly equal in population. All nine members serve concurrent terms of four years. The board handles policy and land use issues and sets the budget; it appoints a county administrator to handle the county government's day-to-day operations.[21] As of the 2023 elections, the chairman of the board and six district supervisors are Democrats; the remaining two supervisors are Republicans.
In November 2019, Democrats took over the Board of Supervisors. Voters elected Juli E. Briskman (D) in Algonkian District, with 6,763 votes (54.09%) replacing incumbent Suzanne M. Volpe (R) who polled 5,719 votes (45.74%). Juli Briskman had been fired from her job as a marketing analyst for a United States government and military subcontractor, after an AFP photo of her flipping off the motorcade of Donald Trump went viral on social media in 2017.[22]
Position | Name | Party | First Elected | District | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chair | Phyllis Randall | Democratic | 2015 | At-Large | |
Vice Chair | Juli Briskman | Democratic | 2019 | Algonkian | |
Supervisor | Mike Turner | Democratic | 2019 | Ashburn | |
Supervisor | Sylvia Glass | Democratic | 2019 | Broad Run | |
Supervisor | Caleb Kershner | Republican | 2019 | Catoctin | |
Supervisor | Matt Letourneau | Republican | 2011 | Dulles | |
Supervisor | Kristen Umstattd | Democratic | 2015 | Leesburg | |
Supervisor | Laura TeKrony | Democratic | 2023 | Little River | |
Supervisor | Koran Saines | Democratic | 2015 | Sterling |
Position | Name | Party | First Election | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clerk of the Circuit Court | Gary M. Clemens | Republican | 1999 | |
Commissioner of the Revenue | Robert S. Wertz Jr. | Republican | 2003 | |
Commonwealth's Attorney | Robert D. Anderson | Republican | 2023 | |
Sheriff | Michael L. Chapman | Republican | 2011 | |
Treasurer | Henry C. Eickelberg | Republican | 2023 |
Position | Name | Party | First Elected | District | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chair | Melinda Mansfield | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Dulles | |
Vice Chair | Arben Istrefi | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Sterling | |
Member | Anne Donohue | Nonpartisan | 2023 | At-Large | |
Member | April Chandler | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Algonkian | |
Member | Deana Griffiths | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Ashburn | |
Member | Linda Deans | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Broad Run | |
Member | Kari LaBell | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Catoctin | |
Member | Lauren Shernoff | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Leesburg | |
Member | Sumera Rashid | Nonpartisan | 2023 | Little River |
Position | Name | Party | First Elected | District | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Russet Perry | Democratic | 2023 | 31 | |
Senator | Suhas Subramanyam | Democratic | 2023 | 32 |
Position | Name | Party | First Elected | District | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Delegate | Kannan Srinivasan | Democratic | 2023 | 26 | |
Delegate | Atoosa Reaser | Democratic | 2023 | 27 | |
Delegate | David Reid | Democratic | 2017 | 28 | |
Delegate | Marty Martinez | Democratic | 2023 | 29 | |
Delegate | Geary Higgins | Republican | 2023 | 30 |
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Loudoun County has a total area of 521 square miles (1,350 km2), of which 516 square miles (1,340 km2) is land and 6 square miles (16 km2) (1.1%) is water.[27] It is bounded on the north by the Potomac River; across the river are Frederick, Washington and Montgomery counties in Maryland; it is bounded on the south by Prince William and Fauquier counties, on the west by watershed of the Blue Ridge Mountain across which are Jefferson County, West Virginia and Clarke County, and on the east by Fairfax County. The Bull Run Mountains and Catoctin Mountain bisect the county. To the west of the range is the Loudoun Valley. Bisecting the Loudoun Valley from Hillsboro to the Potomac River is Short Hill Mountain.
Adjacent counties
[edit]
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National protected area
[edit]Economy
[edit]Traditionally a rural county, Loudoun's population has grown dramatically since the 1980s. Having undergone heavy suburbanization since 1990, Loudoun has a full-fledged service economy. It is home to world headquarters for several Internet-related and high tech companies, including Verizon Business, Telos Corporation, and Orbital Sciences Corporation. Like Fairfax County's Dulles Corridor, Loudoun County has economically benefited from the existence of Washington Dulles International Airport, the majority of which is in the county along its border with Fairfax.[28][29][citation needed]
Loudoun County retains a strong rural economy. The equine industry has an estimated revenue of $78 million. It is home to the Morven Park International Equestrian Center which hosts national horse trials. In addition, a growing wine industry has produced several internationally recognized wines. Loudoun County now has 40 wineries[30] and over 25 active farms. Loudoun has rich soil and was in the mid-19th century a top wheat-producing county in the fourth largest wheat-producing state.[31]
MCI, Inc. (formerly WorldCom), a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, is headquartered in Ashburn, Loudoun County. It announced it would move its headquarters to Ashburn in 2003.[32][33] AOL had its headquarters at 22000 AOL Way in Dulles in unincorporated Loudoun County.[34] In 2007 AOL announced it would move its headquarters from Loudoun County to New York City; it would continue to operate its Virginia offices.[35] Orbital Sciences Corporation has its headquarters in Dulles.[36]
Loudoun County houses over 60 massive data centers, many of which correspond to Amazon Web Services’s (AWS) us-east-1 region.[37][38] These data centers are estimated to carry 70 percent of global web traffic.[39]
Before its dissolution, Independence Air (originally Atlantic Coast Airlines) was headquartered in Dulles.[40][41] At one time Atlantic Coast Airlines had its headquarters in Sterling.[42] Before its dissolution, MAXjet Airways was headquartered on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport.[43]
Top employers
[edit]According to the county's comprehensive annual financial reports, the top employers in the county are:[44]
# | Employer | # of employees (2020)[45] | Percentage of Total County Employment |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Loudoun County Public Schools | 12,804 | 7.11 |
2 | County of Loudoun | 4,453 | 2.58 |
3 | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | 2,500-5,000 | 2.17 |
4 | Verizon Business (formerly MCI Worldcom) | 2,500-5,000 | 2.17 |
5 | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (formerly Orbital ATK) | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
6 | United Airlines | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
7 | Inova Health System (Loudoun Hospital Center) | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
8 | Raytheon Technologies | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
9 | Dynalectric DC | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
10 | Amazon | 1,000-2,500 | 1.01 |
Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 18,962 | — | |
1800 | 20,523 | 8.2% | |
1810 | 21,338 | 4.0% | |
1820 | 22,702 | 6.4% | |
1830 | 21,939 | −3.4% | |
1840 | 20,431 | −6.9% | |
1850 | 22,079 | 8.1% | |
1860 | 21,774 | −1.4% | |
1870 | 20,929 | −3.9% | |
1880 | 23,634 | 12.9% | |
1890 | 23,274 | −1.5% | |
1900 | 21,948 | −5.7% | |
1910 | 21,167 | −3.6% | |
1920 | 20,577 | −2.8% | |
1930 | 19,852 | −3.5% | |
1940 | 20,291 | 2.2% | |
1950 | 21,147 | 4.2% | |
1960 | 24,549 | 16.1% | |
1970 | 37,150 | 51.3% | |
1980 | 57,427 | 54.6% | |
1990 | 86,129 | 50.0% | |
2000 | 169,599 | 96.9% | |
2010 | 312,311 | 84.1% | |
2020 | 420,959 | 34.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[46] 1790-1960[47] 1900-1990[48] 1990-2000[49] 2010[50] 2020[51] |
From 1890 to 1940, the county had a decline in population as people moved to cities for more opportunities.[citation needed] The decline was likely highest among African Americans, who had worked in an agricultural economy that was becoming increasingly mechanized.[citation needed] During the first half of the 20th century, African Americans moved out of rural areas to cities in the Great Migration.[citation needed] As of the early 21st century, African Americans now have a much smaller population compared to their historical population in Loudoun County, with the Hispanic and Asian populations outnumbering them 2-1 and 3-1, respectively.
2020 census
[edit]Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[52] | Pop 1990[53] | Pop 2000[54] | Pop 2010[50] | Pop 2020[51] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 50,876 | 75,557 | 134,972 | 194,845 | 216,865 | 88.59% | 87.73% | 79.58% | 62.39% | 51.52% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,964 | 6,126 | 11,517 | 21,934 | 29,725 | 8.64% | 7.11% | 6.79% | 7.02% | 7.06% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 94[a] | 167 | 297 | 520 | 536 | 0.16% | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.17% | 0.13% |
Asian alone (NH) | 424[b] | 2,053 | 9,025 | 45,795 | 89,372 | 0.74% | 2.38% | 5.32% | 14.66% | 21.23% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 6[c] | N/A | 93 | 143 | 227 | 0.01% | N/A | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 210 | 70 | 367 | 808 | 2,425 | 0.37% | 0.08% | 0.22% | 0.26% | 0.58% |
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | N/A | N/A | 3,239 | 9,690 | 22,065 | N/A | N/A | 1.91% | 3.10% | 5.24% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 853 | 2,156 | 10,089 | 38,576 | 59,744 | 1.49% | 2.50% | 5.95% | 12.35% | 14.19% |
Total | 57,427 | 86,129 | 169,599 | 312,311 | 420,959 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 Census
[edit]As of the census of 2010,[55] there were 312,311 people, 104,583 households, and 80,494 families residing in the county. The population density was 606 inhabitants per square mile (234/km2). There were 109,442 housing units at an average density of 212 per square mile (82/km2). The racial makeup of the county was:
- 68.7% White
- 14.7% Asian (7.90% Indian, 1.74% Filipino, 1.61% Chinese, 1.34% Korean, 1.22% Vietnamese, 1.09% Pakistani)
- 7.3% African American
- 0.3% Native American
- 0.1% Pacific Islander
- 4.9% of some other race
- 4.0% of two or more races
- 12.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (3.4% Salvadoran, 1.8% Mexican, 1.3% Peruvian, 0.9% Puerto Rican, 0.6% Honduran, 0.6% Bolivian, 0.5% Guatemalan, 0.5% Colombian)
According to the 2010 census, 10.5% of residents reported being of German ancestry, while 9.1% reported Irish, 7.7% English, 5.4% Italian and 5.2% American ancestry.
The most spoken languages other than English in Loudoun County as of 2018 were Spanish, spoken by 10.8% of the population, and Telugu, spoken by 2.8% of the population.[56] Almost 25% of Loudoun County residents were born outside of the United States, with the largest groups being from India, El Salvador, and Korea.[57]
As of 2000 there were 59,900 households, out of which 43.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.30% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.80% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 38.90% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 5.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.
In 2011, Census survey data concluded that Loudoun County had the highest median income in the country at $119,134.[58]
From 1980 to 2014, deaths from cancer in Loudoun County decreased by 46 percent, the largest such decrease of any county in the United States.[59]
From 2017 to 2018, Loudoun County saw an increase of 18.5% of households experiencing homelessness, a 21% increase for single adults, and a 36% increase for families. Homelessness for veterans in the county decreased by 16% from 2017 to 2018.[60]
Government and infrastructure
[edit]The National Transportation Safety Board operates the Ashburn Aviation Field Office in Ashburn, an unincorporated area of Loudoun County.[61] The Federal Aviation Administration's Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, the second-busiest facility of its kind in the nation, is located in Leesburg.[62]
Emergency services are provided by the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System with the Office of Emergency Management. LC-CFRS is a combination system that utilizes some 500 volunteers and over 600 career firefighters, EMT/paramedics, dispatchers, and support staff. LCFR is one of the largest fire and rescue systems in Virginia.[63]
Law enforcement in Loudoun County is provided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, which is Virginia's largest sheriff's office, as well as three town police departments: Leesburg Police, Purcellville Police, and Middleburg Police. The county's highways are also patrolled by Virginia State Police troopers. Dulles Airport and the Dulles Toll Road are patrolled by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department.[64][65][66][67]
The Loudoun County Public Library System has eleven[68] branches in the county. The library's Outreach Department of the Loudoun County Public Library is a resource for those who cannot easily access branch services. The public library system has won several awards, including 10th place for libraries serving a comparably sized population in 2006[69][70]
Loudoun County is one of the counties in Virginia that elects to cover their employees in the Virginia Mortgage Assistance Program (VMAP). The program is designed to make housing more affordable for civil service workers in Virginia.[71]
Transportation
[edit]Airports
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Dulles_International_Airport%2C_Virginia_LCCN2011634381.tif/lossy-page1-220px-Dulles_International_Airport%2C_Virginia_LCCN2011634381.tif.jpg)
Loudoun County has two airports: Washington Dulles International and Leesburg Executive.
Bus
[edit]Loudoun County operates its own bus public transit system, known as Loudoun County Commuter Bus.
Rail
[edit]The Silver Line of the Washington Metro provides service at the Dulles Airport, Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn stations.
Major highways
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/2019-09-03_13_11_06_View_north_along_U.S._Route_15_and_east_along_Virginia_State_Route_7_%28Leesburg_Bypass%29_from_the_overpass_for_Sycolin_Road_Southeast_in_Leesburg%2C_Loudoun_County%2C_Virginia.jpg/220px-thumbnail.jpg)
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Education
[edit]The county is served by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). LCPS serves over 70,000 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade and is Virginia's fifth largest school system.[72][73] Loudoun County schools recently ranked 11th in the United States in terms of educational achievement versus funds spent.[74] Loudoun County also sends students to its Loudoun Academy of Science, formerly housed within Dominion High School now within the Academies of Loudoun,[75] and is eligible to send students to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a STEM magnet school in Alexandria, Virginia.[76]
Loudoun County is home to ten private schools: Loudoun Country Day School, a Pre-K–8 independent school in Leesburg; Notre Dame Academy, an independent non-denominational day high school in Middleburg; the Foxcroft School, a boarding school for girls located in Middleburg; Dominion Academy, a Non-denominational Christian school, K–8 in Leesburg; Loudoun Classical School, a Protestant classical 7th-12th grade school in Purcellville;[77] Leesburg Christian School, a K–12 school in Leesburg; St. Theresa School, a K–8 Roman Catholic school in Ashburn; Village Montessori School at Bluemont, an accredited Pre-K through Elementary Montessori school in Bluemont; Christian Faith & Fellowship School, a PreK–12 non-denominational Christian school and Loudoun County's only private school accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International;[citation needed] and Loudoun School for Advanced Studies (formerly the Ideal Schools High School,) an independent non-denominational school in Ashburn.[citation needed]
In terms of post-secondary education, Loudoun County is home to a variety of colleges and universities, including: Patrick Henry College, a private Christian college; Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling (branch campus); George Washington University (satellite campus); George Mason University (satellite campus); Marymount University (satellite campus); Shenandoah University (satellite campus); and Strayer University (satellite campus).[78] Loudoun is also home to a satellite campus of the Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and the Janelia Farm Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.[citation needed]
Communities
[edit]Towns
[edit]- Hamilton
- Hillsboro
- Leesburg (county seat)
- Lovettsville
- Middleburg
- Purcellville
- Round Hill
Census-designated places
[edit]Other unincorporated communities
[edit]- Airmont
- Bloomfield
- Bluemont
- Britain
- Conklin
- Dover
- Dulles
- Elvan
- Eubanks
- Georges Mill
- Gilberts Corner
- Gleedsville
- Howardsville
- Leithtown
- Lenah
- Lincoln
- Loudoun Heights
- Lucketts
- Morrisonville
- Mount Gilead
- Neersville
- Paeonian Springs
- Paxson
- Philomont
- Potomac Falls
- River Creek
- Ryan
- Saint Louis
- Scattersville
- Silcott Spring
- Stewartown
- Stumptown
- Taylorstown
- Telegraph Spring
- Trapp
- Unison
- Watson
- Waxpool
- Wheatland
- Willard
- Willisville
- Woodburn
Population ranking
[edit]The population ranking of the following table is based on 2018 estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[79]
† county seat
Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2018 est.) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | † Leesburg | Town | 52,125 |
2 | Ashburn | CDP | 50,290 |
3 | South Riding | CDP | 31,071 |
4 | Sterling | CDP | 30,403 |
5 | Brambleton | CDP | 20,081 |
6 | Broadlands | CDP | 13,704 |
7 | Stone Ridge | CDP | 12,990 |
8 | Lansdowne | CDP | 12,696 |
9 | Sugarland Run | CDP | 12,576 |
10 | Cascades | CDP | 11,670 |
11 | Lowes Island | CDP | 11,111 |
12 | Countryside | CDP | 10,042 |
13 | Purcellville | Town | 9,709 |
14 | Belmont | CDP | 6,629 |
15 | Dulles Town Center | CDP | 5,023 |
16 | University Center | CDP | 4,060 |
16 | Lovettsville | Town | 2,544 |
17 | Oak Grove | CDP | 2,468 |
18 | Moorefield Station | CDP | 1,369 |
19 | Arcola | CDP | 963 |
20 | Round Hill | Town | 693 |
21 | Middleburg | Town | 620 |
22 | Hamilton | Town | 537 |
23 | Hillsboro | Town | 175 |
Notable people
[edit]James Monroe constructed and resided at Oak Hill near Aldie after his presidency. American Civil War Brigadier General Robert H. Chilton (Chief of Staff under Robert E. Lee) was a native of Loudoun County. World War II general George C. Marshall resided at Dodona Manor in Leesburg. Essayist and journalist Russell Baker grew up in Morrisonville, Virginia and his book Growing Up highlights his childhood in rural Virginia. Entertainer Arthur Godfrey lived near historic Waterford, Virginia. Loudoun County is also the birthplace of Julia Neale Jackson, mother of Stonewall Jackson,[80] and Susan Catherine Koerner Wright, mother of the Wright Brothers.[81]
- Madeleine Albright (1937–2022) – U.S. Secretary of State in Clinton Administration
- William H. Ash (1859–1908) – Former slave who was one of the first African-American politicians to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
- Russell Baker (1925–2019) – Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Growing Up (1983, Autobiography)[82]
- Geraldine Brooks (1955–) – Pulitzer Prize–winning author
- John Champe – Revolutionary War soldier and double agent
- Roger Preston Chew, (1843-1921) – Horse artillery commander in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, prominent West Virginia businessman, railroad executive and West Virginia legislator[83]
- John L. Dagg (1794–1884) – Baptist theologian, pastor, educator, and president of Mercer University, GA (1844–54)[84][85]
- Westmoreland Davis (1859–1942) – Governor of Virginia
- Richard Henry Dulany (1820–1906) – Colonel of the 7th Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War
- Michael Farris (born 1951) – Founder of Home School Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College in Purcellville; unsuccessful Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 1993
- Joe Gibbs (1940–) – Lived just west of Leesburg while coaching the Washington Redskins
- Arthur Godfrey (1903–1983) – Popular national radio and television personality
- Darrell Green (1960–) – Former Washington Redskin and inductee to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Pamela Harriman (1920–1997) – Daughter-in-law of Sir Winston Churchill and U.S. Ambassador to France
- Gina Haspel (1956–) – Director of the CIA, first female ever appointed to the position
- Annia Hatch (1978–) – Cuban American 2x Olympic silver medalist in gymnastics, currently lives in Ashburn
- Fred Hetzel (1942–) – Former professional basketball player
- Barbara Holland (1933–2010) – author
- Tony Horwitz (1958–2019) – Pulitzer Prize–winning author
- John Janney (1798–1872) – Member of the Virginia General Assembly and officer of the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861
- Sheila Johnson (1949–) – Entertainment and sports entrepreneur and philanthropist.
- Wilton Lackaye (1862-1932) – American stage and film actor, the original Broadway stage Svengali, 1895
- Lyndon LaRouche (1921–2019) – Controversial American politician, activist, and founder of the LaRouche movement
- Marc Leepson (1945–) – Journalist, historian, author
- Sandra Lerner (c. 1953–) – Entrepreneur and philanthropist
- Mark Levin (1957–) – Author and conservative talk radio host
- George C. Marshall (1880–1959) – General of the Army (5-star), U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and author of the "Marshall Plan"[86]
- Stevens T. Mason (1811–1843) – First governor of Michigan (Democrat, 1837–40)[87]
- Andrew McCabe (1968–) – Former Deputy Director of the FBI
- Charles F. Mercer (1788–1858) – Founded village of Aldie; U.S. Congressman from Virginia
- Billy Mitchell (1879–1936) – Controversial Army officer and military aviation pioneer
- James Monroe (1758–1831) – 5th President of the United States
- Oliver North (1943–) – Former USMC Officer and figure in the Iran–Contra scandal; commentator and host on the Fox network
- Patton Oswalt (1969–) – American stand-up comedian, writer and actor
- Vinton Liddell Pickens (1900–1993) – artist, chair of the first Loudoun County planning commission in 1941
- Wilson Pickett (1941–2006) – R&B and soul singer and songwriter
- Isaiah L. Potts (1784?–after 1843) – tavern keeper of the notorious Potts Tavern who, allegedly, ran a gang of highwaymen and murderers on the Illinois frontier
- Rachel Renee Russell (1959–) – #1 New York Times best-selling author of the children's book series, Dork Diaries
- Henry S. Taylor (1942–) – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
- Joshua White (1812–1890) – businessman and Illinois state legislator
- Lucien Whiting Powell (1846–1930) – Renowned landscape artist
- William Wilson (1794–1857) – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois[88]
Sister cities
[edit]Loudoun County has eight Sister City/County relationships, and one Friendship City Partnership. Most are also suburbs of their respective capitals.[89]
- Canelones, Uruguay (2023)[90]
- Gangneung, South Korea (Friendship City, 2014)[91]
- Goyang, South Korea (2012)[92]
- Greater Noida, India (2023)[90]
- Holmes County, Mississippi (2019)[93]
- Karsiyaka, Turkey (2013)[94]
- Main-Taunus-Kreis, Germany (2006)[95]
- New Taipei City, Taiwan (2012)[96]
- Tema, Ghana (2023)[90]
See also
[edit]- Loudoun Water
- Loudoun v. Board of Trustees of the Loudoun County Library
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Loudoun County, Virginia
- List of wineries in Virginia
Explanatory notes
[edit]- ^ Includes all people who gave "American Indian", "Eskimo", or "Aleut" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
- ^ Includes all people who gave "Japanese", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Asian Indian", or "Vietnamese" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
- ^ Includes all people who gave "Hawaiian", "Guamanian", or "Samoan" as their race, regardless of Hispanic identity.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Rosalind S. Helderman, Proud Past, Bright Future Rub Elbows in Today's Loudoun, Washington Post (April 21, 2005), page LZ03.
- ^ a b "About Loudoun - History". Loudoun County. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "USDA ERS - Download the Data". www.ers.usda.gov. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Loudoun County, Virginia". www.census.gov.
- ^ "History | Loudoun County, VA - Official Website". www.loudoun.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "Loudoun History". Loudoun_Museum. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ "Leesburg Virginia". ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
- ^ "Rokeby House Becomes Nation's Capital". Connection Newspapers. July 22, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ An Account of James Monroe's Land Holdings, by Christopher Fennell. Chapter V. Oak Hill Plantation, Loudoun County. Accessed November 18, 2016.
- ^ "County Flag | Loudoun County, VA - Official Website". www.loudoun.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Loudoun County Burning Raid and John S. Mosby | History of Loudoun County, Virginia". Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Rainville, Lynn (February 12, 2018). Virginia and the Great War : mobilization, supply and combat, 1914-1919. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, inc., Publishers. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-4766-7192-5.
- ^ Coat of Arms, Loudoun County.
- ^ "2016 November General". November 11, 2012. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "President and Vice President". Election Results Virginia.Gov. November 11, 2012. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
Spreadsheet download
- ^ "2021 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Virginia governor election results | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Operations Manual". Loudoun.gov. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Woman who was fired for flipping off Trump wins election in Virginia". CBS News. November 7, 2019.
- ^ "LIVE COVERAGE: Election night in Loudoun County". Loudoun Times-Mirror. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Election Results". enr.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "Loudoun County November 5, 2019 General Election Results".
- ^ "Election Results & Finance Reports | Loudoun County, VA - Official Website". www.loudoun.gov.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Loudoun Domestic Tourism Worth Nearly $1.7 Billion - Loudoun County Economic Development, VA". Loudoun County Economic Development, VA. September 13, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ "Another Record Year at Dulles International Airport - Loudoun County Economic Development, VA". Loudoun County Economic Development, VA. February 26, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ "Loudon Is DC's Wine Country". Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association (Visit Loudoun). Archived from the original on May 29, 2013.
- ^ "Early 19th-Century Milling and Wheat Farming". The History of Loudoun County, Virginia.
Since its settlement in the mid-1700s, Loudoun County has been acclaimed for its fertile soil. In the 1850s and 1860s, Virginia was the fourth largest wheat producing state, and Loudoun was one of the state's top-producing counties.
- ^ MCI Inc (March 14, 2003). "Schedule 13D. Amendment to General Statement of Beneficial Ownership". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "WorldCom to emerge from collapse". CNN (international ed.). April 14, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "Company Overview". AOL. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ Goldfarb, Zachary; Diaz, Sam (September 18, 2007). "AOL Moving Executives, Headquarters to New York". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ "Contact Information". Orbital Sciences Corporation. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "Amazon Plans Epic Data Center Expansion in Northern Virginia". Data Center Frontier. November 6, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "Regions and Zones". AWS Documentation. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "70 Percent of the World's Web Traffic Flows Through Loudoun County | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. September 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "Company Information". Atlantic Coast Airlines. August 11, 2001. Archived from the original on August 11, 2001. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "Independence Air, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "SKEEN, K. B.", Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, 2, Standard & Poor's Corp.: 1012, 1998, retrieved January 31, 2011,
Atlantic Coast Airlines Inc., One Export Dr., Sterling, VA 20164
- ^ "Contact Us". MAXjet Airways. February 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "Loudoun County Annual Comprehensive Financial Report - Year Ended June 30, 2023". Loudoun County, Virginia Government Website. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Loudon County, Virginia: Comprehensive Annual Fiscal Report, Year Ended June 30, 2020, p. 217 (table N).
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Loudoun County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Loudoun County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1980 census of population" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "Virginia: 1990" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race (73) – Loudoun County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Loudoun County, VA | Data USA". datausa.io. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "LOUDOUN COUNTY INCOME HIGHLIGHTS, AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, 2011 ACS UPDATE". Loudoun County Department of Planning. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ Barry-Jester, Anna Maria. "How Americans Die May Depend On Where They Live". FiveThirtyEight. December 13, 2016.
- ^ Baratko, Trevor (May 25, 2018). "On the brink: Homelessness on the rise in Loudoun County". LoudounTimes.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Regional Offices: Aviation." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
- ^ "FAA ARTCCs".
- ^ "Fire & Rescue | Loudoun County, VA - Official Website". www.loudoun.gov. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "MWAA Police Department". mwaa.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Town Police Departments | Loudoun County, VA".
- ^ "Sheriff's Office | Loudoun County, VA".
- ^ "BFO Division 7 | BCI Field Office Appomattox (7) - Virginia State Police". www.vsp.virginia.gov. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Library, Loudoun County Public. "Locations and Hours". Library.loudoun.gov. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR).
- ^ "Site Index". library.loudoun.gov. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Virginia Mortgage Assistance Program | VMAP - Official Website". www.brightleafmortgage.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ About Loudoun County Public Schools Archived February 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Loudoun County Public Schools
- ^ 2005 Triennial school census Archived January 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Virginia Department of Education
- ^ Settimi, Christina (July 5, 2007). "Best And Worst School Districts For The Buck". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ^ "Loudoun County Academy of Science". Loudoun County Public Schools. Archived from the original on August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ^ "TJHSST Eligibility Requirements". Fairfax County Public Schools. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ "Loudoun Classical School". Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Loudoun Guide 2006: Higher Education at Your Fingertips". The Washington Post. 2006.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Loudoun County, Virginia". data.census.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ "Stonewall Jackson Ancestors". VMI Archives. Virginia Military Institute.
She was born 28 February 1798 near Aldie, Loudoun Co., VA.
- ^ "Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. Wright". AOPA ONLINE. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Susan Catherine Koerner was born in tiny Hillsboro, Va.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". pulitzer.org.
- ^ Hermitage NRIS at p. 13, available at http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/93001444.pdf
- ^ "Biographical Sketch of John L. Dagg". founders.org. Archived from the original on November 4, 1996.
- ^ "John Leadley Dagg 1844-1854 Mercer University Presidents" Archived March 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Dodona Manor". George C. Marshall. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Stevens Thomson Mason Biography - Biography.com". Archive.is. September 30, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "William Wilson - Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice". Illinoiscourts.gov.
- ^ "Sister Cities/Sister Counties | Loudoun County, VA - Official Website". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ a b c Rizer, Buddy (February 21, 2023). "FINANCE/GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT: New Sister Cities Approval". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ York, Scott (July 2, 2014). "13. Board Member Initiative: Sister City Friendship Agreement with Gangneung City, Republic of Korea (York)". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ York, Scott; Clarke, Janet (December 5, 2012). "24. *Board Member Initiative: Board Support to Form a Sister County Relationship/Partnership with Goyang City, Korea (York/Clarke)". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ Golski, Ann; Weitz, Caleb (April 18, 2019). "Partnership Agreement with Holmes County, Mississippi". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ York, Scott (December 4, 2013). "20. Board Member Initiative: Partnership with Karsiyaka Municipality, Turkey (York)". Loudoun.gov.
- ^ "13c. Economic Development Commission's Resolution of Support for the Sister County Relationship between Loudoun County, Virginia and Main-Taunus-Kreis, Federal Republic of Germany". Loudoun.gov. July 18, 2006.
- ^ York, Scott (May 1, 2012). "8. *Sister County Relationship between Loudoun County, Virginia and New Taipei, Taiwan (York)". Loudoun.gov.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
- Travel Information: Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association
- History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia, by James W. Head, 1908 at Project Gutenberg
- Loudoun County at the Wayback Machine (archived October 26, 2001)