Ashburn, Virginia is an unincorporated area located in Loudoun
County, Virginia, 30 miles west of Washington,
D.C., and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The area
serves as headquarters for the internet service provider Verizon Business, Old Dominion Brewing Company, and the Janelia Farm Research Campus (HHMI). Redskins Park, the headquarters for the
Washington Redskins of the National
Football League, is also located in Ashburn. In addition, Ashburn has for decades been the home to many small businesses
including Weller Tile and Mosaics, Partlows Grocery Store, and
Jack Lawlor Realty Company.
Ashburn is located between Washington Dulles International
Airport and Leesburg, the county seat of Loudoun County. Located within the
Dulles Technology Corridor, Ashburn is home to many high-tech businesses .
Additionally, construction of the World Trade Center Dulles Airport at One Loudoun is set to begin in the fall of 2007. George
Washington and Strayer Universities both have campuses in Ashburn.
Ashburn is also the home to four landmarks on the National Register of
Historic Places: Belmont Plantation (1799), the Broad Run Bridge and Toll House (1820), the sanctuary of
Ashburn Presbyterian Church (1878), and Janelia Farm (1936).[1]
History
Ashburn was originally called Farmwell (variant names include Old Farmwell and Farmwell Station) after a
nearby mansion of that name owned by George Lee III. The name Farmwell first appeared in George Lee's October 1802 will and was
used to describe the 1,236 acre (5.0 km²) plantation he inherited from his father, Thomas Ludwell Lee II. A section of Farmwell
plantation west of Ashburn Road, a 580 acre (2.3 km²) tract, was purchased in 1841 by lawyer and almost vice-president John Janney, a Quaker, as a summer home. John Janney
called the property Ashburn Farm (first known written use is 1870 when he sold the
property). It is likely he named the farm after family friends named Ashburn.[2]
In 1895, Ashburn Farm was purchased by Senator William
Morris Stewart. Local legend has it that the village, known until then as Farmwell or Farmwell Station, got its new name
after lightning struck an ash tree on Senator Stewart's farm in 1896. The ash tree is rumored
to have burned and smoldered for a week and attracted spectators from miles around. Since the Post Office had been pressing for a new name for the village (to avoid confusion with
Farmville in Prince Edward County,
Virginia), and the Senator was the area's leading citizen, the villagers renamed the village after the ash burn.[3]
Ashburn was also the vacation destination of many Presidents, like Woodrow Wilson, as well as many of Washington's other
politicians. They would take the W&OD train line out to Ashburn, which contained many upscale hotels and restaurants. Many of
these hotels and restaurants have long since been destroyed or dismantled, however, some can still be seen along the main street
of Ashburn Rd.
Demographics
Today, Ashburn's population is slightly over 73,000 as of 2006 and is one of the largest unincorporated areas of Loudoun
County. Many of its citizens commute into Washington, D.C. and the surrounding suburbs such as Tysons Corner and Reston to their
places of employment.
The Ashburn area consists of many major and minor subdivisons; Ashbrook, Ashburn Farm, Ashburn Village, Brambleton, Broadlands, Farmwell, The
Courts and Ridges at Ashburn, Belmont Greene, and Belmont Country Club among them. The
area is served by Briar Woods High School, Broad Run High School and Stone Bridge High
School. It also has 3 middle schools and several elementary schools that serve the fast growing population.
Ashburn's Fire and EMS services are provided by a combination of the volunteers of Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department and The Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue & Emergency
Management. The area is served by Inova Loudoun Hospital,located less than 2 miles from
Ashburn in neighboring Lansdowne, Va.
Schools
Elementary Schools
Belmont Station
Cedar Lane
Hillside
Newton-Lee
Sanders Corner
Middle Schools
Belmont Ridge Middle School
Eagle Ridge Middle School
Stone Hill Middle School
Farmwell Station Middle School
High Schools
Stone Bridge High School
Briar Woods High School
Broad Run High School
Private Schools
St. Theresa Catholic School
External links
Coordinates:
39.0437192° N
77.4874899° W
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