Ashburn, Virginia is an unincorporated area located in Loudoun County, Virginia, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The area serves as headquarters for the internet service provider Verizon Business, and the Janelia Farm Research Campus (HHMI). "Redskins Park", the headquarters for the Washington Redskins football team of the National Football League, is also located in Ashburn.
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. World Trade Center Dulles Airport is currently under construction and will be the second World Trade Center in the state. George Washington University and Strayer University have campuses in Ashburn.
Ashburn is home to four landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places: Belmont Manor House (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.[1]
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 burning ash tree.[1]
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 only Washington and Old Dominion Railroad line out to Ashburn, which contained some upscale hotels and restaurants. Most of these hotels and restaurants have long since been destroyed or dismantled, but a few can still be seen along the main street of Ashburn Road.
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 residents 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, Belmont Country Club and the Village of Waxpool among them. The area is served by Briar Woods High School, Broad Run High School and Stone Bridge High School. It also has 4 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 two fire companies that serve Ashburn are the "Ashburn Fire and Rescue" and the "Moorefield Fire and Rescue". The Ashburn area is served by the "Inova Loudoun Hospital", located less than two miles (3 km) from Ashburn in neighboring Lansdowne, Virginia, and by larger hospitals in the Washington, DC, suburbs and city.
Economy
MCI, Inc. (formerly WorldCom) is headquartered in Ashburn. It announced that it would move its headquarters to Ashburn in 2003.[2][3]
Schools
Elementary Schools
- Ashburn Elementary School
- Belmont Station Elementary School
- Cedar Lane Elementary School
- Dominion Trail Elementary School
- Hillside Elementary School
- Legacy Elemenatary School
- Mill Run Elementary School
- Newton-Lee Elementary School
- Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School
- Sanders Corner Elementary School
- Steuart W. Weller Elementary School
Middle Schools
- Belmont Ridge Middle School
- Eagle Ridge Middle School
- Farmwell Station Middle School
- Stone Hill Middle School
High Schools
Private Schools
- St. Theresa Catholic School
- Virginia Academy
- Boyd School
- Christian Fellowship School
See also
Notes
External links
