Sterling, Virginia

Sterling, Virginia is an unincorporated Washington, D.C. suburb in in Loudoun County, Virginia. It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters. Sterling is also home to the National Weather Service building for the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.

Communities

*Broad Run Farms is a residential area north of State Route 7 and State Route 28 that was incorporated in 1952. It shares the ZIP code of 20165 and can call itself alternately Sterling or Potomac Falls. As an area much older than the surrounding recent growth, it has features unique to the region, including large lots, highly wooded old-growth trees, a wide variety of housing and a voluntary civic association. Bordered to the north by the Potomac and to the west by Broad Run, it was founded in 1950 when Miskel's Farm, site of a Civil War battle that propelled Confederate Capt. John Mosby to fame, was purchased and later subdivided by a U.S. Senate lawyer. The community banded together in 1995 with state and county help to finance and install its own sewer service in part through an added property tax. The lien was paid off several years early and the tax has been retired.

*Dulles is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Loudoun County, Virginia, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area with zip code 20166. That zip code is assigned to Sterling, although the area covered by Dulles extends well outside the area of Sterling (down to Chantilly, Virginia, for instance). The headquarters of Orbital Sciences Corporation and ODIN technologies and the former headquarters of MCI Inc. and AOL are located in Dulles. The usage of Dulles as a community name began in the mid-1980s when Loudoun County economic development officer Pam Treadwell successfully lobbied the United States Postal Service to allow Sterling businesses and residents to use Dulles as an alternate address. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60156-2004Dec12_4.html]

*Potomac Falls is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Loudoun County, Virginia, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Potomac Falls lies along the Potomac River and is in the northern-most portion of Sterling with the ZIP code of 20165. Alternately called Potomac Falls or Sterling, the village consists of the communities Lowes Island, Glen Heather, Cascades, Countryside and Rivercrest. Development of Potomac Falls began in the early 1990s, and is still in process today. Potomac Falls borders Great Falls and Fairfax County to the southeast and has several shopping areas, schools, and community centers. Potomac Falls is also home to three 18-hole golf courses including the Lowes Island Club and the Potomac Falls High School Panthers.

*Sterling Park is a portion of Sterling with the ZIP code of 20164. The land where Sterling Park was built was mainly made up of a few very large farms. When construction of Dulles International Airport began in 1959, land prices began to rise. In 1961 Marvin T. Broyhill Sr. saw this as a great investment opportunity and decided to buy the 1, 762 acres that now make up Sterling Park for the price of $2,115,783.86. Construction of the $14,800.00-$22,500.00 homes was completed by 1967. Sterling Park was one of the first planned communities built in Eastern Loudoun County and was a popular place for government workers to settle with their families outside the city. Sterling Park also contains a variety of businesses, churches, parks, a community center, semi-private golf club featuring two pools and tennis courts, and schools. It is the home of the Park View High School Patriots.

*Sugarland Run is a portion of Sterling with the ZIP code of 20164. Built in the 1970s in the style of Sterling Park, its only shopping center consists of a 7-Eleven food mart and gas station, a delivery-only Pizza Hut restaurant, a Panda West, a High Up Food Mart, and a laundromat ( [http://www.loudountimes.com/news/2008/jan/11/fire-sugarland-run-laundromat/ which burned down on January 10, 2008] ). The housing closer to Sugarland Elementary consists of townhouses and apartments, whereas single-family homes predominate the land surrounding Meadowland Elementary. It is one of the few communities in the area with contemporary style houses. Sugarland Run also has a community center, which is situated near the preconstructed Willow Lake, and over 26 miles of walking paths. There is also a community swimming pool and playground situated across from the lake. The swimming pool is 25 yards by 50 meters, with a large diving well and a separate baby pool. It is the home of the Dominion High School Titans.

Public Services

Fire protection services are provided by the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department. Rescue and EMS services are provided by the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad. Both are non-governmental 501(c) non-profit organizations and share two stations, with one located in the Sterling Park community and one located in the Potomac Falls community. Police services are provided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police.

Famous Sterling residents

Famous people who were born in or who lived in Sterling include:

* Hilarie Burton - actress
* Patton Oswalt - comedian
* James D. Weaver - U.S. Congressman
* Allen Pinkett - football player, University of Notre Dame, Houston Oilers
* Jeff Lageman - football player, University of Virginia, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars
* Billy King - former basketball player, Duke University, former president of Philadelphia 76ers
* United States President James Buchanan had his summer home near what is now Ruritan CircleFact|date=March 2008

Fictional residents:
* John Fitzgerald Byers - Lone Gunman

External links

* [http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/history.htm Dulles International Airport History]

ee also

*Willard, Virginia, adjacent village displaced for construction of Dulles Airport