'Loudoun County' (pronounced "LOUD-un";
IPA: ) is a
county located in the
Commonwealth of
Virginia, a
state of the
United States, and is part of the
Washington Metropolitan Area.
As of July 2006, the county is estimated to be home to 268,817 people,
[1] a 58 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fastest growing in the
United States during that period. Its
county seat is
Leesburg6.
In 2005, Loudoun County emerged as the wealthiest jurisdiction in the nation, with its households having a median income of more than $98,000, followed by its neighbor Fairfax County at $94,610.
[1] However, when these figures are adjusted for the local cost of living,
Forsyth County, Georgia becomes the wealthiest jurisdiction in the nation, Loudoun County drops to #15, and Fairfax County drops completely out of the top 15.
[2]
History
Loudoun County was established in 1757 from
Fairfax County. The county is named for
John Campbell, Fourth
Earl of Loudoun and
Governor of Virginia from 1756–59. Western settlement began in the 1720s and 1730s with
Quakers,
Scots-Irish,
Germans and others moving south from Pennsylvania and Maryland and by
English and
African slaves moving upriver from
Tidewater.
By the time of the
American Revolution, it was the most populous county in Virginia. During the
War of 1812, important Federal documents and government archives were evacuated from
Washington and stored at
Leesburg for safe keeping. Local tradition holds that these documents were stored at Rokeby House and thus that Leesburg was briefly the capitol of the United States.
Early in the
American Civil War, the
Battle of Balls 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).
Notable people from Loudoun County
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. Entertainer
Arthur Godfrey lived near historic
Waterford, Virginia. Loudoun County is also notable for being the birthplace of
Julia Neale Jackson, mother of
Stonewall Jackson, and
Susan Catherine Koerner, mother of the
Wright Brothers.
[3][4]
Law and government
Like all counties in Virginia, Loudoun is governed by a
board of supervisors. The Chairman of the Board is elected by the voters at-large while the remaining supervisors are elected from each of eight election districts in the county. All nine members serve concurrent terms of four years. While the board handles policy issues and sets the budget, day-to-day operations of the county government are handled by a County Administrator appointed by the board. As of 2006, six of the supervisors are members of the
Republican Party: Vice-Chairman Bruce E. Tulloch, Lori Waters, Stephen J. Snow, Jim Clem, Eugene Delgaudio, and Mick Staton. One supervisor, Sally R. Kurtz, is of the
Democratic Party, while the remaining two, Jim Burton and Chairman Scott K. York, are Independents. Due to the chairman being elected separately, Chairman York does not command a majority support. Because of this, after the most recent election the Republican members moved to strip much of the authority and power from the chairman and give it to Vice-Chairman Tulloch.
[5] The current board, among other officials in Loudoun, is the subject of a federal investigation of possible corruption relating to land deals.
[6]
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Loudoun County has a total area of 1,350
km² (521
mi²). 1,346 km² (520 mi²) of it is land and 3 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.24%) is water. It is bounded on the North by the
Potomac River; across the river are
Frederick 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 Mountains 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.
Street addresses
Block numbers in the unincorporated areas of Loudoun County, with the exception of older Sterling Park and the community of CountrySide, are assigned in the following manner: on north-south streets, block numbers increase from north to south and range from 10000 to 29900; on east-west streets, block numbers increase from west to east and range from 30000 to 49900.
Adjacent counties
★
Fairfax County (east)
★
Prince William County (southeast)
★
Fauquier County (south)
★
Jefferson County, West Virginia (west)
★
Clarke County (west)
★
Washington County, Maryland (northwest, across the
Potomac River)
★
Frederick County, Maryland (north, across the
Potomac River)
★
Montgomery County, Maryland (northeast, across the
Potomac River)
Major Highways
★
U.S. Route 15
★
U.S. Route 50
★
State Route 7
★
State Route 28
★
State Route 267 (Dulles Greenway)
Economy
Traditionally a rural county, Loudoun's population has grown dramatically since the 1980s. Having undergone heavy suburbanization in the past few decades, Loudoun has a full-fledged
service economy. It is home to world headquarters for several Internet-related and
high tech companies, including
Verizon Business,
Orbital Sciences Corporation, and
America Online. Like Fairfax County's
Dulles Corridor, Loudoun County has economically benefited from the existence of
Washington Dulles International Airport, the majority of which is located in the county along its border with Fairfax. Loudoun does retain a strong rural economy in the western part of the county. The Equine Industry has an estimated revenue of $78 Million dollars. It is home to the
Morven Park International Equestrian Center which hosts national horse trials. Loudoun has 12 wineries
[7] and over 25 active farms. Loudoun has rich soil and was in the late 1800s the fourth-largest
wheat producer in the U.S.
[8]
Recent development
In recent years, Loudoun has become one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. The once rural county now has a mecca of industry centered around
Washington Dulles International Airport. $1,000,000+ homes are springing up throughout the countryside. In light of this, the county has placed many building restrictions in an attempt to retain the rural feel.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
|---|
Census
year | Population |
|---|---|
|
| 1790 | 18,962 |
| 1800 | 20,523 |
| 1810 | 21,338 |
| 1820 | 22,702 |
| 1830 | 21,939 |
| 1840 | 20,431 |
| 1850 | 22,079 |
| 1860 | 21,774 |
| 1870 | 20,929 |
| 1880 | 23,634 |
| 1890 | 23,274 |
| 1900 | 21,948 |
| 1910 | 21,167 |
| 1920 | 20,577 |
| 1930 | 19,852 |
| 1940 | 20,291 |
| 1950 | 21,147 |
| 1960 | 24,549 |
| 1970 | 37,150 |
| 1980 | 57,427 |
| 1990 | 86,129 |
| 2000 | 169,599 |
| 2006 | 268,817 |
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 169,599 people, 59,900 households, and 45,044 families residing in the county. The
population density was 126/km² (326/mi²). There were 62,160 housing units at an average density of 46/km² (120/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.79%
White, 6.89%
Black or
African American, 5.35%
Asian, 0.21%
Native American, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 2.26% from
other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 5.95% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
In 2005 69.7% of Loudoun County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 7.5% of the population was African-American. 0.3% were Native Americans. The percentage of Asians in the overall population had more than doubled to 11.3%, which meant the number of Asians in Loudoun County was increasing a lot faster than the population overall. The Asian population in the county had increased over 150%. Loudoun County also had seen a very slight increase in the percentage of people reporting two or more races, to 2.5%, despite the fact that the figures for 2005 were doctored and everyone who marked "Some other race" was lumped under white, and those who had marked "some other race" and "white" were removed from the list of people marking more than one race. Latinos were 9.3% of the population, still a number that meant they had more than doubled in five years, but not increasing as fast in numbers as the Asians were.
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 August 2006, a survey concluded that Loudoun County has the highest median income in the country at just over $98,000.
1
Towns
Incorporated towns
Unincorporated communities
Education
The county is served by
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). LCPS currently serves over 50,000 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade and is currently the fifth largest school system in Virginia.
[9][10] While there is a growing trend towards home schooling in the county, the vast majority of school age children in Loudoun County attend LCPS schools. Loudoun County schools recently ranked 11th in the United States. Loudoun County also sends students to
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a
Virginia Governor's School in
Alexandria, Virginia.
Loudoun County is home to six private schools:
Loudoun Country Day School, a Pre-K–8 independent school located in Leesburg;
Notre Dame Academy, a
Catholic 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 located in Leesburg; Leesburg Christian School, a K–12 school located in Leesburg; and Christian Faith & Fellowship School a PreK–12 non-denominational Christian school.
In terms of post-secondary education, Loudoun County is home to a variety of colleges and universities, including:
Patrick Henry College; a branch of
Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling;
George Washington University (satellite campus);
George Mason University (satellite campus);
Marymount University (satellite campus);
Old Dominion University (satellite campus);
Shenandoah University (satellite campus); and
Strayer University (satellite campus).
[11]
Famous people from Loudoun County
★
John L. Dagg (1794-1884) – Baptist theologian, pastor, educator, and president of Mercer University, GA (1844-54)
[12][13]
★
Stevens Thomson Mason (1811-1843) – First governor of Michigan (Democrat, 1837-40)
[14]
★
Russell Baker (1925- ) – Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ''Growing Up'' (1983, Autobiography)
[15]
★ Colin Dunning – Production Assistant to Christopher Nolan
[16]
★
Linda Tripp – One-time confidante to
Monica Lewinski
★
Lyndon LaRouche – A political candidate who has resided in Round Hill since 1983.
References
1. ''D.C. Suburbs Top List Of Richest Counties'', The Washington Post, 30 August, 2006
2. Cost of Living Can Significantly Affect “Real” Median Household Income
3. Virginia Military Institute Archives, Jackson Genealogy
4. "Happy Mother's Day, Ms Wright", Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
5. ''Influence of Developers, Allies Runs Deep'', The Washington Post, 21 January, 2007
6. ''Loudoun Land Deals Subject of U.S. Probe'', The Washington Post, 7 February, 2007
7. Wine Country, Visit Loudoun
8. "Early 19th-Century Milling and Wheat Farming", Loudoun History
9. About Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools
10. 2005 Triennial school census, Virginia Department of Education
11. Loudoun Guide 2006: Higher Education at Your Fingertips
12. "Biographical Sketch of John L. Dagg"
13. "John Leadley Dagg 1844-1854 Mercer University Presidents"
14. "Stevens Thomson Mason Biography (1811–43)"
15. "Pulitzer Prize Winners 1983"
16. IMDB profile
External links
★
Loudoun County Government Site
★
Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association
★
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
★
Loudoun County Public Schools
★
Loudoun County Public Library
★
Loudoun Valleys Office of Rural Economic Development
★
Main Street Loudoun
★
African American Communities of Loudoun County
★
Campaign for Loudoun's Future
★
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
★
★
Fairfax Underground - a message board designed to improve communication between residents of
Northern Virginia
★
Fairfax Crime - a crime map of most of
Northern Virginia and sex offender locations
★
Dulles South Online - Dulles South Online is an online portal for news, information and listings for Loudoun County Dulles Region (Dulles South) businesses, organizations and residents, focusing mainly on economic, public policy and community development topics and issues.
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