Ashburn, Virginia

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 (500 ha) plantation he inherited from his father, Thomas Ludwell Lee II. A section of Farmwell plantation west of Ashburn Road, a 580-acre (230 ha) tract, was purchased in 1841 as a summer home by John Janney, a Quaker lawyer who nearly became Vice President of the United States. Janney called the property "Ashburn Farm"; the name's first known appearance in writing is 1870 when he sold the property. It is likely he named the farm after family friends whose name was Ashburn.[7]

The Ashburn Presbyterian Church, the Belmont Manor House, the Broad Run Bridge and Tollhouse, and Janelia Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]

Ashburn is located in eastern Loudoun County at 39°02′37″N 077°29′15″W (39.0437192, −77.4874899) and its average elevation is 295 feet (90 m) above sea level.[1] It is 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Leesburg, the county seat, and the same distance north of Dulles International Airport. As drawn by the U.S. Census Bureau, the area counted as "Ashburn" extends north to Virginia State Route 7, east to Virginia State Route 28, and southwest to the Dulles Greenway (VA 267).[9] The Ashburn CDP is bordered to the north by the Belmont, Lansdowne, One Loudoun, and University Center CDPs; to the east by the Kincora, Dulles Town Center, and Sterling CDPs; to the southwest by the Moorefield and Broadlands CDPs; and to the west by the Goose Creek Village CDP.[9]

According to the 2010 United States Census, the Ashburn CDP has a total area of 15.55 square miles (40.27 km²), of which 15.30 square miles (39.63 km²) are land and 0.25 square miles (0.65 km²) are water.[2] The area is drained by Broad Run, which flows northward through the eastern part of the CDP toward the Potomac River.

Subdivisions

The Ashburn CDP consists of many major and minor subdivisions such as Ashbrook, Ashburn Farm, Ashburn Village, the Courts and Ridges at Ashburn, and the Village of Waxpool.

Typical street in Ashburn

The United States Census Bureau defines Ashburn as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 43,511 residents,[3] while the larger ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) for Ashburn's 20147 ZIP code contained 54,086 people.[10]

Many of its residents commute into Washington, D.C. and the surrounding suburbs such as Tysons Corner and Reston to their places of employment.[11] The median household income as of 2009 was $100,719.[12] Median age in Ashburn is 31.6.[12] Ashburn's population is made up of 49% males and 51% females.[12]

The racial makeup of the CDP was 67.1% White (59.1% non-Hispanic White), 8.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 17.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 11.8% of the population.[13] The total number of households accounted for in Ashburn was 22,555.[12] The median household size is 2.9 persons.[12] 98% percent of Ashburn residents have a high school degree.[12] Some 42 percent of Ashburn's population holds a four-year bachelor's degree;[12] 18 percent holds graduate degrees.[12]

Homeowners formed 80 percent of the population,[12] renters made up 13% of the population,[12] and 7% of housing units were listed as vacancies.[12] The median age of housing was 5.0 years.[12] The median housing value is at $345,000.[14]

Located within the Dulles Technology Corridor, Ashburn is home to many high-tech businesses. World Trade Center Dulles Airport is the second World Trade Center in the state.[15] Verizon Business has a major office in Ashburn at the location replacing MCI WorldCom's headquarters after its acquisition.[16][17] Ashburn is also home to government contractor Telos.[18]

Ashburn is a major hub for data centers, with companies such as Digital Realty,[19] Equinix,[20] and NTT,[21] operating multiple facilities there.[22] Among other websites, the Wikimedia Foundation (parent of Wikipedia) and Amazon Web Services have data centers there.[23][24][25][26]

AWS data center in Ashburn

The George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology Campus and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus are located north of Ashburn in the University Center and Lansdowne CDPs, respectively. INOVA Sports Performance Center, the training camp for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League, is located in the east part of Ashburn.[27][28]

EADS North America (the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company), renamed Airbus Group, Inc., a defense contractor headed by former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, has a second location in Ashburn in addition to the main office in Herndon, Virginia.

Media covering Ashburn include Leesburg Today, and the Loudoun Times-Mirror.

• Jonathan Allen, Washington Commanders defensive end
• J. B. Bukauskas, Major League Baseball player
• Ashley Caldwell, freestyle skier, member of the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics
• Taylor Clarke, Major League Baseball player
• Nate Davis, Tennessee Titans offensive lineman
• Emily Fox, soccer player for the United States[35]
• Gina Haspel, former Director of the CIA[36]
• Carl C. Johnson, retired U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Army officer and last Tuskegee Airmen cadet pilot graduate[37]
• Trace McSorley, Arizona Cardinals quarterback
• Wilson Pickett, singer[38]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Loudoun County, Virginia
  • Ashburn Presbyterian Church
  • Belmont Manor House
  • Broad Run Bridge and Tollhouse
  • Janelia mansion, located on Janelia Farm Research Campus
• Ashburn Colored School
• Edelman Financial Field

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashburn, Virginia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ashburn (Virginia).

• Ashburn guide