Ashburn, Virginia
Ashburn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, its population was 43,511,[4] up from 3,393 twenty years earlier. It is 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington metropolitan area.
Ashburn, Virginia | |
|---|---|
Ashburn Library | |
Ashburn Ashburn Ashburn | |
| Coordinates: 39°01′48″N 077°28′16″W / 39.03000°N 77.47111°WCoordinates: 39°01′48″N 077°28′16″W / 39.03000°N 77.47111°W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Loudoun |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.55 sq mi (40.3 km2) |
| • Land | 15.30 sq mi (39.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.25 sq mi (0.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 295 ft (90 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 43,511 |
| • Estimate (2019) | 49,848[3] |
| • Density | 3,259.1/sq mi (1,258.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 20146, 20147, 20148, 20149[5] |
| Area codes | 703, 571 |
| FIPS code | [2] |
| ANSI code | 2584799[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2584799[1] |
Ashburn is a major hub for Internet traffic, due to its many data centers. Andrew Blum characterized it as the "bullseye of America's Internet".[6]
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 (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]
Geography
Ashburn is located in eastern Loudoun County at 39°02′37″N 077°29′15″W / 39.04361°N 77.48750°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.
Demographics
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,[4] 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]
Economy
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, largely due to the Equinix location there.[19] Among other websites, the Wikimedia Foundation (parent of Wikipedia) and Amazon Web Services have data centers there.[20][21][22][23]
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.[24][25]
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.
Government
Federal
The National Transportation Safety Board operates the Ashburn Aviation Field Office in Ashburn; it is the regional headquarters of the NTSB Aviation Eastern Region.[26]
Education
Colleges and universities
George Washington University and Strayer University have campuses in the area. In December 2009, it was announced that George Mason University was planning to set up a campus in Ashburn, to be located at Exit 6 off the Dulles Greenway.[27]
Primary and secondary schools
Educational institutions in Ashburn are operated by the Loudoun County Public Schools.
Ashburn's elementary schools include Ashburn Elementary School, Belmont Station Elementary School, Cedar Lane Elementary School, Creighton's Corner Elementary, Discovery Elementary School, Dominion Trail Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, Legacy Elementary School, Madison's Trust Elementary, Mill Run Elementary School, Moorefield Station Elementary School, Newton-Lee Elementary School, Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School, Sanders Corner Elementary School, Steuart W. Weller Elementary School, and Sycolin Creek Elementary School.
Ashburn's public middle schools include Eagle Ridge Middle School, Farmwell Station Middle School, Stone Hill Middle School, Brambleton Middle School, Trailside Middle School, and Belmont Ridge Middle School.
Public high schools in Ashburn include Briar Woods High School, Broad Run High School, Independence High School, Riverside High School, Rock Ridge High School, and Stone Bridge High School.[28]
There are six private schools in Ashburn: Loudoun School for Advanced Studies, St. Theresa Catholic School, Virginia Academy, Leport School, The Loudoun Country Day School, and County Christian School.
Media
Media covering Ashburn include Leesburg Today, and the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
Infrastructure
Washington Metro
Ashburn is served by two Washington Metro Silver Line stations. After passing through Dulles Airport, the Silver Line enters Ashburn in the median of the Dulles Greenway.[29] The first stop in Ashburn is Loudoun Gateway station, with Ashburn station serving as the terminus. Originally planned to open in 2018, the opening was pushed back by multiple delays and finally opened on November 15, 2022.[30][31]
Emergency services
Ashburn's fire and emergency medical 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. AVFRD is a company under LCFR, and serves Ashburn with Stations 6 and 22, which is located next to Loudoun Hospital. LCFR operates the 24-7 career Moorefield Station 23, the first of its kind in the county. The Ashburn area is served by the Inova Ashburn Healthplex Emergency Room at the corner of the Dulles Greenway and Loudoun County Parkway as well as Inova Loudoun Hospital, located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Ashburn in neighboring Lansdowne, and by larger hospitals in the Washington suburbs and city.
Notable people
- Jonathan Allen, Washington Commanders defensive end
- 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
- Gina Haspel, former Director of the CIA[32]
- Carl C. Johnson, retired U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Army officer and last Tuskegee Airmen cadet pilot graduate[33]
- Trace McSorley, Arizona Cardinals quarterback
- Wilson Pickett, singer[34]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Ashburn Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c d "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files –Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Explore Census Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Ashburn CDP, Virginia". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Post Office, Zip Code, Jurisdiction and AAA Cross-Reference List" (PDF). Virginia Department for the Aging. June 9, 2004.
- ^ Blum, Andrew (May 29, 2012). "The Bullseye of America's Internet". Gizmodo.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ashburn CDP". TIGERweb. Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "ZCTA5: 20147 (Ashburn)". Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ . loudouncountytraffic.com. January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "20147 Ashburn Neighborhood in Ashburn, VA". realestate.aol.com. 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Ashburn CDP, Virginia". www.census.gov. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Top-earning towns". CNN. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
- ^ . dullesworldtrade.com. 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ "Verizon Business Global Llc - Ashburn, Virginia (VA) - Company Profile". manta.com. June 15, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ Noguchi, Yuki (February 15, 2005). "Telecom Is Getting Another Behemoth". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ Baratko, Trevor (September 18, 2019). "Telos HQ site in Ashburn sells for $26 million". LoudounTimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Blum, Andrew (2012). Tubes: a journey to the center of the Internet (1st ed.). New York: Ecco. ISBN 978-0-06-199493-7. OCLC 758392010.
- ^ "Wikimedia sites to move to primary data center in Ashburn, Virginia". Wikimedia. January 19, 2013.
- ^ "Amazon Plans Epic Data Center Expansion in Northern Virginia". Data Center Frontier. November 6, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ Miller, Rich (January 15, 2013). "Amazon Adding Cloud Capacity in Northern Virginia". Data Center Knowledge. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Burrington, Ingrid (January 8, 2016). "Why Amazon's Data Centers Are Hidden in Spy Country". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Go behind the scenes at the INOVA Sports Performance Center - headquarters of the Washington Commanders Training Facility - located in Ashburn, VA". commanders.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ . redskins.com. 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ "Regional Offices: Aviation." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
- ^ Kravitz, Derek (December 14, 2009). "Developer donates land for George Mason campus in Loudoun". Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ . loudoun.k12.va.us. 2010. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ "Silver Line Stations". www.dullesmetro.com.
- ^ "'Extreme disappointment' — Metro revises plan to bring back 7000 Series cars; Silver Line delayed". WTOP News. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ Lundquist, Paulette (May 2, 2019). "Haspel". TheHill. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ The Washington Post. “Heroism amid bigotry: He was the last Tuskegee Airman to earn …” DeNeen L. Brown. Sep 15, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/heroism-amid-bigotry-he-was-the-last-tuskegee-airman-to-earn-his-wings-and-fly/2016/09/15/36989576-7441-11e6-be4f-3f42f2e5a49e_story.html
- ^ Brulliard, Karin (January 28, 2006). . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2021.