Ashburn, Virginia

Ashburn, Virginia is an unincorporated area located in Loudoun County, Virginia and is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The area serves as headquarters for the telephone company MCI, the internet service provider America Online, Old Dominion Brewery, the low cost airline Independence Air (which makes its hub at nearby Washington Dulles International Airport), and the Washington Redskins team of the National Football League.

Related Topics:
Loudoun County - Virginia - Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area - MCI - America Online - Washington Redskins - National Football League

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Ashburn is 30 miles west of Washington, DC in Loudoun County, Virginia. The County is part of Virginia's Hunt Country and has a number of horse farms. In addition, there are several wineries in the northern part of the county, near the Maryland line. Loudoun's population is the fastest growing of all counties in the United States.

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Ashburn was originally called Farmwell (alternative names Old Farmwell, Farmwell Station) after a nearby mansion of that name owned by George Lee, great-grandson of Thomas Lee. The name Farmwell first appeared in George Lee's October, 1802 will and was used to describe the 1,236 acre plantation he inherited from his father, Thomas Ludwell Lee II. George Lee, originator of the Farmwell name, died in 1805 and his property passed to son Doctor George Lee (1796-1858). Doctor Lee married Sarah Moore Henderson in 1827. Sarah is reputed to have given birth to 23 children, the eldest of which, George III, inherited Farmwell upon his father's death and granted a right of way across the plantation to the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad (later the Washington & Old Dominion) in 1859.

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Today, Ashburn now boasts a population of over 50,000 citizens, and is one of the largest unincorporated areas of Loudoun County. Many of its citizens commute into Washington and the surrounding suburbs to their places of employment.

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Ashburn has premier golf courses and two universities, and it is conveniently located between Washington Dulles International Airport and Leesburg, the county seat of Loudoun County. Ashburn is home to the world headquarters of MCI and the America Online division of Time Warner, and several other high-tech businesses have a major presence in the area. In addition, Howard Hughes Medical Institute is building a major research campus in northern Ashburn.

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Ashburn is also the home to four landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places: Belmont Plantation (1799), the Broad Run Bridge and Toll House (1820), the sanctuary of Ashburn Presbyterian Church (1878), and Janelia Farm (1936).

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