Sterling, Virginia

History

In the beginning of 1962, large farms made up the 1,762 acres (713 ha) of what today is called Sterling Park. Route 7, also known as Leesburg Pike, bordered what used to be Jesse Hughes's dairy farm. Hughes arrived in Loudoun County in the early 20th century and was a longtime head of the county's Democrats. Fred Franklin Tavenner, who was somewhat related to Benjamin Franklin, operated vast stretches of Sterling Farm at the southwest fringes of Sterling Park. Tavenner had purchased land from Albert Shaw, Jr., who had inherited it from his father Albert B. Shaw, editor and publisher of the American Review of Reviews. One of Shaw's spreads, totaling 1,640 acres (660 ha), was called "The Experimental Farm" because it was one of the first area farms to receive a U.S. grant for applying "scientific methods", as Tavenner called them. According to Tavenner, refugees from the Soviet Union ran the farm while Shaw remained in New York City.

Dulles International Airport and the extension of water and sewer lines to the airport began to change the landscape when construction started in 1959. Land prices rose from an average $125 per acre ($310/ha) to $500 per acre ($1,200/ha). During the same year, Marvin T. Broyhill, Jr., and his father made plans to develop land in the airport area under the company M.T. Broyhill & Sons Corporation. In late 1961, they decided to buy and incorporated Sterling Park Development Corporation with his son Marvin T. Broyhill, president, and a cousin, Thomas J. Broyhill, as vice president. Between April 28, and December 29, 1961 of that year, they purchased 1,762 acres (713 ha) in 14 parcels for $2,115,784. For the 226-acre (91 ha) Hughes farm along Route 7, they paid $1,700 per acre ($4,200/ha).

M.T. Broyhill & Sons Corporation learned where the right-of-way for Route 28 (Sully Road) would be, and hoped to develop Sterling Park on both sides of it, so they would not have to build a road through Sterling Park. However, Powell B. Harrison, who was instrumental in planning Route 28, insisted that road be kept generally free of development, for easy access to the airport. Therefore, the Broyhills developed Sterling Park east of Route 28, and had to build their own through road, today's Sterling Boulevard.

Marvin Broyhill, Jr.'s marketing thoughts were to “put together a prefabricated home marketed by U.S. Steel and sell it for about $17,000 [that is] 3,000 less than a comparable Fairfax County home . . . All homes to have air‑conditioning. Homeowners to have access without membership fees to golf and tennis courts and pools.” Air conditioning was uncommon in homes of that price range at the time. Broyhill's ideas, except for free golf, are realities today. As selling points, Loudoun's taxes were less than half of Fairfax's taxes; Washington was a half-hour away, and the elder Broyhill envisioned commuter trains on the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which since 1951, had carried only freight. The railroad tracks were the southern boundary of the present Sterling Park.

Sterling Park residents had to be of the "Caucasian Race". No board member or speaker before the board raised an objection to the clause, a common one in the United States before the 1960s, when discriminatory housing was outlawed by the Fair Housing Act, which was enacted as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. No African American family moved into Sterling Park until August 1966, when the illegality of the clause became apparent. By then, the population of "The Park", as it had come to be known, reached 5,000.

The Broad Run Bridge and Tollhouse, Vestal's Gap Road and Lanesville Historic District, and Arcola Elementary School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the USGS, Sterling has an average elevation of 289 feet (88 m) above sea level. The USGS has assigned Sterling the geographical coordinates: [39.0062204, -77.4285992]. Sterling is part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and borders the Potomac River.

Communities

Economy

Sterling is home to many businesses and also serves as branch offices for many major companies. According to Manta, the following companies, with annual revenues of $20 million or more, have headquarters in Sterling, Virginia: Neustar, Electronic Instrumentation and Technology, and Paxfire. Companies that have a branch office or headquarters in Sterling, with a total number of employees over 1,000 or more are as follows: Alcatel-Lucent, Geo Trans, HR Solutions LLC, M.C. Dean, Inc., National Electronics Warranty Corp, N E W Customer Service Companies Inc, and Orbital Science.

At one time, Atlantic Coast Airlines had its headquarters in Sterling.

Education

Sterling is home to 3 public high schools, serving grades 9–12, named Dominion High School, Park View High School, and Potomac Falls High School. There are 3 public middle schools serving grades 6–8 named River Bend Middle School, Seneca Ridge Middle School, and Sterling Middle School. Also, there are 12 public elementary schools, which serve grades PK–5, named Algonkian Elementary School, Countryside Elementary School, Forest Grove Elementary School, Guilford Elementary School, Horizon Elementary School, Lowes Island Elementary School, Meadlowland Elementary School, Potowmack Elementary School, Rolling Ridge Elementary School, Sterling Elementary School, Sugarland Elementary School, Sully Elementary School.

Higher education

Northern Virginia Community College has a Loudoun campus on Harry F. Byrd Highway (Route 7). Nearby, in Ashburn, The George Washington University, has its Virginia Science and Technology Campus, established in 1991.

Transportation

The main arterial roads serving Sterling are Route 28, West Church Road, South Sterling Boulevard, Leesburg Pike, Algonkian Parkway, Potomac View Road, Waxpool Road, and Cascades Parkway.

Recreation

Claude Moore Park occupies 357 acres (144 ha) in Sterling and offers activities for people of all ages, with three main areas. Claude Moore Recreation Center contains an Olympic-size indoor pool, a children's pool with water features, an exercise area, gymnasium, and several event and meeting rooms. The sportplex includes baseball and softball fields and the nature area includes hiking trails and the park. The last known undeveloped section of the historic Vestal's Gap Road runs across the park. Originally a trail first used by Native Americans, it was a major route for settlers between Alexandria and the Shenandoah Valley. George Washington used the road frequently in his travels between Mount Vernon and the western frontier. General Braddock's troops, including Daniel Boone, traveled Vestal's Gap Road during the French and Indian War.

Sterling offers the following parks and clubs as recreational areas: Algonkian Regional Park, Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park, Sterling Golf Club.

Public works and services

Fire protection services are provided by the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department. Technical Rescue and Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad. Both are non-governmental 501(c) non-profit organizations that operate as a part of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System, and share three stations: one in Sterling Park, one in Potomac Falls, and one in Kincora at the northern end of Pacific Boulevard. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police provide law enforcement.

Notable people

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

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sterling has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.