Loudoun County, Virginia is located just 25 miles from Washington, DC. Home to Dulles International Airport, Loudoun has established a reputation as an international center for technology, communications and transportation.

The county is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains and Potomac River, and is widely known for its beautiful scenery, rich history, strong sense of community and first-rate school system. Today, it’s also known as Virginia’s up-and-coming wine country.

Loudoun County offers 27 award-winning wineries, the most of any county in Virginia. Located along winding roads and alongside historic estates, Loudoun County’s wineries have emerged as the leading Virginia producers of vinifera and New World grape wines. Soil conditions, temperate climate, access to technical experts and mentors and skilled winemakers are all contributing to Loudoun County’s growing reputation as Virginia’s wine country.

Loudoun County also has a long, rich history as a part of the five-million acre Northern Neck of Virginia Proprietary granted by King Charles II of England to seven noblemen in 1649. This grant, later known as the Fairfax Proprietary, is situated between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. Between 1653 and 1730, Westmoreland, Stafford and Prince William Counties were formed within the Proprietary. In 1742 the remaining land was designated Fairfax County, which was shortly afterwards divided with the western portion was named Loudoun after John Campbell, Fourth Earl of Loudoun.

Leesburg has served continuously as the county seat since 1757. During most of that time, agriculture was the dominant way of life in Loudoun County, which had a relatively constant population of about 20,000. That changed in the 1960s when Dulles International Airport was built in the southeastern part of the county. The airport attracted new businesses, workers and their families to the area. In the last three decades, the population of Loudoun County has almost quadrupled.

Today, Loudoun County has a population of approximately 283,000, and offers expanding opportunities for new business and relocation. Visitors can still get a glimpse into the county’s past at Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, a wooded retreat and interpretive farming complex situated within a nine-acre National Register Historic District. The museum is dedicated to collecting, housing, researching and exhibiting objects, documents and photographs related to the history of agriculture and rural life in Loudoun County.