Leesburg is a town located in
Loudoun County, Virginia, between the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains and the
Potomac River. Located about 35 miles northwest of
Washington, D.C., it is intersected by two major
highways,
U.S. Route 15 and
Route 7. It is also the terminus of the Dulles Greenway
Toll Road, which begins at
Washington Dulles International Airport.
The town of Leesburg was established in
1758. It was originally named
George Town after
King George II, but later renamed to honor the influential
Lee family of
Virginia. During the War of
1812, valuable papers from the
Federal Archives (including the
Declaration of Independence and
Constitution) were brought to Leesburg for safekeeping. In
1823,
President James Monroe wrote the
Monroe Doctrine at his residence just south of town at Oak Hill.
In
1861, Leesburg was the site of a
Civil War battle at Ball's
Bluff, fought on the banks of the
Potomac River. It was the largest Civil War
battle ever fought in Loudoun County. A portion of the
battlefield is now a public park, and the site of one of the smallest national cemeteries.
General
George C. Marshall, creator of the
Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after
World War II, lived at Dodona
Manor in Leesburg in
1941. Entertainer and aviator
Arthur Godfrey also lived in Leesburg, and donated land for the town's municipal
airport.
Leesburg is divided into quadrants by King Street (Route 15) and Market Street (Route 7). The intersection of the two is the center of historic Leesburg, which attracts shoppers from miles around to browse its many
antique shops. The Thomas Balch Library, located on West Market Street, specializes in local history and geneaology research.
Across town, near the Route 15 Bypass, the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets beckons, with more than 100 premium discount stores. Popular tourist attractions near Leesburg are the Tarara Winery and Oatlands Plantation.
Among the recreational opportunities in Leesburg are the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, a bike path built on a former railroad grade. Also located in Leesburg is the Catoctin Skatepark, a 12,000 foot lighted park for skateboarders and in-line skaters.
Leesburg has it's own newspaper, Leesburg Today, as well as a news radio station, WAGE (1200 AM).