Catoctin County, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Catoctin County is the name of a proposed new county in Northern
Virginia
that would be formed from the western portions of Loudoun County
.
Under the proposal, the area of Loudoun County west of the Catoctin Mountain
watershed, known as the Loudoun Valley
would be separated from the portion of the county east of that watershed. The eastern portion of Loudoun would retain its name and county government. Purcellville
would become the seat of the new county's government. Its name is derived from the Catoctin Mountain
whose watershed would make its eastern border and Catoctin Creek
which flows through its proposed boundary.
The idea of Catoctin County began as a movement to combat the rapid development of the historically rural western region of Loudoun County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States
in the 1990s. In general though, the heaviest development has been to the east of Catoctin Mountain in eastern Loudoun.
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
that would be formed from the western portions of Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
.
Under the proposal, the area of Loudoun County west of the Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, comprises the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range...
watershed, known as the Loudoun Valley
Loudoun Valley
The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States.-Geography:...
would be separated from the portion of the county east of that watershed. The eastern portion of Loudoun would retain its name and county government. Purcellville
Purcellville, Virginia
Purcellville is a town in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,584 at the 2000 census, but has undergone considerable growth since then. Purcellville is the major population center for western Loudoun and the Loudoun Valley...
would become the seat of the new county's government. Its name is derived from the Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, comprises the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range...
whose watershed would make its eastern border and Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
Catoctin Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River in Loudoun County, Virginia, with a watershed of . Agricultural lands make up 67 percent and forests 30 percent of Catoctin Creek's watershed...
which flows through its proposed boundary.
The idea of Catoctin County began as a movement to combat the rapid development of the historically rural western region of Loudoun County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1990s. In general though, the heaviest development has been to the east of Catoctin Mountain in eastern Loudoun.