Dulles, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Dulles, Virginia is an unincorporated
area located in Loudoun County, Virginia
, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area
. The headquarters of Orbital Sciences Corporation
, GeoEye
, and ODIN technologies
and the former headquarters of MCI Inc.
and AOL
are located in Dulles.
Other companies have offices in Dulles, e.g., Harris IT Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harris Corporation
.
Dulles covers roughly the southwestern third of Sterling, Virginia
(another unincorporated community). The usage of Dulles as a community name began in the mid-1980s when Loudoun County economic development officer Pam Treadwell successfully lobbied the United States Postal Service
to allow Sterling businesses and residents to use Dulles as an alternate address. The USPS defines Dulles as an "acceptable" city name for the 20166 zip code
, whose "actual" city name is Sterling.
The addresses for shipping parcels to United States embassies and consulates, as well as their employees worldwide, are located in Dulles. The USPS city name for zipcode 20189 is Dulles.
Washington Dulles International Airport
is located partially in Dulles (although its postal address uses the Sterling name instead) and partially in Fairfax County
. The community derives its name from the airport; the airport in turn takes its name from former United States Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles
(1888–1959).
has its headquarters in Dulles. AOL
had its headquarters at 22000 AOL Way in Dulles. In 2007 AOL announced that it would move its headquarters from Loudoun County to New York City
; it would continue to operate its Virginia offices.
Before its dissolution, FLYi, Inc./Independence Air
(originally Atlantic Coast Airlines
) was headquartered in Dulles. Prior to its dissolution, MAXjet Airways
was headquartered on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport and in Dulles.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
area located in Loudoun County, Virginia
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...
, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
. The headquarters of Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
, GeoEye
GeoEye
GeoEye Inc. is a commercial satellite imagery company based in Herndon, Virginia that is the world's largest space imaging corporation....
, and ODIN technologies
ODIN technologies
ODIN provides RFID software and solutions for the Aerospace, Government, Healthcare, Financial Services and Social Media markets.ODIN provides RFID services and RFID software....
and the former headquarters of MCI Inc.
MCI Inc.
MCI, Inc. is an American telecommunications subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia...
and AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
are located in Dulles.
Other companies have offices in Dulles, e.g., Harris IT Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a Florida-based international communications equipment company that produces wireless equipment, electronic systems, and both terrestrial and spaceborne antennas for use in the government, defense, and commercial sectors. It is also the largest private-sector employer in...
.
Dulles covers roughly the southwestern third of Sterling, Virginia
Sterling, Virginia
Sterling, Virginia is a census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 27,822.It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters...
(another unincorporated community). The usage of Dulles as a community name began in the mid-1980s when Loudoun County economic development officer Pam Treadwell successfully lobbied the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to allow Sterling businesses and residents to use Dulles as an alternate address. The USPS defines Dulles as an "acceptable" city name for the 20166 zip code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, whose "actual" city name is Sterling.
The addresses for shipping parcels to United States embassies and consulates, as well as their employees worldwide, are located in Dulles. The USPS city name for zipcode 20189 is Dulles.
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
is located partially in Dulles (although its postal address uses the Sterling name instead) and partially in Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
. The community derives its name from the airport; the airport in turn takes its name from former United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
(1888–1959).
Economy
Orbital Sciences CorporationOrbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
has its headquarters in Dulles. AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
had its headquarters at 22000 AOL Way in Dulles. In 2007 AOL announced that it would move its headquarters from Loudoun County to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; it would continue to operate its Virginia offices.
Before its dissolution, FLYi, Inc./Independence Air
Independence Air
Independence Air was a low-cost airline, owned by FLYi, Inc., headquartered in the Loudoun Gateway Corporate Center in Dulles, unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United States that operated from 1989 until 2006. Its route network focused on the East Coast of the United States, but it also...
(originally Atlantic Coast Airlines
Atlantic Coast Airlines
Atlantic Coast Airlines was an airline based in the United States owned by Atlantic Coast Holdings, Inc.. It operated as United Express for United Airlines and Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines. It was headquartered in the Dulles area of unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United States....
) was headquartered in Dulles. Prior to its dissolution, MAXjet Airways
MAXjet Airways
MAXjet Airways was an American, transatlantic, all-business class airline that operated between 2003 and 2007. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport, and in the Dulles area of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States.MAXjet operated services to...
was headquartered on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport and in Dulles.
External links
- Dulles South Online is an online portal for Dulles Region businesses, organizations and residents to post news, information, listings and events concerning the Dulles South Region, focusing specifically on economic, public policy and community growth information.