On the Edge of Completeness: The Struggle to Negotiate an 'Urban' Identity in Leesburg, Virginia

abstract: Leesburg, Virginia, located approximately forty miles northwest of Washington's downtown core, has historically avoided the intense urban development pressures that many of Washington's more proximate suburban locations (i.e. Fairfax, Falls Church, Ashburn and Arlington) have experienced. Yet, Leesburg's position in Loudon County – one of the fastest growing counties in the United States in terms of population growth over the past two decades – now means that the Town of Leesburg is no longer situated in the metropolitan fringe. We posit that a recent development named Virginia Village represents a key turning point in the town's urban development history, specifically because the project reveals the uncertainty of the town's planning agenda and reveals the difficulties of protecting an authentic sense of place and small town-feel that distinguishes Leesburg from its neighboring suburban localities.