Potomac Falls/Sterling

[5stones]

yeah that area on the potomac side of rt7 is Leesburg and on the S(/) side is Ashburn.

Stupid yes, I agree since it's closer to "ashburn" than the town of Leesburg. It's all "unicoporated" leesburg as well. All that development along Riverside PKwy. So I know the water rates there are double what our were inside the city limits of Leesburg. Always alot of articles about that as well.
There is also a new development along 267 and evergreen mills rd that is near "brambleton" and it too has a leesburg address. I consider it Ashburn as well.

[sgermanguy]

Countryside is Sterling; make no mistake about it. Ever hear of East Palo Alto? Most people know that it is a crime ridden shiitehole nothing like Palo Alto--but it IS adjacent.

[normie]

Originally Posted by sgermanguy

Countryside is Sterling; make no mistake about it. Ever hear of East Palo Alto? Most people know that it is a crime ridden shiitehole nothing like Palo Alto--but it IS adjacent.

Hmmm, that's interesting. This is a completely different situation, however.

Palo Alto and East Palo Alto are both incorporated cities that have similar, but different names. I wouldn't mind having names like "Sterling," "West Sterling," and "North Sterling" to tell communities apart.

But it's a nuisance to call everything by the same name. Like having a family where all the kids are named George Foreman. Funny? Yes. Endearing, maybe. Confusing and aggravating--absolutely.

We are talking about a variety of communities that have been assigned the same name, simply because they are not incorporated. The name "Sterling" was simply assigned to a general rural area by the Post Office back when Loudoun was farmland. That's right, there is no city government known as "Sterling."

This is really all about the right to exist and be recognized without creating city governments. Because city governments are expensive, pointless organizations of unneeded beaurocracy. A remnant from the last century, IMO. The communities currently labelled "Sterling" are different from each other and have unofficial boundaries, even if they are all officially clumped together under an arbitrary name.

Do you really need to have a mayor and expensive city employees to know the difference between Broad Run Farms, Countryside, Dulles, Cascades, Sterling Park, and Sugarland Run? These towns have distinct personalities, the only thing they don't have is a city hall and city taxes. And for that reason they are not entitled to have the names that everyone uses for them, and they are not entitled to be included on maps. Doesn't that seem stupid--not to mention confusing?

Some cities have a similar situation with communities that have been annexed by the main city. But in those situations the annexed communities get the benefit of city services in exchange for giving up their name. As I said before, there is no city called Sterling that annexed the communities around it--all of Eastern Loudoun County is unincorporated.

Even the post office has given up. That's right, the people who assigned the name Sterling in the first place have grudgingly accepted that since so many people call it Potomac Falls, you can write Potomac Falls on an envelope and your mail will be properly delivered. What they need to do is make it official, so people can decide if they want to use Potomac Falls as the name, or split it one step further into Countryside and Cascades. I think I would probably vote for splitting the two into Countryside and Cascades, because these are really populated areas that have distinct differences.

It made sense to have a huge catch-all boundary when Loudoun was rural. Now it's time for a change (IMO). Since there is no central city anyway, it would be just as logical to split Sterling into the six distinct communities of Broad Run Farms, Countryside, Dulles, Cascades, Sterling Park, and Sugarland Run. (Or, they could make it five communties using Potomac Falls as a name.) And it would be logical to start including these communities on maps. Because whether or not they are incorporated, these communities exist and people need to know where they are.

[sgermanguy]

Norm, It's the same deal in Springfield. You can refer to one of the 30 or 40 subdivisions in Springfield (Cardinal Square, Cardinal Forest, Crestwood, Lynbrook, Springfield Estates, etc..) or you can just say Springfield, or you could specify West Springfield, North Springfield, or the Little League families (National Champs 1993) call it "Central."
It depends on where you are and who you are speaking with. Sometimes, we just say Fairfax County. I remember my dad telling someone in Missouri that we were from DC. His response was "How do you feel about your kids going to school with the coloreds...." Then, we were from Northern Virginia.

[normie]

Originally Posted by sgermanguy

Norm, It's the same deal in Springfield. You can refer to one of the 30 or 40 subdivisions in Springfield (Cardinal Square, Cardinal Forest, Crestwood, Lynbrook, Springfield Estates, etc..) or you can just say Springfield, or you could specify West Springfield, North Springfield, or the Little League families (National Champs 1993) call it "Central."

LOL, I can see we have a basic difference in perspective... because you are doing the same thing to my name! I am not Norm, I am Normie.

I know, I know, you think that names are meaningless. The word "normie" doesn't have much meaning, it's true... but here's what it does mean. It means I am not Norm. Norm is another member who regularly participates. He says some great things, but I don't want people to confuse us. We have different opinions. People weigh the things I say based on other things I've said. If you combine us into one person, we'd both come off sounding like hypocrites.

It's the same way with towns. You need a way to tell different places apart. I don't know much about Springfield, but if Springfield is just an arbitrary name assigned to an enormous geographic area, IMO that's confusing and needs to be changed. If they have a bunch of unincorporated communities without a central city, then each community deserves to officially have its own name.

It's a matter of organization. If a community is populated enough to have its own zip code then it is populated enough to have its own name and to be included on maps. Otherwise people start using unofficial nicknames, and that gets muddled.

Right now people moving into my daughter's neighborhood don't know if they live in Sterling, Lowes Island, Cascades or Potomac Falls. When you're new, you have enough headaches. You don't have time to play games--you're simply trying to find a dentist or the nearest shoe store or a local church. And multiple nicknames for communities are especially aggravating for small business owners. It's hard enough to run a local business these days--why do we need to add to the stress?

And the post office knows this, too. That's why they split communities into separate zip codes. So I'll say it again: If a community is populated enough to have its own zip code then it is populated enough to officially have its own name and to be included on maps.

Not that I care enough to incorporate a city... LOL! But since the subject came up, I'll take the opportunity to step up to the soapbox. One more time: Community names shouldn't be about building City Halls, it should simply be a matter of population.

There, I feel better!

[Margery]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

I used to have a colleague who lived in the 20165 zip code who would go into a deep rage if anyone dared to suggest that he lived in Sterling. He'd scream "IT'S POTOMAC FALLS!". Sad thing is it's just a zip code, property taxes still go to Loudoun, HOA fees to Cascades, Countryside, or whatever development you're in. So the town name means very little, but the identity crisis behind it is pathetic.

This is insecurity to the nth degree, where you live doesn't define you. I have lived in 20165 since 1992, when it was all called Sterling and I have always used Sterling as a return address, even though I lived in Cascades and now live in Lowes Island.

[normie]

I can see your point of view. And it's true--the longer you live in an area the more it probably looks like an issue of vanity.

After all, a real estate agent who's lived in Sterling for more than 15 years probably knows all the streets by name. You already know where things are, so community names become a matter of personal identity.

I'm looking at it from the perspective of new residents. Picture this: You're a mother, you've just moved to Countryside and started a new job. Your kid gets injured, and you have to get him to a doctor. You have to get back to work, you don't want to waste gas, you need to find a medical office near your house.

Your insurance has a list of doctor names, most of whom have offices in Leesburg and Sterling. But what does that mean? Some places that are called "Leesburg" are close, but some are far. And some parts labelled "Sterling" are close, some are way down by Dulles Airport.

If the directory listed the addresses as being in "Lansdowne" or "Cascades" you would have an idea where the doctors were. But no... all you get is a list of 30 names, each of which have offices in Sterling and Leesburg. And you have no idea which ones are close and which ones are far.

You're calling from your car, so you can't do a google search on addresses. And street names don't mean anything to you yet.

So... let's take a test. You want the doctor's office closest to Countryside.

Do you choose the doctor on:
1. Deerfield Ave. in Leesburg? How are you supposed to guess where that is? Maybe that's in the medical center in Lansdowne, so it would be close... or it might be in some other community assigned to Leesburg. Which means it might be a 20-mile drive from Countryside.

2. Glenn Drive because that's in Sterling? Should you assume it's nearby because Countryside is also in Sterling?

3. Pidgeon Hill Drive in Sterling?

3. Indian Creek Drive in Sterling?

Answer: the doctor on Pidgeon Hill Drive--that's in Countryside. Which you'd know if the address was offically listed as Countryside, not Sterling. The next best choice is Deerfield Drive in Leesburg, which is actually in Lansdowne--just down the road from Countryside. Glenn Drive, OTOH, is a long drive from Countryside. You'd know that if the Directory address said "Sterling Park." And you'd know to avoid Indian Creek Drive, which is near the airport.

When the only choice is Leesburg or Sterling, a new resident can't make an intelligent choice. After all it's easy for new residents to learn the names of the nearby communities--but it's not reasonable to expect them to know where places are just by the names of the streets.

[sgermanguy]

I just saw a SFR in Countryside (20165) for 233K on Countrywide.com (REO). So, whatever the hell you want to call it; it's a lot cheaper than it was 2 years ago--like 40% less.