Born and raised in Leesburg: The greatest hometown on earth

As I lay here in Meyer Green in the sunny 75-degree weather at Stanford University, I find myself thinking about my hometown of Leesburg, VA, which is currently a chilly 28 degrees. Having lived in Leesburg all 18 years of my life, I never realized the charm of Northern Virginia and its friendly people that I would only miss when I was gone. Leesburg’s location gives you the option to head west and see the Blue Ridge Mountains or drive east and spend the day in DC. Having the opportunity to meet people at Stanford from across the country, as well as other parts of the world has given me a new appreciation of how growing up in NOVA has shaped the person I am today.

Snow Days

Only Loudoun County students will understand the excitement of hearing Wayde Byard, the LCPS public information officer (and local celebrity), calling to announce that “Loudoun County Public Schools will be closed due to inclement weather.” My junior and senior years, the snow days even canceled midterms, and having more than a dozen weather days in a school year became the norm. Snow days are a part of life in NOVA where students trend #CloseLCPS and #CloseFCPS every winter season and make memes of Wayde Byard to thank him for the infinite days off from taking tests and writing essays.

UVA vs Virginia Tech

The rivalry between UVA and Virginia Tech runs deep in NOVA, and it seems that everyone has a favorite side either because they go to the school or their family member did. Most of my high school friends either go to UVA or VT, and every year when football and the Commonwealth Cup roll around, it comes time to pick sides. Although Virginia Tech has won for the past 11 years, UVA dominates during basketball season.

Downtown Leesburg and One Loudoun

Since 1758, downtown Leesburg has been the center of Loudoun County and has a rich history. Today, downtown is full of a variety of antique stores, small business shops, and local restaurants. On the other hand, about 15 minutes east of Leesburg, the One Loudoun shopping center development just opened in the last two years and is introducing new restaurants and business to Loudoun County. This mixture of old and new is something else that makes living in Loudoun County so wonderful.

Janelia Farms Research Campus

Since 2006, Loudoun County has been home to Janelia Farms, an innovative research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Janelia is very involved in the Loudoun community through donations to local schools for research programs and their monthly speaker series where members of the community are invited to their campus to learn about pioneering neuroscience projects. Janelia also partnered with my school, the Loudoun County Academy of Science, allowing us to have the funding to do some really cool research projects and the opportunity to tour their labs.

Mom’s Apple Pie

A local favorite unique to Leesburg, Mom’s Apple Pie, is a small bakery located downtown and has the #1 blackberry pie according to Southern Living magazine. Mom’s is an adorable shop where you can find anything from iced cookies decorated for the season to strawberry rhubarb crumb pie slices (my personal favorite).

Melt Burgers

Another favorite spot to eat in Leesburg that you can’t find anywhere else is Melt. Melt serves up massive gourmet burgers that are a must-have when I go home over break and catch up with friends. Melt has been voted “Best Burger in Loudoun” three years in a row and in 2015 was voted #1 Best Burger in Virginia.