Dulles ( ) is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg, Virgi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States, and is part of the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. The headquarters of

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and deli ...

and ODIN Technologies, as well as the former headquarters of

MCI Inc. MCI, Inc. (formerly WorldCom and MCI WorldCom) was a telecommunications company. For a time, it was the second-largest long-distance telephone company in the United States, after AT&T. WorldCom grew largely by acquiring other telecommunicatio ...

and AOL are located in Dulles. The National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington forecast office and the National Weather Service's Sterling Field Support Center are also both in Dulles.

Geography

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 The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

to allow Sterling businesses and residents to use Dulles as an alternative address. The

USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

defines Dulles as an "acceptable" city name for the 20166 ZIP code, whose "recommended" city name is Sterling. Dulles is also the city name for ZIP code 20189. The addresses for shipping parcels to United States embassies and consulates, as well as their employees worldwide, are located in Dulles.

Transport

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 U.S. Secretary of State

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...

(1888–1959).

Economy

has its headquarters on Warp Drive 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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, though 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 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, ...

was headquartered on the grounds of Washington Dulles International Airport and in Dulles. Cryptek was headquartered in Dulles before its acquisition in 2009. Other companies have offices in Dulles, e.g., Harris IT Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of

Harris Corporation Harris Corporation was an American technology company, defense contractor, and information technology service (economics), services provider that produced wireless equipment, tactical radios, electronic systems, night vision device, night visi ...

. Dulles Town Center, a large enclosed

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

, is also located in the northern part of Dulles.

References

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. {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Loudoun County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Washington metropolitan area