Purcellville

Purcellville
	Purcellville
	Purcellville
Basic data
Foundation :	March 14, 1908
State :	United States
State :	Virginia
County :	Loudoun County
Coordinates :	39 ° 8 ′ N , 77 ° 43 ′ W Coordinates: 39 ° 8 ′ N , 77 ° 43 ′ W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents :	3,584 (as of: 2000)
Population density :	587.5 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	6.1 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) of; which 6.1 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) is land
Height :	175 m
Postcodes :	20132, 20134, 20160
Area code :	+1 540
FIPS :	51-65008
GNIS ID :	1472871
Website :	www.purcellvilleva.com
Mayor :	Robert W. Lazaro, Jr.

Purcellville is a city in west Loudoun County , Virginia . At the 2000 census , Purcellville had 3,584 people.

geography

Purcellville is located about 15 kilometers west of the county seat of Leesburg and about 20 kilometers from Middleburg . Washington, DC is 80 kilometers east of Purcellville. The Blue Ridge Mountains are not far from Purcellville to the west and can be seen in many parts of the city.

The average altitude is 167 meters.

history

Although the first grant to the area was issued by Lord Fairfax as early as 1740, it was not until 1764 that the first known settler, James Dillon of Bucks County , Pennsylvania, settled in what is now Purcellville.

The first venture, according to the records, was a shop and restaurant founded by Abraham Vickers in 1799. Stacey Taylor opened another shop in 1804, followed by a post office founded by Valentine Vernon Purcell (from her the name of the town). A blacksmith who started his business around 1848 was also among the first Purcellville companies. The city's first public school was built in 1883.

From the 1790s the area was called "Purcell's Store". On July 9, 1853, the village officially took the name Purcellville. The incorporation of the city by a law of the general assembly took place around 50 years later on March 14, 1908.

"The Great Road", a road connecting Leesburg to Purcellville, became an official toll road in 1785 and was expanded westward from Alexandria to Snicker's Gap and beyond to Berryville and Winchester. With the establishment of this toll road in 1832, traffic through Purcellville increased. The first stagecoach reached the city in 1841. Before the Civil War , a railroad connection to Leesburg was built and traffic to places further west was continued with stagecoaches through Purcellville. When the railroad was expanded to Purcellville in 1874, the town took over Leesburgs Platz as the start of the carriage route until the railroad was expanded to Round Hill in 1875 . (This railway line was discontinued in 1968.)

Despite some fighting and persecution by Purcellville during the Civil War, the city suffered no major damage. However, a series of devastating fires, one in 1900 and two more in 1914, devastated the business district and stripped the city of much of its early architectural heritage. Despite the fires, many of the old blocks were rebuilt and the business district expanded considerably.

Purcellville's reliance on transportation links to the more populated eastern regions of Northern Virginia has always been very high, and is more important than ever now. Purcellville's modest growth over the past five years as the Virginia Department of Transportation widened Route 7 and extended the toll road (Route 267) into western Loudoun County is not meant to indicate the city's future growth. In addition, Purcellville's traditional dependence on agriculture has diminished as more and more urban residents work outside the community. The difficulty is in accepting these changes without the city losing its historical identity and the small town idyll that has developed over centuries.

In 2008 Purcellville is celebrating its centenary as a parish.

politics

Purcellville is governed by a city council consisting of a mayor and six seats. Three of the seats and that of the mayor are re-elected every two years. The Purcellville City Council currently consists of Mayor Bob Lazaro Jr., Steve Varmecky, Greg Wagner, CJ Walker III, Dr. James Wiley, Tom Priscilla and Janet Clarke. Clarke was chosen to take over Lazaro's seat, which became vacant after his election as mayor.

Attractions

The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail , a paved path on the route of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad , which is good for walking and cycling, ends in Purcellville.

Patrick Henry College

education

There are both public and private teaching institutions in the city. The public schools range from kindergarten to high school . Purcellville is home to Loudoun Valley High School, Blue Ridge Middle School, Harmony Intermediate School, and Emerick and Mountain View Elementary School. Patrick Henry College, a private Christian school, is also located in Purcellville.