The
Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant
valley in the
Blue Ridge Mountains located in
Loudoun County in northwestern
Virginia in the
United States.
Geography
The lush and fertile valley lies between
Catoctin Mountain and the
Bull Run Mountains to the east and the
Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. To the north it is bound by the
Potomac River and to the south by the
Broken Hills of
Fauquier County. The small portion of the valley residing in Fauquier County is known as Upper Fauquier. The valley varies between and in width and is approximately long. The northern section of the valley is bisected by
Short Hill Mountain. The area west of the Short Hill is known as
Between the Hills and is distinct from the Loudoun Valley, while the area to the east, sometimes referred to as the
Catoctin Valley, is associated with it.
Major watercourses include
Goose Creek,
Catoctin Creek, Panther Skin Run, and the
Little River.
The three major highways across the valley are
U.S. Route 50, which runs from
Aldie on the east to
Ashby Gap on the west;
Route 7, which runs from
Clarke's Gap west of
Leesburg to
Snickers Gap west of
Bluemont; and
Route 9, which diverges from Route 7 at Clarke's Gap and runs west to
Keyes Gap on the
West Virginia border.
The terrain is rolling, with numerous ridges and hills. Elevation of the valley ranges between above sea level. The region is temperate, with an annual rainfall of and a mean average temperate of 50 to 55 °F.
The soil is formed...
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