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1952 Map of Sterling

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Sterling
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Potomac River currents define this borderland where Loudoun County meet Montgomery and Fairfax. Based on 1943 aerial photography with a 1952 revision, the map captures a rural landscape still anchored by the Washington and Old Dominion railroad line, which connects the hamlets of Sterling, Ryan, and Ashburn. Along the river’s Maryland shore, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal runs parallel to massive river features like Selden Island and Van Deventer Island.

Evidence of the mid-century community structure is found in landmarks such as the Nokes Sch and Monroe Ch, alongside the Izaak Walton Club. The road network, including the Leesburg Turnpike and family-named routes like Offutt Rd and Hughes Road, reflects an era of agricultural transition before the rapid suburbanization of the late 20th century. Numerous small drainages like Broad Run and Beaverdam Run wind through the hills, illustrating the natural topography that shaped early settlement patterns.