U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Jump to a detailed profile or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Business Search - 14 Million verified businesses
Search for:  near: 
Reply
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
Default Photos of Waterford

Suburban development isn't all you’ll find in Loudoun County. We have plenty of older towns, although most of them are so small, they’re easy to miss. It might be more accurate to call them villages. My favorite is Waterford, which is just west of Leesburg.

Waterford is a historic district, which means you won't find any fast food joints, movie theaters, or even a gas station. No Starbucks! Also, if you think HOAs are restrictive, you will not like owning a house in Waterford. You should see what you have to go through to do something as simple as change a window.

But none of this matters to the people who live there and deeply love it. They wouldn't have it any other way. To them Waterford is paradise, and when you see these photos you'll see why.

http://www.keogan.com/waterford0057.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0018.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0025.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0027.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0058.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0063.jpg (broken link)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Unread 10-07-2009, 07:35 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0007.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0014.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0015.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0016.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0039.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0021.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0024.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0038.jpg (broken link)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 07:39 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
Commercial buildings
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0001.jpg (broken link)
Hard to believe this is an office building. It's design helps it blend in with the town.
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0003.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0004.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0005.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0006.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0009.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0011.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0032.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0037.jpg (broken link)
A few decades ago this store would have been considered an eyesore and torn down. But by now it's become historic, and is beloved.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 07:43 PM
 
Location: Northern Virginia
1,413 posts, read 1,402,898 times
Reputation: 406
oh i LOVE Waterford, and sadly we were unable to find a house in our price range there but my heart aches just looking at these pics! Thanks for posting. When did you take them?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 07:52 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
Sidewalks and Streets

There aren't many sidewalks, and those that exist are often brick. Over the years the bricks have become so uneven that they're pretty dangerous. They're fun in a quaint way, however. Most people walk in the street.

The streets are very narrow. Some are also steep and winding. Some streets are gravel. The 20 mph speed limit is strictly enforced--speeding would make the streets dangerous. But with the slow traffic people feel comfortable walking in the street.

As you can see, you grab whatever street parking you can find. But that's ok, once you park it's easy to walk everywhere.

http://www.keogan.com/waterford0029.jpg (broken link)
Check out the sign warning about the uneven sidewalk. It's actually kind of fun to walk on it, like something in an amusement park.
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0017.jpg (broken link)
What appears to be a trail by the church is actually Main Street. Like I said, roads are narrow here.
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0022.jpg (broken link)
The next few photos are of Main Street. This block is the main commerical area and has good sidewalks.
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0028.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0010.jpg (broken link)
Check out the birdhouses nailed to the utility pole. Now that's a clever way to keep people from parking in front of your house!
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0030.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0034.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0054.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0062.jpg (broken link)
The historic part of Waterford itself is a great place for cyclists. But once you get outside the historic section, the speed limit goes up and it becomes treacherous. The narrow roads and lack of shoulders make it dangerous, too (especially on Clarke's Gap where the roads have tight curves).

Last edited by normie; 10-07-2009 at 08:04 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
Misc. Photos
The farm buildings are just a block from the "downtown" area. The people tending to the sheep are pretty typical of the folks who live in Waterford. They like to live a down-to-earth life but don't let muddy jeans and old flannel shirts fool you--these folks are very wealthy. You need big bucks to live in Waterford. The mill and the forge now house art shows.
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0020.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0016.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0036.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0043.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0047.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0048.jpg (broken link)
http://www.keogan.com/waterford0049.jpg (broken link)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Orange Hunt Estates, W. Springfield
623 posts, read 763,775 times
Reputation: 207
I'm surprised the bird houses on the pole got HOA approval. Yes, clever to prevent outsider parking, but a little unattractive in it excess. Too bad utility lines couldn't be underground without disturbing the roads, sidewalks, and property.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-07-2009, 08:19 PM
 
1,154 posts, read 2,042,492 times
Reputation: 571
Brick and stone sidewalks look so attractive but they're a pain to walk on..lol. My campus is filled with old brick sidewalks.

I really love that greenish colored house (with the bird-house-covered utility poll in front of it).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-08-2009, 06:43 AM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 14,397,031 times
Reputation: 18680
Quote:
Originally Posted by arielmina View Post
oh i LOVE Waterford, and sadly we were unable to find a house in our price range there but my heart aches just looking at these pics! Thanks for posting. When did you take them?
Thanks. I took them yesterday morning around 9 a.m.

BTW I forgot to shoot one of my favorite places, the Loudoun County Animal Shelter. Shelter (http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1397 - broken link)

If you go to Waterford, be sure to stop by and visit the cats, dogs, horses, and misc. critters. It's a beautiful facility, one of the nicest animal shelters I've seen. Nothing like kittens and the puppies to make you laugh.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Unread 10-08-2009, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
1,839 posts, read 1,914,903 times
Reputation: 892
Quote:
Originally Posted by normie View Post
BTW I forgot to shoot one of my favorite places, the Loudoun County Animal Shelter. Shelter (http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1397 - broken link)

If you go to Waterford, be sure to stop by and visit the cats, dogs, horses, and misc. critters. It's a beautiful facility, one of the nicest animal shelters I've seen. Nothing like kittens and the puppies to make you laugh.
That's where we got our cat almost six years ago. It is a very nice shelter.

I love your pictures, but they remind me why I like to visit places like Waterford but would never want to live there. I imagine the Waterford Fair can be a real pain for residents.

Last weekend en route to Breaux Vineyards we passed some lovely homes for sale in Hillsboro. I had my usual "vacation fantasy" and looked them up online when I got home - they were surprisingly affordable. (It's fun to think about living in different places, even if I have no intention of moving.)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Options
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2005-2010 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $47,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:32 PM.

© 2005-2013, Advameg, Inc.

City-Data.com - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 - Top