Welcome to Sterling ...
Sterling is located in Loudoun County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Sterling, you might consider that their post office opened in 1887.
When the people of Sterling refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Sterlingite<2>
Sterling is 290 feet [88 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Sterling lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The ZIP code for Sterling: 20164<4>
Communities Also Named Sterling ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 41 communities that are also named Sterling - they are located in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida (2), Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (2), Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan (2), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina (2), North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio (2), Oklahoma (2), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia (2) and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sterling.
Communities near Sterling ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Sterling.
- Arlington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rockville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Gaithersburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Leesburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Leesburg is located in Loudoun County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,488 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leesburg <5>
- Manassas
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Herndon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herndon have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
- Herndon is located in Fairfax County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,573 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herndon <5>
- Fairfax
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Manassas Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manassas Park have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manassas Park
- Manassas Park is located in Manassas Park City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,004 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manassas Park <5>
- Vienna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Falls Church
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Sterling. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Sterling.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Sterling. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sterling.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Sterling. See our Newspapers Page for Sterling.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Sterling ...
Looking for more information about Sterling? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Sterling, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Sterling.
Adding Sterling to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Sterling in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Sterling was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Sterling post office opened in 1887.
We also found Sterling in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Sterling.
Footnotes ...
<1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Virginia's counties, including Loudoun, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
<2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Sterling refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Sterling may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
<3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Sterling - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
<4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Sterling). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Sterling or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
<5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |