What hath growth wrought?

By Charles Houston

At the end of 1996 I bought a tumble-down, hardscrabble farm near Waterford. It was to be just a weekend place, after some basic renovations: About $3,000 to rid the house of termites. A similar amount to remove trash and junk from the house and barns. More to change kitchen counters, and so on.

For several years this was my refuge, my escape from the hustle and bustle inside the Beltway and from the general rudeness and ugliness of Northern Virginia. As I drove from there towards the farm, my blood pressure would always drop around the time I passed Dulles, heading west.

Why Was That?

I loved the character of the old unpaved road, the lack of traffic, the peace and quiet and the animals from cow to crow, from dog to deer. Glorious sunsets over the Blue Ridge. Viewsheds of pastures and vistas of forests. Clean air and dark skies.

My barns were something of an eyesore, but they were visible roots to the farm’s agrarian past, which went back to 1760. Part of the house also reflected that history: Its central part was a log cabin. That connected me to Daniel Boone, Abe Lincoln. 

There was also something novel and nice: Neighborliness. There weren’t many houses nearby but every time I was rocking on the porch or working outside, someone driving by would turn into the drive, say hello and chat awhile.

A signature pleasure of those times was watching the hunt trot down our road, every rider waving and saying something pleasant before turning onto the next field and galloping off after the hounds.

Later I added onto the house and made it my full-time home.

Those Wondrous Days Are Gone

In 1996 Loudoun had 124,000 people. Today some 420,000 live here and there is more traffic on our road. Worse is the attitude of some newcomers, especially those who cringe at the sight of a dust mote on their shiny Escalade. “Pave it,” they whine, claiming that the road is unsafe while it’s usually only dust that bothers them.

The dust on our cars is a symbol that we are proud to live in the country.

When I was just a weekend-only resident, Leesburg had almost every store I needed – groceries, restaurants, gas stations and more. All it lacked was a Home Depot, and that just meant a tolerable half-hour trip to the one in Ashburn. 

Now there are many more stores and restaurants and banks and such. Now there are more choices, more of everything. Is that a good thing? If so, what consequences has this plentitude brought?

The hunt hasn’t ridden down our road in several decades, and that’s a pity.  

But Things Are Pretty Nice

We still have the sunsets, the bucolic views, and peace and quiet more often than not. We have more neighbors, though our homes are not shoulder-to-shoulder as in a tract development and there remains a community of friendly folk.  

I wrote recently about Oikos – the Greek concept of home. That warm feeling is still present, not just within the boundaries of our farm, but within most of western Loudoun. It would be an epic tragedy if we ever lose the oikos that is here.

What Could Lie Ahead?

The new General Plan calls for 208,000 more people over the next 17 years. More than 600,000 people in Loudoun County. Egad! Important roads are already bottlenecks; in the future will they just grind to a complete stop?  

Big subdivisions and data centers might hit the west like a tsunami. Historic country roads might be widened and paved. The wildlife might be gone, as might the spirit of living here.

There might be a collective undertone of tension, and therapists would thrive.

 The Dismal Science

My minor was Economics and so I thought that some statistics might illuminate how Loudoun has changed since my halcyon days at the end of the Nineties. I found a lot of data, but despite Google’s reach I was unable to find enough to make meaningful statistical comparsions.

I found this year’s county’s budget and the enormous chunk the school system takes, but not the numbers for 1996. I found per capita County debt in 2002, but not in 2023. There were 9,222 County and LCPS employees in 2005, but I couldn’t find how many are there now.  

The problem was not just the dearth of data, but also the need for context. How much budget growth has been due to inflation? Has the number of County employees increased by more than the rate of population growth? How much of the school system budget is simply wasted on “administration” at LCPS’s headquarters? Are the bureaucrats’ income keeping pace with inflation, while our income isn’t? Has the value of our homes kept up with the growth of government debt or spending? 

Google didn’t find the data I would need, and in any event I didn’t want to attempt some sort of overall econometric study. Economics is called “the dismal science” for a reason.

Subjectivity Suffices

We actually don’t need numbers. Our fond feelings are grounded in subjectivity – things like beauty, quiet, peace, friendship. Those and other things make Loudoun special. 

The future has threats: If we don’t stop sprawl, will there be any farms at all? If we don’t stop sprawl, will there be any horses at all? If we don’t stop sprawl, will we want to live here at all?

A Note On My Title

In 1844 Samuel F. B. Morse transmitted the first telegraph message, from Washington to Baltimore. “What hath God wrought!” was his exclamatory message. My title, “What hath growth wrought?” is meant to be reflective. In other words, think about whether having 600,000 people would wreak havoc upon our lives. (It will.)

Charlie Houston developed over six million square feet of major office buildings in the south, but after retiring early and moving to Paeonian Springs he has been deeply involved in land conservation.