Dulles, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dulles
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 Dulles
Location in Northern Virginia
Dulles
Location in Virginia
Dulles
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| County |  Loudoun |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
20166-20189
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| GNIS feature ID | 1927305 |
Dulles is an area in Loudoun County, Virginia, in the United States. It is not a city with its own government, but rather an "unincorporated area." This means it's part of a larger county. Dulles is also part of the big Washington metropolitan area, which includes Washington, D.C. and its surrounding communities.
Many important companies have their offices or headquarters in Dulles. For example, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and ODIN Technologies are located here. In the past, big companies like MCI Inc. and AOL also had their main offices in Dulles. The National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington forecast office, which helps predict weather, is also found in Dulles.
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Where is Dulles Located?
Dulles covers a part of another unincorporated community called Sterling, Virginia. The name "Dulles" started being used for this area in the mid-1980s. This happened because a local economic development officer, Pam Treadwell, worked with the United States Postal Service (USPS). She convinced them to let businesses and people in Sterling use "Dulles" as an alternative address.
The USPS now says "Dulles" is an "acceptable" city name for the ZIP code 20166. The "recommended" name for this ZIP code is still Sterling. Dulles is also the official city name for ZIP code 20189. Interestingly, the addresses for shipping packages to United States embassies and consulates around the world, and their employees, are located in Dulles.
How Dulles Got Its Name
The community of Dulles gets its name from the famous Washington Dulles International Airport. This airport is partly in Dulles and partly in Fairfax County. The airport itself was named after John Foster Dulles, who was a very important person in American history. He served as the United States Secretary of State from 1953 to 1959.
Companies and Shopping in Dulles
Dulles is a busy place for businesses. Many companies have chosen to set up their offices here.
Major Companies in Dulles
- Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems has its main office on Warp Drive in Dulles. This company works on advanced technology and defense.
- AOL used to have its headquarters at 22000 AOL Way in Dulles. In 2007, AOL announced they would move their main office to New York City. However, they still keep some offices in Virginia.
- Before they closed down, airlines like FLYi, Inc./Independence Air (which was first called Atlantic Coast Airlines) and MAXjet Airways had their headquarters in Dulles. MAXjet Airways was located right on the grounds of Washington Dulles International Airport.
- Cryptek, a company that worked with secure technology, was also based in Dulles before another company bought it in 2009.
- Other companies, like Harris IT Services (a part of Harris Corporation), also have offices in Dulles.
Shopping and Entertainment
If you like to shop, you'll find the Dulles Town Center here. It's a very large enclosed shopping mall located in the northern part of Dulles. It has many stores and places to eat.
