In the essence of full disclosure, I live in the Broadlands and have so for 4 plus years. Because of this I am a little bias towards the Broadlands but I do believe it is one of the best neighborhoods to live in Loudoun County if not all of Northern Virginia. That being said, here is a guide to the Broadlands subdivision of Ashburn, located almost entirely in the 20148 zip code (there is a small section called Overland Park that is just on the otherside of the Greenway in the 20147 zip).
The main reason I like living in the Broadlands is its central location and proximity to almost everything I need. I can easily walk to the Broadlands Shopping Center and have lunch or dinner at Bonefish Grill or the Original Steakhouse (I am a sports junky and the Original Steakhouse is the best place to watch all the big games on their 10+ projection screens). I frequently get a smoothie from Robeks or pizza from Sal's New York Pizza. And just up the road is Clyde's Restaurant at Willow Creek.
There are no less than 4 shopping centers within minutes by foot, bike or car. Just a couple years ago, there was a limited amount of retail stores in Ashburn, but several shopping centers have been built recently and you can now find pretty much any store or restaurant. The same is true for banks, gyms, grocery stores, drug stores, coffee shops, churchs, etc.
I can also easily ride my bike down to the W&OD trail and either head up to Purcellville or down to Reston. Plus there are paths to run on all throughout Broadlands. And if you are really into running and biking, this past year was the first year of the Broadlands Triathlon.
Of course, Loudoun County is renowned for its school system and continues to make it a focus of the community. The elementary and secondary schools in Broadlands are no exception and the Briar Woods High School is a top notch facility that is just 3 years old.
One of the nice things about the Broadlands is that even though it is a relatively new subdivision and new homes continue to be built, the community feels like one that is much more mature. The developers left many heavily treed areas undisturbed during the early development of the community. These tree preserves, open spaces and green areas are reminiscent of older communities.
Broadlands was mainly developed by the Van Metre Company and the majority of the homes are built by Van Metre. There are also some homes built by Washington Homes which is now know as K. Hovnanian. There are also a few Miller and Smith townhomes (thats what I live in).
There is an entire subsection of the Broadlands called Southern Walk at Broadlands. This is a newer section of the Broadlands and is made up entirely of Van Metre homes.
The Broadlands is located in a property owners association, also known as a Home Owners Association (HOA). The fee is very reasonable and covers the cost of 3 pools, the nature center, trails, trash removal, recycling, common area maintenance and some other things. The Broadlands HOA website has more details.
Search for Broadlands Real Estate.
If you have any questions about the Broadlands, feel free to drop me a line.
