Leesburg

Folks who want to live in a modern master-planned community with spacious lots and rural expanses just beyond their doorsteps come to Red Cedar. Pulte Homes developed the area, also called The Hamlets at Red Cedar, between 2005 and 2015. The neighborhood mainly features single-family homes and townhouses. There are also conservation easement lots along Southpaw Place to the south. Residents have access to a community center and their very own Central Park, surrounded by homes on all sides, while being connected to Leesburg for retail, dining and grocery runs. Just across Evergreen Mills Road is the popular Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, which is Loudoun County’s only nature preserve and is protected by a conservation easement. The park stretches over 700 acres and features 20 miles of hiking trails through wetlands and forests, as well as a pond for catch-and-release fishing. While on a trek, hikers can spot herons and bald eagles perched on the trees or tread by woodchuck burrows in the open fields. Green space right in the neighborhood can be found at Central Park, which is dotted with trees. It has a shady gazebo, picnic tables and walking paths. There’s also Highland Creek Park to the east, with two playgrounds for children and several benches nearby. Locals can also gather at the outdoor pool at Red Cedar Community Center, which has a fitness center and a clubhouse available to rent for private events. The Hamlets at Red Cedar HOA maintains the community center and its amenities. Nearby, Beaverdam Reservoir is a public lake being renovated to allow fishing and boating, but folks still can hike around the loop trail while these projects are being completed. Home values in Red Cedar range from $700,000 to $1.9 million, varying by square footage and lot size. Red Cedar’s gridded streets are lined with new-millennium single-family homes and townhouses. “In many of these communities, they’ll go buy or rent a townhome, get acquainted, and get their kids in the school system,” says Abby Ghanta, a Realtor with Bhavani Ghanta Realty. “Then they won’t want to leave, so they go on to upgrade to those single-family homes.” Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and French Provincial-inspired estates are popular styles throughout the neighborhood. The local HOA’s bylaws have explicit rules for home sizes and dimensions, but there are different options for conservancy lots. “You can put a giant barn on lots in Southpaw but not on other streets, [there’s] different bylaws attached,” says Jeddie Busch, a real estate agent with Compass. Most residents shop in Downtown Leesburg, just 5 miles north along Evergreen Mills Road. Locals can head to Food Lion and Safeway or browse farm-to-table goods at Neighbors: A Local Market. For a night out, there's the wood-oven pies and draft beer at FireWorks Pizza, and mornings often call for iced coffee and cinnamon rolls at the popular Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery. A couple blocks east of the bakery is the seasonal Leesburg Farmers Market, open year-round on Saturday mornings. Loudoun County Public Schools serve Red Cedar’s youth. Students can attend Sycolin Creek Elementary School, rated an A-minus overall on Niche; J. Lupton Simpson Middle School, rated a B; and Loudoun County High School, which has an A-rating. Loudoun County High prioritizes student wellness with resources like its Unified Mental Health Team, a group of school psychologists, counselors and social workers who help students overcome emotional challenges. Red Cedar is a community surrounded by undeveloped lots and nature preserves, meaning locals here are car-dependent for most activities. Evergreen Mills Road is the winding main street leading in and out of the neighborhood and presents pastoral views of rolling farmlands on either side on the way to Leesburg. The Ashburn metro station is less than 10 miles east and offers Silver Line access through D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Dulles International Airport is 13 miles to the southeast, usually a 20-minute commute by car.