Dulles Town Center - Sterling, VA

The construction of Washington Dulles International Airport in 1962 sparked growth in traditionally rural Loudoun County, and the southeastern part of the county grew dramatically in the 1980s and '90s with the increase in technology companies in the area. Dulles Town Center Mall opened in August 1999, bringing further expansion.

No cultural attractions or museums exist in the neighborhood, but the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, home of the space shuttle Discovery and many historically significant aircraft, lies near the airport. About 10 miles away, the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts features live performers from around the country, or you can explore historical attractions at many places in Virginia, Maryland and D.C.

Each fall, the Big Apple Circus sets up in the parking lot at Dulles Town Center Mall for two weeks of acrobatics, animals, clowns and contortionists.

Locals find most eateries in Dulles Town Center clustered near the mall, where chain restaurants dominate, but more unique options lie next door in Sterling.

OTANI Japanese Steak and Seafood entertains customers by turning cooking into a show at hibachi-style tables. Dinner starts with soup and salad followed by hibachi shrimp and your choice of entrée — try the Otani scallops — served with rice, freshly prepared lo mein and a mix of perfectly cooked vegetables. A bowl of ice cream provides the finishing touch to your meal.

Sweetwater Tavern serves Western-inspired food in a casual setting and pours craft beers from its own on-site brewery. Regulars appreciate the local chain's welcoming, pub-inspired atmosphere, as well as the late dinner hours. Start with the crab fritters before moving on to the drunken ribeye or the roast chicken salad for a satisfying meal.

For authentic Indian food, head to Balti Indian Restaurant in the Regal Plaza Shopping Center for the lunch buffet. With white linens on the tables and a statue of Ganesh greeting patrons, the restaurant offers a relaxing sit-down atmosphere, perfect for trying the goat biriyani or Balti shrimp masala. Add an extra order of garlic naan for the table.

At night, the state-of-the art Regal Dulles Town Center 10 at the Dulles Town Center Mall draws crowds with its projection screens and reclining seats. Some of the chain restaurants in the area also let loose after dark, including The Green Turtle with its full bar and late hours.

For more night-time options, locals head to Sterling. O'Faolain's and Mighty Mikes Bar and Grill both have a nice neighborhood-bar feel where you can raise a glass with friends. Sterling has become a hotbed of hookah bars with MIST Lounge, Moe's Hookah Lounge, Doseeb Café, and the hookah lounge at Sahara Lebanese Cuisine, all within a few miles of each other along Route 7.

Within the Dulles Town Center community, you can get around on foot or by bicycle fairly easily within the residential housing areas and to the mall and its surrounding restaurants. For all other errands, you need a car, since outside the mall area, things become more spread out, and the roads carry a lot of fast-moving traffic.

Plenty of free parking eases the stress of driving in an area that is prone to traffic jams on the major roadways. Dulles Town Circle, Atlantic Boulevard and City Center Boulevard carry most of the traffic within the community, and they sit just off Routes 7 and 28. Route 28 connects directly to the Dulles Toll Road and the Dulles Greenway.

Residents here commute to Washington but also to Tysons Corner and office parks along the Dulles Toll Road. Loudoun County Transit operates rush hour service from park-and-ride lots to Metrorail stations or points in D.C. The closest park-and-ride lot lies at Lowes Island, and the bus takes 20 minutes to get to the Wiehle-Reston East station. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority operates both Metrobuses and Metrorail. Using a combination of the two, residents in Dulles Town Center can get to the Greensboro station Tysons Corner in 41 minutes or to the Metro Center in D.C. in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

You won't be able to hail a cab in Dulles Town Center, but you can call one for a pickup or use your smartphone to arrange for a ride through Uber.

Dulles Town Center's only park, Hadley's Park Playground, encourages children of all abilities to play together. This 4,000-square-foot playground, located in the Dulles Town Center commons, features a rubberized surface and large wheelchair-accessible ramps.

Nearby Claude Moore Park, less than 3 miles away, has everything you could expect from a park: 11 miles of hiking trails, two fishing ponds, picnic pavilions, sports fields, a historic district and live-animal displays in the Discovery Room at the Visitor Center. This free public park encompasses 357 acres of forests, young woodlands, ponds, wetlands and meadows for visitors to explore. Leashed dogs can join their owners in the park, except in the children's play areas, where they are prohibited.

The park includes the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. For a $5 entry fee for adults and $3 for children, the museum teaches children and adults about historical farm life and includes a general store and a barn where children can collect eggs and milk a cow.

Although D.C.'s cost of living averages 34 percent more than the rest of the country, you can expect to pay a little more than that to live in Dulles Town Center — about 4 percent more — but it is 12 percent less expensive than living in Tysons Corner. Rent on a one-bedroom apartment costs on average $1,412 per month.

Getting to work on public transportation costs $7.90 to D.C. and $5.20 to Tysons Corner during rush hour using Metrobus and Metrorail, and gas in the area costs about 11 percent more than the national average. When you go out for a beer at a local bar, you pay about $6.

The center of the community and the largest enclosed shopping center in Loudoun County, Dulles Town Center Mall features two levels with 185 retailers including Macy's, Nordstrom, Dick's Sporting Goods, and H&M.

Several shopping centers around the mall provide additional selections of national chains and big box retailers. For discounted shopping, the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets can be reached in about 15 minutes by car. Here, you can shop 110 upscale designer and brand-name outlet stores.

Leesburg also gives you something you don't have in the Dulles Town Center area: the opportunity to stroll down the streets of a town and browse in small, independent shops. At the Jeans Whisperer, women and men shop brand-name denim for up to 50 percent off the retail price. The Other Kind of Jewelry Store carries new and second-hand merchandise in an eclectic mix of estate jewelry, vintage guitars, and collectibles.

Grocery shopping in Dulles Town Center is limited to the Walmart Supercenter in Dulles Crossing Plaza, which includes a deli and bakery. Not far away lie a Giant, in Cascades Marketplace Shopping Center, and a Safeway, across 7 on Pigeon Hill Drive. Costco sits just a couple miles east. You can also shop at Wegmans, less than three miles away.

Fresh produce, meats and cheeses can be found at the Cascades Farmers Market, held at the Senior Center behind the Cascades Marketplace Shopping Center on Sundays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. from May through November. The market includes approximately 17 vendors. Along with the types of items you expect to find at a farmers market, you can also buy fresh handmade dog treats, over-the-top doughnuts and homemade salsas.