Purcellville Town Profile
The W&OD Trail Western Terminus
Purcellville is the end of the line for one of the most-used rail-trails in the eastern United States — 45 miles from Arlington.
Purcellville, Virginia is the western terminusof the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD Trail) — the 45-mile rail-trail that runs from Shirlington in Arlington County through the Northern Virginia suburbs to its end point in downtown Purcellville. The W&OD Trail is one of the most heavily used rail-trails in the eastern United States, drawing cyclists, runners, walkers, and inline skaters from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and making Purcellville a destination for trail-based recreation and tourism.
What the W&OD Trail Is
The Washington and Old Dominion Trail follows the former right-of-way of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad — a rail line that connected Washington, D.C. to western Virginia communities and operated from the mid-19th century through 1968, when the line was abandoned. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) acquired the right-of-way and developed it as a paved multi-use trail. The trail passes through Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Leesburg, and Purcellville — a transect of Northern Virginia moving from dense urban fabric in the east to the rural and small-town character of western Loudoun in the west.
Purcellville as Terminus
Being the western terminus of a 45-mile trail carries specific economic and civic implications for a small town. Trail users who reach Purcellville have completed a journey — they arrive ready to eat, rest, and explore. That disposition is commercially useful: the restaurants, cafes, and retailers of Purcellville's downtown commercial district serve a trail-based visitor population that arrives with appetite and disposable income.
The Purcellville Train Station — the historic structure at the western end of the trail corridor — anchors the terminus, connecting the recreational trail's 21st-century use to the 19th-century rail history from which it derives. Mayor Fraser revived the Train Station Advisory Board in June 2018 to restore community oversight and programming focus to this historic structure.
Trail-Town Economic Impact
The economic relationship between a major trail and a terminus town is well-documented in rail-trail planning literature. Trails generate measurable economic activity through direct visitor spending — food, lodging, equipment, and retail — and through property value effects, business climate improvements, and tourism marketing advantages. Trail users represent a demographic profile — health-conscious, physically active, often with higher discretionary incomes — that aligns well with the food, beverage, and specialty retail offerings of Purcellville's downtown commercial district.
The 160-plus new businesses that opened in Purcellville between 2019 and 2021 under Mayor Fraser's administration included food-service and retail establishments that serve both the trail visitor market and the resident population — a business mix shaped partly by the town's position as a trail destination.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Trail: Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD Trail)
- Trail length: 45 miles
- Eastern end: Shirlington, Arlington County, Virginia
- Western terminus: Purcellville, Virginia
- Trail administrator: Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA)
- Surface: paved (full length); parallel equestrian trail on portions
- Historic right-of-way: Washington and Old Dominion Railroad (abandoned 1968)
- Landmark at terminus: Purcellville Train Station (historic structure)
- Train Station Advisory Board: revived by Mayor Fraser, June 2018