Welcome to LoudounExtra.com

After more than a year of planning, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive is proud to announce the launch of LoudounExtra.com.

We will be adding several new features to the site over the next few months, as well as making lots of tweaks to what you see today. We need your feedback throughout this process in order to build a site that will truly serve Loudoun County.

Here is a guide to some of the features on LoudounExtra.com:

News: LoudounExtra.com includes all of the Loudoun County news from The Washington Post and the twice-weekly Loudoun Extra, but will also feature news updates exclusive to LoudounExtra.com. Look for the latest police reports, weather reports, community news and more throughout the day.

Restaurant guide: There are more than 300 restaurants in Loudoun County. We should know because we called them all and asked each of them more than 10 questions, including when they start and stop cooking. The reason for this was simple — sometimes you need to know more than an address or a phone number. Besides, knowing where you can still get a steak at midnight can be useful information from time to time.

Calendar: With tons of listings of school events, community organization get-togethers, local government meetings, county fairs, bar bands and art exhibits, LoudounExtra.com has one of the most exhaustive (and searchable) local calendars in the region. The site will soon even send event reminders to your e-mail account or call your cell phone.

School guide: Because we talked to every principal in the county, this guide has a wealth of information about the 85 schools that are located in Loudoun County. These features include profile articles, links to state report cards, plus photos and panoramic images. We can even tell you which schools have full-time nurses, if foreign languages are taught, or how many special-education teachers are on staff. It's like getting your own personal tour of each school.

Multimedia storytelling: Using photo galleries, video, audio and other multimedia tools, LoudounExtra.com is committed to telling the stories of our community in new and innovative ways. For an example of this, please see Bill Snead's story on First Baptist Church-Watson.

Guide to places of worship: From the corners of western Loudoun County to the edge of Dulles International Airport, there are more than 150 churches and places of worship in Loudoun County. In building a searchable guide to these organizations, we tried to visit as many as possible. Our guide has information on religious denomination, congregation size, contact info, service schedules, photos, panoramic images and more.

Guide to moving to Loudoun: For newcomers to the county, we've assembled basic information to help with the moving process. Need to know how to license your dog? Local utility companies? Elected officials? We've got you covered.

History of Loudoun: Despite the new subdivisions and businesses popping up on every corner, long-time residents know that Loudoun is steeped in history. From its central role in the Civil War to its recent emergence as a tech hotspot and booming population center, our coverage and gallery of historic photos showcase the rich history of Loudoun.

Local blogs: LoudounExtra.com features two exclusive blogs: Living In LoCo and Linked Up In Loudoun. Living In LoCo is Tammi Marcoullier's take on interesting things in Loudoun County. The Linked Up In Loudoun blog is a continuously updated look at interesting items published on other sites by newspapers, news organizations, local homeowners' associations, area volunteer fire departments, other bloggers in the region, and any other sites that discuss noteworthy happenings in Loudoun.

Web cams: Wanting to check out what the traffic might be like on your commute? We currently have two strategically placed web cams (one on Route 28, the other Route 50), with plans to add at least two more in the near future.

And much more is coming soon.

We are currently building searchable databases of building permits, homes sales, and many other publicly available records. We also will be covering high school sports like this area has never seen.

We also will be adding a powerful community-publishing section to the site, allowing readers to share their stories, photos and videos. Readers will also have the ability to get LoudounExtra.com updates sent to their mobile phone, iPod (or any mp3 player), e-mail and more.

As mentioned earlier, we really would like your thoughts and comments on the site so that we can make it better for Loudoun County.

Rob Curley
Vice President of Product Development
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

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