Airports Equal Accessibility

Dulles International Airport is the fifth busiest airport in the country in terms of arriving and departing flights. Located 30 miles west of Washington, D.C., the airport was virtually unknown thirty years ago. Today, however, the area around Dulles has become the hottest location for the high-tech businesses that anchor the economy of northern Virginia. "The presence of the federal government, the world's biggest buyer, is a huge factor," said Leo Schefer, president of the Washington Airports Task Force, a private nonprofit that promotes aviation services in the region. The frequency of domestic and international flights combined with the option to land and store private aricraft at Dulles, makes Loundon County, the home the airport, the ideal location for businesses in search of space and accessibility. John D. Kasarda of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill predicts that international gateway airports such as Dulles "will shape urban development in the 21st century as highways did in the 20th century, railroads did in the 19th century and seaports did in the 18th century." Kasarda thinks that "the three 'As'-accessibility, accessibility, accessibility-will replace the three 'Ls'-location, location, location-as the most important commercial real estate organizing principle."

Thanks to Peter Buryk