Sterling, Virginia is a census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 United States Census was 27,822. It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Washington Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters. Sterling is also home to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office LWX, as well as the Sterling Field Support Center, the National Weather Service test, research, and evaluation center for weather instruments.