Fairfax Station, Virginia
Fairfax Station is where Fairfax County opens up, with homes on an acre or more, winding two-lane roads and parkland along the Occoquan.
Welcome to Fairfax Station.
Fairfax Station never became a town. It grew up around a stop on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and today it’s a stretch of southern Fairfax County with its own mailing address and a noticeably more rural feel than its neighbors.
A big reason for all that space is zoning. In 1982 the county rezoned much of the Occoquan watershed to protect the reservoir, setting a five-acre minimum for new lots there. Not every Fairfax Station home sits on five acres, but the lower density shapes the whole area.
Room Between Neighbors
You’ll find large Colonials and custom homes on wooded lots, many with long driveways, side-load garages and finished basements. Some neighborhoods, like Crosspointe, have smaller lots and community amenities, while other roads have homes on several acres with barns or paddocks.
Bigger lots come with their own checklist. Many homes here run on a private well and septic system instead of public water and sewer, and I make sure buyers have both inspected.
A Little Horse Country
Board fences, riding rings and backyard barns are part of the scenery on some of the back roads, and a number of properties are set up for horses. The Bull Run Occoquan Trail, open to hikers and riders, follows Bull Run and the Occoquan through Fountainhead and other parks.
Burke Lake and Fountainhead
Burke Lake Park has a Fairfax Station address, along with its lakeside trail, golf course and campground. To the south, Fountainhead Regional Park sits on the Occoquan Reservoir with boat and kayak rentals, a launch, hiking and well-known mountain bike trails.
The Railroad That Named It
The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, on Fairfax Station Road, tells the area’s railroad and Civil War story. After the Second Battle of Manassas in 1862, Clara Barton cared for wounded soldiers at the station here, years before she founded the American Red Cross.
For the daily drive, Route 123 (Ox Road) and the Fairfax County Parkway are the main routes, and the Burke Centre VRE station is a short drive away.
If you want land, trees and quiet without moving far from work, let’s talk about Fairfax Station and what to look for in a larger property.
Comparing areas? See all the community guides
More Neighborhood Guides
Springfield
Central, well connected, and full of solid older homes.
West Springfield
Settled neighborhoods, big trees and stream valley trails close to home.
Burke
A big planned community, lots of green space and two VRE stations.
Fairfax
A small historic city surrounded by a much bigger Fairfax.
Lorton
Newer neighborhoods, Mason Neck parkland and an easy run up I-95.
Alexandria
Old Town rowhouses, close-in suburbs and the Potomac waterfront.
Arlington County
Metro corridors, older brick neighborhoods and trails along the Potomac.
Prince William County
More room for the money, historic river towns and parks along the Potomac.
Thinking about Fairfax Station?
I’d love to tell you more about the area, what homes are selling for, and what to look for.