Lorton, Virginia
Lorton has some of southern Fairfax County’s newer neighborhoods, plus parks on the Occoquan and Potomac and quick access to I-95, Fort Belvoir and the VRE.
Welcome to Lorton.
Lorton sits in southern Fairfax County, where the Occoquan River meets the Potomac. For most of the 1900s, a large part of it was home to the District of Columbia’s prison complex. After the prison closed in 2001, Fairfax County took over the land and turned much of it into homes, schools, parks and an arts center.
That history is why so much of Lorton feels new. Alongside the newer communities, you’ll still find older homes on bigger lots, especially out toward Mason Neck.
Newer Homes and Room to Spread Out
Laurel Hill, Lorton Station and the neighborhoods off Silverbrook Road are full of brick-front Colonials and townhomes built mostly since the 1990s, many with community pools and walking paths. Out on Mason Neck, homes are more spread out, and some back up to woods or water.
Newer homes still need a careful look. I pay attention to drainage, decks and how well the original builder-grade finishes have held up.
Laurel Hill and the Workhouse
The Workhouse Arts Center fills the old prison workhouse buildings with artist studios, galleries, classes and events. Its Lucy Burns Museum tells the story of the suffragists jailed there in 1917, and the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial in Occoquan Regional Park honors the same women.
Nearby, Laurel Hill Park has trails and fields, and the Laurel Hill Golf Club is a public course.
Mason Neck and the Water
Mason Neck is Lorton’s big outdoor draw. Pohick Bay Regional Park has a boat launch, kayak and paddleboard rentals, golf and mini golf, and Mason Neck State Park adds trails and shoreline. Gunston Hall, George Mason’s 18th-century home, is out on the peninsula too.
I-95, the VRE and the Auto Train
I-95 and Route 1 run straight through Lorton, and the Fairfax County Parkway links it to Springfield, Burke and beyond. Fort Belvoir is next door. The Lorton VRE station is on the Fredericksburg Line into Alexandria, Crystal City and D.C.
Lorton is also the northern end of Amtrak’s Auto Train, so you can put your car on a train to Florida without leaving the county.
If you’re weighing a newer home in Lorton against something older and closer in, I’m glad to help you compare them side by side.
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.
Fairfax Station
Wooded lots, quiet roads and a little horse country, close to Burke Lake.
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 Lorton?
I’d love to tell you more about the area, what homes are selling for, and what to look for.