$644,353Average Value$316Average Price per Sq Ft43Homes For Sale
D.C. suburb with an unusual past
Lorton hasn’t always been the commuter town 20 miles outside Washington, D.C. that it is today. In fact, it was once the site of Lorton Reformatory, a sprawling prison complex that housed prisoners from the early 1900s until its closure in 2001. Since then, Lorton has worked to preserve its past while transforming its prison-industrial landscape into a more residential suburb. Efforts in recent years have included repurposing the old reformatory into apartments and houses, building a new community center and remodeling the library. The town also has several projects in the pipeline, including a park on a former landfill site and an indoor ski center. “Having lived there, it’s a great community with beautiful parks, lots of new shopping and a great location,” says Susan Mertz, Realtor Team Leader at Keller Williams Capital Properties. “It’s a very friendly area.”
Large single-family homes line the streets of Lorton.
An old guard tower from the Lorton Reformatory now serves as a roundabout.
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Newer suburban homes and a converted prison
The median housing price in Lorton is about $695,000, above the national median. Single-family home prices start around $600,000 for cottages built in the 1960s and reach up to $2 million or higher for sprawling contemporary builds. “Most homes in the neighborhood are younger than the surrounding area,” Mertz says. Townhouses can start as low as $250,000 and range up to $850,000, depending on their condition and age.
In 2018, Liberty Crest Apartments opened off Silverbrook Road on the former site of the Lorton Reformatory. The development preserved many of the prison’s original details, including the red brick buildings, signage and a central courtyard. The site also has some newly constructed townhouses and single-family homes.
The Liberty Crest Apartments sit on the former site of the Lorton Reformatory.
Quaint townhouses are popular among residents of Lorton.
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Biking, hiking and golfing in Lorton
Occoquan Regional Park has 350 acres of outdoor space including hiking trails, kayak rentals and an event space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Occoquan River. Laurel Hill Mountain Bike Trails have off-road cycling through rolling hills and forests and along fields of wildflowers. Adjacent to the bike trails, Laurel Hill Golf Club has an 18-hole course on the former site of the D.C. Department of Corrections.
On the town’s western side is the former site of the Lorton Landfill. It closed and was capped in 2021. Since then, Fairfax County has proposed the development of a new public park on the site. As of January 2025, the Overlook Ridge Park project has not yet broken ground, and the proposal is going through the approval process with the Park Authority and county government.
Laurel Hill Golf Club offers a great driving range for both current and aspiring golfers.
Kids in Lorton love to spend their days on the playground at Occoquan Park.
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New cultural centers signal a resurgence for the community
The old workhouse of the Lorton Reformatory, just down the road from the main prison site off Workhouse Road, has been converted into a 55-acre cultural arts center. Today, The Workhouse Art Center has galleries, painting demonstrations, music performances and history events, and there are future plans for a new brewery and café on the site.
Lorton continues to invest in new community spaces. The new Lorton Community Center and remodeled library opened in 2022. The modern facility offers extensive programming including fitness classes, afterschool and summer camp programs, sports leagues, technology education and more. Alpine-X filed a 2018 proposal to build a 450,000-square-foot indoor skiing facility on part of the former landfill site. The project has not yet broken ground as of January 2025, but negotiations are ongoing.
The Lorton Community Center offers fitness classes as well as after school programs for kids.
The Workhouse Art Center in Lorton features artists who practice painting, sculpting, and pottery.
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The largest school system in Virginia serves Lorton
Fairfax County Public Schools has an overall A grade from Niche and is the largest school system in the state. Students living in Lorton may begin their education at Laurel Hill Elementary School, which has an A-minus from Niche, before continuing to A-rated South County Middle School and A-minus-rated South County High School. Some students are zoned for Lorton Station Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grade and Hayfield Magnet Secondary School for seventh through 12th grade. Hayfield Magnet Secondary School focuses on STEM subjects with a highly regarded robotics team.
South County Middle School faithfully serves the community of Lorton.
Lorton students can attend Laurel Hill Elementary School.
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Major military bases and commuting into D.C.
The Fort Belvoir Army Base, just east of Lorton, and Marine Corps Base Quantico, about 17 miles northeast, are major employers in Fairfax County. The Davidson Army Airfield, part of Fort Belvoir, is just outside Lorton’s town limits. In addition to working at the military bases, Mertz says many residents commute into D.C. “Without traffic, you’re about 20 minutes outside of downtown,” she says. Interstates 95 and 395 take drivers directly into the city, but traffic can be heavy during peak hours. Alternatively, commuters can take the Virginia Railway Express from Lorton Station directly into D.C.’s Union Station. The Fairfax Connector bus service also has stops throughout Lorton and the region. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is in Arlington, about 19 miles northeast.
Lorton’s CAP Index crime score indicates a crime risk slightly below the national average. The Fairfax County Police Department, which serves Lorton, has consistently reported property and violent crime rates below the national average. Larceny, however, is a noticeable exception, with the county reporting increasing rates that surpassed national and state averages in 2023.
Running errands at Lorton’s shopping plazas
Several shopping plazas in Lorton serve residents; Lorton Marketplace has a grocery store, and Lorton Station Town Center has restaurants and doctors’ offices next to the train station. About 8 miles south, Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center and Potomac Mills are malls with hundreds of stores, movie theaters and a bowling alley. Inova Emergency Room provides basic medical care in Lorton, and the Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center 7 miles south is among the larger hospitals in the area.
The Potomac Mills Shopping Center is a one-stop shop for all retail in Cherry Hill.
Lorton Marketplace is home to many great restaurants like Glory Days Grill and Poke Bros.
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Northern Virginia weather
Located in Northern Virginia, Lorton experiences four seasons with hot, muggy summers and moderately cold winters averaging 14 inches of snowfall annually. Hurricanes, heavy rains and tornadoes are among the most common extreme weather events in the region.
Written By
Faith Wakefield
Photography Contributed By
Caleb Jones
Video By
Conar McDaniel
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GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Lorton, VA sell after 24 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Lorton, VA over the last 12 months is $700,000, consistent with the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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After the old Lorton Reformatory closed in 1999, Associate Broker for Keller Williams Capital Properties Ron Kowalski, who was just getting into real estate at the time, noticed a change happening in his area. Suddenly, the Northern Virginia suburb of Pohick was becoming a desirable place to live because home buyers no longer minded the idea of living next to an ex-prison on the other side of Interstate 95. “It's really taken a long time to get to this point,” says Kowalski. “Now, I don't get any pushback at all about prisons in Lorton because everybody knows they’re gone and this place is now a commuter’s dream.” <br><br>Pohick is a community of primarily single-family homes that starts at the shores of Gunston Cove and ends at the town center. The area is shaped like an amorphous triangle formed by its borders of highways in the northwest, marshland in the south, and Fort Belvoir in the northeast. Within are a random network of residential streets where residents stroll along their midsized sidewalks to visit friends or admire their neighbor’s hydrangeas. But land is expensive in Northern Virginia, so homes in Pohick usually take the form of town houses, very large neo-colonials situated on a small lot, or medium-sized raised-ranches on a medium-sized lot. That translates into a higher price range than the national average, with a single-family home often selling around a median price of $810,000 while some town houses sell for anywhere from $300,000 to $750,000. <br><br>As a part of Fairfax County Public Schools, Pohick students enjoy some of the Commonwealth’s best schools. Students may begin at Lorton Station Elementary, which receives a B-plus from Niche, then move on to South County Middle School, which receives an A from Niche. After another three years, students then move next door to South County High School, which receives an A-minus from Niche. The school does a great job accommodating the academic needs of students through many well-regarded programs, such as no-cost mental health teletherapy through a partnership with Hazel Health. High-achieving high school students can enroll in the school’s AP classes, which received a silver distinction for excellence in student outcomes on AP tests by College Board for their 2023 School Honor Roll. <br><br>There are a number of places nearby where you can stroll on down for a drink or a nice dinner, such as the centerpiece Lorton Station Towne Center. On a Saturday night, locals head there to get their fix of hot wings and bread pudding at Hometown Grill and Bar or margaritas from Casa Tequila Bar and Grill. During the day, the center is a small hub for retail and essential services. “I call that area ‘New Lorton’” says Kowalski. “There's a lot of health care right there too, so my dentist is right in town.” And thanks to the town center’s VRE train station, commuters and day-trippers alike can reach D.C.’s Union Station within three stops. <br><br>Kowalski also says that while the area is friendly to both commuters and pedestrians, “every once in a while, you need to get out of Pohick for big shopping or entertainment.” Fortunately, you won’t have to travel more than 3-miles to reach groceries at either an Amazon Fresh or a Lidl, but a Food Lion also exists in town for those looking to stay closer to home. For an afternoon outing, locals drive down to Mason Neck to enjoy the sights and sounds of any of its several nature trails and shorelines. But when you’re looking to stay in town, you can find walking trails, as well as amenities for sports such as basketball and tennis at Sheffield Park. Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s creatives attend lessons at Potomac Music, which also serves the community with youth summer camps and public concerts in Pohick. <br><br>Indeed, Pohick has come a long way from its days of being known for little more than its proximity to an imposing prison yard. Today, it’s known for its amenities and proximity to 95. “20 some years ago, I moved in when the prison was still here and everybody told me I was crazy,” says Kowalski. “But here I am, we're doing just fine."
Property Mix - Square Feet
Lorton Has More Owners
Demographics
Total Population
18,796
Median Age
38
Population Density
22 ppl/acre
Population under 18
26.2%
On par with the national average
23.8%
Population over 65
14.5%
On par with the national average
19.1%
Finances
Median Household Income
$129,158
Significantly above the national average
$79,601
Average Household Income
$149,067
Education and Workforce
High School Graduates
91.1%
College Graduates
49.9%
Above the national average
34.1%
Advanced Degrees
21.5%
% Population in Labor Force
78.1%
Above the national average
64.9%
Weather
Annual Precipitation
45''
Average Winter Low Temperature
27°F
Average Summer High Temperature
88°F
Annual Snowfall
14''
Area Factors
Somewhat Bikeable
Bike Score®®
21/ 100
Car-Dependent
Walk Score®®
27/ 100
Some Transit
Transit Score®®
33/ 100
Source: Walk Score
Source: Walk Score
Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address. CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
