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Lorton, Virginia | |
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 Shops along Lorton Station Blvd, 2016 | |
 Location of Lorton inFairfax County, Virginia | |
  Lorton, Virginia  Lorton, Virginia  Lorton, Virginia | |
| Coordinates:38°42′18″N77°14′1″W / 38.70500°N 77.23361°W /38.70500; -77.23361 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.4 sq mi (13.9 km2) |
| • Land | 5.3 sq mi (13.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.077 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 20,072 |
| • Density | 3,508/sq mi (1,354.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 22079, 22199 |
| Area codes | 703,571 |
| FIPS code | 51-47064[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1495046[2] |
Lorton is acensus-designated place (CDP) inFairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,072 as of the2020 census.[3]
Lorton is named for avillage in theLake District National Park,Cumbria, in England. Joseph Plaskett of the Cumbrian village settled in southern Fairfax County, running a general store and opening the Lorton Valley Post Office on November 11, 1875.[4]
Before the identity of Lorton, the commercial center wasColchester, and the spiritual and historical center of the community around which the leading citizens of the time revolved wasPohick Church, whereGeorge Washington andGeorge Mason were at times members of thevestry.
From the early 20th century until November 2001, Lorton was the site of aDistrict of Columbiacorrectional facility called theLorton Reformatory which, among other things, detained approximately 168 women from thewomen's suffrage movement from the Washington, D.C. area from June to December 1917. For the 2010 census, the area around the former Lorton Reformatory was assigned to theLaurel Hill census-designated place, reducing the area and population of the Lorton CDP.
ANike missile site was built at Lorton in 1955, and remained until 1973.[5]
Lorton is one of the two stations that serveAmtrak'sAuto Train which carries passengers and their vehicles non-stop toSanford, Florida, in theOrlando area. TheLorton and Occoquan Railroad once operated between the Lorton Reformatory andOccoquan, with connection to theRichmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.
Historic landmarks in the surrounding area includeGunston Hall,George Mason's home;Belvoir, which wasWilliam Fairfax's home; the Market; and now theFort Belvoir Army Corps of Engineers base and Cranford Church.Woodlawn Plantation andMount Vernon, the latter beingGeorge Washington's home on thePotomac River, lie farther to the east.
Lorton is located in southern Fairfax County at38°42′18″N77°14′1″W / 38.70500°N 77.23361°W /38.70500; -77.23361 (38.704915, −77.233573).[6] It is bordered to the west byLaurel Hill, to the north byNewington, to the east byFort Belvoir, to the southeast byMason Neck, and to the southwest byWoodbridge inPrince William County.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the Lorton CDP has a total area of 5.4 square miles (13.9 km2), of which 5.3 square miles (13.7 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 1.39%, is water.[3] The elevation ranges from sea level at the Prince William County line (theOccoquan River) to slightly over 200 feet (61 m) along Furnace Road at the CDP's western edge.
U.S. Route 1 (Richmond Highway) andInterstate 95 pass through Lorton, leading northeast 15 miles (24 km) toAlexandria and 19 miles (31 km) toWashington, D.C., and south 34 miles (55 km) toFredericksburg. The AmtrakAuto Train to and fromFlorida has Lorton as its northern terminal.
As of thecensus[1] of 2010, there were 18,610 people, 6,422 households, and 4,637 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,508.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,354.7/km2). There were 6,726 housing units at an average density of 1,268.1 per square mile (489.6/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 39.0%White, 29.9%African American, 0.3%Native American, 18.2%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 7.3%some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 16.7% of the population.[7]
There were 6,422 households, out of which 45.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were headed bymarried couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals, and 5.9% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88, and the average family size was 3.39.[7]
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.[7]
For the period 2010 through 2014, the estimated median annual income for a household was $90,820 and the median income for a family was $94,965. Male full-time workers had a median income of $54,534 versus $54,441 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $37,487. About 0.9% of families and 3.2% of the total population were below thepoverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17,786 | — | |
| 2010 | 18,610 | 4.6% | |
| 2020 | 20,072 | 7.9% | |
| sources 2010-2020[9] | |||
Lorton is part of theFairfax Public School System. There are six elementary schools to serve Lorton residents, Gunston Elementary, Lorton Station, Silverbrook, Laurel Hill, and Halley.Hayfield Secondary School used to be the only public high school for Lorton area students, but they now attendSouth County High School.
Fairfax County Public Library operates the Lorton Library in the CDP.[10][11]
In November 2020, theFairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an interim agreement for a proposal to build one of the largest indoor ski facilities in the world in Lorton.[12][13] The Alpine–X project will be constructed on the closed portion of the Interstate 95 Lorton landfill.
Library services in the area have expanded from bookmobile service to a store front library and now to a 10,000-square-foot (929.03 m2) building. The Lorton Heritage Society has developed the Lorton History Garden on the library's south side.
Lorton is home to the Noman M. Cole, Jr., Pollution Control Plant. The Noman Cole facility is the largest advanced waste water treatment plant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[14]
Lorton Volunteer Fire Department Company 19 is one of 12 private, not-for-profit fire companies working in partnership with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue to provide emergency and non-emergency services. On October 28, 2023, the grand opening for the newly-created Lorton District Police Station commenced, which means that theFairfax County Police Department officially has a station in the Lorton district of Fairfax County. The station was set up as part of a Public Safety bond approved by voters in November 2015 as a result of officers being drawn from their usual police stations (the Franconia and West Springfield stations), thereby leading to longer response times.[16]
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