Rolling green hills dotted by quaint, picturesque small towns and fields of lavender. Rustic lodges redolent of leather and fresh dirt, where the bar’s brass rail shines and “old money” doesn’t even begin to describe the patrons. Horse farms tens of acres wide, where long-legged equine beauties frolic in the sunshine in their downtime between high-stakes races. Virginia’s Hunt Country is both a little wild and a lot manicured, both plenty reserved and plenty famous.
Stretched across Loudoun, Fauquier, and Rappahannock Counties, Hunt Country is a grand old Virginian tradition. Fox hunting is still a pastime here, a carryover from the Colonial days. Steeplechase racing is still very much in existence. Overall, this part of the state is all about the horses - some of the world’s wealthiest folks keep their thoroughbreds here. It is also the center of the state’s burgeoning wine industry, meaning that oenophiles of all vintages flock here for weekend tipples.
The homes of Hunt Country are like nothing you can imagine. Grand, stately manses are situated on sloping acres of pure green. Many of these properties are at least a hundred years old. In Fauquier alone, no less than a dozen homes are listed proudly on the National Register of Historic Places. It seems almost incomprehensible that this area is geographically nearby to the bustle and noise of D.C., what with the unhurried, placid, genteel pace of life here.
Even the smaller homes out here are grand estates. Here, even some of the cottages have names, and are multi-story beauties set against picture-perfect expanses of hilly acres and wild blue yonder. The big houses start around two million and soar upward from there, depending on your preference for bedrooms in the double-digits, acres by the tens, galleries for your art collection - because, if you live here, you definitely have one - and paddocks for your horses.
“Reasonable” family homes (in the 200k - 500k range) are few and far between, although they can be found with a bit of patience. If you value peace and quiet above all else and are drawn to a pastoral kind of lifestyle, Hunt Country might be right up your alley.
