Dunn Loring, Virginia

Dunn Loring, Virginia, is a very small census-designated place in Fairfax County. With a population under 10,000 - it was just 8,803 as of the 2010 Census - it nonetheless holds tons of small town charm and appeal. It has a land area of just about two square miles. Dunn Loring may be tiny, but it is long on desirability. 

It also has a fascinating history. Dunn Loring was the earliest platted subdivision in Fairfax, and possibly in the entire state. It was founded in 1886 when General William McKee Dunn and his wife Elizabeth Lanier Dunn purchased about 600 acres located on the Washington, Ohio and Western Railroad, now the Washington and Old Dominion Regional Trail. Later that year, the land was transferred into the Loring Land and Improvement Company, which consisted of Dunn and several other military and political dignitaries. In 1887, the newly-christened Dunn Loring advertised its first homes for sale. Many of those homes are still being lived in today. The Loring Land and Improvement Company built a post office and railroad station, but Dunn’s death brought an end to those projects. It wasn’t until the Spanish-American War and the construction of Camp Russell A. Alger that growth and development resumed in Dunn Loring. In 1912, the current platting was laid out and parcels were divided into their modern-day setting. After the Second World War, growth of Dunn Loring as part of the Washington D.C. metro area began in earnest. 

Dunn Loring is a wealthy community. The median household income in 2013 was $204,797, and the median family income was $219,490. Not many homes are for sale at any given time, what with the town being so small, but those on the market tend to sell for either close to or just over a million dollars. Homes range from 200-year-old clapboard structures dating back to Dunn Loring’s founding, to 50-year-old colonials built during the post-War boom, to new construction being put up as the result of the town’s excellent reputation for fantastic schools and as a great place to raise children. The town consists of mostly single-family homes, with a few scattered townhomes as well. 

Dunn Loring Park is a community meeting place, with trails for joggers and strollers alike. There is a nearby tennis court. Another spot for entertainment is the Dunn Loring Pool, which also contains basketball and volleyball courts. For shopping, walking, and entertainment, the Mosaic District is the place to go. With wide sidewalks and plenty of wooden benches, residents can walk about or visit the local businesses and movie theater located in this area. If you venture just a little outside Dunn Loring, the enormous shopping mall of Tysons Corner Center is convenient for more shopping and dining. 

Commuting is easy as well. The on-ramp to Interstates 495 and 66 are minutes away from the city center. Also nearby: Leesburg Pike/Virginia Route 7, which traverses Northern Virginia. Residents have their pick of three close-by Metro stations Dunn Loring-Merrifield and West Falls Church-VT/UVA on the Orange Line and the Silver Line.

If Dunn Loring sounds like the kind of place where you want to live, get in touch with a licensed real estate agent today!