Fort Hunt is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The area is named after Fort Hunt, which was built on the bank of the Potomac River in 1897 to defend Washington, D.C. from naval attack and is now a public park. The area is also notable for its high population of senior citizens and for being one of the first suburbs in wealthy Fairfax County.[3] The population was 16,045 at the 2010 census.[4]
Fort Hunt encompasses the 22308 ZIP code of Alexandria, composed of much of the most affluent section of southeast Fairfax County, close to the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Potomac River, including the neighborhoods of Riverside Gardens, Tauxemont, Herbert Springs, Waynewood, Plymouth Haven, Potomac Valley – River Bend, Collingwood, Stratford Landing, Stratford on the Potomac, Hollin Hall, Wellington, Arcturus and (in ZIP code 22307) Villamay and Marlan Forest. As of the 2010 census, Fort Hunt also includes the neighborhood of Hollindale in ZIP code 22306 and much of Hollin Hills in 22307.[5] Prominent Fort Hunt residents include U.S. Senator Tim Johnson, Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and former House Speaker Bob Livingston.
The area takes its name from a post-Civil War era fort constructed near the banks of the Potomac River that was intended to compliment the defenses of Washington, DC with Ft. Washington on the opposite side of the river. Ft. Hunt was even home to a top secret military intelligence operation during World War II. While no shots were ever fired in anger, the remains of the facility are the centerpiece of the sprawling Ft. Hunt Park. The George Washington Parkway is a beautiful ribbon of road that runs through the community towards George Washington’s Mt. Vernon to the south, offering incredible vistas of the Potomac River. There are beautiful communities of primarily single family detached homes to the west of the Parkway, including Hollin Hills, a neighborhood of roughly 450 homes designed by Charles Goodman immediately after World War II. It is considered a landmark of contemporary design.
Parks, scenic vistas of the Potomac River and the walking and biking trail that runs from Mt. Vernon to Rosslyn right through Ft. Hunt are the anchors for this beautiful community. While there a handful of townhomes, almost every dwelling is a detached home, ranging from 1950’s construction to magnificent new homes overlooking the river. And the incredible variety of shops and restaurants of Old Town are just minutes away up the Parkway.
There’s no better drive in the metropolitan area than the beautiful George Washington Parkway. By design, there are no traffic lights, no billboards and no trucks or commercial traffic allowed. Any drive to or from work that includes a stretch on the Parkway makes the rest of the trip more bearable. The area is well-served by bus routes as well, filtering to the Huntington Metro stop, as well as direct routes to the Pentagon.
