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Living in Clifton

The 20124 ZIP code in southwestern Fairfax County, covering the small historic Town of Clifton, wooded estate properties on five-acre lots, and planned subdivisions near Centreville such as Little Rocky Run.
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Living in Clifton

An overview of the Clifton ZIP code, from its historic town to estates and planned subdivisions.
This page covers the Clifton ZIP code, 20124, which is far larger than the place most people picture. The Town of Clifton itself is a small historic railroad village, incorporated in 1902 and listed as a National Historic District, with a few blocks of Main Street and 63 buildings on the National Register. The ZIP code around it stretches from Bull Run and the Occoquan north almost to Route 29 and includes large planned subdivisions next to Centreville. The housing falls into three groups. Around the town and across the southern half, county zoning adopted to protect the Occoquan watershed generally limits development to one house per five acres, producing wooded estate properties, horse farms and custom houses, many on wells and septic systems. In the northern part, Little Rocky Run and neighboring subdivisions offer colonials from the 1980s and 1990s on suburban lots with community pools. Townhouses and a small number of condominiums at the northern end supply the lower price points. Daily life depends on which part you choose. The town has a handful of restaurants, a general store and shops on Main Street, plus Clifton Day each October. A winery operates a few minutes south, and Hemlock Overlook Regional Park and the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail follow the river. Homes in the northern subdivisions are closer to everyday shopping, at the Colonnade at Union Mill and in Centreville. There is no Metrorail, and although Virginia Railway Express trains pass through town, they do not stop there on a regular schedule. The nearest regular VRE stations are Burke Centre and Manassas Park. The northern subdivisions reach Interstate 66 by Route 28 or Route 29. From the town, Clifton Road runs north to Braddock Road and Route 29 and southeast toward Ox Road, all on two-lane roads. I’m glad to help you sort out which part of 20124 fits what you want, from a village house to acreage to a subdivision colonial.

Key Highlights:

  • Housing character — Estate houses on five-acre lots, a small historic town, 1980s and 1990s subdivision colonials, plus townhouses and a few condominiums
  • Green space — Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail, town parks and large wooded private lots
  • Daily essentials — Main Street restaurants and shops in the town; everyday shopping at the Colonnade at Union Mill and in Centreville
  • Transit — No Metrorail or regular VRE stop; nearest VRE stations are Burke Centre and Manassas Park; Interstate 66 via Route 28 or Route 29
  • Schools — Fairfax County Public Schools; assignments by address include Union Mill Elementary, Liberty Middle and Centreville High, or Robinson Secondary
  • Market character — Detached houses with a median near $1.1 million, from subdivision colonials to estates approaching $4 million
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Clifton Real Estate FAQs

Insight into the nuances of buying and selling in one of the country’s most complex urban markets.

Clifton is known for its small historic railroad town, a National Historic District with a walkable Main Street, and for the wooded five-acre estate lots and horse properties that surround it.
Clifton is in southwestern Fairfax County. The 20124 ZIP code is much larger than the town, reaching from Bull Run and the Occoquan north toward Route 29 and including Little Rocky Run near Centreville.
No. VRE trains pass through the town without a regular stop, so the nearest stations are Burke Centre and Manassas Park. Most commuters drive to Interstate 66 or the Fairfax County Parkway.
About three quarters of recent sales were detached houses, ranging from 1980s and 1990s subdivision colonials to custom estates on acreage. Townhouses and a few condominiums made up the rest.
The median sale price over the past 12 months was about $986,000 across roughly 145 sales. Detached houses had a median near $1.1 million, townhouses about $650,000 and condominiums about $355,000.
The overall median was seven days to contract, and six for detached houses. The few condominium sales took longer, with a median of 21 days.
The town’s Main Street has a few restaurants, a general store and small shops. Everyday shopping is at the Colonnade at Union Mill and in Centreville, closer to the northern subdivisions.
The area is in Fairfax County Public Schools. Many addresses are assigned to Union Mill Elementary, Liberty Middle and Centreville High, and others to Robinson Secondary; confirm with the Fairfax County Public Schools boundary locator.

Location & Neighborhood

In southwestern Fairfax County, between Centreville and Fairfax Station, north of Bull Run and the Occoquan.

The 20124 ZIP code area is bounded on the south and west by Bull Run and the Occoquan Reservoir, which form the Prince William County line. It reaches north almost to Route 29 beside Centreville and east toward Fairfax Station. Clifton Road runs through the middle and becomes Main Street in the town. Union Mill Road and Braddock Road serve Little Rocky Run and the northern subdivisions, while Henderson Road, Yates Ford Road and Chapel Road hold the estate properties.

Two-Lane Roads, Highways North

Homes in the northern subdivisions are a few minutes from Route 28, Route 29 and Interstate 66 at Centreville. From the town and the estate areas, Clifton Road leads north to Braddock Road and Route 29 and southeast toward Ox Road and the Fairfax County Parkway. Roads are two-lane and winding, so trips take longer than the mileage suggests.

The town covers a meal, coffee or a bottle of wine, not a full grocery run. The Colonnade at Union Mill and the Centreville shopping centers serve the north end, and homes farther south also use Burke Centre and Fairfax Station. Many estate properties rely on private wells and septic systems, so buyers should plan for inspections of both.

Neighboring Area:

  • Centreville — north and northwest, along Route 28 and Route 29
  • Fairfax Station — east, toward Ox Road and the Fairfax County Parkway
  • Manassas Park — southwest, across Bull Run in Prince William County
  • Fair Lakes — north, past Braddock Road and Route 29
  • Bull Run and the Occoquan — south, the county line and regional parkland

A Day In The Life - Snapshot

The quick details buyers ask about most.

Metro Access
No Metrorail and no regular VRE stop. The nearest VRE stations are Burke Centre and Manassas Park, and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU on the Orange Line is the nearest Metrorail station.
Walkability
The historic town is walkable end to end in a few minutes. Elsewhere, subdivisions have sidewalks and paths, and estate areas have narrow roads with no sidewalks.
Typical Home Types
Custom houses on five-acre lots, Victorian-era and newer houses in the town, 1980s and 1990s colonials in subdivisions, plus townhouses and a few condominiums.
Parking
Private driveways and garages nearly everywhere, with ample room on acreage. Town streets are narrow, and parking is tight during Clifton Day and other events.
Vibe
A small railroad village with porches and a short Main Street, surrounded by woods, pastures and winding two-lane roads. The northern subdivisions are conventional suburban streets.
Best For
Buyers who want acreage and tree cover or a subdivision colonial with community pools, and who accept longer drives for errands and no nearby rail station.

Clifton Market Snapshot

A high-level look at current pricing, demand, and sales activity in the Clifton real estate market.
$985,750

Median Sales Price

$313

Median Price Per Sq Ft

7

Median Days On Market

146

Annual Closed Sales

+1.5%

YoY Median Price Change

Clifton’s 20124 ZIP code is primarily a detached-house market, spanning subdivision colonials and estate properties, with smaller townhouse and condominium segments near Centreville. The snapshot covers every closed sale in ZIP code 20124 over the trailing twelve months through September 2026 — 113 detached houses, 22 townhouses and semi-detached homes, and 11 condominiums. Price per square foot uses interior living area.

Across all home types the median sale was $985,750 at about $313 per square foot, with a median of 7 days on market and sales averaging 99% of original list price. The median rose about 2% from the prior twelve months. Within segments, the detached median fell about 3% to $1.1 million and the townhouse median rose about 23% to $650,000.

Market data reflects recent 12-month activity. Individual buildings may vary.

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Recently Sold

Recently Sold in Clifton

Closed sales from the past 12 months — the comps that set today’s pricing.

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In-Depth Market Analysis

Clifton Market Insights

How pricing trends, absorption rates, and inventory levels are shaping buying and selling

Inventory & Absorption

Roughly 145 homes closed in the 20124 ZIP code over the past 12 months, about the same as the year before. Detached houses accounted for 113, townhouses for 22 and condominiums for 11. Little Rocky Run alone produced 42 sales, more than a quarter of the total. The median time to contract was seven days overall and six for detached houses.

Pricing Dynamics

The overall median was about $986,000, up roughly 2 percent from $971,000. The detached median slipped from $1,135,000 to about $1.1 million, while townhouses rose from $530,000 to $650,000 on a small sample. Sales ranged from $285,000 to $3.9 million. Price per square foot averaged about $313, a figure that large estate houses pull down.

Buyer Profile

The fastest-moving product is the subdivision colonial priced from about $850,000 to $1.1 million, concentrated in Little Rocky Run. Townhouses near $650,000 sold in a week and averaged about 101 percent of original list. Estate properties above $1.5 million are a thinner market in which pricing and condition vary widely, and detached sales overall averaged about 99 percent of original list.

Strategic Outlook

Five-acre zoning across much of the ZIP code keeps new construction scarce, and the subdivisions are built out. Overall prices were nearly flat over the past year and marketing times stayed short. The upper end is more sensitive to pricing, as the slightly lower detached median suggests. With only 11 condominium and 22 townhouse sales, changes in those segments should be read cautiously.

Market Position Overview:

Inventory Level: Balanced with selective competition

Negotiation Environment: Moderate flexibility

Typical Days on Market: 25-45 (well-priced units)

Rental Demand: Consistent due to transit proximity

Long- Term Outlook: Stable, walkability-driven value

Clifton Housing & Architecture

Housing in 20124 ranges from houses in a nineteenth-century railroad town to five-acre estates and planned subdivisions from the 1980s and 1990s.
Town of Clifton
The incorporated town is a National Historic District that grew around a railroad depot opened in 1868. Its few streets hold late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century frame houses with porches, plus some newer houses on the edges. Sales here are infrequent.
Five-Acre Estate Properties
Outside the town, zoning tied to the Occoquan watershed generally allows one house per five acres. The result is custom houses, some with barns and paddocks, on wooded parcels along roads such as Henderson Road and Chapel Road. Recent sales approached $4 million.
Little Rocky Run
The largest planned subdivision in the ZIP code, near Union Mill Road and Braddock Road beside Centreville. It has colonials built mostly in the 1980s and 1990s, plus community pools and recreation facilities, and accounted for 42 recent sales.
Balmoral Greens
Balmoral Greens offers large houses from the 1990s and later on lots of about an acre near Westfields Golf Club, reached from Union Mill Road. Prices here sit well above the subdivision colonials to the north.
Townhouses
Townhouse communities at the northern end of the ZIP code, including Hayden Village from the early 1990s, date mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. The 22 recent townhouse sales had a median of $650,000 and ranged from about $515,000 to $807,000.
Condominiums
A small group of garden-style condominiums at the Centreville end of the ZIP code supplies the lowest prices, with 11 recent sales between $285,000 and $380,000. They took longer to sell, with a median of 21 days.

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