Westmoreland County, Virginia, lies between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers on a peninsula known as Virginia's Northern Neck. As of the 2000 census, the population was 16,718. Its county seat is Montross. Westmoreland County . Located halfway between Washington DC and the Chesapeake Bay, Westmoreland County offers easy access to both. The nearby Chesapeake Bay helps moderate Westmoreland County's climate year-round. Residents enjoy four seasons but with milder winters and cooler summers than many other locations in the commonwealth.

By the time English colonists arrived in the 1600's, the native Algonquians had a well-defined lifestyle and had established villages along the coves and streams of the mighty Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. (Today, the Rappahannocks are the only surviving Northern Neck natives. Artifacts of Westmoreland County's earliest inhabitants can be seen at the Westmoreland County Museum and the Kinsale Museum.) In the years that followed, European settlers gradually drove these people out of the region.

At the beginning of the Colonial era, Westmoreland was part of Northumberland County, which was created in 1648. Five years later Northumberland was divided and Westmoreland County as we know it today was established. As originally established by the British colonial government of Virginia, the territory of Westmoreland County encompassed much of what later become the various counties and cities of Northern Virginia (once including, for example, the areas which later became Arlington, the city of Alexandria, Fairfax County and Prince William County).

Westmoreland County has been home to more national leaders than any other county in the United States.

In 1766, Westmorelander Richard Henry Lee of Stratford Hall wrote the Leedstown Resolutions. Considered the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence, the resolutions were the first organized resistance to British tyranny. 115 patriots protesting the Stamp Act signed the document at Leedstown. Among the signers were six Lees, five Washingtons and Spence Monroe, father of President James Monroe. When war eventually did break out ten years later, Richard Henry Lee and his brother, Francis Lightfoot Lee, joined other patriots in signing the Declaration of Independence. At that same time, Westmoreland native George Washington took command of the Continental Army and was later elected the nation's first president. George Washington's Birthplace is now a 538-acre national park located on Pope's Creek between Montross and Oak Grove.

Westmoreland County's battles with the British did not end with the Revolutionary War. During the War of 1812, British forces disrupted shipping and raided villages throughout the Chesapeake Bay area. In 1813 British forces attacked the USS Asp near Kinsale. Her commander, Midshipman James Butler Signourney, was killed in the battle. Today, a replica of a cannon stands guard over his grave. It is one of the landmarks that can be seen on a walking tour offered by the Kinsale Museum. Westmoreland County native son, James Monroe, served as the fifth US President from 1817-25. Under his leadership, many key elements of America's foreign and domestic policy were drafted, including the Monroe Doctrine. His birthplace can be seen on Route 205 between Oak Grove and Colonial Beach.

When the War Between the States broke out, Westmoreland found itself on the dividing line between the North and the South. Robert E. Lee turned down command of the Union armies, refusing to "take part in an invasion" of his homeland. Instead he returned to Virginia to take command of the Confederate forces. More information about Lee can be found at Stratford Hall Plantation, his birthplace and childhood home. Following the Civil War, life in Westmoreland County returned to its fishing, farming and forestry traditions.

Today, Westmoreland County business owners, executives and telecommuters are no longer waiting for vacation or retirement to enjoy a full life. A gentle rural tidewater lifestyle combined with a skilled, low cost workforce only 80 miles from the nation's capital add up to a compelling relocation package. Westmoreland County has numerous compelling attractions and recreational areas for both historical and modern tastes.

For more information on activities in and around Westmoreland, Virginia, visit:

Virginia Tourism
Virginia Time Travelers

Westmoreland County Homes and Real Estate

Westmoreland County, Virginia real estate includes a wide variety of homes for sale, condos for sale, water access properties, active adult communities, hobby farms and executive properties. Whether you're presently a home buyer or home seller, we're confident we can help you achieve your real estate goals.

Sellers who have been in the area for a while know our reputation for knowledgeable advice, enthusiastic service, creative marketing and professional networking. We mine every source for interested buyers so you can feel at ease that your home will attract value and that it will remain in good hands.

For buyers new to the area, CENTURY 21 AdVenture will provide the specialized services you deserve: a strong work ethic, personal real estate expertise to help define your needs, help with selecting and securing standard financing for your purchase, special technology, constant communication throughout the transaction, and more. Our many years living and working in the area, combined with our cumulative years of experience in real estate, means we can cover all aspects of your search, from existing homes for sale, properties for sale, lots, vacant land, new construction, 55-plus and retirement communities, investment properties, waterfront, golf and recreational properties, all the way to luxury villas, estates and executive homes.

So when you're ready to buy or sell real estate in or around Westmoreland County, Virginia, please let CENTURY 21 AdVenture help you purchase the home or property of your dreams. Contact CENTURY 21 AdVenture today!

Other nearby communities have similar real estate characteristics as Westmoreland County and may also be of interest to you in your home search. Please feel free to ask your friends at CENTURY 21 AdVenture about homes for sale, lakeside/riverside properties and other real estate listings for nearby communities, such as Lake of the Woods, Fawn Lake, Lee’s Hill, Retreat at Chancellorsville, Lake Anna, Lake Caroline, Lake Landor, Cannon Ridge, Stafford Lakes, Idlewild, Hampton Oaks, England Run, Falls Run, Estates of Chancellorsville, Park Ridge, Lee’s Parke, A.P. Hill and much more.

Learn more about Westmoreland County, Virginia…