Even as Fairfax County has exploded with growth, driving development ever closer to Clifton's doorstep, the town has maintained its signature charm.

Clifton is within the Occoquan River watershed, meaning development is limited to five-acre parcels. Woods and farms remain part of the landscape. Horses can be found in many places; cows, too.

Grand new homes that resemble mini-estates can be seen along the slalom-like routes into Clifton. Dense development is a 10-minute drive outside town.

Real estate prices in Clifton have skyrocketed, with modest homes going for well over $500,000; one resident who bought his 90-year-old home in the 1970s for $50,000 said it's probably worth $1 million.

But the increased home values have come at a price: traffic congestion. The narrow, two-lane roads in Clifton serve as cut-throughs for commuters headed to and from Washington. Mayor Jim Chesley said 14,000 vehicles travel through Clifton every weekday. He's working on a bypass proposal.

Traffic, said Chesley, "is killing Northern Virginia, and it's killing my town."

Clifton residents are not only passionate about their town, but they're organized. The Clifton Betterment Association is a group of local activists who work together to promote, among other things, renovation, restoration and orderly development of the town.

"Basically, what we do is raise money for things in the town," said CBA President Michelle Stein, "and have fun at the same time."

Stein moved to Clifton four years ago from Fort Lauderdale, which has just about nothing in common with Clifton.

"It's the exact opposite," said Stein. "You are welcomed into this community and given an assignment."

Stein's husband's assignment one recent morning was to baby-sit a neighbor's kids so she and several other women could surprise a friend on her 40th birthday as she waited at the bus stop to go to work.

"Not all of us are typically up and ready to see people by the time the bus comes," said Stein, "but there we were singing 'Happy Birthday' to her."

The bus comes to Clifton but not the train. Amtrak, freight trains and the Virginia Railway Express all rumble through town but don't stop there, except for special events. The train station was torn down decades ago.

Fortunately for Clifton, most of the homes and other buildings escaped the wrecking ball, preserving the town's rich past.

Clifton, chartered as a town in 1902, traces its roots to the 1800s when it was a summer getaway for Washingtonians. Several U.S. presidents - including Garfield, Grant and Hayes - reportedly visited the Clifton Hotel, which is now the Hermitage Inn Restaurant. Actress Helen Hayes maintained a home in Clifton. Nancy Reagan made the trip to town a number of times to dine at the Heart in Hand, an elegantly rustic restaurant that serves Southern cuisine. At lunchtime on the day of the holiday festivities, the Kentucky Hot Brown was mighty tasty. The ham-bean soup was, too.

Clifton was the first municipality in Fairfax with electricity and the home of the county's first high school. The opening scene of the movie "Broadcast News" was shot here. The guy who wrote "Sleepless in Seattle" lived on Main Street.

The town has been designated nationally and statewide as a historic place, and just about every house in town has a story, none better than Lynne Garvey-Wark's. Constructed in 1884, her home was built as a general mercantile store and through the years has served as a saloon, bakery, grocery, pool hall, cabinet shop and church.

"And," she said, "it has a ghost."