Airmont is an unincorporated area

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in the Loudoun Valley

Loudoun Valley

The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States.-Geography:...

 of Loudoun County

Loudoun County, Virginia

Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, USA. It is located at the crossroads of Snickersville Pike (Virginia Secondary Route 734) and Airmont Road (Virginia Secondary Route 719) approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) south of the town of Round Hill

Round Hill, Virginia

Round Hill is the name of several communities in the U.S. state of Virginia.*Round Hill, Frederick County, Virginia*Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia *Round Hill, Rappahannock County, Virginia...

 and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village of Bluemont

Bluemont, Virginia

Bluemont is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain. At 680 feet , it is the highest community in Loudoun County...

.

History

Though the crossroads location of Airmont had hosted a collection of dwellings and a general store since not long after the opening of the Snickersville Turnpike, it was not considered a village nor called Airmont until 1897 when the United States Post Office established a branch there. As was tradition, the first post-master of the office was allowed to name it. In this case, the honor went to Lucien Powell

Lucien Whiting Powell

Lucien Whiting Powell was a renowned landscape painter who gave the village of Airmont, Virginia its name for its scenic westward views...

, a renowned landscape painter who gave the village its name for its scenic westward views and in deference to the village of Philomont

Philomont, Virginia

Philomont is a small unincorporated rural village in western Loudoun County, Virginia. The name is derived from the Greek word philo meaning "beloved" and the French word mont or "mountain"; Philomont means "Beloved Mountain."-History:...

, named by an unknown Italian painter. Powell, himself, could be considered a native of Airmont, having been born a few miles southeast. The post office at Airmont did not last long, falling victim to Rural Free Delivery in 1912. In its short life the post office greatly helped the small village grow, reaching a population of 25 by 1908, prompting the establishment of a school the following year. Like most small villages in western Loudoun, Airmont began a slow decline during the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. The school closed in 1931 and many of its historic buildings were destroyed by fire or torn down through the years. The general store alone has survived, though through several intermittent incarnations.