Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia
City of Lynchburg
Downtown Lynchburg
Downtown Lynchburg
Nickname(s): 
City of Seven Hills, The Hill City
Location in Virginia
Location in Virginia
Lynchburg is located in the United States
Lynchburg
Lynchburg
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 37°24′13″N 79°10′12″W / 37.40361°N 79.17000°W / 37.40361; -79.17000
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
Founded1786
Incorporated (town)1805
Incorporated (city)1852
Named forJohn Lynch
Government
 • TypeCouncil–Manager
 • MayorStephanie Reed (R)
 • Vice MayorChris Faraldi (R)
 • CouncilLynchburg City Council
Area
49.53 sq mi (128.27 km2)
 • Land48.97 sq mi (126.84 km2)
 • Water0.55 sq mi (1.43 km2)
Elevation
630 ft (192 m)
Population
 (2020)
79,009
 • Estimate 
(2023)
79,535
 • Rank11th in Virginia
 • Density1,600/sq mi (620/km2)
 • Urban
125,596 (US: 268th)
 • Metro
261,593 (US: 190th)
 • Demonym
Lynchburger
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
24501, 24502, 24503, 24504, 24505, 24551
Area code(s)434
FIPS code51-680
GNIS feature ID1479007[2]
Websitelynchburgva.gov

Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch, the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census, making Lynchburg the 11th most populous city in Virginia.[3] Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or the "Hill City".[4] In the 1860s, Lynchburg was the only city in Virginia that was not recaptured by the Union before the end of the American Civil War.[5]

Lynchburg lies at the center of a wider metropolitan area close to the geographic center of Virginia locally known as “the Lynchburg area”. It is the fifth-largest MSA in Virginia, with a population of 261,593. It is the site of several institutions of higher education, including Virginia University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, University of Lynchburg, Central Virginia Community College and Liberty University. Nearby cities include Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Danville.

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Lynchburg city, Lynchburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "Lynchburg's History". Lynchburg Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Spencer Tucker, American Civil War : the definitive encyclopedia and document collection (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013), 1174.

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