Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| City of Lynchburg | |
Downtown Lynchburg in 2021. | |
| Nickname(s): City of Seven Hills, The Hill City | |
Location in Virginia | |
| Coordinates: 37°24′13″N 79°10′12″W / 37.40361°N 79.17000°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Founded | 1786 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1805 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1852 |
| Named after | John Lynch |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–Manager |
| • Mayor | Larry Taylor (R) |
| • Vice Mayor | Curt Diemer (R) |
| • Council | Lynchburg City Council |
| Area | |
| 49.53 sq mi (128.27 km2) | |
| • Land | 48.97 sq mi (126.84 km2) |
| • Water | 0.55 sq mi (1.43 km2) |
| Elevation | 630 ft (192 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 79,009 | |
• Estimate (2023) | 79,535 |
| • Rank | 11th in Virginia |
| • Density | 1,600/sq mi (620/km2) |
| • Urban | 125,596 (US: 268th) |
| • Metro | 261,593 (US: 190th) |
| • Demonym | Lynchburger |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 24501, 24502, 24503, 24504, 24505, 24551 |
| Area code(s) | 434 |
| FIPS code | 51-680 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1479007 |
| Website | lynchburgva |
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and abolitionist John Lynch, the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census, making Lynchburg the 11th most populous city in Virginia. 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". 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.
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.