Lynchburg, Virginia

AT A GLANCE LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA WHAT: A city of 76,500 WHERE: On the James River, east of the Blue Ridge Mountains WEBSITE: www.lynchburgva.gov L ynchburg, Virginia, is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, comprising just under 50 square miles along the banks of the James River. Known as the “City of Seven Hills” or the “Hill City,” the population was 75,568 as of the 2010 census, and estimated to have risen to 82,126 as of 2018, making it one of the fastest growing cities in Virginia. Lynchburg was named for its founder, John Lynch, who, at 17, started a ferry service at a ford across the James River to carry traffic to and from New London. The “City of Seven Hills” quickly developed along the hills surrounding Lynch’s Ferry. Virginia’s General Assembly recognized Lynchburg in 1786, and, subsequently, incorporated Lynchburg as a town in 1805, and a city in 1852. To avoid the many visitors at Monticello, President Thomas Jefferson, in 1806, developed a plantation and retreat home near Lynchburg, called Poplar Forest. He often visited the town, noting, “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be