Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Independent city
	City of Lynchburg
	Downtown Lynchburg
	Seal Logo
	Nickname(s): City of Seven Hills, The Hill City
	Location in Virginia
	Lynchburg Location in the United States
	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 for	John Lynch
Government
• Type	Council–Manager
• Mayor	Stephanie Reed
• Vice Mayor	Chris Faraldi
• Council	Lynchburg City Council
Area
• Independent city	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)
• Independent city	79,009
• Estimate (2022)	79,287
• Rank	11th in Virginia
• Density	1,600/sq mi (620/km2)
• Urban	116,636 (US: 271st)
• Metro	261,593 (US: 189th)
• 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.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. 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.

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