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Lynchburg - independent city in Virginia, United States

See also: Lynchburg (Tennessee)

Downtown Lynchburg as seen from Monument Terrace.Lynchburg is an independent city of 79,000 (2020) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It lies east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Virginia.

Understand

Lynchburg began in 1757 as a ferry town, fording traffic across the James River. The city is built on centuries of history, boasting strong connections to Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other early American patriots. Because of the city's use by the Confederacy as a supply and hospital center, it served as a battlefield in the American Civil War. Lynchburg has been designated a portion of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. Lynchburg's historic districts contain many beautiful homes from the 19th century.

Lynchburg's name is derived from its founder, John Lynch, who, at the age of 17, began a ferry service across the James River to facilitate travel to and from New London. He would later be responsible for the bridge which would make his ferry service obsolete. Despite common misconceptions, neither John Lynch nor Lynchburg is associated with the origination of term, "lynching," though it may have originated with John's brother, Charles.

Geography and climate

Lynchburg's nickname, the "City of Seven Hills," is very descriptive of the geography of the city. Though it refers most directly to the hills near where the city was founded, these hills extend far beyond the riverfront at the James River. The area includes much of Candlers Mountain.

Spring in Lynchburg is short-lived, often it is simply a period of wide fluctuation between mid-late winter and early-mid summer temperatures. Summers are humid and hot with temperatures generally reaching 90°F. Autumns are mild; temperatures stay somewhere between 40°F and 55°F. Once winter hits, temperatures will top out near freezing until February and, perhaps, beyond. Winters can bring lots of snow to the Lynchburg area: about three one-foot snowstorms each winter.

Generally, storms will pass through over the course of a few hours, but rain systems without lightning and thunder will stick in Lynchburg for days at a time, lending to the nickname "Drenchburg." When there is wind in Lynchburg, it tends to be a very high wind. Unlike nearby areas, the warmest part of the day in this part of Virginia is generally 5PM.

Information center

Get in

By car

Lynchburg does not have direct interstate access. Instead, you can get to Lynchburg by one of three major U.S. Routes: U.S. 29 North and South, U.S. 460 East and West, and U.S. 501 North and South. U.S. 501, however, is generally only convenient for travel from the immediate northwest and southeast.

U.S. 29 merges with U.S. 460 at a three-way junction. When traveling to Lynchburg via U.S. 29S, a right exit is required to continue along U.S. 29S / U.S. 460W.

After US 29 and US 460 align together, they mostly bypass all of Lynchburg. To really enter Lynchburg from US 460, one can take US 460 Business (Timberlake Rd) and to enter Lynchburg from US 29 one can take US 29 Business (Wards Road).

By plane

  • Lynchburg Regional Airport (IATA: LYH), 37.3253°, -79.2011°. American Eagle operates a regional flight between Lynchburg Regional Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA: CLT). These flights operate on a schedule of approximately one plane arriving and departing every two hours. The airport offers a café with free wireless access.

By train

Lynchburg is a stop on the Northeast Regional offering twice daily service between Roanoke and the Northeast with stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Lynchburg is also a stop on the Crescent offering daily service between New Orleans and New York City. Both of these services are operated by Amtrak. Kemper Street station is located at 825 Kemper St, about one mile southwest of downtown.

Get around

By car

Driving is perhaps the most convenient way to get around Lynchburg. Apart from the Downtown area and the area on and around the campus of Liberty University, most of the city is not very friendly to pedestrian traffic.

The Lynchburg Expressway connects most of the major roadways in Lynchburg, intersecting and merging with the business segments of U.S. 29, U.S. 460, and U.S. 501.

While the city limits are very clearly marked, they are drawn in such a way that some places within the city are inaccessible without first traveling outside the city. For instance, the planned community at Wyndhurst can only be accessed via Enterprise Dr, which terminates in two different counties.

Newcomers can find the roads in Lynchburg highly confusing. A few major roads change names with no clear indication as to where these changes take place. For examples, Lakeside Dr becomes Forest Rd, Fort Ave becomes Timberlake Rd, and Memorial Ave becomes Fifth St. Further, the highway alignments can be confusing as there are multiple places where the "Northbound" lanes of one highway are aligned with the "Southbound" lanes of another. Also there are multiple sets of unrelated roads with confusingly similar names. One example is Langhorne Road, Langhorne Lane, Langhorne Avenue which are all totally separate roads in different parts of the city.

Several lots and limited on-street parking are available in Downtown Lynchburg. Two lots, the Midtown and Clay Street Parking Decks, are metered, operating on the mPARK system used in several other cities in the United States and abroad.

During the afternoon rush hour (4:45PM - 5:45PM), Candlers Mountain Rd, Wards Rd, and Timberlake Rd experience significantly increased traffic.

By taxi

Several dispatch taxi services operate in Lynchburg.

By bus

Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) offers bus services to the area. Single-segment trips are $2.00, and day and multi-day passes are also available. Most routes run to the central transfer center on Kemper Street and operate on 1 hour schedules. Because of this layout, however, travel from some points in the city to others may take in excess of an hour in spite of being only a few miles away. Liberty University operates an intra-campus bus service as well. This service is free to students, faculty, and visitors.

See

One of several buildings in the Old City Cemetery.

Museums

  • Daura Gallery, 1501 Lakeside Dr (In the Dillard Fine Arts Center at Lynchburg College), 37.39759166666666°, -79.182275°, +1 434 544-8343. M-F 9AM-4PM, Su 1-4PM (one Sunday a month). Open during the college academic year only. Free, donations encouraged
  • Historic Sandusky, 757 Sandusky Dr, 37.380187°, -79.196337°, +1 434 832-0162, civilwar@historicsandusky.org. This historic house served as the Union Headquarters during the Civil War Battle of Lynchburg. Sandusky is open by appointment. Adults $5, seniors $3, students $2 2022-07-16
  • Lynchburg Museum, 901 Court St, 37.413751°, -79.144269°, +1 434 455-6226. In the former Lynchburg court house. Parking is available in the Clay Parking Deck immediately behind the building. Adults $6, seniors $5, college student $4, children 6-17 $3, children under 6 free
  • Maier Museum of Art, 1 Quinlan St (on the campus of Randolph College), 37.439178°, -79.170062°, +1 434 947-8136. Academic year: Tu-Su 1PM-5PM; Summer: W-Su 1PM-4PM. Free, donations encouraged 2017-03-03
  • Monument Terrace, 9th St and Church St, 37.414089°, -79.143660°. Commemorates Lynchburg citizens who fought and died in the Civil War, Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. A 139-step staircase, the terrace's base is at the intersection of 9th and Church Streets and ends at Court Street in front of the Lynchburg Museum.
  • Old City Cemetery, 401 Taylor St, 37.413869°, -79.155121°, +1 434 847-1465, occ@gravegarden.org. Daily dawn-dusk. The oldest continuously-operated public cemetery in Virginia, museums on-site give a glimpse into rituals of mourning over the centuries. Free, guided tours by appointment $8/adult $3/child 2020-02-21
  • Point of Honor, 112 Cabell St, 37.420542°, -79.143872°. M–Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. Adults $6, seniors $5, college student $4, children 6-17 $3, children under 6 free

Parks

  • Miller Park, 2100 Park Ave, 37.40399°, -79.16228°. 37-acre park includes a pool and a beautiful historic aviary, now used as a banquet hall.
  • Peaks View Park, 170 Ivy Creek Ln, 37.41966°, -79.22945°. 250-acre park includes many walking/biking trails, sports fields, a frisbee golf course, and picnic facilities.
  • Riverside Park, 2270 Rivermont Ave, 37.437482°, -79.163208°. 47-acre park includes the Sprayground, an outdoor water playground.

Do

Lynchburg's hills make the city great for hiking and recreational biking. Percival's Island Trail, which connects with the Blackwater Creek Trail, forms a 13.5-mile paved trail that travels through Lynchburg. The trail can be accessed at three major points off Washington St, Jefferson St, and Langhorne Rd. The trail follows both the James River and the Blackwater Creek. Off of the trail there are several hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Liberty University also maintains a system of mountain biking and hiking trails on Candlers Mountain.

Sports

Lynchburg hosts a minor-league professional baseball team as well as several colleges with active athletics departments.

  • Liberty Flames and Lady Flames, 1971 University Blvd (Box office is in the Vines Center), 37.348844°, -79.180360°, +1 434 582-7328, tickets@liberty.edu. NCAA Division I teams representing Liberty University, playing mainly in the ASUN Conference but on their way to Conference USA in July 2023. The football team was independent (not in a conference) in the top-level FBS through the 2022 season. The main sports venues are on campus, most notably Williams Stadium (football) and the Liberty Arena (basketball and women's volleyball; also hosts many university events). The Liberty Arena is attached to the larger Vines Center that hosts basketball games expected to draw bigger crowds. 2021-10-27
  • Lynchburg Hillcats Baseball, 3180 Fort Ave, 37.392149°, -79.165512°, +1 434 528-1144. Low-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Free parking for all games behind the stadium.
  • Lynchburg Hornets, 1501 Lakeside Dr, +1 434 544-8286. NCAA Division III teams representing the University of Lynchburg, playing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
  • Randolph WildCats, 2500 Rivermont Ave, +1 434 947-8536. NCAA Division III teams representing Randolph College, playing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
  • VUL Dragons (Virginia University of Lynchburg), 2058 Garfield Ave. Lynchburg, VA 24501. Virginia University of Lynchburg is an HBCU and competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). VUL fields teams in football (men), basketball, volleyball (women), and track/field. 2022-07-16

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Stay safe

For emergencies occurring on the campus of Liberty University, call the Liberty University Police Department, +1 434 592-3911.

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The Overlord Arch at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

Lynchburg

lynchburgva.gov
Postal code:24501–245062450124504Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:America/New_YorkPopulation:79,009Coordinates:37.40, -79.17

City of Lynchburg

2nd-order administrative division

Virginia

Primary administrative division

United States

usa.gov
Population:327.2 MDial code:+1Currency:Dollar (USD)Voltage:120 V, 240 V, 60 Hz
NEMA 14-30NEMA 14-50