Lynchburg Virginia: A Good Place to Live

In the fall of 1998 you would have thought my life was coming to an end. My mother had moved me at age eleven from Chino, California to Lynchburg, Virginia. We had spent the summer in Danville, which is about an hour long country drive South of here near the North Carolina border. Even though Danville is more back woods than Lynchburg I accepted it there since we were on a horse farm staying with friends. But, mere weeks before school was supposed to start we packed up our bags and Mom drove us out to Madison Heights, on the North side of the river in Amherst County. I nearly cried as I saw the crisscrossing telephone wires draped over the road hiding the faded fast food signs on either side. We moved into a basement apartment with one window so it is an understatement to say I was less than thrilled at first.

Since then Lynchburg has grown on me and has grown for that matter. It is an hour East of Roanoke, an hour and a half South of Charlottesville, and almost two hours West of Richmond, our capitol. The James River marks the Northern border of the city and holds some of the best photo opportunities in Lynchburg. Thousands of years have etched the river deep into the rock. The Amherst County side has high cliffs overgrown with green vines and brave trees. The Lynchburg side is home to our historic downtown, which is currently being revived. The river provides tons of exercise options since there are multiple trails through the preserved banks. And, as soon as you're off the trails you can grab a bite to eat at the Depot Grill, yum. Since the restoration began downtown has started breathing with life again. The old Academy theater is under renovation, you can take your kids to Amazement Square, an interactive children's museum, and new restaurants and clubs are opening up all the time. Bentley and Company has been one of Lynchburg's most successful nightlife scenes to date, running some kind of gimmick every night to draw crowds. In the warmer months everyone will also flock downtown for Friday Cheers, yeah it's a Southern tradition full of cheap beer and sweltering heat.

If Main Street doesn't float your boat then you can take Rivermont Rd. until you get to Boonsboro. Boonsboro is one of Lynchburg's most affluent neighborhoods rivaled only by nearby Forest Virginia. Down this main drag most of the homes were constructed in the 1800s and are protected by historical district regulations. Not that they need to be protected because the wealthy have done a fabulous job preserving them for all. This neck of the woods is characterized by the ample sidewalks pounded daily by moms with jogging strollers. The only fast food in Boonsboro is a Burger King gas station and I think they snuck in. There are however several upscale private restaurants and a Starbucks.

All of our retail stores have set up shop on Wards Rd. or Timberlake Dr. on the South side. That's where you'll find our WalMart, Target, etc. and every fast food chain you can think of three times over. Back during World War I soldiers laid over her began calling our town Lunchburg, but they didn't know how right on they were. In the absence of a civic center or any large scale entertainment we like to eat to pass the time. Driving down Wards Rd. will let you glimpse over 20 restaurants crammed together for our eating pleasure.

But more to the point, I believe I titled this article, "Lynchburg Virginia: A Good Place to Live," so I'm going to get to the point. This little city is surrounded by quiet country counties, each with their own flavor. Whether you're driving in town or on th outskirts you will see trees everywhere. In fact we win prizes for them every year, sometimes being known as the Tree City although the locals usually refer to Lynchburg as the Hill City. The houses are reasonably priced and my husband and I plan on grabbing ourselves one of them sometime this year. Ranches, Antebellum, cottages, bungalows, and mansions. Every type of architecture has a home here. The seasons that cover these trees and homes are usually mild, but give at least one snow a year and the prettiest fall leaves out on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The city is filled with good people to complement the backdrop. We have several colleges here, Liberty University, Randolph College (formally Randolph-Macon Women's College, Lynchburg College, Sweet Briar Women's College, and our community college, Central Virginia Community College. They bring a fresh batch of conservative young folks every year. It's always funny to hear them gripe about not having anything to do here, but by the time they graduate many of them decide to stay. There are tons of elementary schools for people raising a family, several private schools, and all of the high schools have their strong points. The job market here is usually alright, even though no one here makes as much as they could in a big city. Over the last decade many large manufacturers and call centers have set up base here and prospered. The only major layoffs I can remember were about five years ago when Ericson closed down. The folks here mostly go to work everyday and spend every night with their families, getting along with each other as well. There are only traces of prejudice from the Confederate way of thinking. In summary, Lynchburg is a place you could get a good education, raise a family, stay fit, eat, and make a little money. One article could never explain all the little joys of the day to day here. But, you could say that for most towns. I'm glad I came here. I could have left several times by now, but I chose to stay. Thank you for reading and stop by to visit sometime.