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Small town

Living in Amherst, VA

Amherst is a small town of 1,865 people in Amherst County, Virginia. It's about 15 miles from Lynchburg, VA and 86 miles from Richmond, VA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 87°F and winter highs 48°F, with about 15 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $221k and rent runs about $718 a month.

1,865people
$221kTypical home
$718/moRent
87° / 48°Summer / winter
15"Snow
235Sunny days
93Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,865
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 380 people per sq mi
  • 86 mi to Richmond, VA
  • 15 mi to Lynchburg, VA
  • 10 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $221k (≈$1,392/mo)
  • Median rent $718/mo
  • Median household income $71k
  • Property tax about 0.4% of value
  • 1.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 87°F
  • Winter highs around 48°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
  • 235 sunny days a year (81 totally clear)
  • 130 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 93 days a year with rain or snow
  • 15" of snow a year
  • 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 5 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (132 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (800 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 50
  • 17% of households have kids
  • 29% are 65 or older
  • 26% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 23 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 19 mi to LYH airport
  • 95 mi to RIC (major hub)
  • 13 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 77% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1974
  • 87% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 722 ft
  • 99 mi to the ocean
  • 43 mi to a big lake
  • 13 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 24 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 13 mi to the nearest campground
  • 10 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 151 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 35 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 24 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 13 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Grocery store in town
  • 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 31 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 13 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 14 congregations per 10k people
  • 3 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Amherst County: R+37 in 2024
  • Virginia: D+6 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Amherst

More places in Virginia →