Amherst, Virginia · Area guide
The Amherst County seat: a small-town Main Street, Sweet Briar College just south of town and the Blue Ridge to the west, about 20 minutes north of Lynchburg.
The Amherst County seat
Amherst is the county seat of Amherst County, a small town of about 2,100 people roughly 13 miles north of Lynchburg. It began in 1807 as a stagecoach stop on the road between Charlottesville and Lynchburg. After Nelson County was carved from the northern half of Amherst County in the early 1800s, the county seat moved here, and the town took the county's name, which honors Jeffery Amherst. It was incorporated in 1910.
Town life still centers on Main Street: the Amherst County Courthouse, the county museum, Second Stage and local businesses, with the town's traffic circle at the junction of Main Street and U.S. 60. Many homes with an Amherst address are outside the town limits, out in a county of farms, forests and mountains.
That is the trade Amherst offers. The drive to Lynchburg is longer than from Madison Heights, and in return you get land, quiet, a small-town Main Street and the Blue Ridge within reach.
A small-town Main Street, Sweet Briar next door and the Blue Ridge to the west.
From stagecoach stop to county seat
Next door
Just south of town, Sweet Briar College spreads across about 2,800 acres of Blue Ridge foothills, with woods, fields, vineyards, a 130-acre equestrian center and about 20 miles of trails. Indiana Fletcher Williams founded it in 1901 in memory of her daughter, Daisy. Ralph Adams Cram designed the campus, and much of it is now a National Register historic district.
In 2015, the college announced it would close. Alumnae and supporters organized as Saving Sweet Briar, went to court and raised more than $12 million, and the closure was reversed that summer. Today it is a women's college known for its riding program and an accredited engineering program, and it is one of Amherst County's largest employers.
The college takes its name from the Fletcher family's Sweet Briar plantation, where more than 110 people were enslaved by 1858, and the campus preserves a burial ground for the enslaved.
Town or county
Amherst is a small town inside a large county, and many homes with an Amherst address sit outside the town limits. The real estate tax is the same either way, because the town charges none. Services are not the same.
$0.61 per $100
about $1,525
None: county rate only
Town of Amherst water system
Amherst Police Department
Amherst County Public Schools
$0.61 per $100
about $1,525
Usually a private well; public water in some areas
Amherst County Sheriff's Office
Amherst County Public Schools
*Illustration only, assuming the assessed value equals $250,000. Your actual bill depends on the assessment.
In town, you are close to Main Street with public water. Out in the county, you get land and privacy, usually with a well and septic system. I confirm which side of the line every home is on before you make an offer.
Rates per $100 of assessed value, as of October 5, 2026. Confirm with the locality.
Neighborhoods
1800s to mid-1900sThe streets around Main Street hold some of Amherst's oldest homes, a short walk from the courthouse, the museum, Second Stage and the Circle.
MixedNeighborhoods just outside the center offer newer homes and easy access to the U.S. 29 bypass, north toward Charlottesville and south toward Lynchburg.
Between the town and Madison Heights, homes along the U.S. 29 Business corridor put Sweet Briar minutes away and shorten the drive to Lynchburg.
Head west on U.S. 60 and the county rises toward the Blue Ridge. Expect larger parcels, private wells and septic systems, and long gravel driveways.
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U.S. 29 bypasses downtown and runs south to Lynchburg and north to Charlottesville. U.S. 60 crosses the county east to west, toward Richmond in one direction and Lexington and Interstate 81 in the other.
Census data
These figures cover all of Amherst County, including Madison Heights. The town of Amherst itself had 2,110 residents at the 2020 Census, too few for reliable survey estimates of its own.
Mountains and lakes
7,580 acres of the George Washington National Forest in western Amherst County, topped by 4,071-foot Mount Pleasant.
about 25 miles of it cross Amherst County, over Cole Mountain and Bald Knob.
it forms part of the county's western boundary.
the county has four, including Mill Creek Lake and Thrashers Lake.
Local favorites
the traffic circle at Main Street and U.S. 60, designed in 1936 and considered the oldest in Virginia, with a fountain at its center since 2006.
an arts and community center in a former 19th-century church in town, with concerts, lectures, summer programs and seasonal farm and artisan markets.
county history exhibits and a research library at 154 South Main Street.
a historic campus just down the road.
Mount Pleasant and the Appalachian Trail within about an hour.
Schools
Amherst is served by Amherst County Public Schools. Schools with Amherst addresses include:
Zoning follows the exact address, so I confirm it for every home.
For college, Sweet Briar is just south of town, Central Virginia Community College has a small center in Amherst, and Lynchburg's colleges are about half an hour away.
Employers
About25minute average commute
Amherst County's largest employers include the county school system, the county government, Glad Manufacturing, Sweet Briar College and Walmart. Lynchburg is the top commuting destination for county residents, and from Amherst most of the city is within about half an hour.
Before you commit
the tax is the same, but water and police are not. The mailing address will not tell you which.
outside town, most homes rely on a private well and septic system. I make sure the inspections cover both.
many in-town homes are decades old. I look closely at roofs, wiring, plumbing and heating. Homes built before 1978 come with a lead-based paint disclosure.
on rural parcels, I look at the survey, road access, easements and whether the land can be used the way you plan.
a few low-lying areas along the county's rivers and creeks fall in FEMA flood zones, which affects insurance. I check the map for every home.
Selling
The homes that sell best here are priced from real comparable sales in Amherst County, prepared well and presented beautifully. I list Amherst homes for a flat fee instead of a percentage of your price, with the same full service. For homes under $250,000, Egan Kemp, REALTOR® with LPT Realty, Inc., offers full service at a lower fee. My minimum fee can be more than a typical commission in that range, but you can still hire me.
FAQ
No. The town of Amherst is the county seat, a small town of about 2,100 people. Many homes with an Amherst address are outside the town limits in the county, and Madison Heights, closer to Lynchburg, is also in Amherst County.
Amherst County charges $0.61 per $100 of assessed value (Amherst County, as of October 5, 2026). The Town of Amherst currently charges no real estate tax, so homes in town pay only the county rate. Confirm the current rate before you buy.
Amherst County Public Schools. Elementary schools with Amherst addresses include Amherst, Central and Temperance, along with Amherst Middle School and Amherst County High School. Confirm zoning for the exact address.
About 20 to 25 minutes to downtown Lynchburg and about 50 minutes to Charlottesville, both on U.S. 29.
About 5 minutes south of town. Its campus covers about 2,800 acres.
Homes in town are on the Town of Amherst water system. Outside town, most homes use a private well and septic system, though some areas have public water. I confirm which for every home.
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