Appomattox, Virginia · Area guide
The Appomattox County seat, about 30 minutes east of Lynchburg: a railroad town with a small Main Street, rural land all around and the place the Civil War ended just up the road.
The Appomattox County seat
Appomattox is the county seat of Appomattox County, about 20 miles east of Lynchburg on U.S. 460. It is a small town, about 1,900 people at the 2020 Census, and it did not start out as the county seat. It grew up around a railroad depot, a stop called Nebraska in the 1850s. The original county seat was a few miles northeast, in the village of Appomattox Court House. After that village's courthouse burned in 1892, voters moved the county seat to the depot town, which took the name Appomattox. The town received its charter in 1925 and celebrated its centennial in 2025.
The railroad is still part of its identity. The 1920s depot on Main Street is now the town's visitor center, and the Railroad Festival fills downtown every October.
Beyond the town limits, Appomattox County is rural: farms, timberland and homes on acreage, with a state forest to the northeast. For buyers who want land and a slower pace, with Lynchburg about half an hour away, it is worth a serious look.
A railroad town with a Main Street, land all around and Lynchburg about half an hour away.
From depot to county seat
April 9, 1865
On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of Wilmer McLean's house, in the village of Appomattox Court House a few miles northeast of today's town. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. The village courthouse, despite the name, played no part; it was closed that day for Palm Sunday.
The house was built in 1848 as a tavern. In 1893 it was taken apart for a plan to exhibit it elsewhere, a plan that never happened, and the National Park Service rebuilt it on its original site; it reopened in 1949. The whole village is now Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, more than 1,700 acres, with the reconstructed courthouse as its visitor center. Back in town, the American Civil War Museum at Appomattox, opened in 2012, displays the uniform coat and sword Lee wore to the surrender.
Town or county
An Appomattox address can be inside the town limits or out in the county. The town adds its own real estate tax, and in return provides water, sewer and trash pickup.
$0.74 per $100
$0.11 town + $0.63 county
Town of Appomattox
Town curbside collection
Appomattox County Sheriff's Office (the town funds the service)
Appomattox County Public Schools
$0.63 per $100
Usually a private well and septic system
Not provided by the town
Appomattox County Sheriff's Office
Appomattox County Public Schools
Appomattox County reassessed property in 2026, and total values rose more than 52%. The county adopted a lower rate for the 2027 tax year to go with the new values. Look at a home's new assessed value, not just the rate, and I check both town and county numbers for every home before you make an offer.
Rates per $100 of assessed value, as of October 5, 2026. Confirm with the locality.
Neighborhoods
Late 1800s to mid-1900sThe streets around Main Street and the 1890s county courthouse hold the town's oldest homes, with town water and sewer.
Growth around Appomattox has added newer neighborhoods just outside the center, many of them in the county.
MixedWest of town, U.S. 460 and Route 24 run together toward Concord and the Campbell County line, the side of the county closest to Lynchburg.
MixedMost of Appomattox County is rural. Expect private wells and septic systems, gravel driveways and parcels measured in acres, not lots.
Drive times
U.S. 460 skirts the east side of town and runs west to Lynchburg and east to Farmville. Business 460 runs through the center. Route 24 heads northeast past the national historical park toward the state forest, and Route 26 runs north to the James River at Bent Creek.
By air
Lynchburg Regional Airport, about 35 minutes.
By train
Kemper Street Station in Lynchburg, about 30 minutes.
Census data
These figures cover all of Appomattox County. The town itself had about 1,900 residents at the 2020 Census, too few for reliable survey estimates of its own. The county grew about 6.6% between 2020 and 2025.
State forest and state park
560 acres around a 119-acre lake, with camping, deep in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest.
19,808 acres for hiking, biking, horseback riding, hunting and fishing.
the historic village, its fields and its roads, a few minutes from town.
Courtland Festival Park, Abbitt Park and the community park.
Local favorites
downtown on the second full weekend of October every year for more than 50 years, with a parade and fireworks.
the 1920s Norfolk and Western station on Main Street, now the visitor center.
the national historical park and the American Civil War Museum, both minutes away.
Joel Walker Sweeney, who helped popularize the banjo in the 1800s, was born in Appomattox County and is buried in the park, which has hosted banjo concerts on the McLean House porch.
state forest, a state park lake and farmland all around.
Schools
Appomattox County Public Schools has one school for each stage.
Every home in the county attends the same four schools, which makes zoning simple, but I still confirm it for every home.
Employers
26.7minute average commute
Appomattox County's largest employers include the county school system, Walmart, the county government, Petrochem Recovery Services and Kroger. Lynchburg is the top commuting destination for county residents, about half an hour west on U.S. 460.
Before you commit
the town adds its own tax, water, sewer and trash service. The mailing address will not tell you which side of the line a home is on.
after the 2026 reassessment, I look at the home's new assessed value and the new rate together, so the tax estimate you see is the one you will pay.
outside town, most homes rely on a private well and septic system. I make sure the inspections cover both.
on rural parcels, I look at the survey, road access, easements and whether timber has been cut or sold.
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.
Selling
The homes that sell best here are priced from real comparable sales in Appomattox County, prepared well and presented beautifully. After a reassessment like 2026's, buyers ask about taxes, so I make sure your listing answers that question up front. I list Appomattox 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. Appomattox Court House is the historic village where Lee surrendered to Grant, now a national historical park a few miles northeast of town. The town of Appomattox grew up around the railroad depot and became the county seat after the old courthouse burned in 1892.
Outside the town limits, homes pay Appomattox County's rate: $0.63 per $100 of assessed value. Inside the town limits, homes also pay the Town of Appomattox's $0.11 per $100, for a total of $0.74. The county reassessed in 2026 and adopted a new rate for the 2027 tax year, so confirm current rates with the town and county before you buy.
Appomattox County Public Schools: Appomattox Primary, Appomattox Elementary, Appomattox Middle and Appomattox County High School. The county has one school at each level.
About 20 miles, or about 30 minutes to downtown Lynchburg on U.S. 460.
The second full weekend of October, in downtown Appomattox. It has run for more than 50 years.
Homes inside the town limits are on the town's water and sewer system. Outside town, most homes use a private well and septic system. I confirm which for every home.
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