Amherst County | |
|---|---|
 Amherst County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Virginia | |
 Virginia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 37°37′N 79°08′W / 37.61°N 79.14°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1761 |
| Named for | Jeffery Amherst |
| Seat | Amherst |
| Largest town | Amherst |
| Area | |
| • Total | 479 sq mi (1,240 km2) |
| • Land | 474 sq mi (1,230 km2) |
| • Water | 4.9 sq mi (13 km2) 1.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 31,307 |
| • Density | 65/sq mi (25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | www |
Amherst County is a county, located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The county is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, and its county seat is also named Amherst.[1]
Amherst County was created in 1761 out of Albemarle County, and it was named in honor of Lord Jeffery Amherst, the so-called "Conqueror of Canada". In 1807 as population increased, the county was reduced in size in order to form Nelson County. Tobacco was the major cash crop of the county during its early years. The labor-intensive crop was worked and processed by enslaved Africans and African Americans before the American Civil War.
As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 31,307.[2]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Amherst County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.