Appomattox A Great Place to Live
Appomattox A Great Place to Live
Appomattox County has a population of approximately 16,000 residents situated on 335 square miles in the Piedmont foothills east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. Waters falling on its land flow via the Appomattox and James rivers into the Chesapeake Bay and via the Falling River toward the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. The community is immersed in and surrounded by the natural beauty of Virginia.
The town of Appomattox is located on the U.S. 460 corridor between Lynchburg and Farmville, Virginia. A bit farther but convenient to the north is Charlottesville, to the south is Danville. Air transportation to and from central Virginia is provided via the Lynchburg Regional Airport. The county has a history of small business and agricultural activity with professional opportunities within commuting distance.
Tourism to the Appomattox National Historical Park, the American Civil War Museum and several other venues, including three Virginia State Parks and other area attractions, result in visitors to and through the county in excess of 100,000 annually. In 2017, the Appomattox Tourism Committee was formed to create marketing campaigns (Experience Appomattox), package multiple events/destinations and to cultivate synergy between venues to enhance visitor participation and utilization. At the time of this printing, this effort is a vital part of local commerce and is gaining momentum.
Retail operations in Appomattox serve as a semi-rural shopping hub for residents of neighboring counties who come periodically to purchase groceries and other consumables. Hardware and equipment sales and service operations draw customers while small specialty shops also have their following. Opportunity exists for additional retail offerings to profit from this regular traffic. An Economic Development Authority backed revitalization of the downtown business district is in its early stages.
Although manufacturing and industrial activity are currently somewhat lacking within the confines of the county, the potential for them to flourish exists. Sites are readily available for development in the county-owned industrial park and the privately owned vacated, former Thomasville Furniture Plant, as well as throughout the undeveloped rural areas of the community. Residents who are employed in such positions readily commute to the Lynchburg and Farmville areas.
The potential to provide skilled and educated labor is also present. The Appomattox school system, consisting of four fully accredited public schools plus two excellent religious-based private schools, is second to none in the area. The community is served directly by a satellite operation of the regional community college and is also surrounded by a half-dozen highly recognized institutions of higher learning and well-regarded vocational training facilities.
In addition to the tangible assets of the community, Appomattox is a place where people care for one another. It is evident in local churches, civic organizations and on the streets every day. There is a pride in and a following of local youth and an involvement in them becoming better citizens while enjoying their athletic achievements. When disaster strikes, there is never a shortage of people stepping forward to lend a hand. It is as if the spirit of unification initiated in 1865 is latent in the town’s modern-day psyche. n