Virginia University of Lynchburg in the context of "Historically black colleges and universities"

Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the James River, it had a population of 79,009 at the 2020 census, making it the 11th most populous independent city in Virginia. The city is nicknamed the "City of Seven Hills" or the "Hill City." Lynchburg was founded in 1757 by John Lynch, a Quaker ferry operator and abolitionist. During the American Civil War, Lynchburg’s strategic importance helped it remain the only major city in Virginia not recaptured by Union forces before the war’s end.

Lynchburg anchors the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which lies near the geographic center of Virginia and is the fifth-largest MSA in the state with a population of 261,593. The city is a regional hub for education, home to several institutions of higher learning including Liberty University, the University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, Virginia University of Lynchburg, and Central Virginia Community College.