All Neighbors in Lynchburg, VA
Top Neighbors: The magic behind the mirrors
You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
"Lynchburg is growing more rapidly than any town I have ever known in any country." So Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1817. He might have added that much of that growth was occurring on a certain hill just to the southwest of the original town limits. In fact, Federal Hill, as it soon came to be called, was Lynchburg's first residential suburb. 
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Lynchburg prospered anew as it sought to forget the war to become a leading player in the progressive drama of development called the "New South." Though new suburbs were laid out and soon built upon, stretching the city limits ever farther in all directions, Federal Hill continued as a prime residential venue. Houses built during these years were generally in the ornate Queen Anne style, often in striking architectural contrast with the earlier, more sedate neighbors
Similarly, the 1909 construction of "Federal Crest (pic right") the last of the large-scale houses on the hill, and the sole example of the newly popular Georgian Revival style, was accomplished only by the destruction of one of the city's most important ante-bellum Italian villas. 
Lynchburg would see its third railroad, the Orange and Alexandria (a northern route), in a few more years. In the summer of 1855, Lynchburg served as a refuge from the yellow-fever-plagued cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and in the following year, a series of back-to-back snowstorms dumped 58 inches of snow on Lynchburg.
In the late 1820's, the town accomplished a major engineering feat with the construction of a water works system which drew its supply from the river below. Plagued by continual problems with a spring and well-based water supply, a reservoir was constructed (at the corner of 7th and Clay St.) along with wooden pipes and a pump house at the river (near the base of 7th).
The building soon fell into ruins (pictured to the left), but was restored in the early 1900's after the land was purchased by area Presbyterians (across from the intersection of Fort Avenue and Sandusky Drive). The town of Lynchburg grew slowly between 1786 and the turn of the century, with the addition of a tobacco warehouse, a few stores, homes, taverns, a Masonic Lodge and one small church. 1798 saw the creation of the town's first newspaper, and the following year saw initial efforts to supply the town with water from springs and wells.
By the early 1800's, tobacco was the city's major economy, with numerous warehouses processing and shipping the product east to Richmond by river batteaux. 1817 saw the beginnings of construction of the Salem Turnpike (the roadbed of what is now U.S. 460 between Lynchburg and Roanoke) as well as a toll bridge across the James River (this bridge was at 9th street, at the original ferry site).
