As Thanksgiving fades and winter settles in, the holiday season in Lynchburg begins to shine in its own unique way. For many of us, this time of year carries a certain nostalgia. Whether your childhood memories include shopping along Main Street, browsing the Plaza for holiday gifts, or, like me, wandering the interior “streets” of River Ridge mall, this season has a special way of reminding us where we’ve been and how much our community has grown.
One of my favorite childhood traditions was driving through the Blue Ridge Farms neighborhood to admire the home famous for its million-light Christmas display. Cars would crawl, families would lean toward their windows, and if you timed it right, Santa himself would be waving from the front yard. Back in the early 1990s, when the line of headlights stretched down the street all December long, the average home price in Blue Ridge Farms hovered just over $50,000. Today, that same neighborhood averages just above $200,000 – a testament to how steadily values have risen over time.
Another long-lived tradition that has seen a welcome revival is the Christmas Eve luminary display on Cranehill Drive. For decades, homeowners lined the road with hundreds upon hundreds of glowing white bags, creating a quiet and breathtaking scene. The neighborhoods near the Linkhorne schools now carry an average price around $425,000. Twenty-five years ago, those same homes averaged closer to $150,000. The change is remarkable, and it reflects the strong, consistent growth of the Lynchburg real estate market.
And, of course, no holiday reflection would be complete without the Lynchburg Christmas Parade. Generations of residents – including myself banging the drums in blue and white – have marched or lined up along Main Street to celebrate the season together. When the parade debuted in 1959, the average home in Lynchburg cost around $10,000. Today, within the Lynchburg city limits, that number has climbed to about $335,000.
Despite not being able to take my children to see the singing bears anymore in the mall, or have them experience the food haven that was Morrison’s Cafe after an afternoon of holiday shopping, there are many new experiences in town that I get to share with my children and we get to create new memories here in our wonderful community. The holidays remind us that while things change, our sense of community endures, and that remains one of the strongest foundations of our local real estate market.
Billy Morris
2025 President of the Lynchburg Association of Realtors
An Associate Broker at John Stewart Walker, Inc.