Amelia Court House offers country living outside the state capital
Amelia Court House, often just referred to as Amelia, is a rural county of about 1,100 residents. A small downtown area features a historic courthouse square, small local businesses and annual events like the Amelia Day festival, while the outskirts of the community are known for their quiet charm, rolling farmland and strong sense of community. “I joke that we’re still Mayberry,” says Realtor Anita Williamson with James River Realty Group, LLC, who grew up in Amelia and built a home on her family’s land. “People tend to stick around.” Rich in Civil War history, the area played a role during Robert E. Lee’s retreat to Appomattox. Today, Amelia maintains its agricultural roots and offers a peaceful lifestyle about 40 miles northeast of Richmond.
Residents gather for Amelia Day and other town events
Like most small towns, Amelia hosts events throughout the year that bring folks together. The biggest, Amelia Day, began in the 1980s to commemorate the town’s founding and has continued each year on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Vendors and food trucks line Courthouse Square, and entertainers perform all day. “It’s a great small town community day where people come out and see their neighbors that they haven’t seen in a while,” Williamson says. “It’s definitely one of the highlights of our community.” The Amelia County Fair features carnival rides, live music and the Miss Amelia County Fair Pageant. In October, there's Amelia Frightfest, a haunted trail through the woods, while the Amelia County Christmas Parade in December brings festive floats and holiday cheer. Plus, new events are coming to town all the time. “Because we are a rural farming community, we have had a tractor parade for the past 3 years,” Williamson says. “There’s no registration. All the farmers show up and go through the entire parade route with at least 100 tractors.” The route ends at the Barn Bash Festival, a free community event with entertainment, food and a petting zoo. “Kids get to climb on the tractors, and adults who are interested in them get to talk to farmers about the history and things like that.”
Houses on large plots of land with low personal property tax
Homes in Amelia typically sit on spacious lots, ranging from a quarter of an acre to hundreds of acres. There’s a lot of elbow room between properties, with farmland dotting roadsides, creeks running through wooded backyards and long driveways leading to houses. The area’s median single-family home price is $360,000, with prices ranging from $110,000 to $930,000, depending on a property’s size, age and condition. Colonial Revivals, Cape Cods and ranch-style homes are common. Plots of land can cost between $30,000 and $660,000, with parcel size contributing to price variation. The area also features a lower personal property tax than many surrounding areas, making it an attractive option for first-time homebuyers or those looking for a lower cost of living.
Amelia Wildlife Management Area and other recreation
Spanning over 2,000 acres, the Amelia Wildlife Management Area sits along the Appomattox River. Hardwood forests with gently rolling terrain offer hiking trails, 100-acre Amelia Lake is stocked with largemouth bass and catfish for fishing and hunters chase deer, turkey and waterfowl along the river during their respective seasons. Golfers can tee off at the 9-hole Amelia Golf and Country Club, which hosts tournaments and has a clubhouse and restaurants. On Dunn Road, the James L. Hamner Public Library is where residents can go for quiet study.
Students zoned for Amelia County Public Schools
The Amelia County Public Schools district serves Amelia Court House. The district, which educates about 800 students, receives a C-plus from Niche and has a student-teacher ratio of 16-to-1. Amelia County Elementary and Amelia County Middle get C-plus scores from Niche, while Amelia County High School earns a B-minus and offers concurrent programs with nearby Brightpoint Community College, preparing students for entry-level jobs in fields like welding, industrial electricity, industrial maintenance and more. Plus, homecoming is a big deal. “We’re still so small that we have a homecoming parade for our local high school,” Williamson says. “The whole town comes out to show their support for the team.” On the Thursday before the Friday night football game, each grade and club decorates a float, homecoming princes and princesses ride in open convertibles and the marching band and football players show their school spirit. Amelia Academy, a private school that earns a B-minus from Niche and educates kindergarteners to 12th-grade students, is also in the area.
Central downtown district and running errands out of town
There are a few shops and restaurants in Amelia Court House's small downtown area. “We’re rural,” Williamson says. “We don’t have a lot of commercialized businesses.” Locals can eat out at Mi Jalisco Family Mexican Restaurant, serving quesadillas, enchiladas and other favorites, or Eazy’s Kitchen and Bar, an unassuming spot in a white Colonial Revival building that dishes up American fare. While there’s a Food Lion grocery store in town, Williamson notes that those living in the western part of Amelia often travel into Farmville to run errands. Those living in the eastern part of the area will head to western Chesterfield, frequently visiting the Westchester Commons shopping center, where there’s a Target, various fast-casual and sit-down eateries and a movie theatre.
Getting around Amelia Court House
Because it’s so rural, Amelia is car-dependent. U.S. Route 360 is its primary east-west corridor, connecting the area to Chesterfield County and the Richmond metropolitan area to the east, and to Prince Edward County and Lynchburg to the west. “We call ourselves a bedroom community,” Williamson says. “Homes in the eastern part of the county near Chesterfield usually go for a higher price than those to the west because of the extra 20- or 30-minute drive.” For air travel, Richmond International Airport is about 51 miles northeast.
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Adreanna DeMarino
