CVPDC Community Profile

Central Virginia Planning District Commission Hazard Mitigation Plan 2020

About the CVPDC

The Central Virginia Planning District Commission (CVPDC) is one of 21 PDCs of the Commonwealth. In January 2001 the CVPDC was transformed into the Region 2000 Local Government Council and had been referred to simply as Region 2000. In March 2019, the Region 2000 went "back to its root" and re-established itself as the CVPDC during its 50th anniversary.

The CVPDC is a defined geographic area surrounding the City of Lynchburg. The Blue Ridge Mountains, James River, Staunton River, Smith Mountain Lake are the important physiographic features of the region. The CVPDC is a business-friendly region in the heart of Virginia, just three hours south of the Washington DC metro area. Communities that make up the region include  Amherst County ,  Bedford County ,  Appomattox County ,  Campbell County ,  Lynchburg City , and the towns of  Altavista ,  Appomattox ,  Amherst ,  Brookneal  and  Pamplin City . The total land area of the communities encompasses approximately 2,000 square miles.

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Amherst County

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Town of Amherst

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Appomattox County

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Bedford County

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Campbell County

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City of Lynchburg

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Natural Features

Topography

Much of the CVPDC consists of beautiful rolling hills and low areas within stream valleys. West of the area consists of long, steep mountain flanks that border broad, strongly sloping mountaintops. The center of the PDC is well developed and very urbanized with gently rolling to rolling topography. Elevation ranges from about 400 feet above sea level in the James River flood plain to above 4,000 feet above sea level on Mt. Pleasant in the west.

Geology

Metamorphic rocks are most prevalent in the CVPDC and exist in over 80 percent of the region, such as gneiss, schist, and phyllite. The majority of igneous rocks like granite are mainly found in the Blue Ridge province portion. Sedimentary rocks are rare, accounting for less than 4 percent of the area. They include shale, sandstone, and few limestone and dolomites. They are concentrated in the western region where falling within Valley and Ridge province, and the south inside Campbell County. Most of the soils are a result of these rock formations weathering and tend to be fine-textured.

Physiography

Major physiographic provinces in CVPDC are the Piedmont Plateau (Campbell, Appomattox, Lynchburg, and parts of Bedford and Amherst), the Blue Ridge (Parts of Bedford and Amherst), and the Ridge and Valley (Small portion of Bedford County).