Welcome to Bedford ...
While we don't have a date for the founding of Bedford, you might get a feel for it by knowing that the earliest mention that we've found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Bedford has a population of 6,625 people<1> (see below for details).
The city of Bedford is 1,000 feet [305 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Bedford lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Bedford: 540 & 826<3>
The ZIP code for Bedford: 24523<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Bedford had an population of 6,625 people. This is an increase of 6.48% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 5.18% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Bedford had a population of 6,222 people.
The population of Bedford represents 0.08% of the total population of Virginia (which has 8,001,024 people), making it the state's 55th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 6,222 people, the population of Bedford decreased 1.22% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 6,299 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Bedford.
Communities Also Named Bedford ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Virginia communities named Bedford: This one is located in and the other is located in Shenandoah County.
Beyond Virginia, there are 32 communities that are also named Bedford - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana (2), Manitoba, Massachusetts, Michigan (2), Missouri, Montana (2), New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York (2), North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bedford.
Websites for Bedford ...
Official Website: www.ci.bedford.va.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.bedfordareachamber.com/
Communities near Bedford ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Bedford.
- Radford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south) - Altavista
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altavista have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altavista
- Altavista is located in Campbell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,422 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altavista <6>
- Buchanan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan
- Buchanan is located in Botetourt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,182 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buchanan <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Buchanan
- From Bedford to Buchanan
- Joppa Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Joppa Mill
- From Bedford to Joppa Mill
- Lowry
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Lowry
- From Bedford to Lowry
- Peaksville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peaksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<7>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Peaksville
- From Bedford to Peaksville
- Goode
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goode
- Goode is located in Bedford County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goode <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Goode
- From Bedford to Goode
- Cifax
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cifax. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<7>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
- Cifax is located in Bedford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Cifax
- From Bedford to Cifax
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coonsville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Davis Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<7>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Davis Mill
- From Bedford to Davis Mill
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Bedford. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Bedford.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Bedford. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bedford.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Bedford. Our list includes 6 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Bedford.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Bedford ...
Looking for more information about Bedford? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Bedford, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Bedford.
Adding Bedford to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Bedford in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Bedford was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Bedford.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Bedford: www.ci.bedford.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Bedford. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Bedford - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 540 code has been Overlayed with the 826 area code. New phone numbers in the Bedford area will be assigned with one of these codes: 540 or 826. As a result, placing a call in the Bedford area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Bedford). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Bedford or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |