Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Amherst County.

Amherst is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Amherst was founded in 1807. Originally known as "The Oaks" and "Seven Oaks", it began as a mere stagecoach station on the Charlottesville-Lynchburg road. Once Nelson County was separated from Amherst County in 1807, the community became the seat of Amherst County. It was at this time that the village decided to rename itself in honor of French and Indian War hero Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst. Major-General Amherst had been the hero of the Battle of Ticonderoga and later served as the governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1763 to 1768. On April 15, 1910, Amherst was incorporated by the order of the Circuit Court. A charter was granted to the town by the General Assembly in 1950.

The official town seal was created by Ward Cruea, a commercial artist from Dayton, Ohio. His original proposal featured the "sleeping giant" (the Blue Ridge Mountain ridgeline west of Amherst), but this was rejected since it represented an area outside the town's limits. According to town legend, while a group was in the Clerk's office in the town hall engaged in conversation on the topics of the day, and looking eastward along E. Court Street, it was suggested that the Amherst courthouse be used as a model for the official seal. During that era, a large letter "A" was attached to a radio antenna tower beside the telephone company building that was adjacent to the courthouse. This internally illuminated "A" was used as a visual navigation beacon by aircraft pilots. Approximately six months later Cruea returned to the town and delivered a framed original of a proposed seal. His proposal incorporated the courthouse, the "A" and the town's date of incorporation. Cruea's proposal was adopted soon thereafter and became Amherst's official seal. The original seal is located on the wall of the town council chambers.

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