Harrisonburg, Virginia

Discover Harrisonburg

The heart of downtown Harrisonburg is Court Square, an area surrounding the imposing stone court house whose boundaries are defined by two intersecting roads, U.S. 11 and U.S. 33. It is a fitting landmark for a city that is perpetually at a crossroads — a place where remembering the past is balanced with looking towards the future, where the boundary blurs between growth and tradition in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

The small, domed structure on the southwest corner of the court house lawn covers the spot where a spring bubbles to the surface. The spring's water was important to the area's Native American inhabitants as they traveled the "Indian Road." Early Scots-Irish and German settlers followed the path as it evolved into the "Great Wagon Road" as they moved south through the Shenandoah Valley from Pennsylvania, looking for land and opportunity in what was then the frontier of a burgeoning British colonial empire.

One of these travelers, Thomas Harrison, stopped at the "Big Spring" and decided to stay. Around 1739, a decade after some of the first European settlers began to arrive in the area, Harrison acquired land and built a log house near the spring. The village that grew around Harrison's home was known as "Rocktown" after the limestone protrusions that dotted the local landscape. In 1780 an act of the state General Assembly officially established the town, which named itself "Harrisonburg" after its founder, and became the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County.

Modern day Harrisonburg is home to nearly 50,000 residents and occupies 17 square miles. While agriculture and related industries are still an important part of the local economy, Harrisonburg is also home to manufacturing companies like Tenneco Automotive and high-tech firms like SRI International. Rockingham Memorial Hospital, a regional medical care facility just east of town, is a major employer in the area.

Downtown Harrisonburg, designated a Virginia Main Street Community and an Arts and Cultural District, puts you within walking distance of unique local restaurants, retail spaces, art galleries, and live music venues. Throughout the year it plays host to music, art, and film festivals as well as a twice-weekly farmer's market.

Located between the Blue Ridge Mountains — home of Shenandoah National Park — and the George Washington National Forest in the Allegheny Mountains, the area around Harrisonburg offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. Named one of the top cities in the country to raise an outdoor kid by Backpacker magazine and listed among "Best Mountain Towns" by Blue Ridge Outdoors, it is known for world-class mountain biking trails, fly fishing streams, and recreational activities on the nearby Shenandoah River. Massanutten Resort, just outside the town limits, offers year-round recreation including skiing, golfing, and a water park.