Harrisonburg

Barrington is an organized subdivision in southern Harrisonburg where residents live in spacious homes and enjoy sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley. “There’s more of a country-life feeling, but the convenience of the city is nearby, and Massanutten is to the east,” says Realtor Stephan Gleason, who operates the Virginia Mountain to Valley Living YouTube channel with his wife Lesley Gleason, also a Realtor. The neighborhood is about 3 miles from James Madison University’s sports stadiums and performing arts theater and 4 miles from the restaurants and small businesses in downtown Harrisonburg. Massanutten Resort and Shenandoah National Park, which are both under 25 miles to the east, offer opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and skiing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The subdivision’s meandering streets often end in cul-de-sacs and feature large suburban homes with landscaped yards. “With the uptick of remote work, people are searching for more of a lifestyle than a designated location. They fall in love with the outdoor, peaceful feel of the Valley, and they’ll look for a home office with a mountain view,” Lesley Gleason says. Barrington’s single-family homes, built between the late 1990s and early 2000s, fit the description. Colonial Revivals and New Traditional properties with brick facades usually have four to six bedrooms; prices start around $500,000 and rise to $730,000. On the weekends, residents often drive to the mountains to spend time outdoors. The Swift Run Gap Entrance of Shenandoah National Park is about 22 miles east of the neighborhood; once they enter the park, locals can meander along Skyline Drive, stopping at the scenic overlooks to enjoy a picnic or short walk. The national park has rocky hiking trails that lead to waterfalls, rugged overlooks that offer sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley and wide meadows filled with tall grass and wildflowers. Massanutten Resort is 12 miles from Barrington —once it gets cold enough for snow-making machines to cover the mountain, the resort operates ski slopes and a snow tubing hill. The resort draws visitors from all over Virginia, so living within 20 minutes of the hiking trails, indoor water park, and ski slopes is a major draw to Barrington. There are recreational opportunities closer to the neighborhood as well. “Lakeview Golf Course is right in the area; that’s a 27-hole golf course with opportunities for membership, but it’s open to the public too,” Stephan Gleason says. Parents can drive 3 miles north to take their kids to the A Dream Come True Playground. Children run through rainbow arches to get to the large playground, which has a separate area for toddlers, bigger play structures for older kids, a wheelchair-accessible swing and shaded picnic shelters. Children may begin at Cub Run Elementary School, which has a C-plus rating from Niche. They can continue learning at Montevideo Middle, which has a B rating, and finish at Spotswood High, which earns an A-minus. High school students can enroll in career programs through Massanutten Technical Center to study fields like building management, veterinary sciences, electricity and welding. Rockingham County has several college options, as James Madison University is 3 miles north of Barrington, Eastern Mennonite University is 7 miles north, and Bridgewater College is 8 miles southwest. Barrington is fully made up of single-family homes, but residents only have to drive a couple of miles to go shopping or grab dinner at popular restaurants. For groceries, Walmart Neighborhood Market is about 2 miles northwest; locals often drive 4 miles northeast to East Market Street for more shopping options. The commercial roadway has a Costco, Aldi, Kroger and Martin’s, and big box stores like Walmart and Target. Locals stroll around the Valley Mall to browse retailers like H&M, JCPenney and Ulta Beauty. Downtown, small businesses are collected at the Agora Downtown Market and Liberty Street Mercantile, where residents can find fair-trade clothing, vintage items and eclectic home décor. Downtown also has popular restaurants, like Beyond Restaurant and Lounge, which serves Asian dishes like sushi, curry and drunken noodles. Jimmy Madison’s has a contemporary, industrial energy and serves southern fare and whiskey flights. For dessert, residents walk over to Kline’s Dairy Bar to order a cone of freshly made custard-style ice cream. Neighbors sometimes mingle for more local get-togethers, like the annual fall yard sale, which is hosted in collaboration with adjacent Lakewood and Kentshire Estates subdivisions. The only place of worship in the neighborhood, Church of the Nazarene, has events like church softball and Vacation Bible School. The church also operates a food pantry called Hope Distributed. Residents head downtown for more frequent activities, like the farmers market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings at the Turner Pavilion, where they browse tables filled with fresh produce, locally sourced beef and bright bouquets of flowers. The breweries downtown organize casual weekly events; Sage Bird Ciderworks has a trivia night on Thursdays and yoga every Sunday, and Pale Fire Brewing has Singo (song bingo) on Thursday evenings. The Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance organizes a summer festival called Best. Weekend. Ever., with a sip and stroll, local art vendors, live music, food trucks and kids’ crafts. In early December, residents get in the holiday spirit with Winter Wonderfest. Horse-drawn carriages adorned with pine garland traverse South Main Street as attendees enjoy seasonal cookies and look forward to the holiday parade and tree lighting in the evening. Barrington doesn’t have sidewalks or public transportation options, so residents rely on personal cars to drive to work. “A lot of healthcare workers will look over in Barrington [when house shopping] because Sentara RMH Medical Center is close by,” Lesley Gleason says. The hospital is a little over a mile northwest, off Port Republic Road. Continuing on Port Republic Road takes residents toward downtown Harrisonburg and the on-ramp to Interstate 81. The interstate takes drivers north to Manassas and Washington, D.C. and south to Charlottesville and Richmond.

Belmont is the westernmost subdivision in Harrisonburg before the landscape turns to miles of agricultural fields filled with vegetable farms and cattle. It's “an established, kid-friendly subdivision that’s one of the more sought-after neighborhoods in Rockingham County,” says Brandon Randall, an associate broker with Heritage Real Estate Company and Rockingham County native. Belmont is a few miles from the noise and activity of college students who attend James Madison Univeristy, but residents only have to drive 4 miles north to get to downtown Harrisonburg and 3 miles south to get to Dayton. Because of the more laidback location, Randall notes "houses don’t tend to sit on the market for long in Belmont.” The fully residential neighborhood has an active civic association that organizes community picnics and yard sales, and there are numerous places of worship close to the neighborhood. Belmont Iglesia De Cristo has Spanish services, the Harrisonburg Unitarian Fellowship is a unitarian universalist church and Garber’s Church of the Brethren is the oldest Brethren establishment in the area, founded in 1822. The southern and western edges of the subdivision look out onto expansive fields of farmland, but houses sit closer together in the neighborhood. Tree-lined streets meander through the hilly terrain, and homes usually have yards decorated with shrubbery and neat landscaping. Houses were built in the 1980s and ‘90s and usually sit on lots that are at least a quarter of an acre. Belmont has a mix of brick ranches, ramblers with vinyl facades and large Colonial Revivals; prices fluctuate between $360,000 and $580,000. The neighborhood association maintains a small park in the middle of Belmont, where residents can take their kids to the playground or play tennis. The green lawn has nets for pickup soccer games. Belmont isn’t far from larger public parks, like Hillandale Park, which is about 2 miles east. Outdoor fitness equipment lines the park’s forested multiuse trail, and the paved pathway is popular for bike rides, jogs and slow-paced walks with dogs. The park also has a couple of basketball courts, a sand volleyball court and picnic tables where neighbors host casual birthday parties and cookouts. The municipally owned Heritage Oaks Golf Course is just west of Hillandale Park, so golfers can conveniently play on the 18-hole course. Randall says that residents will often drive to Bridgewater to enjoy the peaceful riverfront views at Wildwood Park. The park is about 7 miles southwest of Belmont and has a playground, a short walking loop and plenty of green spaces along the North River. The Belmont Civic Association organizes events for its members; residents join by paying $50 dues annually. During the Easter Egg hunt, kids run around Belmont Park searching for pastel eggs. Residents are motivated to declutter in time for the community’s annual spring yard sale, and there’s a community picnic in September. The association usually provides meat to grill and drinks, but neighbors are encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert to share. The Brethren and Mennonite Heritage Center is just east of Belmont—the museum highlights the history and lifestyle of Brethren and Mennonites, who have lived around Harrisonburg since the mid-1700s. There’s still a large population of plain-clothes Mennonites in Harrisonburg, so it’s common to share the roads with horse-drawn buggies. The center hosts guided tours of the farmstead and one-room schoolhouse, but the largest event is the Heritage Festival in October. Attendees watch demonstrations of activities like basket weaving, blacksmithing and knitting. Kids play with old-fashioned toys and learn to churn butter, and the festival also has hymnal performances, a petting zoo and horse-drawn wagon rides. Children may begin at Mountain View Elementary School, which has a C-plus rating from Niche. Students can progress to Wilbur S. Pence Middle School, which has a B-minus rating and continue learning at Turner Ashby High School, which earns an A-minus. Though the neighborhood is just west of B-plus-rated Harrisonburg High School, "Belmont is zoned to Turner Ashby, which is a desirable school, so that’s a big consideration for people moving with kids,” Randall says. The high school has an agriculture education program for students to study ecology, agriculture machinery and agribusiness. Belmont only has houses, but residents don’t drive far to grab groceries or go out to dinner. Locals can travel 3 miles south to Dayton to order homestyle comfort food at Thomas House Restaurant. The old-fashioned eatery serves meatloaf and mac and cheese in a dining room decorated with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and vintage plates. There are plenty of restaurants in downtown Harrisonburg, about 4 miles northeast of Belmont. Mashita is a popular Korean food truck that added a storefront with brightly-colored murals in 2019, serving buns and rice bowls. Cuban Burger serves sandwiches and burgers with smoky Cuban flavors. For groceries, Walmart is about a mile southeast of the neighborhood, and Food Lion is about a mile and a half southeast. Residents head to East Market Street, about 6 miles away, to go retail shopping at Target or the Valley Mall. Belmont is just south of U.S. Route 33, or the Rawley Pike, which takes drivers west to the West Virginia border, which is 20 miles away. Route 33 also goes east to downtown Harrisonburg, and residents can drive south to connect with State Route 42 to travel to Dayton and Bridgewater. “Belmont is at an intersection on Erikson Avenue, so you can hear trucks going by, but it’s quieter near the center of the neighborhood,” Randall says. Tractor trailers are common on state routes, as these trucks frequently travel Interstate 81, transporting supplies from Virginia’s inland port in Front Royal, 65 miles north of Harrisonburg. Residents merge onto Interstate 81 to travel 25 miles south to Staunton; from there, they can link with Interstate 64 to head toward Charlottesville and Richmond. Interstate 81 also goes toward northern Virginia, where drivers can connect to Interstate 66 and travel to Washington, D.C.

Central Avenue is just south of James Madison University, but the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and 20th-century homes give it a relaxed energy. “It’s really close to JMU, but a lot of professors live in that area, so it’s actually a pretty quiet atmosphere,” says Brandon Randall, an associate broker with Heritage Real Estate Company and Rockingham County native. James Madison University is a public university attended by about 21,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students in Harrisonburg. Even in a calmer neighborhood, most residents who choose to live close to campus embrace the energy that the college brings to the city, cheering on the Dukes at football games and listening to the marching band practice at Bridgeforth Stadium. In Central Avenue, locals head to Grilled Cheese Mania for inventive renditions of grilled cheese sandwiches and eat on the outdoor patio, which is decorated with bright yellow umbrellas. El Charro serves classic Mexican fare like margaritas and enchiladas in a casual, themed atmosphere. Randall notes that residents only have to drive 10 minutes to go out to eat in downtown Harrisonburg. Downtown’s proximity to JMU shapes the restaurants and shops there, but there is a wide array of businesses, eateries and breweries. “You’ll definitely see students all around, but there are spots that are more student-oriented. Urgie’s, Ruby’s Lounge and Finnigan’s are more so the college bars, so [older] people will go to breweries like Sage Bird or Three Notch’d instead,” says Allyson Scott, who has lived in Harrisonburg for six years. Downtown, locals can enjoy beer, wings and fries from Billy Jack’s Shack or elevated American dishes like salmon and risotto from Rocktown Kitchen. Residents go grocery shopping at Food Lion, which is about a mile southeast, or drive 3 miles east to East Market Street, which is the city’s commercial corridor. Grocery stores like Aldi, Martin’s and Kroger and retail spots like Target and Old Navy line the street. The neighborhood benefits from a large public green space to spend time outside. “Purcell Park is right there. You can go walk around the park or use the trail to walk to JMU,” Randall says. Bluestone Trail, a 1-mile paved path that starts at Stone Spring Road and connects to Port Republic Road, right by JMU, winds through Purcell Park. Children often run around the park’s large wooden playground, residents face off for pickleball matches and kids play baseball on the ball fields. Neighbors also gather for picnics at the shaded pavilions. Since Central Avenue is under half a mile from JMU’s Quad, many residents will often walk their dogs or push strollers around the landscaped campus, especially on the weekends and during the summer, when the Quad is not packed with college students. For an indoor activity, the neighborhood also has a roller skating rink called Funky’s, which has general admission and themed skating nights. Since Central Avenue is filled with single-family homes, college students don’t live in the area, though there are student apartment complexes and dorms located just outside the neighborhood. Those living on or close to Maplehurst Avenue and Hillcrest Drive will see and hear students who live on Greek Row or in the Bluestone Residence Halls. However, the residential streets in the neighborhood have a relaxed atmosphere, as ranches, Colonial Revivals and Cape Cods with concrete walkways and neat shrubbery sit on tree-lined streets. Most homes were built in the early-to-mid 20th century, and house prices start around $260,000 and rise to around $440,000. Children may begin at Keister Elementary School, which has a C rating from Niche. Students may advance to Thomas Harrison Middle, which has a B-minus rating and then to Harrisonburg High, which earns a B-plus. High school students can enroll in the Harrisonburg City Schools Governor’s STEM Academy to study healthcare or engineering. James Madison University is under a mile from the neighborhood, and Harrisonburg also hosts Eastern Mennonite University, a private religious college with about 900 students. In the fall, locals will often don purple and gold attire to tailgate before cheering on the Dukes at a football game at Bridgeforth Stadium. There are also frequent events downtown; residents head to the Turner Pavilion on Saturday mornings to browse the farmers market. Growers and farmers from across the Shenandoah Valley set up booths of fresh produce and locally sourced meat and dairy. On Wednesday evenings in the summer, the Turner Pavilion hosts a free concert series. Harrisonburg begins December with a parade and winter festival, which is complete with carriage rides and pictures with Santa. Port Republic Road, the main thoroughfare that leads from many student apartment complexes to James Madison University, goes through the neighborhood. The road experiences much heavier traffic during the school year, especially in the mornings, as students commute to campus. South Main Street goes along the western edge of Central Avenue and leads 2 miles north to downtown Harrisonburg. There are bus stops serviced by the Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation along South Main Street, but many routes, like the Yellow Line, only operate when JMU is in session. Locals may walk to some restaurants or the park, though sidewalks are limited, but the area is fairly car-dependent. Interstate 81 goes along the eastern edge of the neighborhood; drivers head south to travel 25 miles to Staunton. From there, they can merge onto Interstate 64 to travel to Charlottesville, Richmond or Williamsburg. Heading north on Interstate 81 takes residents toward northern Virginia, where they can link with Interstate 66 and drive to Arlington and Washington, D.C. A couple of industrial train tracks run near the neighborhood; residents will occasionally see freight trains go by.

As downtown Harrisonburg bustled with auto factories and poultry plants throughout the early 20th century, Collicello Corridor was developed as a residential pocket about a half-mile north of the city center. “The neighborhood itself is tiny and residential, but it’s less than a 20-minute walk from every bar, restaurant and event in downtown Harrisonburg,” says Brandon Randall, an associate broker with Heritage Real Estate, who has sold several homes in the area. Locals will pass century-old churches, former industrial buildings turned into breweries and cozy breakfast cafes as they head downtown. The Harrisonburg Farmers Market, held every Tuesday and Saturday from April through November, and Best Weekend Ever, a block party-style celebration, are some of the city’s most popular events, both in downtown Harrisonburg. A Dukes football gameday is also within arm’s reach, as James Madison University’s 721-acre campus is about a mile south of the neighborhood. Weeds peak through Collicello Corridor’s sidewalks, lined with homes built throughout the early 1900s. American Foursquares sit on 6,000-square-foot lots, often shaded by mature magnolia trees. Asphalt alleyway parking spots stretch behind three-bedroom Craftsman-style bungalows surrounded by stone walls. “Houses here are either well-maintained and have been with the same owner for decades, or they need to be totally remodeled because of how old they are,” Randall says. The neighborhood also has a few Cape Cod cottages and Colonial Revival houses from the 1950s. Buying here typically costs between $250,000 and $300,000, a range similar to a Harrisonburg’s homes average $275,000. Brown vintage lampposts and young elm trees line downtown Harrisonburg’s red-brick sidewalks. As locals walk to dinner, they’ll pass Otterbein United Methodist Church, a Romanesque Revival-style church built in 1918, and Community Mennonite Church’s oxidized copper spire, here since 1972. “Eating, drinking and live music: that’s how I’d summarize downtown Harrisonburg. It’s a food-focused city, and this is the heart of it,” Randall says. Black and white checkered floors welcome patrons into Magpie, a white-brick breakfast café located in a former 1950s tire service station. Jimmy Madison’s is a southern fare spot known for live blues performances on the rooftop and handcrafted cocktails made behind the steel bar. Over 100 beers are on tap at Capital Ale House, where a garage door-style window goes up every summer, combining the all-wood patio with the main dining room. The closest big-box grocery store is the Food Lion, 2 miles away on Market Street. Traffic occasionally stops on Gay Street as cargo trains travel along the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which spans the neighborhood’s eastern edge. Several auto repair shops and food processing companies, like George’s Food, are in the same area. The dark green Turner Pavilion stretches across a parking lot on Liberty Street, where vendors sell goods like organic apples, farm fresh pork and artisan baked goods during the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, established in 1979. For one Saturday in June, Liberty Street closes to car traffic from Gay Street to Franklin Street during the Best Weekend Ever. Residents sip locally brewed beer as they walk up and down the thoroughfare, dotted with food trucks, face painters and guitarists. Children can attend Waterman Elementary School, graded a C-plus by Niche, and Thomas Harrison Middle School, earning a B-minus. They may continue to B-plus-rated Harrisonburg High School, where Advanced Placement classes include journalism, calculus and music theory. Bluestone and red-tiled roof buildings make up nearby James Madison University, which offers around 130 programs of study, like nursing and marketing. “JMU students typically only live south of campus, so you won’t find many around Collicello,” Randall says. People in purple and gold fill downtown streets as they walk to baseball games at nearby Eagle Field or head to tailgates for football games in the parking lot of Bridgeforth Stadium. “You get the college vibes without the college students when you’re this close to downtown.” Wiffle balls bounce against the blue and green pickleball courts at Morrison Park, not even a half-mile west of the neighborhood. About a mile northwest, eastern redbud trees and a 21-hole disc golf course cover Westover Park’s hilly, 48-acre terrain. White Adirondack chairs circle the Westover Swimming Pool, which hosts youth swim classes every Monday through Thursday morning during the summer. Kids can take gymnastics classes in the Cecil F. Gilkerson Community Activities Center, while parents workout in the fitness center. The Friendly City Trail is also accessible here, offering a 2-mile asphalt path that connects to maple tree-shaded nature trails at 74-acre Hillandale Park, the city’s largest green space. Two 18-hole golf courses, a waterpark and 23 skiing and snowboarding runs stretch across the Blue Ridge Mountains at Massanutten Resort, 15 miles east of the neighborhood. Shenandoah National Park, 25 miles in the same direction, has 500 miles of mountainous hiking trails amid dense cedar forests. Though Collicello Corridor is walkable, it’s also convenient for several types of travel. Interstate 81 is about 3 miles south of the neighborhood. A 60-mile drive south on the highway leads to Charlottesville, where locals will find the closest airport, the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. Sentara RMH Medical Center is the nearest hospital, just 5 miles south of the neighborhood on Health Campus Drive. The Harrisonburg Public Transportation bus stop at Third and Collicello Street follows Route 5 from Eastern Mennonite University to the Cloverleaf Shopping Center.

Built around the Lakeview Golf Course, Crossroads Farm is a planned community on the southeastern outskirts of Harrisonburg with spacious newly-built homes and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Harrisonburg has JMU, so a lot of students’ parents will come here and see the Valley and end up loving it,” says Danielle Sponaugle, a Shenandoah Valley native and Realtor with Re/Max Performance Realty. Many who are relocating to Harrisonburg for the peaceful atmosphere look to newer communities like Crossroads Farm. “Planned subdivisions are more down-to-earth and quieter than the older neighborhoods in Harrisonburg,” Sponaugle says. “You still have people living next to you, but you have a little more land.” The neighborhood has convenient access to the country roads that lead to hiking trails and outdoor spaces, but residents only have to drive 6 miles to go to dinner downtown or go to a football game at James Madison University’s Bridgeforth Stadium. The neighborhood also has a property owners association; annual dues are $600 per household. Streets in Crossroads Farm wind through parts of the Lakeview Golf Course, creating an oval shape. Development in the planned community began around 2005 and has continued slowly and steadily, and some open lots are still available for buyers to build their homes. Half-acre lots are priced between $160,000 and $180,000. Crossroads Farm doesn’t require incoming residents to use a particular builder, but all home designs must be approved by the Architectural Review Committee. The neighborhood also has minimum housing sizes; one-story houses must be at least 2,100 square feet, and two-story houses must be at least 2,400 square feet. There are also townhouses and single-family homes available. “You have the new builds, and you can get much more bang for your buck for those than you can in Charlottesville,” Sponaugle says. Contemporary townhouses with colonial-inspired facades are priced between $300,000 and $330,000. Colonial Revivals and farmhouse-style New Traditional homes cost between $630,000 and $990,000. The Crossroads Farms property association maintains Peale’s Park, a small green space with a walking path and benches to sit and enjoy views of Massanutten Mountain. Many homes are built on the Lakeview Golf Club course, and the clubhouse is just southwest of the neighborhood. The public club has three nine-hole golf courses and a couple of indoor simulator golf bays. Rockingham Park at the Crossroads is only a mile away and offers baseball diamonds for kids' games and bright green soccer fields. A one-mile walking loop for after-work walks and the large playground even has a zipline. A new recreational center is being added to the park, which will have athletic courts, an indoor track, and educational spaces; the building is on track to open by the end of 2025. Many residents take advantage of their proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains and spend weekends on the trail. The Massanutten Ridge Trail, a rocky 2-mile trek that offers hikers sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley, is about 13 miles from the neighborhood. The Swift Run Gap Entrance for Shenandoah National Park is about 18 miles east. For a slower-paced waterside stroll closer to home, residents head to Lake Shenandoah—it’s also a popular fishing spot. Harrisonburg’s most popular dining options are downtown, but there are strip malls with a few casual eateries on Spotswood Trail. Crossroads Café and Catering is a family-owned bistro with a contemporary atmosphere. The restaurant is open only Thursday through Saturday but also offers prepared meals for pickup and catering services. When the café is open, residents stop in for a sandwich and a smoothie for lunch at the end of the week or enjoy a waffle or burrito from the all-day breakfast menu. Vito’s Pizza Pie, a casual Italian eatery, is also close by. Locals can stop in for pizza and calzones and enjoy gelato for dessert. There are bins of fresh, seasonal produce and shelves of locally sourced goods at the Massanutten Produce stand, which is only a mile south on Spotswood Trail. Residents only have to drive 3 miles north on Spotwood Trail to reach East Market Street, Harrisonburg’s largest commercial corridor. Reliable chain restaurants and stores line the street; Martin’s, Aldi, Kroger, Walmart and Target are all within a mile of one another, making grocery shopping convenient. The Valley Mall is also on East Market Street; locals browse the racks at retailers like H&M, Old Navy, American Eagle and JCPenney. Children can begin at Peak View Elementary School, which has a B-minus rating from Niche, and advance to Montevideo Middle School, which earns a B rating. Older students may attend Spotwood High School, which earns an A-minus rating. The high school has extracurricular clubs that encourage student involvement, including a technology students association, a snow sports club, a rising educators club and an art club. There are plenty of seasonal outdoor activities throughout the Valley. Myers Pumpkins is a family-run pumpkin patch 2 miles from Crossroads Farm. Every fall, residents pick their own pumpkin or gourd, sip apple cider, and find their way through the corn maze. The Massanutten Resort organizes ticketed events like the Base Camp Summer Concert Series, where locals sip beer and wine, play lawn games like cornhole and giant chess, and enjoy live musical performances. At the resort’s fall festival, locals appreciate the golden foliage on scenic chairlift rides and shop local art vendors. In the winter, the ski slopes and snow tubing courses open as soon as temperatures drop, and the resort can produce machine-made snow. There aren’t sidewalks or public transportation options nearby, so the area is very car dependent. Crossroads Farm is located off U.S. Route 33, or Spotswood Trail, which is the major roadway that takes residents 6 miles northwest to downtown Harrisonburg or southeast toward towns like Elkton and Stanardsville. Drivers can also cross through the Blue Ridge Mountains and travel about 50 miles southeast to Charlottesville. Residents drive 3 miles northwest to East Market Street to merge onto Interstate 81, the highway that heads north toward northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Locals can also drive south on Interstate 81 to link with Interstate 64 near Staunton, which goes to Charlottesville and Richmond. Residents don’t have to travel far for medical resources, as Sentara RMH Medical Center is 4 miles northwest.

Downtown Harrisonburg is a hub of popular restaurants, eclectic local shops and gathering places, where century-old historic buildings and red brick sidewalks line the streets. The neighborhood is less than a mile north of James Madison University, so collegiate spirit shapes the area, and the Duke Dog mascot and purple and gold streamers often decorate storefronts. “It’s not a large area, so it’s very walkable. You always get a good cross-section of the Harrisonburg population hanging out downtown,” says Stephan Gleason, a Realtor who operates the Virginia Mountain to Valley Living YouTube channel with his wife Lesley Gleason, also a Realtor. Local restaurants and businesses appeal to college students and long-established residents alike, as downtown has a mixture of museums, elevated and casual restaurants, breweries and dive bars, trendy small businesses, and places of worship. Downtown Harrisonburg is the city’s gathering point. Coffee shops attract groups of college students, remote workers, and locals on coffee dates; sometimes, it can be a challenge to find a table. Coffee Hound, Black Sheep Coffee and Greenberry’s Coffee Co. are popular spots serving espresso, chai lattes and pastries. Magnolia’s Tacos and Tequila Bar has a rooftop seating area and is a popular spot for Mexican fare and margaritas. Close by, there’s Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint for craft beer and burgers with imaginative toppings. Taj of India has ornate, engraved tables and dishware and serves authentic Indian dishes. College students tend to gravitate to Ruby’s Arcade, Finnigan’s Cove Seafood Bar or The Golden Pony to grab drinks, while older residents often sip craft beer at the laidback breweries. Pale Fire Brewing Company, Restless Moons Brewing and Three Notch’d have a relaxed, industrial atmosphere and host casual get-togethers, like trivia nights. Lesley Gleason notes that there are small shops downtown where residents can find unique décor and trinkets. The Shops at Agora is a collection of local vendors who sell clothes and household goods. Next door, “Ten Thousand Villages is a fair-trade craft store with a program that teaches people in underdeveloped countries skills and then buys the crafts they make from them,” Stephan Gleason says. Locals can find outdoor recreational supplies at Walkabout Outfitter or trendy clothing and accessories at The Yellow Button, a local boutique. The Friendly City Food Co-Op sells fresh produce and organic goods, and residents drive 2 miles southeast to East Market Street to shop at larger supermarkets like Kroger and Aldi. Several historic buildings downtown were converted into apartments, so many residents rent units in buildings like Keezell Flats and Ice House Apartments. “There are a mix of older homes and rentals downtown. Houses are often remodeled into investment properties,” Stephan Gleason says. Groups of college students will rent some of the multifamily houses, while older residents live in the historic single-family homes. Bungalows from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are priced between $400,000 and $500,000. Townhouses from the mid-20th century are priced between $300,000 and $350,000, while a four-plex from around the same time costs around $550,000. The Massanutten Regional Library hosts free community events, like book clubs and children’s story times. Parents can also take their kids to the Explore More Discovery Museum, which has interactive exhibits. Local farmers set up booths at the Turner Pavilion for the Harrisonburg Farmers Market every Tuesday and Saturday morning, and the city organizes seasonal events that attract residents from all over Harrisonburg. During the summer, locals bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy free concerts at the Turner Pavilion. In June, the Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance hosts the Best. Weekend. Ever., a festival with crafts, food trucks and live music. In late August, JMU’s marching band leads first-year students downtown for the Block Party in the ‘Burg, an event to welcome Harrisonburg’s newest residents to the city and familiarize them with the local shops and restaurants. In mid-October, locals don costumes and go trick-or-treating at local businesses during the Skeleton Festival. The community welcomes the winter holiday season with a parade and tree lighting in December. Liberty Park is the only dedicated section of green space downtown; the small, landscaped rectangle has benches for residents to relax and enjoy the park’s trees and flowerbeds. The Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance encourages locals to explore the artistic corners of downtown through the guided art walk. Residents can follow the map to appreciate abstract sculptures, intricate mosaics and large, colorful murals as they walk around. JMU’s Quad is another popular green space close by; when the weather heats up, students lay on blankets to study or eat lunch while others throw Frisbees or play fetch with dogs. Other community members will jog around the campus or push strollers around the Quad, especially on weekends and during the summer, when there aren’t as many students around. “Harrisonburg has won awards for being a biking-friendly community. There are trails all around the city and a couple of popular bike shops downtown,” Stephan Gleason says. Residents craving more adventure will drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains to go hiking or mountain biking; the Swift Run Gap Entrance of Shenandoah National Park is about 24 miles southeast of the neighborhood. Those living downtown can walk to restaurants and shops, and people who live near the neighborhood often go downtown on foot. “It’s walkable from dorms, so you’ll see students walking or 'Lime scootering' to head downtown,” Lesley Gleason says. The Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation services bus stops; Route 1 loops the city and has stops near the Valley Mall and Walmart. Drivers merge onto Interstate 81, about 2 miles east, to drive north toward Washington, D.C. or south toward Staunton, where they can link with Interstate 64. There aren't any passenger trains in Harrisonburg, but freight trains headed to Shenandoah Valley Organic food processing plant to the north occasionally pass through the neighborhood. Kids can begin at Waterman Elementary School, which has a C-plus rating from Niche. They may progress to Thomas Harrison Middle School, which has a B-minus rating and then Harrisonburg High, which earns a B-plus. High school students may enroll in challenging, problem-based learning courses through the Massanutten Regional Governor’s School. The main campus of James Madison University, a public university best known for its education, health science, and business programs, is under a mile from the neighborhood. Eastern Mennonite University, which has a much smaller student population, is about 2 miles north of downtown. JMU has about 22,000 students, while EMU has about 1,500.