Mount Crawford is a Shenandoah Valley town on the rise
Mount Crawford is a small town surrounded by farmland right off Interstate 81 in Harrisonburg’s southwest outskirts. With a population of just over 500 people and slowly rising, this community is primarily residential; commercial establishments include a handful of convenience stores, auto shops and fast-food chains. “Mount Crawford is the kind of community that most people just drive straight through unless they live there,” says Greg Pfaff, a Realtor with Kline May Realty and former owner of Brooklyn’s Delicatessen in Harrisonburg. However, Pfaff also adds that several major new construction projects, including building the state's first Buc-ee's location (set to open in 2025), have started to boost the town's commercial development. Three miles up the road from Mount Crawford is Bridgewater, which is Rockingham County’s most populous town and has a broader selection of shopping and dining establishments, most of which are local businesses. “Everyone goes to Bridgewater, but it’s getting pretty crowded and not even the sidewalks have enough room sometimes. You can spit and hit a house there,” Pfaff says. Mount Crawford residents can also drive 9 miles north on I-81 to Harrisonburg, which Pfaff describes as the region’s “metropolis” for urban amenities encompassing shopping, dining, entertainment and business. According to Pfaff, Harrisonburg’s economy and lifestyle revolve around James Madison University, a 700-acre campus embedded into the city. In fall 2023, the university reported an enrollment of more than 21,000 undergraduate students. Mount Crawford has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
Median home price is just under $400,000
Mount Crawford has a variety of homes and property lots that differ significantly in size, style, age and cost. Driving down Main Street, residents can find historical Victorian, traditional and colonial-style homes that date back to the pre-World War II era. Farmhouses from the 20th-century and custom ranch styles are scattered across the more rural parts of town and sit on larger lots. Other common homes throughout Mount Crawford include contemporary Craftsman builds, Cape Cods and townhouses. Some subdivisions in Mount Crawford, like Saddlebrook Plantation, have a mix of single-family and multifamily properties in the development.
Homes don’t come on the market too often in Mount Crawford, but when they do, most range between approximately $200,000 and $550,000. Overall, the median price of a single-family home is about $390,000, the same as Harrisonburg’s median. Mount Crawford also has a few townhouse complexes concentrated around U.S. Route 11, a thoroughfare that runs through and splits the town down the middle.
Mount Crawford's expanding retail options
Mount Crawford has been sparse in terms of shopping and dining options for most of its existence. However, commercial development is on the rise, with several new national businesses opening up around town and multiple other projects in the works. In April 2025, the community showed up in droves for the opening ceremony of the town’s first Sheetz convenience store. Pfaff also notes that in 2025, Mount Crawford will be the official home of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s Travel Center. Aside from national businesses, the town still has its fair share of hometown favorites, including Overlook Produce, a family-owned market with a combined bakery and deli that sells fresh foods grown on surrounding farms. Another longtime staple is Mt. Crawford Creamery, a 70-acre dairy farm with a small on-site market. “The Mt. Crawford Creamery has actually been a huge employer and industry driver in that area,” Pfaff says. It also played a role in establishing Smiley’s Ice Cream, a nearby sweet shop that serves old-fashioned ice cream using the creamery’s dairy products. Most of Rockingham County’s big-box stores, supermarkets, restaurants and chains are located in Harrisonburg at shopping centers like Valley Mall and Harrisonburg Crossing.
Students attend Rockingham County Public Schools
The district of Rockingham County Public Schools serves the town of Mount Crawford and receives an overall B rating from Niche. Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade are split between John Wayland Elementary and Pleasant Valley Elementary, rated B and B-minus, respectively. Wilbur Pence Middle for grades six through eight also receives a B-minus, while Turner Ashby High School is rated A-minus. Nearby, Harrisonburg is home to two higher education institutions: James Madison University, a public research university and Eastern Mennonite University, a smaller private university affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA religious organization. JMU offers over 130 programs of study between undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Town parks and recreation in Mount Crawford and Bridgewater
Despite its small size, Mount Crawford packs plenty of outdoor recreation into the community for people to enjoy. Fishing enthusiasts can find a spot and spend the day at the North River, a steady Shenandoah Valley stream that weaves throughout Mount Crawford. Youth sports teams can practice and hold games at Mount Crawford Ruritan Park, an ample green space along Main Street with baseball and soccer fields. The park is the location of many town events, including Summerfest and the annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony. More outdoor athletic facilities and open fields are available at Monger Park. The neighboring town of Bridgewater has nearly a dozen additional community parks and popular recreation sites like Bridgewater Mini-Golf at Sandy Bottom Park.
Green Valley Book Fair is a community staple
One of Mount Crawford’s most beloved spots is the Green Valley Book Fair, an outlet for discount books and literature. “The novels they’ve got there are about a third of the price they’d normally be,” Pfaff says. The outlet was established in 1970 and spans approximately 25,000 square feet of indoor space, packed with books, crafts and other literature-related items all the way through. Green Valley hosts occasional open-air market events featuring dozens of local vendors and businesses. The book fair also partners with area schools and other community organizations to help promote education and reading.
Convenience to U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81
Two major thoroughfares, U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81, parallel each other as they run through Mount Crawford. Pfaff says that while I-81 is now the busier of the two, Route 11 is the original highway and was established in the Shenandoah Valley in 1926. Both thoroughfares travel along the Blue Ridge Mountain range through western Virginia. The nearest public transit option is a city-wide bus system in Harrisonburg, 9 miles away. The closest airport, Shenandoah Valley Airport, is a 15-minute drive from town and offers daily direct flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a flight connections hub. Sentara RMH Medical Center has a 24-hour emergency room approximately 8 miles away.
