Harrisonburg VA....anyone???

[Mrs Baggins]

We're looking for someplace to move to in another year or so, preferably closer to the AT and the mountains in general. We also want to be near enough to a major metro area for shopping, sightseeing, concerts, sports. We're looking at Harrisonburg VA - a couple of hours from DC yet very near forests and mountains and trails. Anyone know anything about it?? We're in our early 50's but not remotely interested in "retiree" communities or golfing or anything like that. That's what we're desperately trying to escape from in this town. We like pubs, good coffee places, farmers markets, good restaurants (not high end, just good food, funky atmosphere), decent shopping, (not like the dark, tired, depressing old mall we have here ), outfitters, lots of rugged outdoor activities, and absolutely nothing that reeks of retirement.

[bjj4287]

i lived there all of last summer.. it was pretty nice.. close to SNP... lots of shopping and stuff... good place to be for a summer but i wouldnt want to live there long term.. go chek it out yourself

[Mrs Baggins]

i lived there all of last summer.. it was pretty nice.. close to SNP... lots of shopping and stuff... good place to be for a summer but i wouldnt want to live there long term.. go chek it out yourself

We're going up this coming Friday - Sunday to check out the area. We used to live in Maryland so we know the winters are more fierce there than here but that's okay.

[bredler]

One of my friends grew up there. If it's okay with my friend I'll give you their information so you can talk.

[ki0eh]

We've given some thought to the possibility of moving to the Staunton/Waynesboro area - either it seems slightly more favored to get to a variety of trails (such as Pedlar District as well as SNP) or to Charlottesville for dinner etc. if you want to - or because my wife's company has a location right between the two. In town Staunton seems to have done better keeping more of the old interesting buildings than Harrisonburg, which I'd consider a plus.

[Skyline]

Harrisonburg itself has gone through dramatic growth the past decade. That may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon your perspective, needs, and wants. It's a city, anchored by the sprawling James Madison University and every imaginable national chain store.

I live somewhat northeast of Harrisonburg near Luray, VA—still a small town, with all the amenities you really need, but probably not all you might want . . . only 40 minutes from Harrisonburg, 30 minutes from Front Royal, and about an hour from Winchester. It takes about 1:20 to reach the Vienna, VA Metro Station (light rail public transit), which is a gateway to most things in DC. Best of all, it's just a few minutes from the AT at Thornton Gap in SNP, and nearly the same distance to George Washington National Forest's Massanutten Mts., the Tuscarora Trail, etc. Property taxes are significantly less in Luray and Page County (of which Luray is the county seat) than most of the surrounding counties and their larger towns including Harrisonburg.

Harrisonburg is further than Luray from both the Blue Ridge (AT) and the Massanutten tho it is closer to the ski slopes—and at least an hour further away from DC than Luray, Front Royal, Winchester, etc.

Do give Luray a peek while you're looking.

[Skyline]

We've given some thought to the possibility of moving to the Staunton/Waynesboro area - either it seems slightly more favored to get to a variety of trails (such as Pedlar District as well as SNP) or to Charlottesville for dinner etc. if you want to - or because my wife's company has a location right between the two. In town Staunton seems to have done better keeping more of the old interesting buildings than Harrisonburg, which I'd consider a plus.

Agree. Staunton has done a lot more with its old Downtown. Very trendy, more charming compared to Harrisonburg.

[Cookerhiker]

I'd vote for Staunton over Harrisonburg.

I pass through much of the Harrisonburg sprawl en-route to the section I maintain in SNP. It's not as bad as the sprawl north up 29 from Charlottesville, but it's starting to rememble Anytown, USA with all the same chain stores.

[Mrs Baggins]

I'd vote for Staunton over Harrisonburg.

I pass through much of the Harrisonburg sprawl en-route to the section I maintain in SNP. It's not as bad as the sprawl north up 29 from Charlottesville, but it's starting to rememble Anytown, USA with all the same chain stores.

Thank you ALL for you insights! We are taking our little tent trailer up to a campground south of Luray Friday - Sunday so we can scope out the whole area. I've been to Luray Caverns a couple of times (my son wants to get married there!) and we love the whole Shenandoah Valley area. We do like a well kept "old town" but at the same time we really enjoy lots of major shopping and restaurants. We're pretty diverse in our likes! I would love to go to work at the new Barnes and Noble in Harrisonburg (worked for them in Denver and loved it). We've moved 22 times in 32 years of marriage so I do know how to do my research. That's why I like to reach out and ask others their opinions - realizing that everyone has their own preferences. I'm mostly looking for the OMG! I would NEVER live there! and their reasons vs the "it's fine, it's okay, I might look elsewhere." If you asked me about this town that I live in now I'd give you the first answer - - but you might love it here. We did live here for 4 years 15 years ago and thought we'd be happy here again. In those intervening years we've lived in/near Phoenix, Denver, Baltimore, DC, and Montreal. We changed far too much and just didn't realize it til we got here. We got very urbanized and at the same time I became a backpacking fanatic. So maybe you can see where we're coming from on this..........we want the city life that DC has to offer with the mountain access that the Shenandoah Valley has. Or maybe we're just sick twisted freaks! Anyhow.........we'll go up there and check it out. And maybe on the way home Sunday we'll detour down to Damascus and say hey to whoever is still there!

[Whoa Bear]

I would agree with taking a look at Staunton. It's got a nice downtown with a bunch of good restaurants. It's also 25 minutes from Harrisonburg and about 30 minutes to Charlottesville. Charlottesville may have all of the amenities that you want but I don't think that I could ever live in all that mess. Of course Crozet or Ivey would get you near Charlottesville but it costs 2 arms and leg to live there. I would avoid Waynesboro since they have let most of the downtown die and the only real eating or shopping in the area are all big box establishments. The only saving grace for Waynesboro is the fact that it is 5 miles from the SNP and Rockfish Gap outfitters is just on the edge of town.

[ki0eh]

B&N eh? Harrisburg, PA is just getting a new one. 2 hr from any of Philly, Baltimore, DC. And you could commute from any of these: http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/40.37...1531_xy/14_zm/

[Mrs Baggins]

B&N eh? Harrisburg, PA is just getting a new one. 2 hr from any of Philly, Baltimore, DC. And you could commute from any of these: http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/40.37...1531_xy/14_zm/

Yeah, we thought about PA. We used to live in both Bel Air MD and Frederick MD so we know that area of PA. But the further north you go the worse the winters get. I used to take visitors up to Hershey all the time and of course up to Gettysburg. Hubby lived in Harrisburg for the summer of 1982 - - he was on the clean up team for TMI.

[ki0eh]

Did you figure in global warming? I shoveled once this year. Good luck finding a new place!

[Frau]

I live 1 hr south of H'burg. I do NOT like the dominating presence of JMU. When you visit next weekend, bear in mind that JMU has already let out and summer term may not have begun. (We have VMI and W & L in our small city.)

Staunton is a great little place! Waynesboro looks a little down at the heels in some spots.

All the towns are convenient portals for the AT. You just need to decide what size town you are looking for and what atmosphere you like.

For me, anything larger than G-town is booming metropolis. I left Arlington in 1969 and vowed to live in the country forever after--and have.

Hope you ejoy your trip!

Frau

[Blissful]

I really like Harrisonburg and prefer to shop there. A little College-like with James Madison U but it's friendly. Spread out. Plenty of places to shop. Two mennonite farmer's market places in Dayton and Bridgewater (love those places). Hospital. Neat book sale place. The downtown isn't that great, but I am not a downtown person anyway. Ilike open spaces. West you can head for West VA and awesome scenery about an hour away with Seneca Rocks, Spruce knob. etc. East of course is SNP. Great views of all the mtn ranges from the rolling hillsides which surround the city.

Charlottesville can be snobby, IMO. And too "busy." (I live a half hour north).

[Tennessee Viking]

We're looking for someplace to move to in another year or so, preferably closer to the AT and the mountains in general. We also want to be near enough to a major metro area for shopping, sightseeing, concerts, sports. We're looking at Harrisonburg VA - a couple of hours from DC yet very near forests and mountains and trails. Anyone know anything about it?? We're in our early 50's but not remotely interested in "retiree" communities or golfing or anything like that. That's what we're desperately trying to escape from in this town. We like pubs, good coffee places, farmers markets, good restaurants (not high end, just good food, funky atmosphere), decent shopping, (not like the dark, tired, depressing old mall we have here ), outfitters, lots of rugged outdoor activities, and absolutely nothing that reeks of retirement.

It can be a bit of a college town with James Madison University. I has boomed in development in the last few years. I mainly have just driven right through it. Winchester is another college boom town, I had a friend who lived there that loved it.

If you are not with the whole retiree theme then avoid Christianburg, and stay Roanoke or Blacksburg.

[t-bor]

you should check out elkton and bridgewater two smaller towns with out the chain stores and traffic but with pleanty of local shops and resturants also they are about a 15 min drive from hburg and elkton is like 4 miles off the at iv lived out side of hburg my whole life and i can tell ya i dont think i would want to live in the city