Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States.

[13] EMU largely owes its existence to the sizable Mennonite population in the Shenandoah Valley, to which many Pennsylvania Dutch settlers arrived beginning in the mid-18th century in search of rich, unsettled farmland.

[15] The earliest documented English exploration of the area prior to settlement was the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition, led by Lt. Gov.

In 1849, trustees chartered a mayor–council form of government, although Harrisonburg was not officially incorporated as an independent city until 1916.

[25] When enslaved peoples in the Shenandoah Valley were freed in 1865, they established a town called Newtown near modern-day Harrisonburg.

[27] It remains the home of the majority of Harrisonburg's predominantly Black churches, such as First Baptist and Bethel AME.

The modern Boys and Girls Club of Harrisonburg is located in the old Lucy Simms schoolhouse that was used for Black students in the days of segregation.

This effort, called "Project R-4", focused on the city blocks east of Main, north of Gay, west of Broad, and south of Johnson.

Invoking the power of eminent domain, the government forced people in Newtown to sell their homes.

In early 2002, the Harrisonburg community discussed the possibility of creating a pedestrian mall downtown.

Several vacant buildings have been renovated and repurposed for new uses, such as the Hardesty-Higgins House and City Exchange, used for the Harrisonburg Tourist Center and high-end loft apartments, respectively.

In 2008, downtown Harrisonburg spent over $1 million in cosmetic and sidewalk infrastructure improvements (also called streetscaping and wayfinding projects).

The Chesapeake and Western corridor from Elkton to Harrisonburg has very high volumes of grain and ethanol.

Virginia Breeze provides intercity bus service between Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, and Washington, D.C.[41] Harrisonburg has won several awards[42] in recent years, including "#6 Favorite Town in America" by Travel + Leisure in 2016,[43] the "#15 Best City to Raise an Outdoor Kid" by Backpacker in 2009,[44] and the "#3 Happiest Mountain Town" by Blue Ridge Country Magazine in 2016.

[46] The "Taste of Downtown" (TOD) week-long event takes place annually to showcase local breweries and restaurants.

[47] Often referred to as "Restaurant Week," the TOD event offers a chance for culinary businesses in downtown Harrisonburg to create specials, collaborations, and try out new menus.

Some of these programs include: The modern city of Harrisonburg grew up around this modest stone house, which until recently was thought to have been erected for Thomas Harrison ca.

But new research and a dendrochronology study completed by James Madison University in 2018 has determined that it was built ca.

Harrison laid out the town that was to bear his name on fifty acres of his holdings and was also instrumental in having Harrisonburg established as the Rockingham County seat in 1780.

Prior to confirmation of the date of construction, it was believed that the first courts were held in this building, which is also associated with Bishop Francis Asbury, a pioneer leader of the Methodist Episcopal church, who often visited Harrison and conducted some of the county's first Methodist services.

Isaac Hardesty was born in 1795 and became the city's first Mayor by charter on March 16, 1849, incorporating the town of Harrisonburg.

He was a successful business man, apothecary, and merchant, and he served on the board of directors of the Valley Turnpike Company.

[60] Isaac Hardesty supported the Union and moved from Harrisonburg during the early part of the Civil War.

The house served as an inn after the war and was home to the Virginia Craftsman, makers of handcrafted furniture, from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Industrial buildings and warehouses date largely to the first half of the twentieth century and include the 1908 City Produce Exchange, a poultry shipping plant, and the late 1920s Maphis Chapman Co. gas storage tank factory.

Harrisonburg's downtown experienced a number of losses during the late twentieth century, but the recent rehabilitation of several key buildings demonstrates a growing commitment to the preservation of the district's historic character.

Like most of the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg was among the first areas of Virginia where old-line Southern Democrats began splitting their tickets.

[111] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters.