Stay Away from Harrisonburg! (Charlottesville, Staunton: live, shop, health)

[Lourdea]

I am originally from Harrisonburg, but have lived all over the world!..Harrisonburg and all surrounding areas are very shut off, lack opportunity and outside exposure. My parents still there and I am desperately trying to up root them, considering there is not work and the health system sucks! -----It's a place to get stuck, not go to ---There's a terrible problem with "crank" (crack cocaine) and everyone I have spoken to there is veyr unhappy Not slandering the public (my family are located there)...but warning that it is 'left behind'!

[timunh]

It's a beautiful area. I spent a day once walking through town and then driving through all the smaller towns nearby. I think I know what you mean by "shut off." I did get a feeling of being isolated. I had considered applying for a job at JMU and changed my mind. Maybe the feeling comes from the mountains on two sides. It's not a long drive to Charlottesville (maybe 45 minutes), but there's a big difference in elevation that may make the two towns seem further away. Around H'burg I always felt like I better stick close to I-81.

[SV2012]

I personally don't think H'burg is "cut-off"! It is where some people out of Augusta County go to go shopping at stores they dont have in staunton or waynesboro! and JMU being there most definately means it isn't "isolated"! and the crack problem isn't unusual go to small cities like Covington, VA and you will here about drug problems and yet you never see it happening. H'burg doesn't look like its isolated because it has more business than most cities in the Shenandoah Valley!

[Diamond Dave]

Huh...Harrisonburg seems like a great place. JMU is booming, the city is growing. It is what it is--a city of 40,000 or so in the middle of a large rural area.

[SV2012]

H'burg is def. great! So are the neighboring cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. H'burg is very historical so is Staunton tourism is big in the two cities! def. great places