Bridgewater, VA Area (Relocation Help/Advice) (Harrisonburg, Dayton: rental homes, townhouses, neighborhoods)

[astitchoflove1]

Hello,

We will be relocating to the Bridgewater, Va area this summer. We would like to rent a home for at least a year before we consider buying. I have been trying to research neighborhoods, prices, homes, etc., but cannot seem to locate many (if any at all) rental properties. Are these uncommon in Bridgewater or am I just missing them? I would appreciate any advice you all may have. We have a son in middle school, so of course this is one of the most important factors in where we live. We prefer to live in a family friendly neighborhood setting rather than being too secluded. Also, we would appreciate any advice on specific neighborhoods/areas that we should avoid, if possible. Thanks in advance for any help!

[emsman]

Bridgewater is a small town w/ 3 main "neighborhoods." They don't have names that I know of, try searching 'Rockingham County, VA' & you may get more results. 2 neighborhoods are middle class and the newest next to Bridgewater College is $300K and up.

The town of Dayton, VA is 2 miles north of Bridgewater, nice small town w/ nothing but a gas station, go 3 miles north to Harrisonburg (Wal-Mart right there), or to Bridgewater for stuff.

Mount Crawford is just east of Bridgewater and has a fairly new subdivision on the north end just outside Bridgewater. (about 1/2mi).

And there's Harrisonburg, which is an independant city of around 38,000 and another 35,000 or so JUM students. I recommend living in a county area, county areas are cheaper overall.

Dayton and Bridgewater both have their own police depts., the rescue squad & fire dept. are in Bridgewater and cover all areas i've listed(except Harrisonburg city). There is a grocery store in Bridgewater and plenty more shopping 10-15 min. away in Harrisonburg. The schools (middle & high) are right between Bridgewater & Dayton on Rt. 42. The college in town is not your typical college scene and i've never personally heard of any problems there.

There are a number of other cities/towns that are an easy 20-30 minute drive to Bridgewater.

[TN Lily]

Go to the Harrisonburg Craigslist - apts. & housing for rent - & put Bridgewater as your search term. You will find rentals.

Bridgewater is a small town. While you may find more desirable neighborhoods, I don't think you will find awful neighborhoods within the limits of Bridgewater proper.

Good luck.

[ShadowBat]

Very good info here. Bridgewater is a very nice little town. I believe it only has about 2,000 official residents. it could be considered a suburb of Harrisonburg since it's only about 5-10 minutes out of town. It has it's own little downtown area and is right on a river. But for shopping and entertainment you will definitely have to go to Harrisonburg. Bridgewater, as mentioned is surrounded by other small towns such as Mt. Crawford, and Dayton. The only down side to Rockingham county is all the smelly poultry farms. Good luck and welcome to the area!

[astitchoflove1]

Thanks so much for the advice and replies to my post on rental homes in Bridgewater. I really appreciate the help. I have been looking on Craig's List, but so far have not had much luck in finding many rental homes. We will not be moving until the summer so I still have plenty of time--just wanted to get an idea of the cost of rentals in the area. Another problem I have noticed is that most of the townhouses/houses that I have found do not allow pets. We have 1 cat that is very well behaved and a family member, so leaving him behind is out of the question. Would love to hear more advice/comments on the area.