Central Shenandoah Valley Local Living Guide
New to Central Shenandoah Valley, or still weighing it? Start here. What each town is actually like, what homes really cost, and what's going on this week.
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The towns
They're not interchangeable. Open any one for what you'd pay, how the schools rate, and what it's like to live there day to day.
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Staunton City
The region's cultural hub. A Victorian downtown, the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse, Mary Baldwin University, and the Woodrow Wilson birthplace.
Waynesboro City
An I-64 city at the foot of Rockfish Gap, where Skyline Drive meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. The South River and its stocked trout water run through downtown.
Augusta County
One of Virginia's largest farming counties, wrapped around Staunton and Waynesboro. Fishersville, Stuarts Draft, and the Verona government center carry most of the growth along the I-81 and I-64 corridors.
Rockbridge County
Natural Bridge, Goshen Pass, and the Maury River. The county surrounds Lexington and Buena Vista, with farms and rural acreage between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies.
Lexington City
Home to Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. A compact, walkable historic downtown that anchors the southern end of the region.
Buena Vista City
A small independent city on the Maury River below the Blue Ridge Parkway. Home to Southern Virginia University and the riverfront Glen Maury Park.
Bath County
The Omni Homestead resort at Hot Springs, the warm springs pools, and Lake Moomaw. A mountain county with no stoplights and some of the region's lowest density.
Highland County
Virginia's least populous county, high valleys along the West Virginia line. Monterey's maple syrup producers draw the region every March.
Tools & lists
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Comparing costs in Central Shenandoah Valley? Use the moving guide for costs, taxes, and local tradeoffs.
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