Quality of Life

Located along Interstate 81 within 90 miles of Washington, D.C., 153 miles of Virginia's Capitol of Richmond, and just minutes to Virginia's Inland Port, Shenandoah County offers the convenience of major transportation in a wonderfully rural setting nestled within the renowned scenery of the Shenandoah Valley. This region's rich agricultural foundation supports several existing food manufacturers and food processing businesses including International Automotive Components, Bowman Andros North America, Route 11 Potato Chips, Filibuster Bourbon, and Howell Metal, each of whom have celebrated recent expansions.

  • Over 178 Miles of Trails Throughout the National Forest
  • Over 100 miles of Rivers and Streams perfect for floating and fishing
  • Easy Access to Shenandoah National Park
  • 4 Seasons of Outdoor Recreation
  • Centrally located to over 40 Vineyards, Craft Breweries, Cideries, and Distilleries in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
  • Farm-to-Table Restaurants
  • Home to the Nation's 1st Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp
  • Performing Arts Theatre
  • 3 outdoor music summer concert series including Virginia's longest-running outdoor music festival
  • 9 Museums
  • Home to Virginia's longest-covered bridge
  • Centrally located between the cities of Harrisonburg and Winchester

Shenandoah County is situated between the cities of Harrisonburg and Winchester providing access to a diverse workforce. Located within 30 miles of six colleges and universities including James Madison University, Shenandoah University, Eastern Mennonite University, Laurel Ridge Community College, and Bridgewater College allows local employers to easily recruit a well-educated workforce and allows for continued education for existing workers. Triplett Tech Vocational and Technical School and Massanutten Technical School provide career and technical education services to a local workforce for continued education and technical training. Working closely with our regional business partners, local educators pride themselves on developing curricula to suit area business needs and work closely with the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board to match funding opportunities to available training.

Shenandoah County is also proud to be home to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, part of the Valley Health System and conveniently situated 30 miles between Winchester Medical Center and Rockingham Memorial Hospital providing access to a variety of specialists and healthcare amenities.

Regional Labor Statistics

  • The labor force of over 190,000 with an extended labor market of over 310,000
  • Low unionization in a Right-to-Work state
  • Over 9,000 college graduates annually
  • Ten colleges and universities are aware of the industry and responsive to industry requests
  • Educational attainment of residents:
    • 15.6% have a Bachelor's Degree
    • 10.4% have a Graduate Degree or higher
    • 7.3% have an Associate's Degree
  • Virginia incentive programs seamlessly work with local service providers for maximum benefits
  • Virginia Career Works - Shenandoah Valley Region / Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board works with employers to fund registered apprenticeship instruction, on-the-job training, incumbent worker training, and military-manufacturing partnerships

Note: Based on Lightcast Q2 2023 Data Set

Transportation

  • Commercial Airports: Washington Dulles International Airport
  • Shenandoah Regional Airport
  • Easy access to Interstates 81 and 66
  • Easy access to Virginia's Inland Port in Front Royal
  • Northbound rail service out of Strasburg is provided by CSX and eastbound by Norfolk Southern
  • Potential rail service provided by Norfolk Southern running parallel to I-81