Shenandoah County affords residents an excellent quality of life and provides a wide range of amenities of benefit to both residents and visitors. The county’s six primary communities all provide "in-town" conveniences with all the charm and security expected by those who seek the appeal of small town living. Our clean air, pristine streams, and rolling hills provide ample opportunity for those whose tastes run more to farming and ranching. Nearby Winchester (30 miles) and Harrisonburg (35 miles) and the major metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. within 150 miles of Woodstock offer quick and easy access to a wider range of shopping and entertainment venues.
Towns
Edinburg Strasburg Mt. Jackson Tom's Brook New Market Woodstock Churches
Most denominations are represented in the 127 churches in the County.
Climate
Shenandoah County offers a moderate climate with Westerly winds prevailing. The average temperature in January is 34 degrees with the average rising to 74 degrees in July. Annual precipitation averages 35 inches.
Communications
Newspapers—Northern Virginia Daily, Strasburg (morning); Shenandoah Valley Herald, Woodstock (weekly); Shenandoah Free Press, Woodstock (weekly); Washington Post, Washington, D.C. (morning); Daily News Record, Harrisonburg (morning);Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia.
Radio and Television—Radio stations are located in Mt. Jackson, Woodstock, and Strasburg; also reception from Broadway, Luray, Winchester, Harrisonburg, and other cities. Broadcasts from Harrisonburg and Washington, D.C. provide reception of ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates. Cable television and Woodstock TV Channel 10 (low power) also serve the area.
Telephone—Local service supplied by Shenandoah Telephone Company (complete fiber optic and digital switching system). Long distance service is provided by Valley Net (complete fiber optic system). MCI’s international earth satellite station is located in the County.
Telegraph—Supplied by Western Union.
Education
Primary and Secondary Schools—The County operates 12 public schools; four elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, and a vocational school. The total enrollment averages over 5,300. The County employs 370 teachers and has a pupil/teacher ratio of 15/1 (grades K-7) and 12/1 (grades 8-12).
Private schools in the county include Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Shenandoah Valley Academy and Shenandoah Valley Elementary in New Market, and Valley Baptist Christian School in Edinburg.
Community Colleges—Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown (25 miles) and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave (40 miles) both offer technical and two-year associate degrees.
Colleges and Universities—James Madison University, Harrisonburg (35 miles), offers bachelor and graduate degrees in many areas including accounting, finance, economics, management, information systems, marketing, agri-business, and international business. Other area schools include Shenandoah University in Winchester (30 miles), Bridgewater College in Bridgewater (45 miles), Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg (35 miles), and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (98 miles).
Financial Institutions
Virginia’s leading financial institutions have offices in Shenandoah County. Shenandoah County also has the largest independent bank in the region, the First National Bank of Strasburg. Farm Credit Association also has an office in the County. These institutions are well established and can serve all the County’s business and industrial needs.
There are 11 financial institutions with a total of 20 branch offices in the County with assets ranging from $20 million to over $100 billion. The Shenandoah Industrial Development Authority is authorized to issue revenue bonds and the Virginia Asset Financing Corporation offers Small Business Administration loans to business and industry in the County.
Hotels/Motels
There are 14 in the County with a combined 700 rooms.
Libraries
There are six community libraries and a County library in Edinburg with over 10,000 volumes.
Medical
Shenandoah County Memorial Hospital in Woodstock has 133 beds and offers general medical, surgical, intensive care, mental health, C. T. scan, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, obstetrics, long-term care, home care, maternity, geriatrics, radiological, rehabilitative, and counseling services. The Susan B. Miller Nursing Home (55 beds), Skyline Terrace Nursing Home (70 beds), and Life Care Center in New Market provide general nursing and long-term care. Volunteer rescue squads at Mt. Jackson, New Market, and Woodstock provide ambulance service.
Public Recreation
Facilities include 22 tennis courts, 15 ball fields, five swimming pools, two golf courses, two skating rinks, two bowling alleys, three movie theaters, and an amateur theater. There are six public parks within the county. Snow skiing and grass skiing are available in season at Bryce Mountain Resort. Skyline Drive is a nearby favored tourist attraction as are the County’s caverns. The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival draws visitors each summer while the George Washington National Forest, the New Market Battlefield Park (Civil War), and the local museum attract visitors year-round. Extensive forest and open land attracts thousands of deer, bear, and small game hunters, and the Shenandoah River and numerous trout streams tantalize fishermen. The County Park and Recreation Department has recreational programs for all ages throughout the year.
Tourism
Points of interest include Signal Knob, Civil War battlefields, museums, mineral springs, caverns (famous for their limestone formations), Seven Bends of the Shenandoah River at Woodstock, National Forest facilities, covered bridge at Mt. Jackson, oldest courthouse west of the Blue Ridge still in use, picturesque churches, and early American architecture all provide a variety of interesting family attractions.