Editing Harrisonburg, Virginia

{{short description|Independent city in Virginia, United States}}
{{distinguish|Harrisburg, Virginia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Harrisonburg, Virginia
| official_name      = City of Harrisonburg
| settlement_type    = [[Independent city (United States)|Independent city]]
| image_skyline      = Rockingham County Courthouse.JPG
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = [[Rockingham County Courthouse (Virginia)|Rockingham County Courthouse]] in Court Square in [[Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District|Downtown Harrisonburg]]
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = City logo small.png
| nickname           = The Friendly City, Rocktown, H'burg, The Burg, Friendly by Nature
| motto              = 
| pushpin_map        = USA Virginia#USA
| pushpin_label      = Harrisonburg
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| image_map1         = Harrisonburg-Location.svg
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = Location of Harrisonburg in the Commonwealth of Virginia
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|26|58|N|78|52|08|W|region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[County]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Virginia}}
| subdivision_name2  = None ([[Independent city (United States)#Virginia|Independent city]])
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1779
| established_title1 = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date1  = 1916
| founder            = [[Thomas Harrison House (Harrisonburg, Virginia)|Thomas Harrison]]
| named_for          = [[Thomas Harrison House (Harrisonburg, Virginia)|Thomas Harrison]]
| government_type    = [[Council-manager government]]
| leader_title       = [[City Manager]]
| leader_name        = Ande Banks<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Harrisonburg, VA |date=January 14, 2022 |title=City Manager search moves forward with selection of firm |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/press_release/2022/01-14%20City%20Manager%20Search%20Moves%20Forward%20with%20Selection%20of%20Firm.pdf |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=City of Harrisonburg Press Release}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name1       = Deanna R. Reed ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/deanna-reed|title=Mayor Deanna R. Reed|date=December 27, 2016|website=City of Harrisonburg, VA}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 17.39
| area_land_sq_mi    = 17.34
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.05
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| elevation_m        = 404
| elevation_ft       = 1325
| population_total   = 51814
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_urban   = 
| population_metro   = 
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 22801–22803, 22807
| area_code          = [[Area code 540|540]]
| unemployment_rate  = 
| website            = [https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/ www.harrisonburgva.gov]
| footnotes          = 
| leader_title2      = [[City Council]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/city-council-meeting |title=City Council &#124; City of Harrisonburg, VA |publisher=Harrisonburgva.gov |date=August 24, 2017 |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>
| leader_name2       = {{Collapsible list
|title                    ='''Council members'''
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style  = text-align:left;
|1=Deanna R. Reed ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])
|2=Dany Fleming ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 5, 2023|title=Council Member Dany Fleming|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/dany-fleming|access-date=May 4, 2023|website=City of Harrisonburg, VA|language=en}}</ref>
|3=Laura Dent ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])
|4=Monica Robinson ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 5, 2023|title=Council Member Monica Robinson|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/monica-robinson|access-date=May 4, 2023|website=City of Harrisonburg, VA|language=en}}</ref>
|5=Nasser Alsaadun ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]])
}}
| leader_title3      = [[Virginia House of Delegates|House Delegate]]
| leader_name3       = [[Tony Wilt]] ([[U.S. Republican Party|R]])
| leader_title4      = [[Virginia State Senate|State Senator]]
| leader_name4       = [[Mark Obenshain]] ([[U.S. Republican Party|R]])
| timezone           = EST
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 51-35624<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1498489<ref>
  {{cite web
  | url = {{gnis3|1498489}}
 | title                    = Harrisonburg – Populated Place
 | work                     = [[Geographic Names Information System]]
 | publisher                = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]
 | access-date              = May 8, 2008 }}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 45.04
| area_land_km2      = 44.91
| area_water_km2     = 0.13
| population_density_km2 = auto
| image_map          = Harrisonburg (Virginia) bordering Rockingham County.svg
| mapsize            = 266px
| map_caption        = Harrisonburg enclaved within Rockingham County
}}

'''Harrisonburg''' is an [[independent city (United States)|independent city]] in the [[Shenandoah Valley]] region of the [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]] of [[Virginia]] in the United States. It is also the [[county seat]] of the surrounding [[Rockingham County, Virginia|Rockingham County]],<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |access-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 51,814.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harrisonburg city, Harrisonburg city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5166093859|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> The [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] combines the city of Harrisonburg with Rockingham County for statistical purposes into the [[Harrisonburg metropolitan area|Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area]], which had an estimated population of 126,562 in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-01.csv | title = Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 | format = [[comma-separated values|CSV]] | work = 2011 Population Estimates | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division | date = April 20, 2009 | access-date = June 4, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120427231227/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-01.csv | archive-date = April 27, 2012 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Harrisonburg is home to [[James Madison University]] (JMU), a public [[research university]] with an enrollment of over 20,000 students,<ref name="JMU Facts & Figures">{{cite web |url=http://www.jmu.edu/about/fact-and-figures.shtml |title=JMU Facts & Figures |access-date=September 15, 2015 |publisher=James Madison University}}</ref> and [[Eastern Mennonite University]] (EMU), a private, [[Mennonite Church USA|Mennonite]]-affiliated [[liberal arts college|liberal arts]] university. Although the city has no historical association with [[President of the United States|President]] [[James Madison]], JMU was nonetheless named in his honor as Madison College in 1938 and renamed as James Madison University in 1977.<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web |url=http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/timeline.shtml |title=JMU Historical Timeline |access-date=December 5, 2006|publisher=JMU Centennial Office}}</ref> EMU largely owes its existence to the sizable [[Mennonite]] population in the [[Shenandoah Germans|Shenandoah Valley]], to which many [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] settlers arrived beginning in the mid-18th century in search of rich, unsettled farmland.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schum |first=Guy |url=http://www.virginialiving.com/travel/the-plain-people/ |title=The Plain People |publisher=Virginialiving.com |date=February 14, 2012 |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>

The city has become a bastion of ethnic and linguistic diversity in recent years. Over 1,900 [[refugees]] have been settled in Harrisonburg since 2002.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://wamu.org/story/17/03/30/welcome-signs-come/ |title=Where Did Those 'We're Glad You're Our Neighbor' Signs Come From? |publisher=WAMU.org |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref> As of 2014, [[Hispanic]]s or [[Latinos]] of any race make up 19% of the city's population.<ref>{{cite web |author=USA |url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/states/county/51660/ |title=Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends |publisher=Pewhispanic.org |date=April 1, 2000 |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930175927/http://www.pewhispanic.org/states/county/51660/ |archive-date=September 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Harrisonburg City Public Schools]] (HCPS) students speak 55 languages in addition to [[English language|English]], with [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Arabic]], and [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] being the most common languages spoken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://harrisonburg.k12.va.us/Instruction/English-as-a-Second-Language |title=ESL Students in HCPS |publisher=Harrisonburg.k12.va.us |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601151047/http://www.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/Instruction/English-as-a-Second-Language |archive-date=June 1, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>  Over one-third of HCPS students are [[English as a second or foreign language|English as a second language]] (ESL) learners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://harrisonburg.k12.va.us/Instruction/English-as-a-Second-Language |title=Harrisonburg City Schools - English as a Second Language |publisher=Harrisonburg.k12.va.us |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601151047/http://www.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/Instruction/English-as-a-Second-Language |archive-date=June 1, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> [[Computer-assisted language learning|Language learning software]] company [[Rosetta Stone (company)|Rosetta Stone]] was founded in Harrisonburg in 1992,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rosettastone.com/history |title=Rosetta Stone History |publisher=Rosettastone.com |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref> and the multilingual "Welcome Your Neighbors" yard sign originated in Harrisonburg in 2016.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

==History==

[[Image:Historical marker A33 Court Square downtown Harrisonburg VA July 2008.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Harrisonburg was named for Thomas Harrison (1704–1785), an early settler.<ref>{{cite book|title=The American Counties|author1= Kane, Joseph Nathan |author2=Aiken, Charles Curry|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2004|page=130|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yC9vFvCuW84C&q=Thomas+Harrison&pg=PA130|isbn=0-8108-5036-2}}</ref>]]

The earliest documented English exploration of the area prior to settlement was the [[Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition]], led by Lt. Gov. [[Alexander Spotswood]], who reached [[Elkton, Virginia|Elkton]], and whose rangers continued and in 1716 likely passed through what is now Harrisonburg.

Harrisonburg, previously known as "Rocktown," was named for [[Thomas Harrison House (Harrisonburg, Virginia)|Thomas Harrison]], a son of English settlers.<ref>Harrison, J. Houston (1935). ''Settlers by the Long Grey Trail'' J.K. Ruebush. p 214-249</ref> In 1737, Harrison settled in the [[Shenandoah Valley]], eventually laying claim to over {{convert|12000|acre|ha}} situated at the intersection of the Spotswood Trail and the main [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] road through the valley.<ref>Julian Smith, 2007, ''Moon Virginia'' p. 246</ref>

In 1779, Harrison deeded {{convert|2.5|acre|ha|abbr=on}} of his land to the "public good" for the construction of a courthouse. In 1780, Harrison deeded an additional {{convert|50|acre|ha|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harrisonburgva.gov/index.php?id=599 |title=''A Brief History of Harrisonburg'' |publisher=Harrisonburgva.gov |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>
This is the area now known as "Historic Downtown Harrisonburg".

In 1849, trustees chartered a [[mayor–council government#Weak-mayor, or ceremonial, form|mayor–council]] form of government, although Harrisonburg was not officially incorporated as an independent city until 1916. Today, a [[council–manager government]] administers Harrisonburg.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harrisonburgva.gov/index.php?id=600 |title=Government Structure of Harrisonburg |publisher=Harrisonburgva.gov |date=April 8, 2016 |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>

On June 6, 1862, an [[American Civil War]] skirmish took place at Good's Farm, Chestnut Ridge near Harrisonburg between the forces of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and the forces of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] at which the C.S. Army Colonel, [[Turner Ashby]] (1828–1862), was killed.

The city has expanded in size over the years.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historic Growth Map|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CommunityDevelopment/files/Engineering/maps/other/03-05-14%20historic%20growth%2011X17.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CommunityDevelopment/files/Engineering/maps/other/03-05-14%20historic%20growth%2011X17.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Newtown===

When enslaved peoples in the Shenandoah Valley were freed in 1865, they established a town called Newtown near modern-day Harrisonburg.<ref>[[Stephens City, Virginia]] was also called Newtown at this time.</ref> This town was eventually annexed by the independent city of Harrisonburg some years later, probably around 1892. Today, the old city of Newtown is in the Northeast section of Harrisonburg in the area referred to as Downtown Harrisonburg.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmra.org/post/legacy-harrisonburgs-urban-renewal|title=The Legacy of Harrisonburg's 'Urban Renewal'|last=Hagi|first=Randi B.|website=www.wmra.org|date=February 11, 2020 |language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> It remains the home of the majority of Harrisonburg's predominantly Black churches, such as First Baptist and Bethel AME. The modern Boys and Girls Club of Harrisonburg is located in the [[Lucy F. Simms School|old Lucy Simms schoolhouse]] that was used for Black students in the days of [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome [landing page] |url=https://omeka.lib.jmu.edu/simms/ |website=Celebrating Simms: The story of the Lucy F. Simms School |publisher=James Madison University & the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center in association with Billo Harper |access-date=January 29, 2019}}</ref>

==== Project R-4 and R-16 ====
A large portion of this Black neighborhood was dismantled in the 1960s when – in the name of [[urban renewal]] – the city government used federal redevelopment funds from the [[Housing Act of 1949]] to force Black families out of their homes and then bulldozed the neighborhood. This effort, called "Project R-4", focused on the city blocks east of Main, north of Gay, west of Broad, and south of Johnson. This area makes up 32.5 acres. "Project R-16" is a smaller tag on project which focused on the 7.5 acres south of Gay Street.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmra.org/post/role-race-and-money-harrisonburgs-urban-renewal|title=The Role of Race and Money in Harrisonburg's 'Urban Renewal'|last=Hagi|first=Randi B.|website=www.wmra.org|date=February 12, 2020 |language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.jmu.edu/shenandoahlivingarchive/projects-r4-and-r16-2/|title=projects r-4 and r-16|website=Shenandoah Living Archive Prototype|language=en-US|access-date=April 29, 2020|archive-date=June 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614190634/https://sites.jmu.edu/shenandoahlivingarchive/projects-r4-and-r16-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://valleyblackheritage.org/photos.html|title=Harrisonburg's Urban Renewal Projects, R4 & R16|website=Learn Share Illuminate|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>

According to Bob Sullivan, an intern working in the city planner's office in 1958, the city planner at the time, David Clark convinced the city council that Harrisonburg had slums. Newtown, a low socioeconomic status housing area, was declared a slum. Federal law mandated that the city needed to have a referendum on the issue before R-4 could begin. The vote was close with 1,024 votes in favor and 978 against R-4. In 1955, following the vote, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority was established to carry out the project. All of the group's members were White men. Invoking the power of eminent domain, the government forced people in Newtown to sell their homes.<ref>"A Guide to the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority Photographs, 1960-1987: SC 0235," Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority Photographs, 1960-1987, SC 0235, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=jmu/vihart00185.xml</ref> Residents were offered payments for their homes far below their true real estate value. Many people could not afford a new home and had to move into public housing projects. Other families left Harrisonburg. It is estimated between 93 and 200 families were displaced.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.eightyone.info/online/?p=411 |title=''Remembering Project R4'' |publisher=Eightyone.info |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116062156/http://www.eightyone.info/online/?p=411 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In addition to families, many of the businesses of Newtown that were bought out could not afford to reestablish themselves. Locals say many prominent Black businesses like the Colonnade, which served as a pool hall, dance hall, community center, and tearoom, were unable to reopen.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://public.imaginingamerica.org/journalcontent/2017/4/2/227/index.html|title=Mapping African American Life in Harrisonburg|website=public.imaginingamerica.org|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Kline's, a White-owned business, was one of the few businesses in the area that was able to reopen. The city later made $500,000 selling the seized property to redevelopers. Before the project, the area brought in $7000 in taxes annually. By 1976, the areas redeveloped in R-4 and R-16 were bringing in $45,000 in annual taxes. These profit gains led Lauren McKinney to regard the project as "one of only two 'profitable' redevelopment schemes in the state of Virginia".<ref name=":1" />

Cultural landmarks were also influenced by the projects. Although later rebuilt, the Old First Baptist Church of Harrisonburg was demolished.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://firstbaptisthbgva.org/pages/Church%20History%20Doc.htm|title=First Baptist History|website=firstbaptisthbgva.org|access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Newtown Cemetery, a Historic African American Cemetery, was also impacted. Although it appears that no burials were destroyed, the western boundary was paved over and several headstones now touch the street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/115-5129_NewtownCemetery_2014_NRHP_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/115-5129_NewtownCemetery_2014_NRHP_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Newtown Cemetery National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|date=December 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

=== Infrastructure ===
[[File:2019-06-25 17 56 08 View north along Interstate 81 from the overpass for Virginia State Route 280 (Stone Spring Road) in Harrisonburg, Virginia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Interstate 81]], a main roadway in Harrisonburg]]
Major highways in Harrisonburg include [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|Interstate 81]], the main north–south highway in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Other significant roads serving the city include [[U.S. Route 11 in Virginia|U.S. Route 11]], [[U.S. Route 33 in Virginia|U.S. Route 33]], [[Virginia State Route 42]], [[Virginia State Route 253]] and [[Virginia State Route 280]].

In early 2002, the Harrisonburg community discussed the possibility of creating a pedestrian mall downtown. Public meetings were held to discuss the merits and drawbacks of pursuing such a plan. Ultimately, the community decided to keep its Main Street open to traffic. From these discussions, however, a strong voice emerged from the community in support of downtown revitalization.

On July 1, 2003, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.downtownharrisonburg.org/|title=Home|website=Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance}}</ref> was incorporated as a [[501(c)(3)]] [[nonprofit organization]] with the mission of rejuvenating the downtown district.<ref name="DNR28OCT02">{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=VNRB&p_theme=vnrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=109E3B78E330AA5D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Downtown|last=Bolsinger|first=Andrew Scot|date=October 28, 2002|work=[[Daily News-Record]]|location=Harrisonburg, VA |access-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref>

In 2004, downtown was designated as the [[Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District]] on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and a designated Virginia Main Street Community,<ref name="NPS-Hist-Dist">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/travel/VAmainstreet/har.htm|title=Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District|work=Virginia Main Street Community: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref> with the neighboring [[Old Town Historic District (Harrisonburg, Virginia)|Old Town Historic District]] residential community gaining historic district status in 2007. Several vacant buildings have been renovated and repurposed for new uses, such as the Hardesty-Higgins House and City Exchange, used for the Harrisonburg Tourist Center and high-end loft apartments, respectively.

In 2008, downtown Harrisonburg spent over $1 million in cosmetic and sidewalk infrastructure improvements (also called streetscaping and wayfinding projects). The City Council appropriated $500,000 for custom street signs to be used as "wayfinding signs" directing visitors to areas of interest around the city. Another $500,000 were used to upgrade street lighting, sidewalks, and landscaping along Main Street and Court Square.<ref name="TV314Aug2007">{{cite news|url=http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/9163361.html|title=Harrisonburg Streetscape|last=Creswell|first=Kelly|date=August 14, 2007|work=WHSV TV 3|publisher=Gray Television, Inc.|access-date=July 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716051358/http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/9163361.html|archive-date=July 16, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2014, Downtown Harrisonburg was named a Great American Main Street by the National Main Street Association and downtown was designated the first culinary district in the commonwealth of Virginia.

[[Norfolk Southern]] also owns a small railyard in Harrisonburg. The Chesapeake and Western corridor from [[Elkton, Virginia|Elkton]] to Harrisonburg has very high volumes of grain and ethanol.
The railroad serves two major grain elevators inside the city limits. In May 2017 [[Norfolk Southern]] 51T derailed in Harrisonburg spilling corn into Blacks Run. No one was injured.

[[Shenandoah Valley Railroad (short-line)|Shenandoah Valley Railroad]] interchanges with the NS on south side of Harrisonburg and with [[CSX]] and [[Buckingham Branch Railroad]] in North [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]].

[[Harrisonburg Transit]] provides public transportation in Harrisonburg. Virginia Breeze provides intercity bus service between [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]], Harrisonburg, and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{Cite web| title = The Virginia Breeze: Bus from Blacksburg to Washington, DC| work = The Virginia Breeze: Bus from Blacksburg to Washington, DC {{!}} DRPT| access-date = January 20, 2020| url = https://virginiabreeze.org/}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Larkin Arts.jpg|thumbnail|left|Larkin Arts]] Harrisonburg has won several awards<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/awards|title=Awards and Recognitions|date=July 10, 2013|newspaper=City of Harrisonburg, VA|access-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref> in recent years, including "#6 Favorite Town in America" by Travel + Leisure in 2016,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/americas-favorite-places/towns|title=America's Favorite Towns|newspaper=Travel + Leisure|access-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref> the "#15 Best City to Raise an Outdoor Kid" by Backpacker in 2009,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.backpacker.com/trips/washington/the-best-cities-to-raise-an-outdoor-kid-the-winning-25/3/#harrisonburg=&bp=0/img1|title=The Best Cities to Raise an Outdoor Kid: The Winning 25 - Page 3 of 6 - Backpacker|date=July 1, 2009|newspaper=Backpacker|language=en-US|access-date=October 27, 2016|archive-date=October 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028021357/http://www.backpacker.com/trips/washington/the-best-cities-to-raise-an-outdoor-kid-the-winning-25/3/#harrisonburg=&bp=0/img1|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the "#3 Happiest Mountain Town" by Blue Ridge Country Magazine in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://blueridgecountry.com/newsstand/online_exclusives/top-61-happiest-blue-ridge-mountain-towns|title=The Top 61 Happiest Mountain Towns in the Blue Ridge|newspaper=BlueRidgeCountry.com|access-date=October 27, 2016}}</ref>

Harrisonburg holds the title of "Virginia's first Culinary District" (awarded in 2014).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hellman |first1=Reed |title='Farm to table' means just that in Virginia's first Culinary District |url=https://www.recreationnews.com/food-and-drink/adventures_in_taste/farm-to-table-means-just-that-in-virginia-s-first/article_e1f5d23f-3bef-52b1-bc26-a82d4575c681.html |website=Recreation News |access-date=January 29, 2019 |date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> The "Taste of Downtown" (TOD) week-long event takes place annually to showcase local breweries and restaurants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Events |url=https://downtownharrisonburg.org/annual-events/ |website=Downtown Harrisonburg |publisher=Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance |access-date=January 29, 2019}}</ref> Often referred to as "Restaurant Week," the ''TOD'' event offers a chance for culinary businesses in downtown Harrisonburg to create specials, collaborations, and try out new menus.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taste of Downtown |url=https://downtownharrisonburg.org/taste-of-downtown/ |website=Downtown Harrisonburg |publisher=Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance |access-date=January 29, 2019 |archive-date=January 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181354/https://downtownharrisonburg.org/taste-of-downtown/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[creative class]] of Harrisonburg has grown alongside the revitalization of the downtown district. The designation of "first Arts & Cultural District in Virginia" was awarded to Downtown Harrisonburg in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=Main Street vibe |url=https://www.visitharrisonburgva.com/do-downtown-harrisonburg/ |website=Harrisonburg, VA: Friendly by Nature |publisher=Harrisonburg Tourism |access-date=January 29, 2019}}</ref> Contributing to Harrisonburg's cultural capital are a collection of education and art centers, residencies, studios, and artist-facilitated businesses, programs, and collectives.

Some of these programs include:
* Larkin Arts, a community art center that opened in 2012 and has four symbiotic components: an art supply store, a fine arts gallery, a school with three classrooms, and five private studio spaces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stauntonfund.com/2012/09/sccf-out-about-larkin-arts-harrisonburg|title=SCCF OUT & ABOUT: LARKIN ARTS, HARRISONBURG|date=September 17, 2012|website=Staunton Creative Community Fund|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414191643/http://stauntonfund.com/2012/09/sccf-out-about-larkin-arts-harrisonburg/|archive-date=April 14, 2014|access-date=April 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Stacy|first=Sarah|title=Larkin Arts hosts second annual juried art show|url=http://www.dnronline.com/article/20140214larkinarts|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140413163150/http://www.dnronline.com/article/20140214larkinarts|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2014|newspaper=DNR Harrisonburg}}</ref>
* Old Furnace Artist Residency (OFAR)<ref>{{cite web|title=2014 Open Engagement Program|url=http://openengagement.info/home/program|publisher=Open Engagement}}</ref> and SLAG Mag: Artist residency and arts&culture quarterly zine focused on community engagement and social practice projects started in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jenner|first1=Andrew|title=Visiting With the Old Furnace Artist Residency|url=http://www.oldsouthhigh.com/2014/04/30/visiting-with-the-old-furnace-artist-residency/|website=Old South High|access-date=April 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729151043/http://www.oldsouthhigh.com/2014/04/30/visiting-with-the-old-furnace-artist-residency/|archive-date=July 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Harrisonburg's Little Free Library.jpg|thumbnail|right|A [[Little Free Library]] in Harrisonburg]]
* The Super Gr8 Film Festival, founded in 2009. The 2013 festival featured more than 50 locally produced films, and all of the films in the festival were shot using vintage cameras and Super 8 film.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Jermiah|title=Lurid Pictures + Super Gr8 Film Fest = Awesome Harrisonburg|url=http://www.oldsouthhigh.com/2013/11/18/lurid-pictures-super-gr8-film-fest-awesome-harrisonburg/|publisher=Old South High|access-date=July 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629070947/http://www.oldsouthhigh.com/2013/11/18/lurid-pictures-super-gr8-film-fest-awesome-harrisonburg/|archive-date=June 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Arts Council of the Valley, including the Darrin-McHone Gallery and Court Square Theater, provides facilities and funding for various arts programs and projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.valleyarts.org/about-us|title=About Us|website=Arts Council of the Valley|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416024024/http://www.valleyarts.org/about-us/|archive-date=April 16, 2014|access-date=April 13, 2014}}</ref>
* OASIS Fine Art and Craft, opened in 2000, is a cooperative gallery of over 35 local artists and artisans exhibiting and selling their work. It offers fine hand-crafted pottery, jewelry, fiber art, wood, metal, glass, wearable art, paintings, and photography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oasisfineartandcraft.org/ |title=Home - OASIS Fine Art & Craft |publisher=Oasisfineartandcraft.org |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>
* The Virginia Quilt Museum, established in 1995, is dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and nurturing Virginia's quilting heritage. It features a permanent collection of nearly 300 quilts, a Civil War Gallery, antique and toy sewing machines, and rotating exhibits from across the United States.<ref name="Virginia Quilt Museum"/>

===Historic sites===

==== The Harrison House (formerly the Thomas Harrison House) ====
The modern city of Harrisonburg grew up around this modest stone house, which until recently was thought to have been erected for Thomas Harrison ca. 1750. But new research and a dendrochronology study completed by James Madison University in 2018 has determined that it was built ca. 1790; Harrison died in 1785. Harrison laid out the town that was to bear his name on fifty acres of his holdings and was also instrumental in having Harrisonburg established as the Rockingham County seat in 1780. Prior to confirmation of the date of construction, it was believed that the first courts were held in this building, which is also associated with Bishop Francis Asbury, a pioneer leader of the Methodist Episcopal church, who often visited Harrison and conducted some of the county's first Methodist services. While the original Thomas Harrison house no longer exists, this building remains an early example of stone vernacular architecture in the Shenandoah Valley, and a contributing building in the Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District. Its window architraves are cut from solid walnut timbers. This house remained in the Harrison family until 1870, which is probably why it was long-thought to have been Thomas Harrison's.<ref>{{Cite web|title=115-0008 The Harrison House (formerly the Thomas Harrison House)|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/115-0008/|access-date=|website=www.dhr.virginia.gov|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 1, 2017|title=Thomas Harrison House|url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/thomas-harrison-house|website=City of Harrisonburg, VA|language=en}}</ref>

==== Hardesty-Higgins House ====
Home to Harrisonburg's first mayor Isaac Hardesty, the house bears his name and the name of the physician, Henry Higgins, who began construction in 1848. Isaac Hardesty was born in 1795 and became the city's first Mayor by charter on March 16, 1849, incorporating the town of Harrisonburg. Hardesty completed construction of the home by 1853 and lived in the house with his wife, Ann, and two children. He was a successful business man, apothecary, and merchant, and he served on the board of directors of the Valley Turnpike Company.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web|title=Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center|url=https://www.visitharrisonburgva.com/hardesty-higgins-house-visitor-center/|access-date=|website=Visit Harrisonburg Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley|date=January 7, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Isaac Hardesty supported the Union and moved from Harrisonburg during the early part of the Civil War. The Strayer sisters occupied the house and, during their stay, the sisters hosted Union General Nathaniel Banks. The house served as an inn after the war and was home to the Virginia Craftsman, makers of handcrafted furniture, from the 1920s to the 1980s.<ref name=":23" />

==== Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District ====
The approximately 100 acre [[Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Story Map Tour|url=https://harrisonburg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=ad2d662c08b94e5a9fc71bcd1a99fdf9|access-date=|website=harrisonburg.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref> embraces the historic commercial and institutional core of the city. The principal axis of the district is Main Street, which runs approximately north–south through the district. Another principal thoroughfare is Liberty Street, which parallels Main Street. The principal cross axis is Market Street (US Highway 33), which intersects with Main Street on the east side of Court Square.<ref name=":24">{{Cite web|title=115-0187 Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/115-0187/|access-date=|website=www.dhr.virginia.gov|language=en-US}}</ref> The Romanesque Revival/Renaissance Revival 1896-97 Rockingham County Courthouse commands the square, and surrounding blocks arc densely developed with early twentieth century high-rise bank buildings and other commercial buildings from the 1870s through the 1950s. Most residential buildings dates to after the Civil War, when South Main Street developed as Harrisonburg's elite residential avenue. Notable houses from the period include Victorian/Queen Anne masterpieces such as Ute 1890 Joshua Wilton House and rarities such as the late 1880s Octagon House. Several fine Gothic Revival churches date to the early years of the twentieth century. Industrial buildings and warehouses date largely to the first half of the twentieth century and include the 1908 City Produce Exchange, a poultry shipping plant, and the late 1920s Maphis Chapman Co. gas storage tank factory. A complex of mid-twentieth century cinder block warehouses clusters near the 1913 Chesapeake Western Railway Station and the 1920-21 Rockingham Milling Co. roller mill on Chesapeake Avenue. Alter World War I automobile dealerships appeared in the downtown area. An outstanding example is the 1920 Rockingham Motor Co., an inspired Tudor Revival/Art Deco design. Architectural modernism achieved popularity in the 1940s and early 1950s at the end of the period of significance. Harrisonburg's downtown experienced a number of losses during the late twentieth century, but the recent rehabilitation of several key buildings demonstrates a growing commitment to the preservation of the district's historic character.<ref name=":24" />

==== Other sites ====
In addition to the Thomas Harrison House, Hardesty-Higgins House, Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District, and Old Town Historic District, the [[Anthony Hockman House]], [[Rockingham County Courthouse (Virginia)|Rockingham County Courthouse]], [[Lucy F. Simms School]], [[Whitesel Brothers]], and [[Joshua Wilton House]] are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2010a}}</ref>

==Media==
Harrisonburg is home to a local television station, several local radio stations, newspapers and independent online news organizations. Local media organizations include:

* [[WHSV-TV]] (ABC Affiliate) 
* [[WMRA]] public radio
* [[Daily News-Record|The Daily News-Record]] newspaper
* The Harrisonburg Citizen, an independent online news organization
* Rocktown Now, part of Saga Communications
* [[The Breeze (newspaper)|The Breeze]], the independent student newspaper at James Madison University
* The Weather Vane, the student-run newspaper at Eastern Mennonite University

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|17.4|sqmi|1}}, of which {{convert|17.3|sqmi|1}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|1}} (0.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The City of Harrisonburg comprises six watersheds, with Blacks Run being the primary watershed with 8.67 miles of stream and a drainage area of over 9000 acres. The city also drains into the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Harrisonburg is in the western part of the Shenandoah Valley, a portion of the Valley and Ridge physiographic province.<ref name=":25">{{Cite book|url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70198911|title=Geology of the Harrisonburg and Bridgewater quadrangles, Virginia|publisher=Commonwealth of Virginia, Dept. of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, Division of Mineral Resources|year=1986|volume=60 |location=Charlottesville, VA|last1=Ii |first1=Thomas M. Gathright |last2=Frischmann |first2=Peter S. }}</ref> Generally, the area is a rolling upland with local relief between 100 and 300 feet.<ref name=":25" />

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 1023
|1870= 2036
|1880= 2831
|1890= 2792
|1900= 3521
|1910= 4879
|1920= 5875
|1930= 7232
|1940= 8768
|1950= 10810
|1960= 11916
|1970= 14605
|1980= 19671
|1990= 30707
|2000= 40468
|2010= 48914
|2020= 51814
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 6, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2014}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Harrisonburg city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br /><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Harrisonburg city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5135624&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Harrisonburg city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5135624&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|35,391
|31,454
|72.35%
|60.71%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|2,911
|3,906
|5.95%
|7.54%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|67
|71
|0.14%
|0.14%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|1,705
|2,089
|3.49%
|4.03%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|54
|20
|0.11%
|0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|112
|196
|0.23%
|0.38%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|1,009
|2,033
|2.06%
|3.92%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|7,665
|12,045
|15.67%
|23.25%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''48,914'''
|'''51,814'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 census===
[[Image:USA Harrisonburg city, Virginia age pyramid.svg|thumb|180px|left|This graph, using information from the 2000 federal census, illustrates the uneven distribution of age due to the two universities in Harrisonburg]]

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 30, 2016|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, 48,914 people, 15,988 households, and 7,515 families resided in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|2,811.1|/mi2|/km2|abbr=on}}. The 15,988 housing units averaged {{convert|918.9|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 78.4% White, 6.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.2% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.7% of the population, up from 8.85% according to the census of 2000.

Of the 15,988 households, 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.0% were not families. About 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59, and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was distributed as 15.0% under the age of 18, 48.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males.

The [[median household income|median income]] for a household in the city was $37,850, and for a family was $53,642. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,992. About 11.5% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

== Politics ==
{{PresHead|place=Harrisonburg, Virginia|source=<ref>{{cite web|author=David Leip |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=December 8, 2020}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|6,266|10,641|425|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|5,591|11,022|473|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|6,262|10,212|1,513|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|6,565|8,654|374|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|6,048|8,444|183|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|6,165|4,726|139|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|5,741|3,482|735|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|4,945|3,346|646|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|4,935|3,414|1,283|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|5,376|2,799|113|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|5,221|2,384|56|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,388|1,896|512|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|3,376|1,803|179|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,626|992|75|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,859|1,036|457|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|1,820|1,765|5|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|2,172|836|7|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|2,265|571|57|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|2,238|635|3|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|1,377|751|224|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|1,302|1,292|8|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,000|1,462|19|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|894|1,390|13|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|665|995|32|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,037|616|0|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|631|624|15|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|704|594|9|Virginia}}
{{PresFoot|1916|Democratic|319|346|5|Virginia}}
Like most of the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg was among the first areas of Virginia where old-line [[Southern Democrats]] began splitting their tickets. The city went [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] at every presidential election from [[1944 United States presidential election|1944]] to [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]. In [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], however, [[Barack Obama]] carried the city by a margin of 16 percent—slightly larger than the 14-point margin by which [[George W. Bush]] carried it four years earlier. The city has voted [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] in every presidential election since then, and has become one of the few Democratic mainstays in this more conservative part of Virginia. In most elections, it is one of the few areas west of Charlottesville carried by Democrats.

=== Government ===
{{Split portions|section=y |date=July 2024 |List of mayors of Harrisonburg, Virginia}}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! colspan="8" |Harrisonburg city government in the 20th century
|-
! colspan="2" |City Manager
! colspan="3" |Mayor
! colspan="3" |Vice-Mayor
|-
!Term
!Name
!Term
!Name
!Party
!Term
!Name
!Party
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="4" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Sep 1946–

Aug 1948<ref name=":30">{{Cite web |title=Previous Council Members |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/Previous%20Council%20Members_3.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/Previous%20Council%20Members_3.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Bernard Denton
|
|
|
|
|-
|Sep 1948–
Aug 1950<ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="3" |Lawrence Loewner
| rowspan="3" |
|
|
|
|-
|Sep 1950–
Aug 1952<ref name=":30" />
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="9" |
| rowspan="9" |
|Sep 1952–

Aug 1954<ref name=":30" />
|
|
|
|-
|Sep 1954–
Aug 1956<ref name=":30" />
|Walter Green
|
|Sep 1954–
Aug 1956<ref name=":31">{{Cite web|title=The News Leader from Staunton, Virginia on September 2, 1960 · 2|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/315725306/|access-date=August 1, 2021|website=Newspapers.com|date=September 2, 1960 |language=en}}</ref>
| rowspan="5" |Dan L. Logan
| rowspan="5" {{Party shading/Republican}}|R
|-
|Sep 1956–

Aug 1958<ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="6" |Frank C. Switzer
| rowspan="6" |
|Sep 1956–
Aug 1958<ref name=":31" />
|-
|Sep 1958–

Aug 1960<ref name=":30" />
|Sep 1958–
Aug 1960<ref name=":31" />
|-
|Sep 1960–

Aug 1962<ref name=":30" />
|Sep 1960–
Aug 1962<ref name=":31" />
|-
|Sep 1962–
Aug 1964<ref name=":30" />
|Sep 1962–
Aug 1964<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 1964|title=Harrisonburg Daily News Record Archives, Nov 13, 1964, p. 1|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/harrisonburg-daily-news-record-nov-13-1964-p-1/|access-date=August 1, 2021|website=NewspaperArchive.com|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Sep 1964–
Aug 1966<ref name=":30" />
|
|
|
|-
|Sep 1966–
Aug 1968<ref name=":30" />
|Jun 1966<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 15, 1966|title=Harrisonburg Daily News Record Archives, Jun 15, 1966, p. 1|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/harrisonburg-daily-news-record-jun-15-1966-p-1/|access-date=August 1, 2021|website=NewspaperArchive.com|language=en}}</ref>
|Joseph Mintzer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|D
|-
| rowspan="2" |Sep 1968–
Aug 1970<ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="8" |Roy Hjalmar
Erickson
| rowspan="8" {{Party shading/Republican}}|R
| rowspan="2" |Sep 1968–
Aug 1970<ref>{{Citation|last=Virginia|first=Harrisonburg|title=1969 City Council|date=January 7, 2013|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/harrisonburgva/8444025377/|access-date=August 1, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="2" |Royal Kincheloe
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| rowspan="2" |1969–1974
| rowspan="12" |Marvin B. Milam
|-
|Sep 1970–
Aug 1972<ref name=":30" />
|Sep 1970–
Aug 1972<ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="3" |Edgar Warren Denton Jr.
| rowspan="3" |
|-
|Sep 1974–
Aug 1976<ref name=":26" />
|Sep 1974–
Aug 1976<ref name=":26">{{Cite web |date=September 3, 1974 |title=09-03-1974 |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1974/09-03-1974.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1974/09-03-1974.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Sep 1974–
Aug 1976<ref name=":26" />
|-
|Sep 1976–
Aug 1978<ref name=":27">{{Cite web |date=January 13, 1976 |title=1976 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1976/1976%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1976/1976%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Sep 1976–
Aug 1978<ref name=":27" />
|Sep 1976–
Aug 1978<ref name=":27" />
|-
|Sep 1978–
Aug 1980<ref name=":28">{{Cite web |date=January 3, 1978 |title=1978 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1978/1978%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1978/1978%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Sep 1978–
Aug 1980<ref name=":28" />
|Sep 1978–
Aug 1980<ref name=":28" />
| rowspan="3" |Walter Franklin Green III.
| rowspan="3" |
|-
|Sep 1980–
Aug 1982<ref name=":29">{{Cite web |date=January 8, 1980 |title=1980 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1980/1980%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1980/1980%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Sep 1980–
Aug 1982<ref name=":29" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=January 12, 1982 |title=1982 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1982/1982%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1982/1982%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Sep 1980–
Aug 1982<ref name=":29" /><ref name=":4" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |Sep 1982–
Jun 1984
|Sep 1982–
Jun 1983
|Sep 1982–
Jun 1983
|-
|Jul 1983–
Jun 1984<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=January 1, 1983 |title=1983 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1983/1983%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1983/1983%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="6" |Walter Franklin Green III.
| rowspan="6" |
|Jul 1983–
Jun 1984<ref name=":5" />
| rowspan="4" |Raymond C. Dingledine Jr.
| rowspan="4" |
|-
|Jul 1984–

Jun 1986<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=January 10, 1984 |title=1984 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1984/1984%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1984/1984%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jul 1984–
Jun 1986<ref name=":6" />
|Jul 1984–
Jun 1986<ref name=":6" />
|-
|Jul 1986–
Jun 1988<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=January 14, 1986 |title=1986 City Council Minutes January to December |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1986/1986%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20January%20to%20December.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1986/1986%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20January%20to%20December.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jul 1986–
Jun 1988<ref name=":7" />
|Jul 1986–
Jun 1988<ref name=":7" />
|-
|Jul 1988–
Jun 1990<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=January 12, 1988 |title=1988 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1988/1988%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1988/1988%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jul 1988–
Jun 1990<ref name=":8" />
|Jul 1988–
Jun 1990<ref name=":8" />
|-
|Jul 1990<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=January 9, 1990 |title=1990 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1990/1990%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1990/1990%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>–
Sep 1991
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1990–
Jun 1992<ref name=":9" />
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1990–
Jun 1992<ref name=":9" />
| rowspan="2" |Elon W. Rhodes
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| rowspan="2" |Oct 1991–
Oct 1992<ref name=":9" />
| rowspan="2" |Roger D. Baker (acting)
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1992–
Jun 1994<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=January 14, 1992 |title=1992 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1992/1992%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1992/1992%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |C. Robert Heath
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1992–
Jun 1994<ref name=":10" />
| rowspan="2" |John N. Neff
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|Nov 1992–
Jun 1994<ref name=":10" />
| rowspan="5" |Steven E. Stewart
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1994<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=January 11, 1994 |title=1994 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1994/1994%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1994/1994%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>–
1997
|Jul 1994–
Jun 1996<ref name=":11" />
|John N. Neff
|
|Jul 1994–
Jun 1996<ref name=":11" />
|Emily R. Dingledine
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1996–
Jun 1998<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=January 23, 1996 |title=1996 City Council Minutes Jan to Dec |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1996/1996%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1996/1996%20City%20Council%20Minutes%20Jan%20to%20Dec.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="3" |Rodney L. Eagle
| rowspan="3" |I
| rowspan="2" |Jul 1996–
Jun 1998<ref name=":12" />
| rowspan="3" |Hugh. J. Lantz
| rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Republican}} |R
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997–Sep 2000
|-
|Jul 1998–
Jun 2000<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=July 1, 1998 |title=REORGANIZATION MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1998/07-01-1998.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/1998/07-01-1998.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jul 1998–
Jun 2000<ref name=":13" />
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="8" |Harrisonburg city government in the 21st century
|-
! colspan="2" |City Manager
! colspan="3" |Mayor
! colspan="3" |Vice-Mayor
|-
!Term
!Name
!Term
!Name
!Party
!Term
!Name
!Party
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997–Sep 2000
| rowspan="2" |Steven E. Stewart
|Jul 1998–
Jun 2000<ref name=":13" />
|Rodney L. Eagle
|I
|Jul 1998–
Jun 2000<ref name=":13" />
|Hugh. J. Lantz
|R
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2000–
Jun 2002<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2000 |title=REORGANIZATION MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2000/07-01-2000%20Reorg.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2000/07-01-2000%20Reorg.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |Carolyn W. Frank
| rowspan="2" |I
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2000–
Jun 2002<ref name=":14" />
| rowspan="2" |Dorn W. Peterson
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| rowspan="2" |Sep 2000–
Jun 2004<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2000 |title=REGULAR MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2000/09-12-2000.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2000/09-12-2000.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="4" |Roger Baker
|-
|Jul 2002–
Jun 2004<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2002 |title=MINUTES - REORGANIZATION MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2002/07-01-2002%20Reorg.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2002/07-01-2002%20Reorg.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Joseph Gus Fitzgerald
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|Jul 2002–
Jun 2004<ref name=":15" />
|Larry M. Rogers
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2004–
Jun 2007<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2004 |title=REORGANIZATION MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2004/07-01-2004.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2004/07-01-2004.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 26, 2007 |title=REGULAR MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2007/06-26-2007.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2007/06-26-2007.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jul 2004–
Jun 2006<ref name=":16" />
|Larry M. Rogers
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|Jul 2004–
Jun 2006<ref name=":16" />
|Rodney L. Eagle
|I
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2006–
Dec 2008<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |date=July 11, 2006 |title=REGULAR MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2006/07-11-2006.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2006/07-11-2006.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |Rodney L. Eagle
| rowspan="2" |I
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2006–
Dec 2008<ref name=":17" />
| rowspan="2" |George W. Pace
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| rowspan="2" |Jul 2007–
Dec 2010<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2007 |title=REGULAR MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2007/07-10-2007.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2007/07-10-2007.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
| rowspan="7" |Kurt D. Hodgen
|-
|Jan 2009–
Dec 2010<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2009 |title=REORGANIZATION MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2009/01-02-2009.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2009/01-02-2009.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Kai Degner
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|Jan 2009–
Dec 2010<ref name=":18" />
|Richard A. Baugh
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|-
| rowspan="4" |Jan 2011–October 31, 2017<ref name=":19">{{Cite web |date=January 3, 2011 |title=REORGANIZATION MEETING |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2011/01-03-2011%20Reorganization.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2011/01-03-2011%20Reorganization.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Jan 2011–
2012<ref name=":19" />
|Richard A. Baugh
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|Jan 2011–
2012<ref name=":19" />
|Ted Byrd
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | R
|-
|Jan 2013–
Dec 2014<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |date=February 10, 2014 |title=Special Meeting |url=https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2014/Special%20Meeting%2002-10-14.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/sites/default/files/CMO/files/minutes/2014/Special%20Meeting%2002-10-14.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=The City of Harrisonburg Virginia}}</ref>
|Ted Byrd
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | R
|Jan 2013–
Dec 2014<ref name=":20" />
|Charles R. Chenault
|I
|-
|Jan 2015–
Dec 2016<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breeze |first=Mike Dolzer {{!}} The |title=From Wilson Hall to City Hall: An inside look at JMU alumnus Mayor Chris Jones |url=https://www.breezejmu.org/life/from-wilson-hall-to-city-hall-an-inside-look-at-jmu-alumnus-mayor-chris-jones/article_0b657afc-b8b9-11e5-8244-d783afd86fd5.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=The Breeze |date=January 11, 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
|Christopher B. Jones
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | D
|Jan 2015–
Dec 2016<ref name=":30" />
| rowspan="5" |Richard Baugh
| rowspan="5" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |D
|-
| rowspan="4" |January 3, 2017–
January 1, 2019 <ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=http://www.deannareedforcouncil.com/about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202759/http://www.deannareedforcouncil.com/about |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=Deanna Reed for Harrisonburg City Council |language=en-US}}</ref>
| rowspan="10" |'''Deanna R. Reed'''
| rowspan="10" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |D
| rowspan="4" |January 3, 2017–
January 1, 2019 <ref>{{Cite web |last=Kline |first=Jared |title=Harrisonburg council chooses new mayor, approves protocol change |url=https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Harrisonburg-council-appoints-new-mayor-approves-change-to-public-comments-409589405.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=www.whsv.com |date=January 3, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|
|-
|November 1, 2017 – January 15, 2018<ref>{{Cite web |title=Banks Named Acting Harrisonburg City Manager |url=http://wsvaonline.com/news/146641-banks-named-acting-harrisonburg-city-manager/ |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=WSVA News Talk Radio |language=en-US}}</ref>
|Ande Banks '''(acting)'''
|-
| rowspan="3" |January 16, 2018 – December 31, 2021<ref>{{cite web |date=August 24, 2017 |title=City Manager Eric Campbell |url=http://www.harrisonburgva.gov/city-manager |access-date=September 30, 2017 |publisher=Harrisonburgva.gov}}</ref>
| rowspan="4" |Eric Campbell
|-
|January 2, 2019–
January 3, 2021<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |last=Breeze |first=Jamie McEachin {{!}} The |title=Historic mayor, vice-mayor pair highlight city's diversity |url=https://www.breezejmu.org/news/historic-mayor-vice-mayor-pair-highlight-citys-diversity/article_ba31130a-2415-11e9-9c29-7787ad9bc901.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=The Breeze |date=January 29, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
|January 2, 2019–
January 3, 2021<ref name=":21" />
| rowspan="4" |Sal Romero
| rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |D
|-
| rowspan="3" |January 4, 2021–
January 2, 2023<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Harrisonburg re-elects Mayor Deanna Reed, Vice Mayor Sal Romero |url=https://www.whsv.com/2021/01/04/harrisonburg-re-elects-mayor-vice-mayor/ |access-date=June 20, 2021 |website=WHSV.com |date=January 4, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
| rowspan="3" |January 4, 2021–
January 2, 2023<ref name=":22" />
|-
|
|-
|January 1, 2022 – January 2, 2023<ref name="auto"/>
|Ande Banks '''(acting)'''
|-
|January 3, 2023–January 1, 2025<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=January 3, 2023 |title=Deanna Reed remains mayor and Laura Dent becomes vice mayor — making more history for a historic council |url=https://hburgcitizen.com/2023/01/03/deanna-reed-remains-mayor-as-laura-dent-becomes-vice-mayor/ |access-date=May 4, 2023 |website=The Harrisonburg Citizen |language=en-US}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |'''Ande Banks'''
|January 3, 2023–January 1, 2025'''<ref name=":32" />'''
|January 3, 2023–January 1, 2025'''<ref name=":32" />'''
|Laura Dent
| rowspan="1" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |D
|-
|January 2, 2025–'''incumbent'''<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |last=Hronik III |first=Richard H. |date=2025-01-02 |title=Harrisonburg City Council chooses Deanna Reed as mayor for fourth time |url=https://www.dnronline.com/news/politics_and_government/levels_of_government/municipal/mayor/harrisonburg-city-council-chooses-deanna-reed-as-mayor-for-fourth-time/article_4f200b25-ab33-50f5-bd18-faf876f7c30d.html |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=Daily News-Record |language=en}}</ref>
|January 2, 2025–incumbent<ref name=":33" />
|January 2, 2025–'''incumbent'''<ref name=":33" />
|'''Dany Fleming'''
| rowspan="1" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |D
|}

== Education ==

=== School systems ===
Serving about 4,400 students (K–12), [[Harrisonburg City Public Schools]] comprises six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. [[Eastern Mennonite School]], a private school, serves grades K–12 with an enrollment of about 386 students.<ref>[http://www.emhs.net/aboutems/ems-at-a-glance.html Eastern Mennonite School profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728160158/http://www.emhs.net/aboutems/ems-at-a-glance.html |date=July 28, 2013 }}.</ref>

=== Higher education ===
[[File:JMU Quad Fall 2015.JPG|thumb|250px|James Madison University is the largest higher education institution in Harrisonburg.]]
* [[James Madison University]] (public)
* [[Eastern Mennonite University]] (private, [[Mennonite Church USA|Mennonite]]-affiliated)
* [[American National University]] (private, for-profit) [defunct]
* [[National College of Business & Technology|National College]] (private, for-profit) [defunct]

===High schools===
* [[Harrisonburg High School (Virginia)|Harrisonburg High School]]
* Rocktown High School

===Middle schools===
* Skyline Middle School
* Thomas Harrison Middle School

===Elementary schools===
* Bluestone Elementary
* Smithland Elementary
* Spotswood Elementary
* Stone Spring Elementary
* Waterman Elementary
* W.H. Keister Elementary

=== Other schools ===
* Elon W. Rhodes Early Learning Center
* Great Oak Academy

=== Technical schools ===
* Massanutten Regional Governors School
* Massanutten Technical Center

===Private schools===
* Blue Ridge Christian School
* [[Eastern Mennonite School]]
* Redeemer Classical School

==Points of interest==
* Downtown Harrisonburg
* [[Edith J. Carrier Arboretum]]
* Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center
* Harrisonburg's Old Post Office Mural (Now US Bankruptcy Court)
* Virginia Quilt Museum - located downtown and dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and nurturing Virginia's quilting heritage. The museum was established in 1995 and features a permanent collection of nearly 300 quilts, a Civil War Gallery, antique and toy sewing machines, and rotating exhibits from across the United States.<ref name="Virginia Quilt Museum">{{cite web|title=Virginia Quilt Museum|url=http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/|publisher=VQM}}</ref>

==Events==
*  The Alpine Loop Gran Fondo - Road-cycling event hosted by professional cyclist [[Jeremiah Bishop]] that starts and finishes in downtown Harrisonburg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alpineloopgranfondo.com |title=Alpine Loop Gran Fondo |access-date=February 6, 2014}}</ref>
* The Harrisonburg International Festival - Annual event that celebrates international foods, dance, music, and folk art.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harrisonburg-international-festival.org |title=Harrisonburg International Festival |access-date=February 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729201640/http://harrisonburg-international-festival.org/ |archive-date=July 29, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Valley Fourth - Downtown Harrisonburg's [[Fourth of July]] celebrations that include a morning run, food trucks, beer and music garden, kids' area, art market, craft and clothing vendors, and fireworks.
* Christmas/Holiday Parade
* Taste of Downtown - Food event held yearly in March.
* MACROCK - An independent music conference held in the downtown area of Harrisonburg, Virginia the first weekend of April. Held annually since 1997
* Skeleton Festival - An event that blends aspects of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. Activities kick off with trick-or-treating at downtown businesses and culminating with a party at the Turner Pavilion & Park. The festival features kid, dog, and adult costume contests; face painting; fire dancing; food trucks; live music; a community ofrenda; video art; "trunk or treating"; wacky shacks, goober blobs, and whisker biscuits.
* Rocktown Beer & Music Festival - An event held each Spring. It features over 75 different beers and ciders. The band lineup changes each year and food is supplied by some of the local downtown restaurants.

==Sports==
* [[Eastern Mennonite University|Eastern Mennonite Royals]]  ([[Division III (NCAA)|NCAA Division III]], [[Old Dominion Athletic Conference]])
** 2010 [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] Men's Basketball Elite 8 qualifiers
** 2004 Women's Basketball Sweet 16 qualifiers
* [[Harrisonburg Turks]] ([[Valley Baseball League]])
* [[Harrisonburg Turks (minor league baseball)]] (1939 to 1941 [[Virginia League (1939–42)|Virginia League]], 1939 league champions) 
* [[James Madison University|James Madison Dukes]] ([[Division I (NCAA)|NCAA Division I]], [[Football Bowl Subdivision]], [[Sun Belt Conference]])
** 1994 [[NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship|NCAA Division I Field Hockey]] National Champions
** 2004 [[Football Championship Subdivision|NCAA Division I-AA Football]] National Champions
** 2016 [[NCAA Division I Football Championship]] National Champions
** 2018 [[NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship|NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse]] National Champions

==Climate==
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. Harrisonburg has a [[humid subtropical climate]], ''Cfa'' on climate maps according to the [[Köppen climate classification]], but has four clearly defined seasons that vary significantly, if not having brief changes from summer to winter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=94557&cityname=Harrisonburg%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |title=Climate Summary for Harrisonburg, Virginia |publisher=Weatherbase.com |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>  The USDA hardiness zone is 6b, which means average minimum winter temperature of {{convert|-5|to|0|F|C}}.

==Notable people==
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=== Born ===
* [[David Avison]], American photographer and physicist
* [[Brian Bocock]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[Pasco Bowman II]], Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]] (1983–1999)
* [[Nelson Chittum]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[James H. Cravens]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[Indiana]] (1841–1843)
* [[Clement Conger]], [[White House Office of the Curator|White House Curator]] (1970–1990)
* [[Dell Curry]], former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player; father of [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] players [[Stephen Curry]] and [[Seth Curry]]
* [[Page Dunlap]], former [[LPGA|LPGA Tour]] member and 1986 winner of the individual [[NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship]]
* [[Dan Forest]], 34th [[Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina]] (2013–2021)
* [[Richard F. Garber]], Hall of Fame college lacrosse coach
* [[Brenan Hanifee]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] pitcher
* [[Alan Knicely]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[Tom Lough]], former [[modern pentathlon|modern pentathlete]] and competitor in the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]<ref name="SR">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/tom-lough-1.html |title=Tom Lough Olympic Results |access-date=August 18, 2012 |work=sports-reference.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213133703/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/tom-lough-1.html |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[John Paul Jr. (judge)|John Paul Jr.]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[Virginia]] (1922–1923); [[United States Attorney|U.S. Attorney]] for the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia|Western District of Virginia]] (1929–1932); Judge for the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia|Western District of Virginia]] (1932–1958), whose [[School integration in the United States|school desegregation]] rulings set off [[Massive resistance|Massive Resistance]] by Virginia officials
* [[Thomas F. Riley]], Brigadier general in the Marine Corps, later served as [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] [[Orange County Board of Supervisors|Supervisor]] (1974–1994)
* [[Jeremiah Sullivan]], Justice of the [[Indiana Supreme Court]]
* [[Kaitlyn Vincie]], ''[[Fox NASCAR]]'' reporter and ''[[NASCAR Race Hub]]'' presenter

=== Raised ===
* [[Samuel B. Avis]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[West Virginia]] (1913–1915)
* [[Charles B. Gatewood]], [[United States Military Academy]] graduate and [[United States Army]] Lieutenant who convinced [[Chiricahua Apache]] leader [[Geronimo]] to surrender to the Army in 1886
* [[John H. Gibbons (scientist)|John H. Gibbons]], [[Nuclear physics|nuclear physicist]]; Director of the [[White House Office of Science and Technology Policy]] (1993–1998)
* [[William Conrad Gibbons]], historian and [[Vietnam War]] expert
* [[Akeem Jordan]], former [[National Football League|NFL]] player
* [[Edgar Amos Love]], co-founder of [[Omega Psi Phi]] fraternity
* [[John Otho Marsh Jr.]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[Virginia]] (1963–1971); [[United States Secretary of the Army|Secretary of the Army]] (1981–1989)
* [[Bill Mims]], Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Virginia]] (2010–2022); former [[Attorney General of Virginia]] (2009–2010)
* [[Ralph Sampson]], former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player
* [[Howard Stevens]], former [[National Football League|NFL]] player
* [[Maggie Stiefvater]], bestselling [[young adult fiction]] author
* [[Josh Sundquist]], [[Paralympic Games|paralympian]], bestselling author, and motivational speaker
* [[Kristi Toliver]], current [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] player and [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] assistant coach
* [[Landon Turner]], former [[National Football League|NFL]] player
* [[John Wade (American football)|John Wade]], former [[National Football League|NFL]] player

=== Resident ===
* [[Jeremiah Bishop]], [[Cross-country cycling|cross-country mountain bike]] racer
* [[John T. Harris|John T. "Judge" Harris]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from [[Virginia]] (1859–1861, 1871–1881)
* [[Daryl Irvine]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[John R. Jones]], [[Brigadier General (United States)|brigadier general]] in [[Confederate States Army]]
* [[Gus Niarhos]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[Mark Obenshain]], [[Republican Party of Virginia|Republican]] nominee in [[Attorney General of Virginia|Virginia Attorney General]] [[Virginia Attorney General election, 2013|Election of 2013]]; member of the [[Senate of Virginia]] (2004–present)
* [[Charles Triplett O'Ferrall|Charles Triplett "Trip" O'Ferrall]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] for [[Virginia]] (1883–1894), [[List of Governors of Virginia|42nd]] [[Governor of Virginia]] (1894–1898)
* [[John Birdsell Oren]], [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]]
* [[Sofia Samatar]], award-winning writer<ref>Samatar, Sofia (2018).  [https://mennonitewriting.org/journal/10/4/white-mosque/ From ''The White Mosque''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117013434/https://mennonitewriting.org/journal/10/4/white-mosque/ |date=January 17, 2019 }}  ''CMW Journal'', vol. 10, no. 4. Retrieved 2019-16-01.</ref>
* [[Howard Zehr]], pioneer of [[restorative justice]]

=== Other ===

* [[Happy the Man]], [[progressive rock]] band formed in Harrisonburg
* [[Illiterate Light]], alternative-rock duo formed in Harrisonburg<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenberg |first1=Rudi |date=January 22, 2020 |title=Illiterate Light and its very specific sound as a band: Massive |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/illiterate-light-and-its-very-specific-sound-as-a-band-massive/2020/01/17/b6e1deba-3872-11ea-bf30-ad313e4ec754_story.html |work=Washington Post}}</ref>
* [[Old Crow Medicine Show]], [[Americana (music)|Americana]] [[string band]] formed in Harrisonburg

==See also==
* [[Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Harrisonburg, Virginia]]
* [[Virginia Mennonite Conference]]

==References and notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Harrisonburg}}
{{Commons category|Harrisonburg, Virginia}}
* [http://www.harrisonburgva.gov City of Harrisonburg]

{{Virginia}}
{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Harrisonburg, Virginia| ]]
[[Category:County seats in Virginia]]
[[Category:Cities in Virginia]]
[[Category:Western Virginia]]
[[Category:Rockingham County, Virginia]]