| About the Community We Serve |
Formed in 1772, Shenandoah County is strategically located in the northwestern portion of Virginia, between the Allegheny and Massanutten Mountains, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Shenandoah is an Indian name meaning “beautiful daughter of the stars.” Elevations range from 3,500 feet above sea level in the mountains to 1,200 feet on the valley floor.
The 507-square-mile county includes six incorporated towns: Strasburg, Toms Brook, Woodstock, Edinburg, Mt. Jackson, and New Market, and one unincorporated town, Maurertown. Each has a distinct historic character. We are served by ten schools, numerous town libraries, Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, and a variety of smaller health care and assisted living facilities. Manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are the county’s principal industries.
Major manufacturing industries include textiles and apparel, building material, food processing, automotive components, copper tubing, and cutting tools. The county ranks fifth in Virginia in agricultural production, with poultry, livestock, dairy, and fruit the main sources of farm income. County tourism boasts some of Virginia’s most popular attractions: the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum, Shenandoah Caverns, vineyards, golf resorts and a ski resort. Shenandoah County is one of eight counties that comprise the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, one of the nation's congressionally-designated National Heritage Areas.
The population of Shenandoah County is almost 40,000, which increased six percent between 2000 and 2003. Our median household income is $39,173 and the poverty rate is 5.8 percent, according to the 2000 Census. Seventy-five percent of our population graduated from high school and 14.7 percent from college. Twenty-two percent of our households are managed by single mothers. Two-thirds of our housing is owner-occupied. Housing remains affordable to most, though this is changing. Currently, just ten percent of households in the county pay more than 30 percent of their household income for monthly housing costs. Two percent, or 290 houses, in the county lack complete plumbing.
Shenandoah County enjoys abundant natural resources, including prime agricultural soils, productive forests, wildlife, and generally clean air. The gently rolling valley terrain is well drained by the Shenandoah River, which is a significant element of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. However, we are the driest county in Virginia, receiving on average a much lower percentage of rainfall than other counties in the Shenandoah Valley. Additionally, our karst topography makes us highly susceptible to ground water pollution. The impacts of poorly planned land use on water quality in the Shenandoah River and its tributaries and on our aquifers and wells is a major concern. |
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