Shenandoah Valley

Nestled between Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley includes seven counties (Augusta, Bath, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah) and five independent cities (Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro). The region is plentiful in natural resources and boasts a powerful cluster of employers rooted in manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics. Food and beverage production is at the heart of the manufacturing sector, employing more than 5% of the Valley’s labor force of over 175,000 people at major companies like Hershey, Molson Coors Beverage Company, McKee Foods, Perdue, and Cargill.

• I-81 is the longest interstate in Virginia and rated one of the top eight truck routes in the U.S.
• Interstates 64 and 81 provide easy access to the Virginia Inland Port at Front Royal and The Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads.
• I-66 links I-81 with the Washington, D.C., MSA.
• Freight rail service is provided by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Buckingham Branch Railroad, Chesapeake & Western Railroad, and Shenandoah Valley Railroad.
• The Virginia Inland Port is 31 miles from the region and The Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads is 182 miles east.
• General aviation and commercial air service is provided by Shenandoah Valley Airport (SHD), which offers daily service to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT), as well as Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO – 36.7 miles), and Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH – 40.3 miles).

The region is home to ten institutions of higher education including James Madison University, Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute, Bridgewater College, and Blue Ridge Community College. A wealth of career and technical institutes, like Massanuten Technical Center, also call the Valley home. With access to more than 35,000 annual graduates within a 30-mile radius of the region, companies look to the Shenandoah Valley’s colleges and universities for an educated workforce.