Partly due to the mountain alignment, larger cities to the east are somewhat difficult to access for big-city services, but the area has a pleasant atmosphere and appearance, and crime is very low. Charlottesville and its services are 55 miles away across the Blue Ridge. Cost of living is above average and housing costs are high for this type of locale, as more from other areas in the East discover the quality of life here.

Harrisonburg is beautifully set in the center of the broad Shenandoah Valley. The immediate area around the town is flat and wooded, giving way to agricultural land all around and heavily forested Blue Ridge to the east and Appalachian mountains to the west in plain view of the city. The climate is continental but influenced by the Atlantic to the southeast and is somewhat sheltered from harsh weather arriving from the northwest.

Summers are warm, still and humid with periodic thunderstorms, and the higher elevation gives cooler evenings than some other parts of Virginia. Winters are cold but not severe. Heavy snow may occur with storms moving up the Atlantic coast or from the Carolinas. Spring is pleasant and fall is gorgeous. First freeze is late October, last is mid-April.