Founded in the 18th century as a farming community and largely populated by German pacifists, Harrisonburg has a rich and varied history. Heralded as "the Friendly City" since the 1930s, Harrisonburg is an official refugee resettlement community, and boasts an incredibly diverse population.
Harrisonburg has another claim to fame-- in 2014, our downtown became the first "culinary district" in Virginia. It's home to many restaurants serving a variety of cuisines, though farm-to-table, inspired by the rich agricultural traditions in the Shenandoah Valley, has become a particular specialty of local haunts.
