Shenandoah County Relocation Package Long & Foster / Webber & Associates, Realtors® 480 West Jubal Early Drive, Suite 100 Winchester VA 22601 Office: (540) 662-3484 ● Toll Free: (800) 468-6619 www.webberrealty.com Information deemed Reliable but not Guaranteed 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................4 State of Virginia at A Glance ...............................................................................................5 History of Shenandoah County ...........................................................................................6 Shenandoah County at a Glance ........................................................................................8 County Seat of Woodstock ..................................................................................................9 Shenandoah County Government ....................................................................................10 Towns of Shenandoah County ..........................................................................................11 DMV Information................................................................................................................13 Vehicle Information ............................................................................................................15 Voting Information .............................................................................................................16 Firearms/Boating ...............................................................................................................17 Tax Information ..................................................................................................................18 Important Numbers ............................................................................................................20 Health Care ........................................................................................................................23 Places of Worship .............................................................................................................27 Transportation ....................................................................................................................32 Shopping ............................................................................................................................35 Shenandoah County Public Schools ................................................................................40 Public School Enrollment Requirements ..........................................................................43 Private Education...............................................................................................................44 2 Table of Contents (continued) Colleges .............................................................................................................................46 Library Locations ...............................................................................................................47 Child Care ..........................................................................................................................48 Attractions ..........................................................................................................................51 Bryce Resort .....................................................................................................................56 Places to Dine ....................................................................................................................57 Accommodations ...............................................................................................................61 Outdoor Sports & Recreation ............................................................................................64 Wineries .............................................................................................................................68 Economic Development in Shenandoah County ..............................................................72 Signal Knob........................................................................................................................75 3 INTRODUCTION LONG & FOSTER/WEBBER & ASSOCIATES is a growing, vibrant, real estate firm. We are one of the largest offices in the Blue Ridge Association of REALTORS® area. We currently have a staff of 43 Associates. Among these are 8 Associate Brokers, 2 REO specialists, 9 Associates with the hard-earned GRI (Graduate Realtors Institute) designation, 1 CRB (Certified Residential Broker) designation, 2 CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), 3 SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist), 11 ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) designations, 15 with the SFR (Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource) certification, 1 CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) designation, 1 Accredited Home Stager, 1 CNE (Certified Negotiation Expert) and 3 with the e-PRO designation (Internet Professionalism Certification). Long & Foster/Webber & Associates agents are highly visible in the real estate community, having won virtually every award available from our Association. Our staff has served on the local Association’s Board of Directors and has held every office through the Association’s presidency. Our agents have been awarded: “Salesperson of the Year”, “Rookie of the Year”, “Realtor of the Year”, “Past Appreciation” and “Ethics” Awards. In some of these categories we have multiple winners and two of our Associates have attained REALTOR® Emeritus status. The agents of Long & Foster/Webber & Associates are very community oriented, working with the Chamber of Commerce and acting as volunteers in almost every charity, including Habitat for Humanity. As a business entity, we are clearly leaders. Our agents come from, and work with, all walks of life. We are highly trained, continuing our education through weekly sessions, and, have extensive backgrounds in relocation. We operate from a modern three-story office building but our ground-level location with ample parking and handicapped accessibility makes access very convenient for our clients. We are located only minutes away from Interstate 81 which serves as a connection to Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. For more information about our office, please visit us on the internet at www.webberrealty.com 4 STATE OF VIRGINIA AT A GLANCE Virginia, officially “The Commonwealth of Virginia”, is nicknamed the “The Old Dominion” due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America and “Mother of Presidents” because 8 U. S. presidents were born here, more than any other state. General: The capital is Richmond, Virginia Beach is the most populous city and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. Population: The Commonwealth’s estimated population as of July 1, 2014, was 8,326,289, a 4.07% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Climate: Virginia has a temperate climate. The state experiences classic spring, summer, fall and winter conditions, but, depending on where you are, conditions can, and do, change dramatically. The statewide annual high temperature is 69.5◦ F, the annual low is 48◦F and the average annual precipitation (rainfall) is 43.32 inches. Geography: Western Virginia is mountainous, covered by the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, with the great Shenandoah Valley falling between the ranges. The Central piedmont region, with its rolling hills, flattens out into the sandy coastal plain toward the Atlantic Ocean. Government: There are 95 counties, 38 independent cities and 191 incorporated towns. Virginia has 2 senators in the United States Senate, 11 representatives in the United States House of Representatives and 13 electoral votes. More information on Virginia government is available at www.virginia.gov 5 About Shenandoah County Shenandoah County (originally named Dunmore County after Virginia’s last royal governor) was established in 1772. The town of Woodstock, formed in 1752, was selected as the county seat. It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. The name of both the valley and the county is most likely connected with the Senedos, Native Americans (possibly an Iroquois group), who occupied the area until they were said to have been slaughtered in the late 17th century by the Catawba, “people of the river”. The name has also been attributed to General George Washington, who, it is said, named it in honor of John Skenando, an Oneida chief from New York, who aided the rebel colonists during the American Revolutionary War by gaining the support of the Oneida and Tuscarora warriors. It was in 1778, during the war, when Dunmore was forced from office, that the rebels changed the name to Shenandoah County. Many of the early settlers were Scotch, Irish and German people who moved to the area from Pennsylvania. These early settlers brought their German language, religion, culture, crafts, folk art and architecture to the area. For the most part they did not own or believe in the ownership of slaves. Their farms were much smaller than the plantation system of the English settlers to the east of the mountains. Eventually these distinctions faded and blended into a new American culture. But if one looks carefully, the influence of the early Germans can still be noticed as can their names. The earliest economic activity of settlers revolved around fur trapping and trading but with permanent settlement