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Shenandoah Valley

The Shenandoah Valley (/ˌʃɛnənˈdə/) is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians (excluding Massanutten Mountain), to the north by the Potomac River, to the south by the James River, and to the Southwest by the New River Valley. The cultural region covers a larger area that includes all of the Valley plus the Virginia Highlands to the west and the Roanoke Valley to the south. It is physiographically located within the Ridge and Valley Province and is a portion of the Great Appalachian Valley.

This article is about the region of Virginia and West Virginia. For other uses, see Shenandoah.

Shenandoah Valley

500–1,500 feet (150–460 m)

Northeast to southwest

I-64 / I-81 / US 11 / US 33 / US 50 / US 250

Augusta County, Virginia

Clarke County, Virginia

Frederick County, Virginia

Page County, Virginia

Rockbridge County, Virginia

Rockingham County, Virginia

Shenandoah County, Virginia

Warren County, Virginia

Berkeley County, West Virginia

Jefferson County, West Virginia

Etymology[edit]

The word Shenandoah is of unknown Native American origin. It has been described as being derived from the Anglicization of Native American terms, resulting in words such as Gerando, Gerundo, Genantua, Shendo and Sherando. The meaning of these words is of some question. Schin-han-dowi, the "River Through the Spruces"; On-an-da-goa, the "River of High Mountains" or "Silver-Water"; and an Iroquois word for "Big Meadow", have all been proposed by Native American etymologists. The most popular, romanticized belief is that the name comes from a Native American expression for "Beautiful Daughter of the Stars".[2]


Another legend relates that the name is derived from the name of the Iroquoian chief Sherando (Sherando was also the name of his people), who fought against the Algonquian Chief Opechancanough, ruler of the Powhatan Confederacy (1618–1644). Opechancanough liked the interior country so much that he sent his son Sheewa-a-nee from the Tidewater with a large party to colonize the valley. Sheewa-a-nee drove Sherando back to his former territory near the Great Lakes. According to this account, descendants of Sheewanee's party became the Shawnee. According to tradition, another branch of Iroquoians, the Senedo, lived in present-day Shenandoah County. They were exterminated by "Southern Indians" (Catawba or Cherokee) before the arrival of white settlers.[3][4]


Another story dates to the American Revolutionary War. Throughout the war, Chief Skenandoa of the Oneida, an Iroquois nation based in New York, persuaded many of the tribe to side with the colonials against the British. Four Iroquois nations became British allies and caused many fatalities and damage in the frontier settlements west of Albany. Skenandoa led 250 warriors against the British and Iroquois allies. According to Oneida oral tradition, during the harsh winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, where the colonials suffered, Chief Skenando provided aid to the soldiers. The Oneida delivered bushels of dry corn to the troops to help them survive. Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman, stayed some time with the troops to teach them how to cook the corn properly and care for the sick. General Washington gave her a shawl in thanks, which is displayed at Shako:wi, the museum of the Oneida Nation near Syracuse, New York. Many Oneida believe that after the war, George Washington named the Shenandoah River and valley after his ally.[5][6]

Transportation[edit]

Transportation in the Shenandoah Valley consists mainly of road and rail and contains several metropolitan area transit authorities. The main north-south road transportation is Interstate 81, which parallels the old Valley Turnpike (U.S. Route 11) and the ancient Great Path of the Native Americans through its course in the valley. In the lower (northern) valley, on the eastern side, U.S. Route 340 also runs north-south, starting from Waynesboro in the south, running through the Page Valley to Front Royal, and on to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where it exits the valley into Maryland. Major east-west roads cross the valley as well, providing access to the Piedmont and the Allegheny Mountains. Starting from the north, these routes include U.S. Route 50, U.S. Route 522, Interstate 66, U.S. Route 33, U.S. Route 250, Interstate 64, and U.S. Route 60.


CSX Transportation operates several rail lines through the valley, including the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Virginia Central Railroad. Norfolk Southern operates the old Manassas Gap Railroad and the Norfolk and Western and Chesapeake Western. There are also more modern lines that run the length of the valley parallel to the Valley Pike and U.S. 340. The rail lines are primarily used for freight transportation, though Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains utilize the old B&O line from stations in Martinsburg, Duffields, and Harper's Ferry to Washington Union Station and vice versa. Amtrak utilizes Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg as well along the Capitol Limited route. Amtrak also runs the Cardinal through the valley along the old Virginia Central.


Several localities in the valley operate public transportation systems, including Front Royal Area Transit (FRAT), which provides weekday transit for the town of Front Royal; Page County Transit, providing weekday transit for the town of Luray and weekday service between Luray and Front Royal; and Winchester Transit, which provides weekday transit for the city of Winchester. In addition, Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus Service Archived May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine offers weekday commuter bus service from the northern Shenandoah Valley, including Shenandoah County and Warren County, to Northern Virginia (Arlington County and Fairfax County) and Washington. Origination points in Shenandoah County include Woodstock. Origination points in Warren County include Front Royal and Linden.

In popular culture[edit]

The Shenandoah Valley serves as the setting for the 1965 film Shenandoah and its 1974 musical adaptation. Both stories follow the Anderson family during the Civil War. An associated song by James Stewart titled "The Legend of Shenandoah" was a very minor hit in 1965, reaching #133 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. One of the most famous cultural references to the area does not mention the valley itself: West Virginia's state song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, contains the words "Blue Ridge Mountain, Shenandoah River" in the first verse.

Shenandoah Valley - Official state tourism website

Visit Shenandoah website

Shenandoah Valley Technology Council

Shenandoah at War, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation

CivilWarTraveler.com - Virginia's Valley and Mountains

Valley Conservation Council

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Shenandoah Valley

Southern Spaces, April 20, 2004

"The Shenandoah Valley"

Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine The article and exhibition were based on the artist's published book, Oh, Shenandoah, Paintings of the Historic Valley and River by Andrei Kushnir

Virginia Historical Society article "Featuring 52 masterful landscape paintings by Washington, D.C. based artist Andrei Kushnir, Oh, Shenandoah: Landscapes of Diversity explores the extraordinary beauty of the Shenandoah Valley region and the diverse history of its settlement."