James Madison University is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison College in 1938 in honor of President James Madison and then James Madison University in 1977. It has since expanded from its origins as a normal school and teacher's college into a comprehensive university. It is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, just west of Massanutten Mountain.
James Madison, the university's namesake, by John Vanderlyn (1816)
Woodrow Wilson Hall, the centerpiece of the JMU quadrangle.
Aerial view of campus from 1937, showing the original campus plan, prior to major expansions of the campus.
JMU c. 1920
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2020 census, the population was 51,814. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Harrisonburg with Rockingham County for statistical purposes into the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 126,562 in 2011.
Rockingham County Courthouse in Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg was named for Thomas Harrison (1704–1785), an early settler.
Interstate 81, a main roadway in Harrisonburg
Larkin Arts