Rockingham

Formed January 1, 1778 (61^st county)

Rockingham County (76,314), Harrisonburg (48,914), Bridgewater (5,644)

The classic stone Romanesque courthouse was erected in 1897.  It was augmented with a Justice Center in 1993.  The courthouse is on a square at Court Square at Main Street.  United States Highway 11 is Main Street in the town.  T. J. Collins & Son are the architects.  The courthouse was renovated in 1931 and 1994.  It features a tower with a working clock and Lady Justice sits on top.  A Judicial Center was added in 1993.  Rockingham County was established on January 1, 1778 from Augusta County as the 61^st county with Harrisonburg as the only county seat.  The county is named for the Marquess of Rockingham.  The county seat was named for settler Thomas Harrison.  He is also the namesake for the City of Harrisonburg. 

Rockingham County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Six Circuit Court Judges and Eleven District Court Judges serve Rockingham, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Harrisonburg and Winchester cities and Forty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Rockingham, Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Winchester cities.  The county is in the western part of the state.  Roanoke, Virginia is southwest and Richmond, Virginia is southeast of the county.  The county center is 5.9 miles North of Harrisonburg nearer Edom.  The county is surrounded clockwise by West Virginia and Shenandoah, Page, Greene, Albemarle, and Augusta counties and completely surrounds the City of Harrisonburg.  

The area of the county is 853 square miles.  It is 4 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 24 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 89.47 persons per square mile making it 69 out of 133 in the state.  Rockingham County has 25.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 81 passes northeast to southwest through the county from Shenandoah County to Augusta County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 81 from Shenandoah to Augusta counties.  United States Highway 33 enters from the east, Greene County, and exits to the west, West Virginia.  United States Highway 340 comes from Page County, northeast, to Augusta County, southeast.  The county resembles a hatchet facing northeast.  Harrisonburg is located in the southern third of the county although technically not in the county.  Bridgewater is on the southern border of the county.  Harrisonburg is the county seat and Bridgewater is the largest city.  Bridgewater is 7.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Harrisonburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.