The Page Valley is a small

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

geographically and culturally associated with the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. The valley is located between the Massanutten and Blue Ridge mountain ranges in western

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Geography

The valley is approximately long. At its widest, across from

New Market Gap New Market Gap is a wind gap in the Massanutten Mountain in Virginia. The gap is located approximately in the middle of the range, dividing it into north and south sections. U.S. Route 211 runs through the gap, connecting New Market in the S ...

near Luray, the valley is about wide, while at its narrowest north of Luray near

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

, it is only . Similarly to the south of Luray, at Ingham, the valley narrows to wide. The valley encompasses primarily the

Page County, Virginia Page County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709. Its county seat is Luray. Page County was formed in 1831 from Shenandoah and Rockingham counties and was named for John Page, Governor ...

area and the southern portion of

Warren County, Virginia Warren County is a U.S. county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 2020 census places Warren County within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 40,727. The county seat is ...

, near the northern terminus, a few miles south of

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River flows along the western side of the Page Valley, along the eastern foot of the ridge-like

Massanutten Mountain Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is near the West Virginia state line. Geography The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg ...

Transportation

U.S. Route 340 U.S. Route 340 (US 340) is a spur route of US 40, and runs from Greenville, Virginia to Frederick, Maryland. In Virginia, it runs north–south, parallel and east of US 11, from US 11 north of Greenville via Waynesboro, Grottoes, Elkton, ...

runs north-south through the valley, while U.S. Route 211 cuts east-west across the valley from

Thornton Gap Thornton Gap is a wind gap located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia separating the Shenandoah Valley from the Piedmont region of the state. History Thornton Gap was named for Francis Thornton (1711–April 14, 1749), owner of the land ...

in the Blue Ridge, through Luray to New Market Gap in the Massanutten.

History

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, it was known as the Luray Valley since Luray, Virginia (the county seat of Page County) is located in the center of Page Valley. The valley played a significant role in the strategy of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in near ...

during his Valley Campaign of 1862 in which he defeated three numerically superior

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

armies.

External links

* {{coord, 38, 44, 59, N, 78, 23, 57, W, display=title Valleys of Virginia Landforms of Page County, Virginia Landforms of Warren County, Virginia Shenandoah River