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Columbia Furnace

Columbia FurnaceVA

The town, settled in 1836, counts 307 residents.

Wilkins Farm · Photo: Kevin M. Byrne · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Columbia Furnace

Columbia Furnace, VA · Wilkins Farm · Photo: Kevin M. Byrne · CC BY-SA 3.0

Is Columbia Furnace a good place to live?

No town among the 254 in Virginia we compare has a lower middle household income than Columbia Furnace. Columbia Furnace has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Columbia Furnace stand out

Where Columbia Furnace beats most towns.

Small town

307 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Columbia Furnace.

Work & commute

A job hub: Columbia Furnace has 2.9 jobs for every working resident and draws in 825 commuters

7%work in town

The top destinations are Woodstock (20%), Edinburg (5%) and Mount Jackson (5%). Most working residents leave Columbia Furnace for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based locally fell to 847 in 2023, 232 fewer than in 2013. For half of commuters, work is under 22 miles away.

Columbia FurnaceVirginia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line10%7.7%9.6%
Average trip to work26 minutes27 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Columbia Furnace7%
Woodstock20%
Edinburg5%
Mount Jackson5%
Winchester4%
22 mi
median commute distance
847
jobs based in Columbia Furnace
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Columbia Furnace

24″snow a winter

Summer afternoons peak near 86° in July, and January nights bottom out around 23°; snowfall runs to about 24 inches a winter. Expect chilly winters and warm summers in Columbia Furnace.

Typical low → high °F

Winter24–46°
Spring40–65°
Summer60–85°
Fall42–68°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Columbia Furnace has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

56risk score of 100

Columbia Furnace’s natural-hazard score from FEMA is 56 of 100, against 22 of 100 in Virginia’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. FEMA puts 66% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to hurricanes.

FEMA risk score
56Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanesStrong wind

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Columbia Furnace

14pages on Columbia Furnace
Nearby attractions

Shenandoah National Park and 12 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Columbia Furnace. Close and well known come first.

All 40 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Shenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luray Caverns: Paulo Ordoveza from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0 · Skyline Drive: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Massanutten Resort: Arbogastlw at English Wikipedia, Public domain · George Washington and Jefferson National Forests: Aneta Kaluzna, CC BY-SA 2.5

Getting set up

Moving to Columbia Furnace: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbia Furnace, and how to reach them.

PowerShenandoah Valley Elec Coop14.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHoller Subdivision water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
SchoolsShenandoah County Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereShenandoah General RegistrarShenandoah County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code2282422824 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

A job hub

Every workday, about 825 people come to Columbia Furnace for work

Where Columbia Furnace’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

20% → Woodstock Woodstock 20% 5% → Edinburg Edinburg 5% 5% → Mount Jackson Mount Jackson 5% 4% → Winchester Winchester 4% 2% → Front Royal Front Royal 2% 2% → Strasburg Strasburg 2% Columbia Furnace · 7% stay
847jobs based in Columbia Furnace
7%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Columbia Furnace; the nearest are

About Columbia Furnace

Unincorporated community in Virginia, U.S.

Columbia Furnace is an unincorporated community in Shenandoah County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
1.3 sq mi

Questions about Columbia Furnace

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Columbia Furnace, VA a good place to live?

Columbia Furnace has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Columbia Furnace is in here

Say something about Columbia Furnace.

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