The Queen City: A Remarkable Place 

Located in the center of the incomparable Shenandoah Valley, Staunton—the Queen City—is an extraordinary community.

Two major educational institutions in the city, Mary Baldwin College and Stuart Hall, have preserved open space, so that, unlike many other urban areas, Staunton has escaped the all-too-common urban blight. Gypsy Hill Park does for Staunton what Central Park does for New York. Thus, the people of this city can enjoy a pardonable pride and sense of place.

The restoration and conversion project of the Dixie Theater and the adjacent Arcadia building into the Staunton Performing Arts Center, combined with the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfrairs Playhouse, the R.R. Smith History and Art Center, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Birthplace, and other downtown developments, demonstrates Staunton’s commitment to the cooperative effort of downtown revitalization.

The addition of the Center to the cultural district will bring many benefits to area residents. It will provide more convenient access to a wide range of performing and visual arts for demographic groups of all ages. It will preserve a historic structure and help increase economic activity for downtown business entrepreneurs. A revitalized downtown entertainment district draws commercial focus back to the city’s core and infuses both area and tourist dollars into the local economy.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has already recognized Staunton’s unique character, designating it as one of the “Distinctive Dozen” small communities in America. Virginia Travel Corporation research has indicated that visitors to the Shenandoah Valley and Staunton come particularly seeking cultural activities.