Where students live
Three corridors carry nearly all of it. Port Republic Road holds the big purpose-built communities — The Cottages, Copper Beech and Redpoint. Devon Lane is townhouse country: Foxhill, The Fox, Squire Hill and Devon Lane Townhomes. South Main Street and the streets right against campus hold Hunters Ridge and Camden Townes, which are where the cheapest rooms are.
JMU’s market has a quirk worth understanding before you compare prices. Several of the best-known “complexes” — Hunters Ridge and Camden Townes especially — are not single managed communities at all. They are condos and townhouses owned by dozens of separate landlords and rented out room by room. That is why the same address can show $450 and $825 in the same week. It also means the lease you sign, the furniture you get and the state of the place vary unit by unit. Look at the specific unit, not the name on the sign.
Apartments & rentals students actually use
| Community | Distance | Units & rates | Furnished? | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunters Ridge Condos Hunters Rd, next to campus | Walking distance | 2-5BR condos rented by the room, $450-$825 — varies by owner | Furnished | rocktownrealty.com |
| Camden Townes Near the main entrance | Walking distance | 4BR/2BA townhomes, ~$500-$575 per bed | Furnished | rocktownrealty.com |
| Sunchase at JMU Sunchase Dr | Purple line | 4BR from $524; 2x2, 3x3 and 4x4 by enquiry; 1,212-1,545 sq ft | Furnished | Listed via rentcollegepads.com |
| Charleston Townes Purple & Gold Way | Blue line | 4BR/4.5BA, $730-$760 per bedroom; 2,200 sq ft | Fully furnished | matchboxrealty.com |
| The Cottages on Port Republic Port Republic Rd | Black line | 2-5BR, $885-$955 per bed; 1,368-2,560 sq ft | Not stated | cottagesonportrepublic.com |
| Copper Beech Townhomes Port Republic corridor | Blue line | 1-4BR, $849-$1,425 per person | Fully furnished | copperbeech-harrisonburg.com |
| Redpoint Harrisonburg Talmadge Dr | Blue line | 2-5BR, $909-$1,039 per person | Fully furnished | redpoint-harrisonburg.com |
| North 38 Apartments Meridian Cir | Short ride | 3BR 1,146 sq ft, 4BR 1,433 sq ft; rates by enquiry, +$65/mo utilities | Fully furnished | north38apts.com |
| Foxhill Townhomes Devon Lane | Black and Green lines | 4BR/2BA; rates by enquiry | Fully furnished | foxhilltownhomes.com |
| The Fox Townhomes Devon Lane | Minutes from JMU | 4BR/2BA; rates by enquiry | Fully furnished | lifeatfox.com |
| Devon Lane Townhomes Devon Lane | A block from JMU | 3BR/3.5BA; rates by enquiry | Not stated | matchboxrealty.com |
| Squire Hill Devon Lane | 1.3 mi, Black and Green lines | 1BR $1,249-$1,370 per unit; 737 sq ft | Furnished available | squirehill.com |
| Grand Duke Apartments South Ave | 1.2 mi / 23-min walk | 121 beds across 13 buildings, 2-3BR; rates not published | Your choice | Listed on offcampushousing.jmu.edu |
Compiled from property sites and public listings, August 2026. Rates move every lease season and several properties here publish nothing at all — verify with the property before you sign.
Getting to campus without a car
Every JMU student and employee rides HDPT free, and drivers often will not even ask for your JACard on campus routes. The lines are colour-coded to the complexes: Black serves The Cottages, Deer Run, Foxhill, Northview, Southview and Squire Hill; Blue serves Avalon Woods, Campus View, Charleston Townes, Copper Beech, The Pointe and Redpoint; Green serves Deer Run, Foxhill, The Harrison, Hunters Ridge, Northview, Southview and Squire Hill; Purple serves Sunchase; Yellow serves Campus Condo, Madison Gardens, Madison Square, The Mill and Pheasant Run. There are also six city routes, an inner-campus shuttle every five minutes on weekdays, and a Shopper bus to the retail parks. JMU lines generally run 7am to 11pm on class days.
How it compares to a dorm
What you’ll need
Most rentals here come furnished — use the checklist’s furnished filter and focus on bedding, kitchen and bath.
Apartment checklist Apartment shop