<p>I teach at JMU. I grew up in New England, attended schools in NY and PA. I feel very comfortable at JMU (not to say I wouldn’t feel comfortable at a school farther south). I believe that more of the 30% of out-of-state students are from MD, NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA than NC, SC, GA, TN. Many of the in-state-students are from Northern Virginia (around DC), Richmond, and Charlottesville. JMU has a reputation for being a friendly campus.</p>