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I was in Des Moines back in July and I agree that the city has a lot going for it and should be looked at as a model for both Charleston and Huntington to emulate. We all know that every city has positives and negatives but I feel for you in having to give up a growing city, one that has beat the odds in reinventing itself, to come to West Virginia where most people hate the idea of change.
I’ve said it before and it’s not nice or politically correct but a whole generation needs to expire before things can change. However, I’m not sure what’s left will be any better. Too many people leaving and not enough people with new ideas moving in. I agree that there are many things going on outside WV that could be implemented here but there’s no will and no money. The Kanawha Valley around Charleston may not be improved for a very long time. There are other parts of the state that are improving though so I can’t write off the entire state. It’s just that the problems around Charleston are pretty bad and getting worse. This used to be an oasis in WV but now it’s reversing.
I’m afraid we are at the tipping point in Charleston of becoming Appalachian Detroit. If they can’t get the homeless problem, drug problem and growing crime problem under control it will take decades to recover. I think we are worse than Huntington and have invited the problems here by housing, clothing, feeding and enabling an out of state problem. That all has to be stopped immediately and I don’t think it will happen so right now the future is up in the air but not looking good.
I was in Des Moines back in July and I agree that the city has a lot going for it and should be looked at as a model for both Charleston and Huntington to emulate. We all know that every city has positives and negatives but I feel for you in having to give up a growing city, one that has beat the odds in reinventing itself, to come to West Virginia where most people hate the idea of change.
Well the thing is Charleston from the little I saw has a natural setting that Des Moines could never duplicate. So Charleston one day could become much better than DSM. Where I ended up in WV my big city would be Pittsburgh which is more vibrant than DSM.
If I grew up in WV I might have a different view but as a complete outsider the dynamic is interesting. It does seem like rife corruption and an archaic way of doing things are the main stumbling block for Charleston and WV. As Johnnada says it is going to take time for some to die off before WV can get some traction.
As others have pointed out places like DSM had urban architects backed by sponsors with deep pockets and some sense of civic pride. This seems to be lacking here from the little I know. They also have higher taxes which by and large people living out there happily pay because you can see the results. I can't imagine volunteering to pay higher taxes over here to the powers that be. So it is hard to fund things like infrastructure projects when people are so wary of the government.
On the other hand it would only take one group of investors to make a condo and supermarket development downtown. That would be a great start. I have decided to visit Charleston when the leaves change and will stay in an airbnb in the east end near the capitol. Not too many places left in the USA you can stay in a mansion walkable to the nightlife area for $65 so I can appreciate that.
So for me as a visitor to the area it is a great value right now and if it went into a renaissance things would become more expensive. In that sense Charleston is already perfect for people like me. However it is somewhat confounding to have such a little gem and not polish it. If conditions and politics ever become better though they could change it very easily. Interesting combination of potential and frustration.
TLDR
Charleston is a nice city in a great area but the good old boy network of cronyism hampers any chance it has.
This story was posted on Politico back in January 2016 and gives some details and history regarding how Des Moines reinvented itself. It also talks about some of the current projects and some of the the issues still holding Des Moines back. During my brief stop in Des Moines I asked two locals about the city and how it has grown, transformed, etc. Many of the things they mentioned are discussed in this article.
As lookingaround12345 mentioned you can see where Charleston, and Huntington too, have potential but the variables holding them back seem to be growing.
Charleston has no room to grow. I guess pretty much everywhere that new houses could be built in the city they were built out in maybe the 60’s or 70’s? That’s a big problem when you don’t have land to develop in and immediately around a city. The challenges that Charleston faces are formidable. The geography doesn’t help, the politics are bad, we aren’t near anything important or close to a big city. I did see UT students are in town offering redesign help for the mall. It’s going to take major out of the box thinking to turn this around for sure.
I have read that article right before moving to DSM from being overseas. That article helped me narrow down where to settle. John makes good points about available land. DSM had a lot of land to put McMansions on. The problem with that is now it is gone or terribly expensive.
There is a thread about Amazon HQ possibly coming to Pittsburgh. Everybody is delirious about them maybe coming but do you really want to become the next Seattle? It all sounds good until in the course of five years you can't afford a home. There are huge problems in places like Boise where all new construction is $300K or higher large homes. Even mid sized cities that were once considered marginal are becoming unaffordable.
I love craft beer and $6 lattes as much as the next guy I suppose. That being said I don't enjoy $2,800 rent for studio lofts.
In some ways it can be a blessing things aren't going the way the rest of the country seems to be. Be careful what you wish for or welcome to the Portland of the east.
I wasn't sure if this should be posted in this thread or not but I was thinking that it ties into urban renewal. Or at least leans toward potential urban renewal.
Noticed the other day that a couple buildings on Washington St. West (including the old Hardee’s) have been torn down. I don’t know if there is a plan for that spot, but being close to the progress of Elk City it might be a good place for something.
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