Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think the have eliminated the Sternwheel part of the Regatta, they no longer have the boat races or the Sternwheelers on display.
Geez, that stinks. That was the whole reason for the thing to begin with! The races and the fireworks show at the end of the festival used to be the best reason to go.
I know the fireworks are a regular institution on the river. Neighbors here say they've never missed a season. I'll keep my eyes peeled in the kanawha valley clipper/ad mailer for the sternwheel happenings and pass it along.
I grew up in Charleston and graduated from Charleston High in the early 1960's. It's a pitiful shame to see how downhill all the neighborhoods have gone. Those wonderful old houses in the east end between the Blvd and Lee St are for the most part apartments now, with the exception of only a few. The grand old homes on the Blvd have been turned into offices and businesses. I grew up in the East End when there was still a Duffy Street and Greenbrier St had houses. Way before the interstate went through. It was a great place to grow up. The block I grew up on is now statehouse parking, the street sign is all that's left.
The "bad" neighborhoods were in the Triangle District which is where the Mall is today as well as where St. Francis Hospital is, Laidley Towers, the Marriott, that whole area.
I have lived in South Charleston for the last 25 years in a quiet neighborhood on the hill but it's changing now, also and not for the better. My son graduated from South Charleston High School and is now a high school band director in Huntington and he says Huntington is a much more vibrant city than Charleston.
I attribute the gradual decline of the Charleston neighborhoods to politics and driving the interstate right through the middle of town destroying some beautiful parks, houses and small enclave neighborhoods, one case in point is the entire 1700 block of the Blvd, Virginia St, Quarrier St, Lee Street to build the Cultural Center.
It's so sad to see it decline like this, I wish that forsight would have been used to save some of those beautiful areas of the city, but they're under tons of concrete now. I don't call that progression, I call it destruction.
I will be moving from here in a couple of years, mostly because this isn't the Charleston I grew up in and loved. Almost everything I know about Charleston has substantially changed, why - even Broad Street is no longer Broad Street and the new Arts Center is just an eyesore, more beautiful buildings and green spaces gone to build that thing.
corgis- I'm not a fan of modern architecture, so I know where you're coming from on that one. It's like if HGTV were 'updating' st patricks cathedral to appease the guggenhiem art fans, and wonder where the parishioners went. It's an ignorant sacreligious act. Reminds me of the family feuds my generation has had to negotiate, stuck between the baby boomers spitting in the faces of my depression era grandparents. I love them both, but PLEASE, a little respect goes a long way.
I almost didn't come here because of the sad decline you're talking about. For instance, right now, there's a stately 2,200 sq ft gem two doors down from kanawha blvd near patrick st bridge in hud foreclosure listed for about 45k. It sits there rotting away because the nature of the repairs, and the city of charleston handicaps, won't allow wisdom to prevail. The more money someone spends to refurbish, the larger levy the city imposes in its permit process. Gross mismanagement doesn't even begin to describe that in a town that's seeing its age. It's in the flats in a region that has more housing units than people and the ammount needed to restore her far exceeds what a resale value could fetch. 2 doors down in the other direction is a burnt out shell actively being vandalized. I can't fight city hall and a neighborhood that doesn't care about itself. I'd have to have a bill gates bankroll to make that happen. I went up the hill instead.
We can't turn back the clock, though, corgis. I'm shocked by my nephew regularly, raised on johnny bravo, the simpsons, south park & a steady diet of NY cynicism. I don't think he's really had a carefree day in his life the way I had a few growing up. He never got to know what it was to run amok in the neighborhood for halloween trick or treating, to daydream without time management, or even play soccer in the street with the other kids. Emotionally he's as tough as a prostitute, and as his auntie, I find that heartbreaking but beyond my control to correct.
This generation has been raised with kids faces on milk cartons and mcduff the crime dog, not bugs bunny and mork from ork. Ice cream men are child predators on the 6 o'clock news. We've gone from hiding away mentally ill and addicts to letting them rule the streets. Nostalgic rose colored glasses don't tell the whole truth, but IMO civilization isn't headed in a healthy direction. Not sure where you're thinking of heading, but don't be surprised if greener grass isn't the veneer of astroturf some developer has cleverly marketed.
South Hills is still "The Hill" full of people who like to pretend they live in some exclusive area that is somehow seperate from the rest of Charleston. I had many friends in South Hills growing up however I never have liked the attitude up there. The value of their homes in the"exclusive" neighborhoods there would there would MAYBE buy a condo or a townhouse in an average neighborhood up here in DC, nothing more, so the chi chi attitude they give off is somewhat amusing. But I guess every place has at least one area like that. The plus side is the schools are excellent, convenience to downtown/southridge is unmatched and there is a neat albeit very small village district with a few decent shops and restaurants.
Well, it's a half-true. Hills are not the most "exclusive" anymore, I think. The price range in SH is wide, from high 100's to million+. Fox Chase's smallest house is 600k+. Quarrier Creek-the same story.
DC condo vs SoHills house: I
lll reverse your statement- u sale an average small condo in DC and can buy 5000sq ft minimum over here. What do you think, who lives better- one who can buy 5000sq ft+ in Chas or who forced to buy minicondo in DC for same or bigger price making less money overall. If u can make money in Charleston- the dollar is stronger here.
Exclusivity of The Hills; well, this is the fact. It's a cool place and one of the best neighborhoods over here. I personally don't make a big deal out of it. Yeah, it's pleasant to acknowledge I live in a cool area but still not a reason to be snobby and have snovvy attitute. Honestly, I haven't seen this attitude yet. Is it real or just imagination of inhabitants of other places?
SoHills are quiet, green, secluded. I think Yorktown is way more snobby and desperatehouswifier.
Believe me it's real, I lived there for several years growing up and I have never seen so many wanna bes in my life...and i live in DC for godsake! Don't get me wrong So. Hills is a fairly nice neighborhood, but it isn't this mecca of multimillion dollar houses that an alarming number of people up there make it out to be. I don't know how many times I heard growing up "this is South Hills we do things differently up here," luckily my parents were annoyed with the people up there too and we moved to an equally nice part of Charleston minus the snob population. I also didn't find it amusing when GW would play other schools and their students would chant things like "Junior College" or "that's alright that's OK you'll work for us one day" Really? Let's compare W2s today!..I'm not alluding to your age but I think the snobbery thing is more prevalent among the younger crowd on the Hill.
Your living comparisons would also depend on what one defines as "better."
Theoretically the dollar would go further in Charleston IF (like you said) the salaries were the same but that just simply isn't the case. For instance the median income in Kanawha County is around $38,000 per year, compare that to Fairfax County VA right outside DC where the average is the highest in the nation at over $100,000 per year. All other counties surrounding DC have median incomes in the 80-100,000 range. This translates into individuals being able to afford more and hence higher housing costs.
I'll be the first to admit I had some mega sticker shock when I first moved up here. The amount I pay for a small apartment here in Arlington VA could easily afford monthly mortgage payments on a home in Charleston but I think it balances out. Not knocking my home town at all but I would rather have something smaller up here in DC than something larger back home, it just depends on personal preferences. Some people (ME) like big city living and everything that comes with it, others prefer smaller areas like Charleston. Nothing wrong with that..
Last edited by NOVAmtneer82; 05-07-2008 at 10:06 PM..
Not knocking my home town at all but I would rather have something smaller up here in DC than something larger back home, it just depends on personal preferences. Some people (ME) like big city living and everything that comes with it, others prefer smaller areas like Charleston. Nothing wrong with that..
That's what I'll have to struggle with as far as making a decision in the future about if I want to move back home to WV or not. As I had talked about earlier, you have to pick between two extremes - a huge city like Atlanta that has a mega thriving economy and explosive growth, with lots of options for shopping or recreation (but insane traffic and crime), or, a home town whos economy is still almost stagnant by comparison, dies at 5pm, but is overall safer and more affordable with a reasonable laid back atmosphere. Hard to decide (or there is that in-between Chattanooga option I mentioned).
Believe me it's real, I lived there for several years growing up and I have never seen so many wanna bes in my life...and i live in DC for godsake! Don't get me wrong So. Hills is a fairly nice neighborhood, but it isn't this mecca of multimillion dollar houses that an alarming number of people up there make it out to be. I don't know how many times I heard growing up "this is South Hills we do things differently up here," luckily my parents were annoyed with the people up there too and we moved to an equally nice part of Charleston minus the snob population. I also didn't find it amusing when GW would play other schools and their students would chant things like "Junior College" or "that's alright that's OK you'll work for us one day" Really? Let's compare W2s today!..I'm not alluding to your age but I think the snobbery thing is more prevalent among the younger crowd on the Hill.
Your living comparisons would also depend on what one defines as "better."
Theoretically the dollar would go further in Charleston IF (like you said) the salaries were the same but that just simply isn't the case. For instance the median income in Kanawha County is around $38,000 per year, compare that to Fairfax County VA right outside DC where the average is the highest in the nation at over $100,000 per year. All other counties surrounding DC have median incomes in the 80-100,000 range. This translates into individuals being able to afford more and hence higher housing costs.
I'll be the first to admit I had some mega sticker shock when I first moved up here. The amount I pay for a small apartment here in Arlington VA could easily afford monthly mortgage payments on a home in Charleston but I think it balances out. Not knocking my home town at all but I would rather have something smaller up here in DC than something larger back home, it just depends on personal preferences. Some people (ME) like big city living and everything that comes with it, others prefer smaller areas like Charleston. Nothing wrong with that..
To be precise....
Fairfax County, Virginia median per capita income is $81,000
I respect everyones right to choose where happiness lies for them, but it's an off the rack world that takes some adjustments to deliver what is your personal definition. Wanting to maintain a higher income rurally, an internet based business suits the task quite well because it doesn't depend on local economics. Job skills orientated for the abstract existance of a city leaves you with narrow choices. Entreprenuership levels the playing field if you're willing to invest in that education.
When living where the population density is high, what should be an economy of scale works against itself, and so the cost of doing business or maintaining a retired life can get prohibitive. Suburban sprawl gives you the option of ala carte proximal usage, without having it immediately in your yard. No matter where you hang your hat, the unwritten law of the jungle is if the prevailing wage is 10 piasters a year, your house will cost 30. (charleston is no exception, because despite bargain real estate and low taxes, the bargain house has no insulation, so the price saved is spent in utilities or inflated insurance). The whole world turns on this carrot and stick economy. Thats why illegal aliens bring the paycheck to their native land. It's why border state people live in WV and work there.
I think the most important questions to help people decide have to do with recognizing within yourself what your intellectual and social needs are. Folks who grow up in more rural environments tend to want more stimulation, and native city folks tend to want more space.
Here are the kinds of questions I mean:
Do you need to have convo's about international political happenings with your neighbors? Do you prefer to stay current with fashion trends? Do you get your joy from the artistic community? Some people have never been beyond the county line and prefer to remain oblivious to the menu of culture available in america. They aren't wrong, they just don't have what you might want in a convo. How about your health? Do you need to be within 15 min of medical facilities? Are family values your highest priority? Would you rather a reclusive life? Would you rather not live where your dog is unwelcome? (How does your dog feel about it? lol)
The better you can articulate what makes you happy and what you need, the easier it will be to make decisions and try on adaptive tools for a custom fit.
Mtneerheart- sounds like a bunch of trash talking brats at that sports event. Do you believe they'll get far with that contempt? I don't. I pity the life they have ahead, and the hollow basis that bred them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What do you think, who lives better- one who can buy 5000sq ft+ in Chas or who forced to buy minicondo in DC for same or bigger price making less money overall. If u can make money in Charleston- the dollar is stronger here. 
