Moving to Huntington, WV... Questions!!! (Pea Ridge, Barboursville: apartments, rental homes, insurance) - City-Data Forum

MIgirl2011 · 07-10-2011, 01:29 PM

My live in boyfriend just got a great job offer in Huntington, WV. I am very excited for this opportunity for him and us however I have never lived anywhere but MI my entire life and am scared/nervous/excited about moving to another state especially since I would be leaving my job/benefits and going to a state without one (yet anyway..)....he will be able to provide for me financially however I would rather he not have to or at least not for long.

I have so many questions but my main ones are:

Where are the good areas to live at and if not ready to buy, how is Waterford Village Apartments in Barboursville as temporary living?

What are the major/best companies to work for in the area?

What should one know about the local hospital (Cabell)? Is it a good place to work?

I fear the unknown and of course that is what is keeping me up at night as we don't have much time to get everything done but decisions must be made.

Thank you for your help!!!!

tbailey1138 · 07-10-2011, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIgirl2011

Where are the good areas to live at and if not ready to buy, how is Waterford Village Apartments in Barboursville as temporary living?

Barboursville is a nice area to live and the Waterford Apartments are new and fairly convenient to most of the things that you would need. I haven't heard too much one way or another about them but I imagine that they would be fine for temporary living.

My suggestion would be to also look in Huntington in the area around Ritter Park known as the Southside. There are several apartments/rental units in the area for a temporary place to live. The biggest perk about living in this area is how nice most of it is and the convenience to everything. My family and I live in this area and we love it. We can walk to the park, we walk downtown, I walk to work and we are less than 15 minutes from the mall.

Here is a rental guide that may help in your search as well.
Homes Magazine

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIgirl2011

What are the major/best companies to work for in the area?

The major employers in Huntington are the hospitals and the education sector, including local schools and Marshall University. Here is a link to all of the major companies: :: Welcome to Huntington, West Virginia :: - HADCO - Huntington Area Development Council (http://www.hadco.org/profile_top_employers.asp - broken link)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIgirl2011

What should one know about the local hospital (Cabell)? Is it a good place to work?

Cabell Huntington is actually where I work and yes, it is a good place to work. The benefits are great there and it is one of the few places left where you have to pay nothing for insurance. The hospital is expanding frequently so jobs are often available. We also have several other healthcare related facilities in Huntington though. St. Mary's Medical Center is also here and is actually larger than Cabell. We also have a VA Medical Center, several large private medical providers and several smaller facilities as well. Here is a link that lists most of these facilities in this area.

:: Welcome to Huntington, West Virginia :: - HADCO - Huntington Area Development Council (http://www.hadco.org/profile_healthcare.asp - broken link)

I hope that this is helpful. Let me know if you have ANY other questions about Huntington and I'll do my best to help!

Tim

MIgirl2011 · 07-10-2011, 03:58 PM

Thanks for the good information Tim!

In regards to Cabell - that is where my boyfriend would be working...do you know if they offer the "domestic partner" option for people who like us are not married but in a committed relationship? Coming down there leaving my job worries me as I wouldn't have insurance any longer unless I COBRA'd or had that option as tacking on to his insurance.

We did drive around the area of that park was was impressed with how nice it was...I am thinking Craigs List or something might be a good idea to check on rental homes etc.

How long have you lived in the area?

In regards to the winters - I understand you maybe get 2 inches or less normally? Is that true? Coming from MI, we are used to feet of snow so that would be a change

Thanks!!!!

tbailey1138 · 07-10-2011, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIgirl2011

Thanks for the good information Tim!

In regards to Cabell - that is where my boyfriend would be working...do you know if they offer the "domestic partner" option for people who like us are not married but in a committed relationship? Coming down there leaving my job worries me as I wouldn't have insurance any longer unless I COBRA'd or had that option as tacking on to his insurance.

We did drive around the area of that park was was impressed with how nice it was...I am thinking Craigs List or something might be a good idea to check on rental homes etc.

How long have you lived in the area?

In regards to the winters - I understand you maybe get 2 inches or less normally? Is that true? Coming from MI, we are used to feet of snow so that would be a change

Thanks!!!!

I'm not really sure if they offer insurance to relationships other than spouse or dependent but I can try to find out for you. If he will be working at Cabell, then definately look around the park as walking will save you sooo much money in gas. We used to be a consistent 2 car family but I haven't really driven my car in the last year and a half. There was a house just around the corner from the park that was for rent. I'm not sure if it still is but if so, I can get the number for you if interested.

I've lived in the area most of my life so about 30+ years. My family moved here when I was very little and I lived in another town for 6 years while away at college. Living away really made me appreciate how much we have here in Huntington and we've lived where we currently live for just over 3 years and love it.

With regards to winters, they typically not very harsh here. Your average accumulation for a single snow is usually about 2-4" but we often get 1 or 2 snows of about 6-10" each season. Of course you get the occasional large snow but that is only once about every 10-15 years. So overall, winters aren't that bad here.

Hope this answers those questions and let me know if you have anymore.

Tim

MIgirl2011 · 07-11-2011, 07:39 PM

Awesome - yes, for sure - I would love to know of any homes for rent in that area...we are thinking that area or out in Barboursville - Waterford Village since the realtor lady told us that was our best bet for temporary housing. We got a tour of the area and there seems to be much around for a smaller town. Granted it will be an adjustment for me as we live in a large town now but I am hoping to adapt. Ideally we would like a place that has 2 bedrooms or more and in a decent area.

Now I am just focusing on finding a job for myself - any suggestions on good sites to check out or people to talk to down there? I am very outgoing so I am hoping for a job that doesn't put me in the corner with no interaction with other people. Your unemployment rate is much lower than it is in MI so I pray that is to my benefit.I work in the technology departmet now for our hospital here in MI but I won't look at Cabell in terms of that area, maybe a different department like HR or something at Cabell or some where else is what I am thinking...

What provider do people use for wireless internet down there? I understand Comcast is the normal cable provider, what about AT&T U-verse? Is that an option do you know?

As always - thank you for all your information, it has become very useful!!!!

tbailey1138 · 07-12-2011, 07:00 PM

As far as a job, the best place to look would be the website of whatever company you are interested in. Most employers now seem to post available jobs on their websites and many also have applications on-line as well. I'm pretty sure that Cabell Huntington is that way as well. Otherwise, you can check the job listings from the local paper (link included) and there is also a local job placement company that you can look into as well. They are called ManPower and they help match companies with job seekers and if there is a fit, a permanent job usually comes out of it.

JOBS - Find jobs and quality employees

Manpower Huntington, WV Office (http://us.manpower.com/office?hcmid=FSOS-WV005 - broken link)

With regards to wireless internet, there is currently Comcast for cable but the city is in the process of negotiating a new contract and is considering whether or not to have multiple companies in on the contract. There is also Frontier (which is what we have) and they are so so. There is also a company called Suddenlink that I believe offers high speed internet as well. There is no AT&T U-Verse here but you can get the card from AT&T wireless and many of the phones through AT&T and Verizon wireless are now mobile hotspots if that helps.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tim

MIgirl2011 · 07-13-2011, 07:45 PM

Good to knnow..thank you for sharing that information...I have had Comcast before.

We are running into some issues with where to live....we contacted Waterford Village but there aren't any apartments open and I guess you have to get on a waiting list but still you have to pay the deposit and you wont get it back. We would rather rent a house for the amount of money of renting an apartment. I am trying Craigs List and anything else I can find - if you hear of any please let me know

tbailey1138 · 07-14-2011, 07:58 PM

I checked the house around the corner from the park and it has already been rented. If I see any for rent signs on what appear to be nice houses, I'll send you the info. In the mean time, I would check the info in the first link below. It has info for most of the local rental places. If you have any questions about them, I'll do my best to answer. I'll also include a couple of specific places for you as well. Hope this helps.

Tim

Homes Magazine

Royal Oaks at Pea Ridge

Seneca Ridge Townhomes

cry_havoc · 07-16-2011, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIgirl2011

My live in boyfriend just got a great job offer in Huntington, WV. I am very excited for this opportunity for him and us however I have never lived anywhere but MI my entire life and am scared/nervous/excited about moving to another state especially since I would be leaving my job/benefits and going to a state without one (yet anyway..)....he will be able to provide for me financially however I would rather he not have to or at least not for long.

I have so many questions but my main ones are:

Where are the good areas to live at and if not ready to buy, how is Waterford Village Apartments in Barboursville as temporary living?

What are the major/best companies to work for in the area?

What should one know about the local hospital (Cabell)? Is it a good place to work?

I fear the unknown and of course that is what is keeping me up at night as we don't have much time to get everything done but decisions must be made.

Thank you for your help!!!!

You are moving to Huntington?

I am so sorry. Remember with the right attitude you can make a good life even in a bad place.

tbailey1138 · 07-16-2011, 02:30 PM

MIgirl, just ignore the post above. That poster has an obvious bias against Huntington and Marshall and he's one of those who thinks that if he can tear those two down, he is somehow building up the things he like. Just read through some of his posts and you'll see how credible his opinion in this matter is. He is trying to hijack this thread now as well and turn it into another one of his hate-fests.

As always though, let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.