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And people I know who have lived in both tend to overwhelmingly prefer Huntington. It is a city much more geared for people who aren't in college. Guess we don't know any of the same people.
Morgantown isnt just for college students but young professionals. Morgantown is nationally known as a fun city, as having one of the highest quality of life in the country, it has been rated best small country in the city before, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and the fastest income growth in the nation. It is the pride of WV and the future of the state.
Huntington is nationally known as being the fattest city in the nation and the most depressed city in the nation. So yeah it is a matter of opinion, but face it Huntington does not have the upstanding reputation Morgantown has. So you might prefer it, but people who actually rate cities based off criteria and the world has a whole would prefer Morgantown.
There are people who would prefer Huntington, or Gary Indiana to NYC, LA, Aspen, Paris, Asheville, Hawaii, New Zealand, etc. They are not wrong either because it is their opinion, but the vast majority of the world would not agree with them. That still doesnt make them wrong because they are entitled to their own opinion.
There is no point in arguing about this Bailey. If you like Huntington that is great. There is nothing better than loving where you live. It cant be taken away from you.
You need to stop getting so defensive whenever something good about Morgantown is said. Morgantown and Huntington are not in competition. I dont know why you have such a chip on your shoulder when it comes to Morgantown.
Please dont hijack another thread with your hatred and envy of Morgantown. Someone wants help moving to Morgantown and is not asking your opinion of where is a better place to live. I recommend you make a Morgantown vs Huntington thread if you want to argue about what is better.
Having gone from Huntington to WVU for school, as the OP is doing, I gave my experience. Isn't that what this forum is all about? I merely wrote 4 sentences total toward your comments about Huntington with no hatred toward Morgantown. Again just giving an opinion based on experience in response to what YOU said. I have no envy what-so-ever. If I wanted to live there, I easily could but I would not be happy. I lived there for 6 years and wasn't happy. It just wasn't for me.
You, however, wrote 2 lengthy posts in response to mine with your usual negativity toward Huntington in the second. I almost thought you could have a civil discussion about this but I guess I was wrong. Who's highjacking the thread and being negative though? Don't want me to respond to your posts? It has nothing to do with good being posted about Morgantown! It's pretty simple, don't make unnecessary, negative comments toward Huntington. If you choose to though, you can expect a reply to give another point of view just the way you would if I posted something negative about Morgantown. If you don't want the thread to go off topic, then don't steer it that way.
Having gone from Huntington to WVU for school, as the OP is doing, I gave my experience. Isn't that what this forum is all about? I merely wrote 4 sentences total toward your comments about Huntington with no hatred toward Morgantown. Again just giving an opinion based on experience in response to what YOU said. I have no envy what-so-ever. If I wanted to live there, I easily could but I would not be happy. I lived there for 6 years and wasn't happy. It just wasn't for me. Huntington was too big to be considered for the awards Morgantown won while Morgantown was too small to be considered for the negative titles bestowed on Huntington. Unless they were both looked at in the same group using the same criteria, apples to oranges.
You, however, wrote 2 lengthy posts in response to mine with your usual negativity toward Huntington in the second. I almost thought you could have a civil discussion about this but I guess I was wrong. Who's highjacking the thread and being negative though? Don't want me to respond to your posts? It's pretty simple, don't make unnecessary, negative comments toward Huntington. If you choose to though, you can expect a reply to give another point of view just the way you would if I posted something negative about Morgantown. If you don't want the thread to go off topic, then don't steer it that way.
Tbailey when you consider the larger land area of huntington, and the fact that students arent counted they are hardly different in population. Maybe Huntington has a few thousand more people.
Morgantown has won several prestigious awards, and Huntington has won several negative ones. Cities with similar sizes to Huntington do not have the negative reputation Huntington does. Charleston, and even Wheeling, arent known for being the unhealthiest cities are cities with the highest rates of depressed people. To say it is a matter of size is a weak excuse.
Regardless, your preference is irrelevant. I am sorry you didnt like Morgantown. I wish you had a better time. Just because you didnt like it doesnt mean everyone will share your views.
As for your advice about Morgantown it was outdated. He said he wanted an apartment that he can walk to the downtown campus to and he has a range of $400-600, and wants a 1bd with no roommates. Sunnyside is a prime location for this criteria. To tell him to ignore it would be telling him to cut 20-40% of his options. And for what? Based off Sunnyside when it was ground zero for parties? That is no longer the case. The police cracked down and it is dead these days. Im not sure when you came to school here, but I think you would be surprised by how much Sunnyside has changed. It is a great area for students, and guess what he is a student.
Your stadium advice wasnt helpful either. Why would he want to live near the stadium if he wants to walk to the downtown campus? Sure he could do it, but he is going to have close to an hour walk. Even with the PRT it still is going to be an hour commute. It wasnt even true either. 99% of the time the area is quiet and affordable, but you are telling him to avoid it because you dont like it.
Bailey I dont troll Huntington posts. I have been to Huntington but I dont feel the need to give advice about it. I also dont feel the need to bash it whenever it is mentioned on this forum.
I never said anything negative about Huntington. I made a statement that is generally assumed to be true by the majority of people. Morgantown is generally considered a more fun place. That doesnt mean Huntington is a bad place. It is not bashing Huntington. Im sure Huntington has some advantages over Morgantown.
For instance Huntington has more pizzerias than gyms in the whole state of WV, so im guessing it could have great pizza for WV. If it does have better pizza than Morgantown I don't feel the need to argue that Morgantown has better Pizza. Let's say Huntington is known as having the best pizza in the country. I could still think Morgantown has better pizza, but I would be going against a widely considered view.
So Bailey you can relax. No one is bashing Huntington. Cant we agree that both cities have their Pros and Cons and are great in their own way?
To the OP I apologize. Tbailey has a burning hatred for Morgantown and never misses an opportunity to start a Morgantown vs Huntington argument.
I forgot to say this earlier, but Morgantown has a great transportation system known as the PRT, and it also has a very good bus system. So if you wanted to live near a PRT you could still get to the downtown campus relatively quickly with the PRT or by bus.
Also I would not avoid Sunnyside. It has many apartments that match your criteria. Even when it was a wild place many students could live there and get good grades. If you dont have the discipline to study, and find yourself partying all the time it isnt going to matter where you live.
If you are a serious student, stay away from Sunny Side. While more convenient to downtown, a lot more partying goes on there and it tends to be louder and the scene of most of the couch fires that you hear about. I also suggest being very careful when looking at the apartments close to the football stadium as well. While some of them are nice and quiet, the majority are filled by those who like to party as well. If you are looking for a quieter area, see what you can find in Suncrest or over by the med center off of Pineview drive. If you live in the Pinview Drive area, you can walk to the med center PRT and get around pretty easily. Also, if timed right, I believe parking at the Coliseum is still free and then you can walk to the engineering PRT.
Speaking from experience, going from Huntington to Morgantown there will be some things that you will have to adjust to. Number one, is the traffic. In Huntington we have a nice grid system and can easily handle the traffic of the 80,000+ who live, work and go to school here. The infrastructure in the city itself up there is very poorly laid out and you have to rely on 2 or three state roads to get around. This results in ridiculous traffic. Another thing, as you mentioned, is the more mountainous terrain. This isn't too big of a deal except in the winter time. Be careful when coming to stop signs on hills as you can slide right through them. Also, if you are used to Ritter Park, there is nothing like that up there which can be another big adjustment. They do have the rail trail which is nice for riding bikes.
One other thing that I noticed in my time up there, the people aren't quite as friendly as they are here. Not to say that they aren't friendly, just more of a northern influence while we have more of a southern influence here. My wife, who is from Morgantown, actually had to adjust for the opposite when we moved down here. The first time she went to the grocery store, she thought the bag boy was hitting on her when he offered to take her groceries to the car for her. She also took a while to learn that you could have a conversation with a person whom you had never met before and it was OK. That was initially weird for her as it doesn't happen much up there.
As for the less depressing and more fun up there comment, I found it to be the other way around, which is why I'm back in Huntington and very happy here. Hopefully you enjoy your time up there though.
You know, Tim, I read your first paragraph and thought you were making some good suggestions and responding in a positive manner. The post was not at all about Huntington, which makes your subsequent opinions rather out of place. I'm not trying to start anything here, but imagine if it were the other way around what your reaction might have been.
As you know, I went to school in Huntington, and I find the folks at Morgantown to be much friendlier and, on the whole, better informed and educated. Spontaneous conversations are the norm here, it isn't just a "y'all" thing. And, while Morgantown doesn't have Ritter Park, it has the even more impressive Coopers Rock right up the road, white water rafting just 40 minutes away, and a very nice Marilla (municipal) Park that borders what will very soon be 80 contiguous miles of hiking/biking trails.
There are reasons it is easier to get around in Huntington (as you pointed out). The town's infrastructure was built for a city of 85,000, and in those days the state actually did do proper development there. There are 49,000 people living there these days. Any guesses as to why it is easy to get around? Our infrastructure was guilt for 20,000 people and, like Huntington, there are 80,000 folks living and working here every day. In our case, the state not only dropped the ball with infrastructure, they missed the whole ballgame. That is why we are making such an issue of it, and demanding they step to the plate and do their job with the federal and state numbered highways that carry tons of traffic every day.
There is every good reason to believe this young man will adjust just fine to attending the state's premier, flagship university.
what's the scoop on sunnyside commons? I lived in an apartment complex in Huntington ran by the same company and it wasn't too bad.
are there any places/landlords i need to avoid?
If the Sunnyside commons are where I think they are than they slightly older. Probably have had a lot of people making a mess in them and throwing parties. If these things dont bother you, and for the criteria you want pretty much all your options will be like this, than I dont see a problem with them. It is a (student) ghetto area. Not ghetto as in inner city ghetto, but a bunch of young people not really caring and for the most part not yet part of the real world. If you are young it is a great area.
Landlords in Morgantown are kinda *******s when it comes to renting students. Most students move every year, and there is plenty of demand for apartments, especially near downtown. So the students are a cash cow for them, but not one to be respected. Most of them will respect your privacy though, because WVU students have a reputation for having a good time and getting noisy is bad for business. If you pay on time you shouldnt have any big problems. When it comes to fixing things sometimes they are fast, and sometimes slow. They ALWAYS try to stiff you on the security deposit.
As for landlords to avoid. I dont remember anymore. I am so past living in the downtown area that I just cant remember their names, and even if I did properties are always changing hands, except in the case of BIG developers like Metro or Glenmark. You are going to have to reach out to WVU students, and I dont think there are many current WVU students living in the downtown area on this forum.
what's the scoop on sunnyside commons? I lived in an apartment complex in Huntington ran by the same company and it wasn't too bad.
are there any places/landlords i need to avoid?
Sunnyside Commons is actually very nice, and it is right next to the Downtown Campus. The noisier student area is in the older housing district further up the hill and in the area between University Ave. and Beechurst.
Tbailey when you consider the larger land area of huntington, and the fact that students arent counted they are hardly different in population. Maybe Huntington has a few thousand more people.
Morgantown has won several prestigious awards, and Huntington has won several negative ones. Cities with similar sizes to Huntington do not have the negative reputation Huntington does. Charleston, and even Wheeling, arent known for being the unhealthiest cities are cities with the highest rates of depressed people. To say it is a matter of size is a weak excuse.
Regardless, your preference is irrelevant. I am sorry you didnt like Morgantown. I wish you had a better time. Just because you didnt like it doesnt mean everyone will share your views.
As for your advice about Morgantown it was outdated. He said he wanted an apartment that he can walk to the downtown campus to and he has a range of $400-600, and wants a 1bd with no roommates. Sunnyside is a prime location for this criteria. To tell him to ignore it would be telling him to cut 20-40% of his options. And for what? Based off Sunnyside when it was ground zero for parties? That is no longer the case. The police cracked down and it is dead these days. Im not sure when you came to school here, but I think you would be surprised by how much Sunnyside has changed. It is a great area for students, and guess what he is a student.
Your stadium advice wasnt helpful either. Why would he want to live near the stadium if he wants to walk to the downtown campus? Sure he could do it, but he is going to have close to an hour walk. Even with the PRT it still is going to be an hour commute. It wasnt even true either. 99% of the time the area is quiet and affordable, but you are telling him to avoid it because you dont like it.
Bailey I dont troll Huntington posts. I have been to Huntington but I dont feel the need to give advice about it. I also dont feel the need to bash it whenever it is mentioned on this forum.
I never said anything negative about Huntington. I made a statement that is generally assumed to be true by the majority of people. Morgantown is generally considered a more fun place. That doesnt mean Huntington is a bad place. It is not bashing Huntington. Im sure Huntington has some advantages over Morgantown.
For instance Huntington has more pizzerias than gyms in the whole state of WV, so im guessing it could have great pizza for WV. If it does have better pizza than Morgantown I don't feel the need to argue that Morgantown has better Pizza. Let's say Huntington is known as having the best pizza in the country. I could still think Morgantown has better pizza, but I would be going against a widely considered view.
So Bailey you can relax. No one is bashing Huntington. Cant we agree that both cities have their Pros and Cons and are great in their own way?
To the OP I apologize. Tbailey has a burning hatred for Morgantown and never misses an opportunity to start a Morgantown vs Huntington argument.
I forgot to say this earlier, but Morgantown has a great transportation system known as the PRT, and it also has a very good bus system. So if you wanted to live near a PRT you could still get to the downtown campus relatively quickly with the PRT or by bus.
Also I would not avoid Sunnyside. It has many apartments that match your criteria. Even when it was a wild place many students could live there and get good grades. If you dont have the discipline to study, and find yourself partying all the time it isnt going to matter where you live.
The population of the two areas is comparable, counting the students. The infrastructure is not comparable, because the State has miserably failed in its responsibilities in the northern portions of West Virginia, especially in the Morgantown area.
I have always been somewhat perplexed by Tim's negative attitude about our wonderful, award winning university city, especially since he found his lovely wife here. At the same time, what is great for one person might not be for another. Not everyone is going to like our town, and everyone has their own opinion. I'm not going to knock Tim because he doesn't like a city that is growing because of its great attributes. I'm sure he won't knock me if I don't care for Huntington (which, in general, I don't). I do agree with him that there are very nice people living there, but don't for one second believe they are one bit friendlier than we are here in The University City.
I do sort of resent the fact that he wanted to hijack the thread with negativity, especially since he would be all over the rest of us if we did that
to a Huntington thread. Hopefully, just pointing that out will be the end of the matter.
The population of the two areas is comparable, counting the students. The infrastructure is not comparable, because the State has miserably failed in its responsibilities in the northern portions of West Virginia, especially in the Morgantown area.
I have always been somewhat perplexed by Tim's negative attitude about our wonderful, award winning university city, especially since he found his lovely wife here. At the same time, what is great for one person might not be for another. Not everyone is going to like our town, and everyone has their own opinion. I'm not going to knock Tim because he doesn't like a city that is growing because of its great attributes. I'm sure he won't knock me if I don't care for Huntington (which, in general, I don't). I do agree with him that there are very nice people living there, but don't for one second believe they are one bit friendlier than we are here in The University City.
I do sort of resent the fact that he wanted to hijack the thread with negativity, especially since he would be all over the rest of us if we did that
to a Huntington thread. Hopefully, just pointing that out will be the end of the matter.
Morgantown might actually be bigger than Huntington and Charleston. It is hard to tell because of the way Morgantown is split up, people arent counted, and the fact that a big part of the Morgantown metropolitan area in PA is not counted too.
'Morgantown' is comprised of several small cities including the biggest one which is Morgantown. The city of Morgantown is really the downtown for "Morgantown." Sabraton, West over, Star City, Suncrest, Cheat Lake, etc arent really cities as much as they are incorporated areas that for all intensive purposes are Morgantown. Morgantown should officially annex them and become the official biggest city in WV instead of the biggest unofficial city. If they were included Morgantown would be around 50k.
Then you need to consider that Morgantown has 30k students. The vast majority arent Morgantown residents so are not counted, but they live here. With them Morgantown has a population of around 70-80k.
The official Morgantown area has a population density of only 6,000 per square mile, which might be the highest in WV. When you consider several of those miles are University areas where no one lives, the river, the University farm, and the wildlife area the actual population is concentrated in half that area and students arent counted. So Morgantown has at least 10k per square mile but probably several times higher.
Finally, it is debatable if Morgantown is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The census bureau arbitrarily draws the lines. I would consider it so, but even if you dont think so the Morgantown metropolitan area stretches very far into the Pittsburgh MSA. Most of it isnt counted because it is in another state and already in the Pittsburgh MSA. Morgantown MSA at least goes into Washington PA.
Im not saying Morgantown is the biggest city in WV. It is hard to tell because of the unofficial nature of Morgantown and the stupid way demographics are counted. However, if Huntington was bigger than Morgantown, which it probably isn't, than it would be bigger by a few hundred, and at the very most a few thousand people, under 5k.
What I have a problem is the downright hostility some people in the state have to Morgantown. It didnt exist 15 years ago. It started when Morgantown really started thriving. It almost seems like some people want to see Morgantown fail because where they live is not doing well.
I think people on this forum really need to start respecting each others cities. I have nothing against Huntington. I wouldnt want to live there, but im sure Bailey doesnt want to live in Morgantown. We all have our preferences. There is no need to make every discussion an argument or to put down another city.
Since you all continue to refer to me in your posts even though I stopped posting in this thread, please tell me what was so overly negative about my initial post? I merely was doing a common practice of this is what you may be used to where you are and this is what you can expect where you are going. The only things I mentioned were the increased traffic (Huntington planned its own infrastructure btw, not the state), more mountainous terrain, the lack of a large scale municipal park (try playing a game of football at Coopers Rock) and that folks were perhaps a little friendlier here. I even stated that it wasn't that people up there were unfriendly. I think most folks in general would agree, the further south you go the friendlier people get. It's just a difference in cultural influences. So please, tell me where I made a vicious, negative, degrading post about Morgantown? You all claim that I need to quit being so sensitive, yet we get a dissertation complete with negative comments just from what I posted above? Who are the sensitive ones?
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