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Hi,
My husband and I will be moving next Fall, 2009 to Morgantown. We will both be working for the university. We have a 4 year old boy and we would like to get some information regarding the schools in Morgantown (elementary, middle, etc).
Also, what are the house prices (from online is hard to judge given we don't know much about schools--but heard that Cheat lake and Suncrest are best)? We have lived in Pittsburgh while in graduate school and we've heard that house prices in Morgantown are close to Pit house prices. Is there a Trader Joe in Morgantown? Farmers markets? As I said, all the info I have is from online, but would be nice to hear oppinions from local people. Also, we like to be outdoors a lot, so we've heard there are lots of parks, bike trails etc around.
Thank you very much,
D.
Hi,
My husband and I will be moving next Fall, 2009 to Morgantown. We will both be working for the university. We have a 4 year old boy and we would like to get some information regarding the schools in Morgantown (elementary, middle, etc).
Also, what are the house prices (from online is hard to judge given we don't know much about schools--but heard that Cheat lake and Suncrest are best)? We have lived in Pittsburgh while in graduate school and we've heard that house prices in Morgantown are close to Pit house prices. Is there a Trader Joe in Morgantown? Farmers markets? As I said, all the info I have is from online, but would be nice to hear oppinions from local people. Also, we like to be outdoors a lot, so we've heard there are lots of parks, bike trails etc around.
Thank you very much,
D.
You're moving to a terrific, progressive community. There is a peoples' coop with organic foods and the new Krogers in Suncrest has a large organic section too. Unfortunately, Trader Joes has not located there yet but their type of store would be a natural for Morgantown.
If you're in Pittsburgh, you'll only be just over an hour away from there. But you won't want to go back that often. You can find just about anything you want in Morgantown, and the outdoor opportunities abound just outside of town. And, the campus has a much safer feel to it than anything in the 'Burgh.
There's a farmer's market downtown every Saturday morning (at least during the warm months). It's in a parking lot on Spruce Street, located between a couple of churches.
I moved here eight years ago from Indianapolis, IN. Overall, Morgantown is a nice place to live, but it lacks many of the big city amenities. It has only been within the last couple of years that Morgantown got a major bookstore. For a college town that is absurd. Crime is generally low. You will feel safe here and and it is a nice place for family.
However, it should be noted that Morgantown, and all of West Virginia for that matter, is very "clannish" and does not extend a warm welcome to "transplants". Once you mention you are not originally from here, people shut up and don't speak to you. West Virginians are immersed in their own culture which primarily consists of the extended family - which isn't really culture at all. The people here are very proud of their lack of culture. To them it is their culture. Most native people that I have associated with in my eight years here have never even left the state. Consequently, most of our friends are "transplants" or live in Pittsburgh.
The healthcare here is really poor. The Univeristy Hospital Systems seems to only hire WVU Medical School Graduates. WVU is viewed as a GOD in Morgantown, but it is really a very political environment. This state is not about what you know, but who you know. IMHO, that affects the quality of education in this state, but I can't really speak for the schools because my son is not of school age yet. (We plan to move this summer to attend graduate school in Maryland or North Carolina). National rankings do not paint a pretty picture for the state in education. IMHO it is because of the political and clannish environment. If no one leaves the state, they have no new ideas or culture coming into the state.
I am sure that most die-hard West Virginians will take offense to my assessment and that is not my intent. Just my observations as an outsider.
Good luck.
Last edited by Risikio; 04-17-2009 at 01:20 PM..
Reason: Added additional information
Most native people that I have associated with in my eight years here have never even left the state.
Yeah...I doubt that. I don't know of a single person that has never left the state. None. I'm born and bred here. That you claim to truly believe this is just bizarre. Where in Morgantown do you go to meet these alleged people? I just can't believe you...and it pretty much makes me question the rest of the post as unbelievable. That you met *a* person that fits this description...let alone the idea that *most* people from WV have never left the state...bye-bye credibility.
Quote:
The healthcare here is really poor. The Univeristy Hospital Systems seems to only hire WVU Medical School Graduates.
I know for a fact this isn't true...and Ruby is a damn nice hospital. If you disagree, then you are clueless as to what constitutes a top notch hospital. No offense. The only combo level 1 Peds and Adult trauma center in the region. Pittsburgh doesn't even have a level 1 peds and adult trauma center at any one hospital. They are scattered under multiple roofs. What is it about the facility that makes you so sour on it?
I moved here eight years ago from Indianapolis, IN. Overall, Morgantown is a nice place to live, but it lacks many of the big city amenities. It has only been within the last couple of years that Morgantown got a major bookstore. For a college town that is absurd. Crime is generally low. You will feel safe here and and it is a nice place for family.
However, it should be noted that Morgantown, and all of West Virginia for that matter, is very "clannish" and does not extend a warm welcome to "transplants". Once you mention you are not originally from here, people shut up and don't speak to you. West Virginians are immersed in their own culture which primarily consists of the extended family - which isn't really culture at all. The people here are very proud of their lack of culture. To them it is their culture. Most native people that I have associated with in my eight years here have never even left the state. Consequently, most of our friends are "transplants" or live in Pittsburgh.
The healthcare here is really poor. The Univeristy Hospital Systems seems to only hire WVU Medical School Graduates. WVU is viewed as a GOD in Morgantown, but it is really a very political environment. This state is not about what you know, but who you know. IMHO, that affects the quality of education in this state, but I can't really speak for the schools because my son is not of school age yet. (We plan to move this summer to attend graduate school in Maryland or North Carolina). National rankings do not paint a pretty picture for the state in education. IMHO it is because of the political and clannish environment. If no one leaves the state, they have no new ideas or culture coming into the state.
I am sure that most die-hard West Virginians will take offense to my assessment and that is not my intent. Just my observations as an outsider.
Good luck.
I find the criticism from a corn shucker who considers himself a cosmopolitan quite fascinating. Having a degree from IU, I'd say you are way off base. Morgantown has more culture on an off day than Indianapolis has all year around. Sorry you didn't like the company, but could it be that your attitude affected peoples' willingness to accept you?
When did anyone ever say that Morgantown was a big city...We do not have one single big city in the state.
IT IS POLITICAL! Every single situation has been that way since the state was formed.
You do have to NETWORK for jobs. It's a sort of 'safety of hire benefit for the employer.
This region, as a medical community simply astounds me. WVU Complex, United Hospital System, VA Hospital System and it's tied hand in glove to Johns-Hopkins, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
I do see some clannish attitudes with a few certain ethnic groups, but they are isolated by their language and social customs.
To that educated poster:
I've been out of the state. Came back though. The problems Wv has will not be solved if everyone moves away.
Yeah...I doubt that. I don't know of a single person that has never left the state. None. I'm born and bred here. That you claim to truly believe this is just bizarre. Where in Morgantown do you go to meet these alleged people? I just can't believe you...and it pretty much makes me question the rest of the post as unbelievable. That you met *a* person that fits this description...let alone the idea that *most* people from WV have never left the state...bye-bye credibility.
I work for the university and several of the people in my department have never left the state by their own admission. I was astounded to hear this myself, but they would have no reason to lie. I have also heard this from several students that I attended classes with at WVU.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007
I know for a fact this isn't true...and Ruby is a damn nice hospital. If you disagree, then you are clueless as to what constitutes a top notch hospital. No offense. The only combo level 1 Peds and Adult trauma center in the region. Pittsburgh doesn't even have a level 1 peds and adult trauma center at any one hospital. They are scattered under multiple roofs. What is it about the facility that makes you so sour on it?
What are your facts? That you cite Ruby's Level 1 Pediatrics and Adult Trauma? Yes, Ruby has the Level 1 Trauma Unit and to my knowledge, the only one in the state of West Virginia, but that doesn't make it a good hospital. That's just one department. It takes much more to have a good healthcare system than just having a Level 1 Trauma Unit. What about all the other departments? IMO they don't perform to the standard of good quality healthcare and I based that on personal experience. I am also not talking about just Ruby and WVU Hospitals. Yes, in my original post, I mentioned them, but my original post also stated that healthcare in the state was poor. There are more hospitals and healthcare providers in the state than just Ruby Memorial.
That being said, here are my personal experiences with the healthcare system on which I have formed my opinion.
1. Over the last four years I had to see 10 different specialists at Ruby for an orthopedic problem. Not a single specialist could figure out what the issue was. For sake of privacy, I will not name the specialists, but they were part of the Spine Center, Orthopedics, Neurology and the Pain Treatment Center. Many of the treatments prescribed by these specialists only made the problem worse because they were misdiagnoising the problem in the first place. I finally had to go to Pittsburgh where it was determined that my pain was coming from a pinched nerve. Other than managing the pain, there is not really much that can be done. I feel that somewhere along the line, one of these ten specialists should have been able to determine this and not put me through four years of painful physical therapy treatments.
In addition to the misdiagnosis, the customer service at Ruby and the Pain Treatment Center have been substandard. I tried for four weeks to get a nurse from the Pain Treatment Center to call me back regarding a prescription the doctor ordered that required prior authorization from my insurance. Not once did the nurse call me until after I had contacted the director of the Pain Treatment Center. Throughout the four weeks, my pain continued to get worse and the Pain Center did nothing. The main goal of the Pain Center is to help people manage pain. Doing nothing is not my idea of managing pain. A simple phone call back saying that the doctor was still working with the insurance company on the medication was all that was needed. They could also have given me some ideas on how to manage the pain while waiting for the insurance, but they didn't.
2. My wife has also been misdiagnosed by her physican when she had a cyst. Her doctor decided to do nothing and it ruptured. She was referred to a surgeon out of United Hospital in Clarksburg, who performed two surgeries and guaranteed the second one would resolve the issue. It didn't, she ended up going to Allegheny General in Pittsburgh where an out-patient surgery took care of everything and she has been problem free for two years now.
3. When my wife became pregnant, she went to Cheat Lake Physicians, a part of the WVU healthcare system. She was considered an at risk pregnancy because of her age. Her OB/GYN practioner was going to have her deliver naturally, however while she was visiting her parents in Pennsylvania, she went into labor. The doctor in Pennsylvania realized immediately that she would have gone through several hours of labor and still never delivered naturally. Because of her elevated blood pressure, they delivered by c-section and probably kept her from having a stroke. In her follow up at Cheat Lake after her delivery, her OB/GYN disagreed with the doctor's decision to do a c-section and stated that they should have proceeded with natural childbirth first, meaning my wife and son's life both would have been put in danger.
Again, it is not my intent to offend, but sometimes a different viewpoint is good. Sometimes people can be too close to a situation to observe what really goes on.
Last edited by Risikio; 04-19-2009 at 08:58 AM..
Reason: corrected spelling
I find the criticism from a corn shucker who considers himself a cosmopolitan quite fascinating. Having a degree from IU, I'd say you are way off base. Morgantown has more culture on an off day than Indianapolis has all year around. Sorry you didn't like the company, but could it be that your attitude affected peoples' willingness to accept you?
What makes you think I am a corn shucker? That fact that I am from Indiana? That's like me saying that anyone from West Virginia is a redneck or a hillbilly, and I AM NOT SAYING THAT AT ALL.
If Morgantown has more culture than Indianapolis, where are all the museums? Where are all the professional sports? Where is the symphony or the opera? And yes, I did attend these events when I lived in Indianapolis. As the 12th largest city in America, it does have a lot to offer, but that does not make me a cosmopolitan either. West Virginia's culture is very different. It is very family oriented and based on the extended family. There is more to culture than family.
I disagree that it has been my attitude that has affected people's willingness to accept me. They usually stop talking before the get to know me, so my attitude and personality hasn't even had a chance to come out. People ask where you are from and I tell them Indianapolis, they immediately shut up and I never get to tell about who I am. I think the biggest problem with people accepting outsiders in Morgantown is that the city is very transient. People are always coming and going, whether it be as a stepping stone to something else or just deciding that Morgantown is not for them. IMO the native West Virginians aren't as welcoming because of that. If you are an outsider, they know they likelihood of you staying for a long time and they they choose not to befriend those that will only be here for a short period. If you are an outsider and you plan on staying for a long time, like retirement or something, you may find it easier to be accepted. But adjusting to the culture still takes a bit of time.
Again, it is not my intent to offend. At the beginning of my original post, I stated that Morgantown was generally a good place with low crime and nice place for someone with a family.
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