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Hi everyone! We are an Army family and it looks like we will be relocated to Elkins, WV in early August. It looked like it was going to be Summersville, then Williamsburg, and now it's looking like Elkins is our next stop. What can anyone tell me about this town? How are the schools? Employment opportunities? Housing? I'd love to hear what you know! Thanks so much!
Hi everyone! We are an Army family and it looks like we will be relocated to Elkins, WV in early August. It looked like it was going to be Summersville, then Williamsburg, and now it's looking like Elkins is our next stop. What can anyone tell me about this town? How are the schools? Employment opportunities? Housing? I'd love to hear what you know! Thanks so much!
Hey there...
Where are you coming from exactly? Elkins is a nice little town with the qualities and amenities of a small city. There is a hospital, private liberal arts college, YMCA, chambers of commerce, etc. Main industries include tourism, healthcare, education, wood products, as well as state and federal government jobs. It really depends on what field you're in and how much experience you have.
Housing... well... that can be tricky. Would you be looking at renting or owning? There are some newer rental units on Cole Avenue called Easy Street Apts, but I really wouldn't know the first thing about renting in Elkins. Owning, there are several real estate companies in Elkins that could help you out there. Housing in Elkins varies by the neighborhood... both style and price. If you're looking for an older 2-3 story home they can range from the 70s-200's or in south Elkins there are many new homes just recently built that are nicer and more expensive.
Schools are ok, much better then when I went through. There are a plethora of upper level classes offered as well as college classes taught at the high school level. I just completed my student teaching at Elkins Middle School just a few months ago. The kids were amazing, it was like night and day from Huntington Schools where I was placed for my other clinicals. No behavior problems whatsoever. The students are competitive both academically and in sports. Sports are big in Elkins, especially track, soccer, and baseball. I could also tell a noticeable difference in reading levels from my students in Huntington.
Hope this helps... if you have anymore specifics feel free to ask
Thanks! We're going to be vacationing in Williamsburg next week, and we're going to drive over to check it out. It's sort of a long ride, but we are looking forward to checking it out. What should we check out on the drive over?
We're looking at Edgewater Estates for housing. They look like pretty nice places, and a nice neighborhood. It's so hard to get a feel for things online.
We've lived all over the country, and we always like to find out what the local food customs are. What is WV's?
Elkins is a great town and that area will always be home to me. There isn't much in the way of rentals that I would recommend, but I would look at house rentals if you want to rent. For home buyers, there is a lot of good neighborhoods between Elkins and Beverly. A lot of folks live near what the locals call the 5-lane or 4-lane, which is just Rt250/92 between Elkins and Beverly. Most of the business has moved this direction, much different than it was a few decades ago. There is a lot of housing in the roads that branch off that stretch of highway and more every time I visit. You will find a mix of older and newer homes but the neighborhoods are all very good.
There are jobs in the area depending on what you do for a living and how much experience you have. I work in the technology industry and there wasn't anything in Elkins for my skills, and that is why I had to move out to find work. Unfortunately, a lot of other folks have to move away for work as well. My family still runs a business in the area that has been in place since the 1940s, so there is work but just not all industries.
As for shopping there isn't too much in the area beyond the typical Wal-Mart/K-Mart and a few other chains. A few niche businesses are in the area and some are pretty nice. Most folks make a trip to Clarksburg for specialty things or just Internet/mail order.
If you love the outdoors it doesn't get much better than Elkins. There is so many opportunities for great fishing/hiking/hunting with all the national forest land in the area.
You will get 4 very distinct seasons in Elkins. The summers are pretty mild and not too hot. The fall is beautiful with the changing leaves and lower humidity days. The winter can be pretty tough, but if you like snow you will see plenty of it Nov-Mar. Spring is really nice and a great time to get out of the house.
I think the schools to a good job in the area and the smaller student population helps. The K-5 schools are scattered all around the area and the Middle and High schools cover the entire Elkins/Beverly area. I went to college at Davis and Elkins and things turned out good for me.
What in the world is a ramp? I have never heard of it before! If I had to guess, I'd say a fish, maybe? Pepperoni rolls sound delicious!
BH, thanks for the info! I was a teacher before we got married, but now I stay home with the kiddos, or work part-time (mother's hours) jobs.
I was very excited to see that Elkins has a YMCA! We don't have one where we are now, and I am so excited to get my kids involved in some activities! My daughter had to give up gymnastics during our last move, so she is very excited!
The seasons sound very much like where we are now (northern New Hampshire). I was hoping for milder winters, but so it goes! This past winter it started snowing on Halloween and hasn't stopped yet! In fact, we are supposed to get snow showers tonight!!
Thanks for your info, everyone! I really appreciate it!
Ramps are wild leeks and are a big deal during the spring season. They even have festivals and cookoffs dedicated to them. They can be pretty tasty but they are really potent and your nose will let you know when its ramp season. You will also see buckwheat cake feeds during the fall all around the area, one of my favorites. You can get WV style hot dogs at several locations anytime of the year. Pepperoni rolls are a very common local food and a few locations around Fairmont are pretty famous for them.
The first part of October will be the Forest Festival and is one of the popular festivals. There is other festivals in nearby locales as well.
If you are coming from northern NH, you won't have any issues with the winter in Elkins. I have been to Berlin NH several times during the winter so I know it is pretty rough up that way. Elkins doesn't get hammered that much with the snow as the surrounding mountains do, probably closer to 70". Cheat Mountain and Canaan often top 180+" of snow each year. Except for the mountains, it typically melts off pretty quickly between each storm.
I don't live there so I can't speak about housing and stuff so I am just noting....."Lucky You".
I love Elkins and the surrounding area. It's a beautiful area. I get over there as often as possible. We've been going to the area camping and fishing since the 60's. The area has changed some but not a whole lot. More places to eat and shop but it's still very recongnizable from itself 40 years ago.
It's one of the best areas of the state. Unless you are a big city type of person. You can still reasonably make a long day trip to somewhere like Pittsburgh if you feel the need from Elkins.
I did pick some ramps this week though. Seems no one in Michigan appreciates their awesomeness.
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Ramp?!
