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We are a family of three adults, 2 of whom have disabilities. We own 4 real properties already: Illinois, Ohio and upstate New York are our investment homes; we own and reside in a large home on a little more than half an acre in Suffolk County, Long Island. We are in our mid- to upper-50s and are looking to retire in the next 5 years. Two of us work full-time (one works locally, one works with a lot of travel via air); the third one of us is fully disabled and does not work outside the home.
We have not yet chosen a location for retirement. Out of the question is extreme heat (Arizona, California, Florida)... lots of snow (Washington, Oregon, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Montana, the Dakotas)... conservative politics (Texas, Virginia) (you see, we are liberals and hippies at heart and love unusual places like Sedona, AZ, Union Springs, AL and Woodstock, NY).
For the features of our future home, we hope for the following:
near medical facilities
near airport
near college(s) or locations for taking courses, or teaching classes (volunteering, perhaps)
near grocery shopping (we presently shop at BJs or CostCo, to save funds by buying large quantities)
house should be a ranch/splanch type; at least have no stairs (or very few)
excellent laundry facilities, to be near the bedrooms
kitchen should have gas stove, dishwasher, storage pantry
fireplace would be lovely
internet accessible (cable TV, phone)
easy-to-clean floors throughout (hardwood, tile... no carpet?)
a master suite
3 additional bedrooms/guest-rooms/offices in near or equal size (not small, like a closet!)
2 - 3 bathrooms (including the suite)(handicap accessible shower and tub)
no home-owner's association to be involved in our private business (we have dogs, cats, love to decorate the yard, hang wind-chimes, place statuary, encourage wild-life and birds to feed, etc.)
parking for at least 2 vehicles
maybe a pool?
We understand that some of this may not be present in a house "as is" and can be "made to happen" later on.
Our budget will be variable, depending on the features of the property, the housing market when we move, etc. We presently pay less than $1,950 a month for our present home, and that includes taxes and insurance. Our mortgage rate is slightly under 5%. We can work with at as a starting point.
I am looking for suggestions on how to begin our search. Two of us have been to West Virginia (9 years ago), and enjoyed the visit (to see a Roy Clark concert). At that time we browsed via the TV internet real estate channel at the hotel (not seriously seeking to move or buy) and did notice that there were not a lot of jobs available outside the trucking and hospitality industries, but the prices of real-estate for sale were incredibly low. We spoke with some folks at a truck stop and they told us that many guys drove for a living, and funneled the money home to their wives and kids.
We are a family of three adults, 2 of whom have disabilities. We own 4 real properties already: Illinois, Ohio and upstate New York are our investment homes; we own and reside in a large home on a little more than half an acre in Suffolk County, Long Island. We are in our mid- to upper-50s and are looking to retire in the next 5 years. Two of us work full-time (one works locally, one works with a lot of travel via air); the third one of us is fully disabled and does not work outside the home.
We have not yet chosen a location for retirement. Out of the question is extreme heat (Arizona, California, Florida)... lots of snow (Washington, Oregon, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Montana, the Dakotas)... conservative politics (Texas, Virginia) (you see, we are liberals and hippies at heart and love unusual places like Sedona, AZ, Union Springs, AL and Woodstock, NY).
For the features of our future home, we hope for the following:
near medical facilities
near airport
near college(s) or locations for taking courses, or teaching classes (volunteering, perhaps)
near grocery shopping (we presently shop at BJs or CostCo, to save funds by buying large quantities)
house should be a ranch/splanch type; at least have no stairs (or very few)
excellent laundry facilities, to be near the bedrooms
kitchen should have gas stove, dishwasher, storage pantry
fireplace would be lovely
internet accessible (cable TV, phone)
easy-to-clean floors throughout (hardwood, tile... no carpet?)
a master suite
3 additional bedrooms/guest-rooms/offices in near or equal size (not small, like a closet!)
2 - 3 bathrooms (including the suite)(handicap accessible shower and tub)
no home-owner's association to be involved in our private business (we have dogs, cats, love to decorate the yard, hang wind-chimes, place statuary, encourage wild-life and birds to feed, etc.)
parking for at least 2 vehicles
maybe a pool?
We understand that some of this may not be present in a house "as is" and can be "made to happen" later on.
Our budget will be variable, depending on the features of the property, the housing market when we move, etc. We presently pay less than $1,950 a month for our present home, and that includes taxes and insurance. Our mortgage rate is slightly under 5%. We can work with at as a starting point.
I am looking for suggestions on how to begin our search. Two of us have been to West Virginia (9 years ago), and enjoyed the visit (to see a Roy Clark concert). At that time we browsed via the TV internet real estate channel at the hotel (not seriously seeking to move or buy) and did notice that there were not a lot of jobs available outside the trucking and hospitality industries, but the prices of real-estate for sale were incredibly low. We spoke with some folks at a truck stop and they told us that many guys drove for a living, and funneled the money home to their wives and kids.
You might like Morgantown. It is a small city that has a college town atmosphere. Preston county, which is 30 minutes from Morgantown has a surprising number of hippies living the country life.
Check out the Huntington area as you look. We have some of the best medical care in the state here, thanks in part to the presence of Marshall University. We also have one of the fastest growing airports in the nation here with an ever growing offering of flights. We get about the least amount of snow in the state in addition to being one of the flattest cities in the state and only planned city. Finding the type of house that you are looking for should be pretty easy in this area as well. If you have any other questions about Huntington, I will do my best to answer them.
I seriously doubt that West Virginia politics is any less conservative than that of Virginia and Texas. West Virginia has proud & bloody anti-labor history (it's largely silenced and forgotten), it's definitely pro big business and anti-environment (think WV staple - coal). Prior to "Wild and Wonderful" WV official slogan was "Open for business", it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it takes to open up for business these days.
I seriously doubt that West Virginia politics is any less conservative than that of Virginia and Texas. West Virginia has proud & bloody anti-labor history (it's largely silenced and forgotten), it's definitely pro big business and anti-environment (think WV staple - coal). Prior to "Wild and Wonderful" WV official slogan was "Open for business", it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it takes to open up for business these days.
West Virginians, conservative on almost every issue across the board, have retained their status as a blue state because of unions and the incredible support behind workers' rights that is still evident in much of the state. Remember that West Virginia was predominantly made up of coal miners and mill workers at one point (and still has a fairly significant number of them today). You'll find that, on average, West Virginians tend to vote for Clintons more than Obamas. According to recent polls, West Virginia does have a fair amount of self-identifying "liberals." Not a majority, obviously, but up against some of the country's more conservative states, it isn't too shabby. One specific pocket of "liberalism" can be found in Morgantown, home of West Virginia University (in one of the seven counties out of a total 55 which voted for Obama in the 2008 general election). Morgantown has some of the best hospitals in the state in Ruby Memorial (WVU) and Mon General, has a small municipal airport (and is slightly over an hour to Pitt International), and has Kroger and Giant Eagle for groceries (and Sam's Club for bulk). You definitely wouldn't have to worry about extreme heat, but wouldn't be leaving the snow behind, I'm afraid. While there are other areas of West Virginia with colleges and "small cities," none really come quite as close to your wishlist as Morgantown. Huntington, for example, is the second-largest town in the state and has Marshall University, but isn't exactly a hotbed for liberals. Charleston, the largest town and capital, has a lot of nice things but isn't very liberal either.
West Virginians, conservative on almost every issue across the board, have retained their status as a blue state because of unions and the incredible support behind workers' rights that is still evident in much of the state. Remember that West Virginia was predominantly made up of coal miners and mill workers at one point (and still has a fairly significant number of them today). You'll find that, on average, West Virginians tend to vote for Clintons more than Obamas. According to recent polls, West Virginia does have a fair amount of self-identifying "liberals." Not a majority, obviously, but up against some of the country's more conservative states, it isn't too shabby. One specific pocket of "liberalism" can be found in Morgantown, home of West Virginia University (in one of the seven counties out of a total 55 which voted for Obama in the 2008 general election). Morgantown has some of the best hospitals in the state in Ruby Memorial (WVU) and Mon General, has a small municipal airport (and is slightly over an hour to Pitt International), and has Kroger and Giant Eagle for groceries (and Sam's Club for bulk). You definitely wouldn't have to worry about extreme heat, but wouldn't be leaving the snow behind, I'm afraid. While there are other areas of West Virginia with colleges and "small cities," none really come quite as close to your wishlist as Morgantown. Huntington, for example, is the second-largest town in the state and has Marshall University, but isn't exactly a hotbed for liberals. Charleston, the largest town and capital, has a lot of nice things but isn't very liberal either.
Actually morgantown is considered to have the best hospital system in the state and is close to pittsburgh which has a better hospital system than anywhere in wv.
When you take the student population into account morgantown is the 2nd biggest city in the state, maybe 3rd during summer, and very close in population to charleston. It has the youngest and most educated population in wv. The morgantown-pittsburgh metro area is the 2nd largest in the state after the martinsburgh-dc metro area, and by far it surpasses the charleston-huntington metro area.
Morgantown itself is the center of liberalism in wv, but the area outside the city tends to be moderate and conservative. The conservatives here in morgantown tend to be fiscal conservatives and pro-business, but socially liberal and tolerant. Go 70 miles south of morgantown and they become social conservatives.
I find the climate here cold in the winter and a little hot and humid in the summer. Compared to wisconsin the winters are mild.
Actually morgantown is considered to have the best hospital system in the state and is close to pittsburgh which has a better hospital system than anywhere in wv.
When you take the student population into account morgantown is the 2nd biggest city in the state, maybe 3rd during summer, and very close in population to charleston. It has the youngest and most educated population in wv. The morgantown-pittsburgh metro area is the 2nd largest in the state after the martinsburgh-dc metro area, and by far it surpasses the charleston-huntington metro area.
Morgantown itself is the center of liberalism in wv, but the area outside the city tends to be moderate and conservative. The conservatives here in morgantown tend to be fiscal conservatives and pro-business, but socially liberal and tolerant. Go 70 miles south of morgantown and they become social conservatives.
I find the climate here cold in the winter and a little hot and humid in the summer. Compared to wisconsin the winters are mild.
Morgantown is not in the Pittsburgh metro area. They're really not well-connected enough to make that claim. Sure Morgantown is heavily Pittsburgh oriented, but in order to qualify as part of the MSA, the area needs to have a sizable population of commuters to the metro's main city and close-in suburbs. Morgantown doesn't have that. I'd also say to qualify that the surrounding area should be relatively built up, rather than a whole lot of nothing until you're halfway to Pittsburgh.
Morgantown's hour-ish proximity to Pittsburgh is advantageous, but if we're going to use Pittsburgh amenities as a reason for one-upping other towns in the state, Weirton has, by far, the biggest advantage there. If you're primarily looking at the list of the OP's requests, Morgantown still wins considering local West Virginia amenities alone. If living somewhere liberal is important to these people, they're really not going to find it anywhere but Morgantown in this state (or at least nowhere else where it's on open display).
As far as hospitals go, I'd agree that Ruby is probably the best, although CAMC may give them a run for their money.
While I'm at it, I'd also like to suggest to the OP, Jefferson County. While the Eastern Panhandle is the notoriously red part of the state, the far eastern counties are getting a massive influx of transplants from the inner DC area. Jefferson County actually voted for Obama in '08. It's part of the Washington, DC metro area and is home to Shepherd University. It would put you in close proximity to hospitals in Winchester, Frederick, Leesburg, etc. as well as the top-notch hospitals in and immediately surrounding DC. Under the best conditions, Jefferson County is an hour and a half from DC. Considering that you all would be retired and could easily avoid rush hour traffic, it would make for easy excursions. The climate is hotter and more humid than most of WV in the summer (although not overwhelmingly so), but the winters are also milder. The county is largely "exurban" meaning that you would be living in a burgeoning suburban community that is still encompassed by a rural landscape.
Morgantown is not in the Pittsburgh metro area. They're really not well-connected enough to make that claim. Sure Morgantown is heavily Pittsburgh oriented, but in order to qualify as part of the MSA, the area needs to have a sizable population of commuters to the metro's main city and close-in suburbs. Morgantown doesn't have that. I'd also say to qualify that the surrounding area should be relatively built up, rather than a whole lot of nothing until you're halfway to Pittsburgh.
Morgantown's hour-ish proximity to Pittsburgh is advantageous, but if we're going to use Pittsburgh amenities as a reason for one-upping other towns in the state, Weirton has, by far, the biggest advantage there. If you're primarily looking at the list of the OP's requests, Morgantown still wins considering local West Virginia amenities alone. If living somewhere liberal is important to these people, they're really not going to find it anywhere but Morgantown in this state (or at least nowhere else where it's on open display).
As far as hospitals go, I'd agree that Ruby is probably the best, although CAMC may give them a run for their money.
While I'm at it, I'd also like to suggest to the OP, Jefferson County. While the Eastern Panhandle is the notoriously red part of the state, the far eastern counties are getting a massive influx of transplants from the inner DC area. Jefferson County actually voted for Obama in '08. It's part of the Washington, DC metro area and is home to Shepherd University. It would put you in close proximity to hospitals in Winchester, Frederick, Leesburg, etc. as well as the top-notch hospitals in and immediately surrounding DC. Under the best conditions, Jefferson County is an hour and a half from DC. Considering that you all would be retired and could easily avoid rush hour traffic, it would make for easy excursions. The climate is hotter and more humid than most of WV in the summer (although not overwhelmingly so), but the winters are also milder. The county is largely "exurban" meaning that you would be living in a burgeoning suburban community that is still encompassed by a rural landscape.
I'm not trying to one up any cities but I believe morgantown is part of the pittsburgh metro area. I do know several people who commute from morgantown to pittsburgh and vise versa, even people who commute from north pittsburgh to morgantown. If morgantown were in PA I have no doubt it would be included in the metro area. Morgantown is 5-10 miles from where the official pittsburgh metro area ends and if pittsburgh every completed the highway it would for sure bi in it. Furthermore when I was in texas there were areas in the same metro area further apart than morgantown and pittsburgh and took almost 2 hours to commute back and forth but were considered the same metro area. The statistics for metro area really change by state and region of the us. For all intensive purposes it should be included in the burg metro area.
While I will agree with you that Morgantown would provided the most liberal atmpsphere in the state, I disagree that it provides the best all around of what the OP is looking for, unless a liberal atmosphere tops the list. While Huntington does have a liberal component to it, it is definately smaller here as Marshall is a smaller school and a smaller part of this area.
Looking at local ammenities, if having close air travel that offers some options is important at all, Morgantown definately does not do well on that component. Flights out of Hart Field are few and far between and if the federal funding gets nixed as proposed, Morgantown is likely to lose all commercial flights, per the city manager there. They only see about 10,000 passengers per year there as opposed to about 110,000 from Huntington and >200,000 at Charleston. As stated above, the numbers at Huntington continue to climb and more flights are being looked into. A rumored direct flight to Las Vegas would really boost numbers here.
Also, for someone with a disability, the hills and the colder, snowier weather likely will be a more difficult obstacle to overcome when compared to the flatter, more mild winter in Huntington. And if CAMC is on par with Ruby, Cabell or St. Mary's would be up there as well, especially if you take the previously discussed healthcare ratings into account.
Just another view point on things.
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