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All we talk about on this forum is pretty much 4 areas tops. I think we can get a good look at areas in WV that are either growing right now, or have the reasoning to grow. An area that comes to mind for me is Elkins. It's true that Elkins has been growing, but Elkins could become something really great with the right leadership. It could be a central hub for all tourism is Eastern WV and could be a destination for the entire East coast.
With the new Armstrong Plant, and the new WV National Guard all being built at the Burlingame Business Park, this could be a sign that the area could be dipping out of the recession. Hopefully we will find out more news on the future of the closed Century Aluminum plant. If aluminum prices continue to rise, we could see the plant reopen.
All we talk about on this forum is pretty much 4 areas tops. I think we can get a good look at areas in WV that are either growing right now, or have the reasoning to grow. An area that comes to mind for me is Elkins. It's true that Elkins has been growing, but Elkins could become something really great with the right leadership. It could be a central hub for all tourism is Eastern WV and could be a destination for the entire East coast.
Just give me a few years Chris...lol Mayor Thompson will be back before you know it haha
I do agree though that Elkins holds a lot of potential. It's the headquarters of the Mon. National Forest, right between North Central WV and the Eastern Panhandle, not too far from Pittsburgh and once Corridor H is finished much closer to DC. Ski resorts are within half an hour to 40 minute drive through some of the most scenic areas of the East. Elkins also has a solid education system that has nearly doubled in quality in the past few years due to our new Super and growth at D&E. Davis Memorial Hospital has also announced plans to expand services and build on.
We also now have the American Mountain Theater, and the Gandy Dancer both Branson style resort attractions, and the Durbin and Greenbrier Railroad headquartered in the remodeled depot is the number one destination for tourist stagecoach buses in all of West Virginia.
History and cultural preservation are obviously big factors in Elkins and I think that is a lot of what drives the tourism industry in Elkins and instills pride in the locals and natives. I do believe with the right people in place Elkins is poised to really take off in terms of quality of life, livability, and aesthetics.
... and once Corridor H is finished much closer to DC. ...
You're not holding your breath for that one, are you? I think the last schedule I saw had completion set for the 2025-2030 time frame. Although it does appear they'll at least get the Kerens-Thomas segment finished in a few years.
And Virginia still hasn'[t agreed to build that last 15 mile segment to hook up with I-81.
You're not holding your breath for that one, are you? I think the last schedule I saw had completion set for the 2025-2030 time frame. Although it does appear they'll at least get the Kerens-Thomas segment finished in a few years.
And Virginia still hasn'[t agreed to build that last 15 mile segment to hook up with I-81.
lol No, I'm definitely not holding my breath... but I'm very optimistic. There has been a big push as of the last year or so to just finish the bloody thing already. The state has said financing the construction has been the main issue, and now they've realized there is additional ARC money left over from other states that have finished their projects, so that money can be either used or borrowed to finish Corridor H... the last ARC highway project.
They've also lumped a few of the contracts together I believe which has taken off 5-6 years. The sooner they finish it, the less it will cost... and the sooner the economic benefits will start rolling in.
I agree that Elkins holds a lot of potential from a tourism perspective. But I don't think the answer is more highways there. In fact, I think that detracts somewhat from the area's natural beauty. Elkins is close enough to Pocahontas to cash in on the amazing beauty and tranquility there.
Corridor H isn't the only ARC highway project left. If you look at the Corridor O project (PA's famous I-99), they are currently extending it to Interstate 86 in New York via US-15 and US-220. Plans call for it to eventually extend southward from Bedford to Interstate 68 at Cumberland. What officials in Allegany County, Maryland and Mineral County, West Virginia are advocating for is the further extension of Corridor O down to connect with Corridor H. Committees have met in Cumberland, Keyser, and Moorefield to discuss the proposal. At this point, the state of Maryland isn't very convinced of the idea and I'm really not either. I think our primary focus should be to get that final limited-access section built between Bedford and Cumberland. That would provide an interstate connection between Rochester, New York and Cumberland. Then, we could go from there and evaluate the potential benefits of southward extension. The only problem is that 220 between Cumberland and Bel Air (arguably all the way down to Keyser) is the only section of road in the area that really has any type of congestion problem. The Maryland SHA is already looking into relocating or expanding that section of highway anyway.
As for areas of growth, I'd like to shed some light on the Potomac Highlands of the EP. Hampshire County is growing by leaps and bounds due to the expansion of Winchester and I believe they've built some schools in the eastern part of the county fairly recently. Similar growth is occurring in Hardy County and even as far out as eastern Mineral County.
If you look specifically at Mineral County, Keyser has seen southward expansion along US 220 for the past couple of years. A small shopping center just opened next to WalMart (although it's kind of empty right now). A new Microtel Hotel opened recently and consistently has no vacancy. Construction projects like the new Route 220 bridge across the Potomac, the new DHR building, and expansion of the wind farms in Grant County, have brought tons of construction workers to the area. Potomac Valley Hospital recently built a brand new hospital south of town, leaving their aging downtown location behind, which is expected to be purchased by WVU as Potomac State is seeing record enrollment. The only downside to the recent development is that, when fast food chains and stores began opening south of town, it destroyed Keyser's small downtown and there has been no real effort to bring life back to it.
Northern Mineral County (and my favorite part of the county, as I really don't like the Keyser area) is largely a mix between completely rural and suburban Cumberland. A lot of local Marylanders and other folks moving to the region have chosen the Frankfort district, as it's called, as a more affordable alternative to MD when deciding where to build their new home. It has seen the majority of Mineral County's population growth with upscale housing developments like Lakewood subdivision coming to fruition. It's also home to ABL (Allegany Ballistics Laboratory) operated by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) with a Robert C. Byrd Institute location on site.
I agree that Elkins holds a lot of potential from a tourism perspective. But I don't think the answer is more highways there. In fact, I think that detracts somewhat from the area's natural beauty. Elkins is close enough to Pocahontas to cash in on the amazing beauty and tranquility there.
A single highway isn't going to hurt the area, but make it more marketable to the entire East Coast. It's also needed to provide a safe route between Elkins and the DC area instead of twisty and narrow two lane roads.
Perhaps, but that is typical of what we see happening all too often in our state. They spend huge sums to money trying to create demand rather than deal with problems associated with demand that is already evident. I'm going to be more than disappointed if they build one more new highway in West Virginia until they deal with our great need for highway infrastructure in the Morgantown area. it is clear the greatest need right now is right here.
Perhaps, but that is typical of what we see happening all too often in our state. They spend huge sums to money trying to create demand rather than deal with problems associated with demand that is already evident. I'm going to be more than disappointed if they build one more new highway in West Virginia until they deal with our great need for highway infrastructure in the Morgantown area. it is clear the greatest need right now is right here.
Ok... enough with the Morgantown area thing. We all know you think it needs more highways... but keep in mind that the Elkins area is growing too. Randolph County, Upshur County, and Barbour County have all grown significantly since Corridor H connected in the early 1990's.
Morgantown already has a North/South interstate and a interstate route east, both of which were started around the same time that Corridor H was started. I wonder what the Elkins/Buckhannon areas would like if Corridor H was finished back in the late 60's/early 70's.
Nearly everyone in North Central, Central, and Eastern West Virginia have thrown support behind this road because of the greater access it will provide the region to more global ports. Logically benefiting the whole region seems to take precedence over befitting just one city.
wv metro news (http://www.wvmetronews.com/news.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=45882 - broken link)
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