Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That aren't ruined from mining or fracking or whatever the heck? And aren't polluted? Please take this with a grain of salt. I have been in WV once, about ten years ago, and thought it was quite scenic. We started researching places to move to and WV came up more than once, and I was quite excited to think about moving there, but I started hearing horror stories.
We are looking for a small, quiet, scenic town near a VA hospital. We want to have a house with no mortgage payment, so we're looking at about 175K max, although we could theoretically go up to about 250K if we absolutely fell in love with a place and wanted to take out a loan. I want to have a long-term relationship with a place, set up a homestead. Gardening, etc.
I don't want to risk doing that if the area is going to be polluted or the mountain next door is going to be stripped in the near future.
We also don't want to be discriminated against (we have a very obviously Hispanic last name and the kids look a bit "ethnic" although culturally we are not Hispanic). We were also thinking about South Carolina but weren't too keen on the race relations there that we know of. We'd also like rural upstate NY (have lived there before and like that atmosphere) but it's a bit expensive as far as COL.
That aren't ruined from mining or fracking or whatever the heck? And aren't polluted? Please take this with a grain of salt. I have been in WV once, about ten years ago, and thought it was quite scenic. We started researching places to move to and WV came up more than once, and I was quite excited to think about moving there, but I started hearing horror stories.
We are looking for a small, quiet, scenic town near a VA hospital. We want to have a house with no mortgage payment, so we're looking at about 175K max, although we could theoretically go up to about 250K if we absolutely fell in love with a place and wanted to take out a loan. I want to have a long-term relationship with a place, set up a homestead. Gardening, etc.
I don't want to risk doing that if the area is going to be polluted or the mountain next door is going to be stripped in the near future.
We also don't want to be discriminated against (we have a very obviously Hispanic last name and the kids look a bit "ethnic" although culturally we are not Hispanic). We were also thinking about South Carolina but weren't too keen on the race relations there that we know of. We'd also like rural upstate NY (have lived there before and like that atmosphere) but it's a bit expensive as far as COL.
Hi there,
You can avoid polution/mining/ect... almost anywhere in WV. Southern WV does have alot of strip mining, but its not like the whole country-side is a wasteland. There are VA hospitals in Clarksburg (North Central WV), Beckley (Southern WV), Huntington, and Martinsburg. There is alot of options for you, and I might need a little bit more info before jumping on one single location.
I live in the Charleston area, and personally I think this is the best place to live if you want to be around a city. If you want to be close to everything you'd ever need, plus great hospitals, schools, museums, parks, shopping, dining, events, entertainment, ect... then this area is the best in the state.
As far as discrimination, you should have no problem. WV is home to some of the most welcoming people anywhere. But remember that dumb people are everywhere.
Check out Huntingon as you look for a new home. Huntington is in Cabell County and there are no coal mines here and we are also outside of the Marcellus Shale zone so there should be few concerns about drilling as well. Being the second largest city in the state as well as the home of Marshall University, I think you and your family would be quite comfortable here. For $175,000 you could have a very nice house here. One area that you might check out is around Ritter Park and is known as the Southside. This would give you quick access to the park and you would be able to walk to many places if you so choose. This would also give you quick access to the Huntington VA hospital as well. When added with our two other local hospitals, Huntington provides some of the best healthcare in the state.
Between what the city offers and what Marshall offers as well, there is plenty to do here with concerts, museums, sporting events, etc. We are also home to the largest mall in the state and have a downtown that is growing quite nicely, being the only downtown in the state to have some national retailers mixed in with our quaint, local shops. We have a great parks system that is expanding to have an extensive trail system for biking, walking and running as well. Huntington also recently won the Petsafe Bark for your Park contest and are in the process of adding a new $250,000 dog park, if you have pets.
These are just a few of the things that make Huntington great so of you have any other, more specific questions I would be more than happy to answer them!
I would suggest the Fairmont area for the price range you're seeking. It is centrally located in the growing North Central West Virginia region, has a culture quite similar to Upstate New York (my wife happens to be from Schenectady), is near the nice VA Hospital facilities in Clarksburg, the outstanding (and in my opinion by far the best) cultural, entertainment, and educational offerings of the Morgantown area, location of the state's flagship doctoral level institution.
It is also accessable to Pittsburgh for those things that only a big city can provide, and very near wonderful outdoor venues.
All of these places are within about a half hour of each other, and Fairmont is located about an hour and a half's drive from the west side of Pittsburgh. There are two bus runs daily from Fairmont to Pittsburgh, which also has major VA medical facilities and additional commuter bus access via the Fayette line out of Morgantown.
Nearly all of the strip mining is in the southern part of West Virginia although there is one relatively small operation north of Morgantown. We have lots of pristine wilderness areas near here including several thousands of acres of state forest land and the Allegheny Mountain Range nearby. There is some Marcellus gas extraction going on nearby, but it is realtively unintrusive as far as visibility to the environment.
Here's a bit more about our situation. The husband has several times a week appointments at the VA Hospital.
We have two kids, preschool age. We plan on homeschooling them. We anticipate going to NYC or D.C. for "cultural field trips" every once in a while to concerts, museums, etc. to augment our homeschooling.
We're slightly liberal leaning, crunchy types (prefer getting our eggs at the local farm, or better yet, our backyard) rather than from the local Walmart.
I grew up in Europe and both the husband and I have lived in NYC. So, to us, a city is a BIG city. A moderate capital-sized city is just fine, but it just kind of feels like a big town to us.
That said, while in the U.S. I personally have lived all over CT, Buffalo, Colorado Springs, Seattle, and we're now in FL. They were all very different experiences, so I say I'm pretty flexible. I like the quiet of the countryside much more than suburbia. However, if I do go into "town" I prefer it on the traditional side - independent shops, walkable streets, etc. I NEED libraries. I have a slight book addiction. We don't really go out much but would really like to have a few haunts like a family restaurant or something (not a chain) that we can go to when the mood strikes, or an annual town fair, or something like that.
As I said earlier, want to have a little family homestead where we can have some chickens, some fruit trees, a garden, the kids can play outside, and we don't have to be worried about what the HOA is going to say if we hang our laundry on the line. We've moved SO many times that I just want somewhere to set down roots. I'm only in my late 20's, btw.
Our income *right now* is pretty comfortable (and would go a lot further in WV than in some other parts of the country) but due to my husband's health issues this could change at any moment, so we want to live within the "worst case possible" means - which at this point would still be around $1400 a month. That's the main reason we don't want to have a mortgage, etc.
Sounds like the Eastern Panhandle might be best for you, due to its proximity to DC/NYC. Not sure about the fracking and strip mining situation, but strip mining is more in southern/central while fracking is mainly in North and North Central WV.
Berkeley Co Jefferson Co Nor Morgan Co have Mining. & as far as I know no one has had problem with Race Relations! Most people I know get along fine & there are Lots of Mixed Race Children in the area. Maybe YOU need to do a bit more looking. Ask Proper questions.
Based on your last post, the Huntington area would still likely be a great fit for you. If you are looking for a more rural area to live in, there are a few areas in Cabell County and nearby Wayne County that would likely suit your needs. You might even consider looking in the Spring Valley area of Huntington. This would put you VERY close to the VA Medical Center here and you could likely find your countryside living in this area as well. There has been a big push to have more local produce here through 3 different farmers markets as well as a fresh market offered by Huntington's Kitchen. An out of state family even moved to the area a few years ago and started their own farm called Mil-ton farms and have been very succesful with that. Huntington also has some great yearly fairs and festivals if you would want to sell any of your produce at any of those events as well.
With regards to homeschooling, there are a few different groups in the area that allow multiple families to collaborate and do some of their larger lessons together. You also have the benefit of having the Huntington Museum of Art here which is the largest art museum in the state with a great permanent collection as well as wonderful traveling collections as well. We also have the award winning Heritage Farm Museum as well as the Museum of Radio and Technology. Marshall University also has some great, small museums as well as some wonderful culural opportunities through their various programs.
If you plan on taking trips to NYC and Washington D.C., you have the option of riding the Amtrak train right out of Huntington via the Cardinal Line. Being in Huntington also puts you close by Columbus, OH which is the home to COSI and the Columbus Zoo, both of which has been rated as the top institutions in the nation in their respective categories. My family and I have also visited some of the wonderful museums and events in Cincinnati, OH which is also a short drive away. Here are a few more links and again, feel free to ask if you have ANY other questions!
Here's a bit more about our situation. The husband has several times a week appointments at the VA Hospital.
We have two kids, preschool age. We plan on homeschooling them. We anticipate going to NYC or D.C. for "cultural field trips" every once in a while to concerts, museums, etc. to augment our homeschooling.
We're slightly liberal leaning, crunchy types (prefer getting our eggs at the local farm, or better yet, our backyard) rather than from the local Walmart.
I grew up in Europe and both the husband and I have lived in NYC. So, to us, a city is a BIG city. A moderate capital-sized city is just fine, but it just kind of feels like a big town to us.
That said, while in the U.S. I personally have lived all over CT, Buffalo, Colorado Springs, Seattle, and we're now in FL. They were all very different experiences, so I say I'm pretty flexible. I like the quiet of the countryside much more than suburbia. However, if I do go into "town" I prefer it on the traditional side - independent shops, walkable streets, etc. I NEED libraries. I have a slight book addiction. We don't really go out much but would really like to have a few haunts like a family restaurant or something (not a chain) that we can go to when the mood strikes, or an annual town fair, or something like that.
As I said earlier, want to have a little family homestead where we can have some chickens, some fruit trees, a garden, the kids can play outside, and we don't have to be worried about what the HOA is going to say if we hang our laundry on the line. We've moved SO many times that I just want somewhere to set down roots. I'm only in my late 20's, btw.
Our income *right now* is pretty comfortable (and would go a lot further in WV than in some other parts of the country) but due to my husband's health issues this could change at any moment, so we want to live within the "worst case possible" means - which at this point would still be around $1400 a month. That's the main reason we don't want to have a mortgage, etc.
Okay, that gives me more to go on here. I worked in the northern NYC suburbs for several years and lived in Putnam County and New Fairfield (near Danbury) CT. Our state does not have any large cities, or really anything resembling them. We do have a handfull of towns with some urban characteristics, but no large cities.
The northern and eastern parts of our state are very near large cities. The Northern Panhandle (Wheeling and Weirton) and North Central (Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg) areas are in the Pittsburgh region. The Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg area) is very near Washington, DC and Balltimore.
Although our whole state is Appalachian, there are subtle differences in attitude and character that to some degree are related to ethnic origin.
The North Central and Northern Panhandle regions have largely German ancestry with some Irish, English, and Scots Irish in the rural areas and in Wheeling and Weirton some Slavic, and Wheeling, Weirton, and Clarksburg some Italian ancestry. The Eastern Panhandle has predominantly English ancestry as does most of the areas east of the Allegheny Range.
When you get to the middle of the state (south of Sutton) the Scots Irish origin starts to predominate and to a lesser degree German.
The result of this is somewhat differing attitudes about politics, religion, family, education, and culture. The Eastern Panhandle tends to be both socially and economically conservative, although recent influxes from DC and Baltimore are changing that mix to a degree. The Northern Panhandle is mostly fiscally liberal and socially conservative. North Central, especially the Morgantown area, is both socially and fiscally liberal. The southern part of the state is a lot like the northern panhandle (although they have a vastly different speech accent) and is fiscally liberal and socially conservative due to the large number of Catholics in the area.
If you want a social liberal orientation, the closer you get to Morgantown the happier you'll be. That area also has one of the highest average education levels of any place in the country (top 50). Considering your housing price range, I'd consider Fairmont a nice middle ground that is also close to the Clarksburg VA Medical Center (15 minute drive from the south side of town).
Okay, that gives me more to go on here. I worked in the northern NYC suburbs for several years and lived in Putnam County and New Fairfield (near Danbury) CT. Our state does not have any large cities, or really anything resembling them. We do have a handfull of towns with some urban characteristics, but no large cities.
The northern and eastern parts of our state are very near large cities. The Northern Panhandle (Wheeling and Weirton) and North Central (Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg) areas are in the Pittsburgh region. The Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg area) is very near Washington, DC and Balltimore.
Although our whole state is Appalachian, there are subtle differences in attitude and character that to some degree are related to ethnic origin.
The North Central and Northern Panhandle regions have largely German ancestry with some Irish, English, and Scots Irish in the rural areas and in Wheeling and Weirton some Slavic, and Wheeling, Weirton, and Clarksburg some Italian ancestry. The Eastern Panhandle has predominantly English ancestry as does most of the areas east of the Allegheny Range.
When you get to the middle of the state (south of Sutton) the Scots Irish origin starts to predominate and to a lesser degree German.
The result of this is somewhat differing attitudes about politics, religion, family, education, and culture. The Eastern Panhandle tends to be both socially and economically conservative, although recent influxes from DC and Baltimore are changing that mix to a degree. The Northern Panhandle is mostly fiscally liberal and socially conservative. North Central, especially the Morgantown area, is both socially and fiscally liberal. The southern part of the state is a lot like the northern panhandle (although they have a vastly different speech accent) and is fiscally liberal and socially conservative due to the large number of Catholics in the area.
If you want a social liberal orientation, the closer you get to Morgantown the happier you'll be. That area also has one of the highest average education levels of any place in the country (top 50). Considering your housing price range, I'd consider Fairmont a nice middle ground that is also close to the Clarksburg VA Medical Center (15 minute drive from the south side of town).
If you want a liberal atmosphere Morgantown is best in we. It is not Sf liberal but like ct said it is socially liberal, fiscally liberal (low taxes and less regulation), and the most tolerant and open minded city in WV. It is also the most cosmopolitan and cultured city in WV, but that is not saying much, and somewhere like Pittsburgh is much more cosmopolitan and cultured, and Pittsburgh is not famous for either of these things.
Strip mining and drilling are not problems in the cities but effect poor rural areas.
Based on what you said I would recommend three areas for you. Based off social and political beliefs I would recommend Morgantown. Morgantown is also fairly close to the northeast us, and is very close Pittsburgh. If you like sports Morgantown is another plus.
I could also recommend martins burg or Charles town in the eastern panhandle. It is not culturally rich, but it is on the edge of the dc metro area and is a good gateway to dc.
Economically Morgantown is best in the state right now followed by martins burg.
Finally consider charleston. It is more isolated, but has some good things going for it. There are some racial issues there with blacks and whites, but I don't think there is a problem with Latinos. Good restaurants and it is probably the 2nd most diverse city after Morgantown, keep in mind diverse for wv. Cost of living is cheap and it seems like Charleston may be making an economic recovery.
I would not recommend Huntington, Parkersburg, or wheeling. Not trying to step on anyone's toes here but they are not places I would personally recommend. If you want further explanations pm me and I can elaborate.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
