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Currently live and work in the Martinsburg Area. Whomever said that we are getting the Baltimore/DC spillover is correct. In the older complex where I live, we have people cruising the complex looking for homes to purchase just about every day. It is unusual for a home to stay on the market here more than a couple months before someone purchases it. If you wanted to live in this area, I live about a mile and a half outside the city limits, I would recommend Falling Waters, Spring Mills, Hedgesville, Charlestown, Shepherdstown or Inwood. Try looking in Craigslist to get an idea of rents/housing costs as well as the Martinsburg Journal online and googling Martinsburg area realtors. I do not prefer downtown personally as parts of it are run down. To each their own. I personally would stay away from Hagerstown MD as I have been seeing on their local news that there is a big name criminal street gang making inroads there.
My husband was transferred for his job and we recently moved to the Martinsburg area near Hedgesville. We are from a large city in VA and no longer have children at home so we come with a different perspective than you, but as a newcomer to this area I can hopefully offer some insight.
We settled for Berkeley County to be closer to my husband's job, but I would much preferred to have been in Jefferson. But we are in a very good subdivision where we don't have to be concerned with Berkeley County's deficient zoning laws or the resale of our home. Both of those concerns are imperative anywhere you intend to relocate, especially in Berkeley County. You will find that in BOTH counties you will have the quintessential WV breathtakingly beautiful view ruined by a rundown or otherwise unattractive property close by, zoning or no zoning.
Be prepared to pay (at today's rate) about $3.65 per gal for gasoline and a 30 min drive for anything beyond the basics (and in some cases for those as well.) Of course, real estate taxes are lower here than a lot of other places. If I remember correctly though, they are a bit higher in Jefferson County. I seem to recall that the water prices there are really out-of-site. A shame because the water is just awful - at least in Ranson (near Charles Town) - as I saw first hand recently while doing a coffee maker demo there.
I've met several people here while doing my coffee maker demos. One couple with children told me that they were advised to stay away from Martinsburg/Berkeley County, although they didn't elaborate on why. They did say that the schools here are rated better than most of the schools in the US. Their only issue has been with the children of the local (native) residents of the area. You have "farm boys" mixing with "city slickers". (I've actually heard a local JC county native call these new incomers that. They probably call me that, too.)
I recently met a young doctor with children who is high tailing it out of Berkeley County and moving to Winchester, VA (about 30 mi south) in order to (in her words) have access to better schools.
Another fellow (this one from Harper's Ferry) said that "M-burg is the armpit of WV". It later became clear he was talking of downtown. No surprise there. I get the sense that this is the general attitude of many of who live in Jefferson County.
Never been in Northen VA. I would be working in Martinsburg, don't have to live there. Looking for good schools, low crime, good activities for teens after school, I guess nice town. What are the winters like?
Brad
Okay, knowing you are from Iowa makes it easier to give you some perspective.
Culturally, Iowa (and I have an aunt from rural Iowa and an old girlfriend from Oelwein, who now lives in Cedar Falls) is very similar to northern West Virginia, especially the Wheeling area. People largely descended from Germans who, in many ways, still have attitudes from that ancestry. Martinsburg is something different. It is not far from an area with a similar orientation, but people native to Berkeley County are mostly old English in origin. What I mean there is the people often have an attitude that they are superior to anybody else... northern Virginia like, even if they are from poor families. For some reason I have never fully understood they (and their Virginia neighbors) believe themselves to be "better bred" than the rest of us. It's sort of a thinly disguised form of racial superiority, but within the white race. When you visit the area, you will quickly realize that notion is totally bogus on the face, but it persists none-the-less.
You are, however, only about 20 miles away from an area very similar to Iowa. Across the thin strip of Maryland that includes Hagerstown is the PA line, and from that point on you would almost swear you are in Iowa. Gorgeous farmland that is some of the most beautiful and productive in the whole country, and people with a culturally similar background. Personally, if I were you I would live in Jefferson County and make the relatively short commute to Martinsburg for work. Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown are all very nice towns. It takes a little getting used to... the NOVA attitude, but you would adjust after awhile. Whenever you feel a bit homesick you can make the short daytrip to PA, hang out for awhile, and return to Jefferson refreshed and ready to take on life's challenges.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 05-14-2013 at 10:30 AM..
Okay, knowing you are from Iowa makes it easier to give you some perspective.
Culturally, Iowa (and I have an aunt from rural Iowa and an old girlfriend from Oelwein, who now lives in Cedar Falls) is very similar to northern West Virginia, especially the Wheeling area. People largely descended from Germans who, in many ways, still have attitudes from that ancestry. Martinsburg is something different. It is not far from an area with a similar orientation, but people native to Berkeley County are mostly old English in origin. What I mean there is the people often have an attitude that they are superior to anybody else... northern Virginia like, even if they are from poor families. For some reason I have never fully understood they (and their Virginia neighbors) believe themselves to be "better bred" than the rest of us. It's sort of a thinly disguised form of racial superiority, but within the white race. When you visit the area, you will quickly realize that notion is totally bogus on the face, but it persists none-the-less.
Honestly, I'm not really sure this is accurate, CT. Having grown up in Western Maryland, the Eastern Panhandle was always a pretty close and familiar place and I'm not sure I ever got that impression. It's worth noting that the local culture in that area has been incredibly diluted by newly transplanted suburbanites from Fairfax County and the like and it's my opinion that, if anything, that is where the pretentious attitudes are coming from. It really is a shame. I think it would be incorrect to assume these "cultural differences," so to speak, are rooted in ethnicity as you have suggested. The people of Berkeley County are largely not of English ancestry. That is just plain wrong. The largest ancestry in Berkeley County is German, as evidenced by the map below. Aside from Grant County, every county in the Eastern Panhandle is majority German. In fact, over 50% of people in the combined area of Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties trace their roots to Germans. German ancestry is actually ubiquitous up and down the Shenandoah Valley, but I suppose having grown up not far from there I would be more apt to know that. My assessment of the area's culture is that it is not unlike other rural areas in the Ridge-and-Valley and Piedmont regions of surrounding Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. At the core, the people of Berkeley County are typical of folks from the eastern side of the Appalachians with strong agrarian influences, a rich cultural heritage, and a bit of southern charm. This is overlain by a very different culture notoriously associated with the intrusion of exurban sprawl from a large and wealthy metropolis. It breaks my heart to see this happening somewhere so close to home, but that's beside the point. Just thought I would share my perspective.
My husband was transferred for his job and we recently moved to the Martinsburg area near Hedgesville. We are from a large city in VA and no longer have children at home so we come with a different perspective than you, but as a newcomer to this area I can hopefully offer some insight.
We settled for Berkeley County to be closer to my husband's job, but I would much preferred to have been in Jefferson. But we are in a very good subdivision where we don't have to be concerned with Berkeley County's deficient zoning laws or the resale of our home. Both of those concerns are imperative anywhere you intend to relocate, especially in Berkeley County. You will find that in BOTH counties you will have the quintessential WV breathtakingly beautiful view ruined by a rundown or otherwise unattractive property close by, zoning or no zoning.
Be prepared to pay (at today's rate) about $3.65 per gal for gasoline and a 30 min drive for anything beyond the basics (and in some cases for those as well.) Of course, real estate taxes are lower here than a lot of other places. If I remember correctly though, they are a bit higher in Jefferson County. I seem to recall that the water prices there are really out-of-site. A shame because the water is just awful - at least in Ranson (near Charles Town) - as I saw first hand recently while doing a coffee maker demo there.
I've met several people here while doing my coffee maker demos. One couple with children told me that they were advised to stay away from Martinsburg/Berkeley County, although they didn't elaborate on why. They did say that the schools here are rated better than most of the schools in the US. Their only issue has been with the children of the local (native) residents of the area. You have "farm boys" mixing with "city slickers". (I've actually heard a local JC county native call these new incomers that. They probably call me that, too.)
I recently met a young doctor with children who is high tailing it out of Berkeley County and moving to Winchester, VA (about 30 mi south) in order to (in her words) have access to better schools.
Another fellow (this one from Harper's Ferry) said that "M-burg is the armpit of WV". It later became clear he was talking of downtown. No surprise there. I get the sense that this is the general attitude of many of who live in Jefferson County.
I do not agree that the schools in Martinsburg are rated better than most of the US. NoVa has some highly rated schools and as a matter of fact so does NC but I don't recall seeing WV schools higher than most on the list.
I do not agree that the schools in Martinsburg are rated better than most of the US. NoVa has some highly rated schools and as a matter of fact so does NC but I don't recall seeing WV schools higher than most on the list.
(I meant to edit my post, but I accidentally deleted it above).
My thoughts exactly. NoVa always has, still is and probably will always be ranked higher than WV schools. Without getting into politics, a lot of it has to do with tax structure. As a recent graduate from Berkeley County, I can tell you that if our schools are better than most, we are in BIG trouble. That is all I will say.
(I meant to edit my post, but I accidentally deleted it above).
My thoughts exactly. NoVa always has, still is and probably will always be ranked higher than WV schools. Without getting into politics, a lot of it has to do with tax structure. As a recent graduate from Berkeley County, I can tell you that if our schools are better than most, we are in BIG trouble. That is all I will say.
Oh, I don't think the young couple, who actually moved to Jefferson County from NOVA, meant that the schools in JC are ranked better than NOVA - not by a long shot - what they meant was that the ranking in JC is better than "MOST" US schools - which is, of course, a wholelotta schools.
In other words, the ranking of schools here is better than most, but not as good as some.
I live off of RT 9 by the VA Med Cntr and I must say it's a pretty good location right between charles town and martinsburg. We are considered Berkeley Co. but have a Kearneysville address. I like the fact that within 15mins I can be on a major hwy and within a 1/2 be in Winchester/Hagerstown/Leesburg and 10mins to Charles Town/Down town M-burg/Shep-town. We haven't had any issues with crime in the 2yrs we've lived here.
Never been in Northen VA. I would be working in Martinsburg, don't have to live there. Looking for good schools, low crime, good activities for teens after school, I guess nice town. What are the winters like?
Brad
I live between Martinsburg and Shepherdstown and frankly I find the city of Martinsburg rather depressing and run-down, with vagrants, closed stores, tattoo parlors, etc. Along the edges are big box stores and chain restaurants. Shepherdstown (about 8 miles away) is the place to go for dining, live music, art, unique shops, yoga, etc. Living in Jefferson Co would be my first choice but it is much more expensive than Berkeley Co.
For Berkeley Co I suggest you look at homes in the Spring Mills/Falling Waters area, there is a new school complex with a brand new HS opening this fall. It is a growing area with reasonably priced homes and a lot of newcomers.
I live between Martinsburg and Shepherdstown and frankly I find the city of Martinsburg rather depressing and run-down, with vagrants, closed stores, tattoo parlors, etc. Along the edges are big box stores and chain restaurants. Shepherdstown (about 8 miles away) is the place to go for dining, live music, art, unique shops, yoga, etc. Living in Jefferson Co would be my first choice but it is much more expensive than Berkeley Co.
For Berkeley Co I suggest you look at homes in the Spring Mills/Falling Waters area, there is a new school complex with a brand new HS opening this fall. It is a growing area with reasonably priced homes and a lot of newcomers.
As a new resident of Martinsburg having explored the entire EP while house hunting here last year, I agree with Zentropa's post. Spring Mills is very nice and we nearly ended up there. Unfortunately, it seemed that there was a "seller's market" there and prices were high for what you could get elsewhere in the EP. And the I-81 construction through there is a royal PITA so I am not at all sorry that we did not end up in Spring Mills.
I was dead set on not being in M-burg though, because of the stigma that the city seems to have. But after 70++ viewings and drive-bys in both JC and BC that is exactly where we ended up. At least our address is M-burg, but that is where it ends. We actually found a much better home/neighborhood on a lot 4x the size of the lot in Spring Mills and considerably lower priced. And although we have a M-burg address we are actually closer to Hedgesville. We are several miles from the city and rarely ever even need to go there. So don't rule out moving to the M-burg area simply because the city stinks. In my case I like to travel to NOVA and Winchester frequently so our M-burg address saves us about 15-20 min drive time on I-81, which I most definitely value.
I can't speak to the schools here compared to Spring Mills or anywhere else in the EP. I do know that my next door neighbor teaches in JC and her son who is now 14 has been brought up in BC public schools. If there was any problem with them I am quite sure she would not have him there. I can't know what kind of education he is getting here, but I can say that he is one of the best kids I've ever come across.
I believe to some extent good parenting can compensate for what might be lacking in a school. I raised my kids in one of the best schools systems in the nation, but many of their schoolmates did not benefit from that great school system. All of those poor souls had parents who valued helping their kids to be "popular" with their schoolmates and/or perfect athletes over pursuing any real lifelong practical vocation. And they are now paying the price of that - most either never made through college and in once case actually ended up in prison on drug charges. A great school system does not a great citizen make.
Good luck and please do let us know where you land here, and your thoughts on the area.
Last edited by claybakin247; 06-12-2013 at 08:36 AM..
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allow me to clarify....
