Can anyone tell me about Kenova? (Charleston, Huntington: rent, low crime, house)

[mgstone]

The time has arrived to consider moving, My husband has an application on its way to a job in Kenova and we are wondering what information we can get about this area...for example cost of living, economy, jobs available, school system, friendliness of people, availability of shops etc. He is a Pastor and I am currently attending school working towards my Bachelor Degree to become an elementary school teacher...any advice would be so helpful!

[tbailey1138]

Kenova is a quaint little town that gets it's name from combining Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia (now West Virginia) as it is geographically where the three states came together. Kenova itself has some award winning schools such as Kenova Elementary and Kellogg Elementary (which is part of the 21st century school program) and is served by Spring Valley High School which is only a few years old. It also is home to the Griffith and Feil Pharmacy (in business since the late 1800's) as well as the renowned Pumpkin House. Not a lot in terms of shopping in Kenova but it does have some small plazas with your typical restaurants and small shops.

Most of the major shopping in the area is at the Huntington Mall in Barboursville as well as downtown Huntington/Pullman Square. Huntington is also home to Marshall University which would allow you to continue your education and finish your degree. Marshall also provides a venue for sporting events and many different performing arts programs to enjoy as well. If you prefer a small town setting, Kenova just may be your thing. If your prefer living in a little bigger city then consider Huntington. Living in Huntington would put you in the middle of all of the things you would need/want to do as you would be about 10-15 minutes from Kenova (to the west) and Barboursville (to the east) and only minutes from everything in downtown Huntington. Huntington is also the major job center for the area and the unemployment rate for the area is in the 3% range. Huntington was also recently listed by Forbes Magazine to have the lowest cost of living in the entire US. People in the area are also very friendly and it isn't uncommon to have a long conversation with a complete stranger when you are out. Below are some links for the general area and for some of the things listed above. Sorry there aren't more Kenova specific links but I just couldn't find many. Hope this helps.

Tim

The Greater Huntington Community Web Portal
HNN - HuntingtonNews.Net
The Great Pumpkin House - Halloween Pumpkins by the thousands decorate a Kenova WV house
City of Huntington, West Virginia
Welcome to Marshall University
Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Huntington, West Virginia
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment

[mgstone]

Thanks so very much for all of this information, it really helped!

[tbailey1138]

No problem. Just let me know if you have any other questions about the Huntington area or if there is anything else that I can do for you. FYI: Rent the movie We Are Marshall with Matthew McConaughey if you want to see Huntington. The movie was filmed here.
Tim

[creemarie]

Kenova is a very nice, quite little town about 10 minutes from Huntington. It would be a great place to raise a family. It seems like a very family-centered community and the crime rate there is very low. I know several people that live there, and they love it.

As mentioned in the post above, most people that live in Kenova go to Huntington for all their shopping and entertainment.

Kenova is also the home of Tri-State airport. If you ever need to get away they have direct flights to Orlando and Tampa/Clearwater starting at $59 for one way! (Don't worry-- they service other areas, too!) Here's their website if you're interested: Tri-State Airport - Huntington, West Virginia

Good luck with your move!

[TheNida]

Any little area on that end of Wayne County(Ceredo,Westmoreland, Kenova, Spring Valley) is an ideal place to live in regards to low crime rate, quality schools, and getting more bang for your buck when purchasing a home. Let us not forget...It's also flat land If you want some land or little more privacy, look out in the Spring Valley or Rt.75 Area. This would still be close to work and about 10-15 minutes from downtown Huntington.

Good jobs? Amazon.com is real flexible for school and work. Even for student teaching!

Good Luck!
Bret
WWW.NETBRET.COM "All homes in the Huntington or Charleston Areas"