Best town to raise a family??? (Huntington, Elkins: home, rent, jobs)

[GaBoy-n-Iraq]

Hello WV,
I will be leaving the military in about a year, I’m from Georgia but I’m thinking about maybe moving to another state. I have done a lot of research on Kentucky, but would like to know what the residents think. What are some good places (cities) to live? Things like crime, schools, economy, state taxes, cost of living, are all important but a couple of things I’m looking for as well is “hospitality”, a sense of neighbor hood, and politeness. I’m looking for a place that has community events (festivals, parades, carnivals, fairs, concerts), with beautiful scenery, hunting, and fishing. I’m currently in the US Army serving in Iraq, I built power lines before I joined and I’m a (25L) Signal Corp Telecommunications Lineman inside the Army. I will be looking for work in the power lineman or telecommunications field when I separate from the military. My wife is a Registered Nurse (RN) and will be looking for a job as well. So any info on power companies, telephone companies, and hospitals in those areas would be greatly appreciated. Best place to raise a family? So what’s your states “Mayberry”?

[David Kennedy]

Harrison Rural Electrical Co-0p is a great little power company and they pay the union wage. We have sub-contracted to them in the past. Great people. Give Harold Gaines a call Harrison Rural Electrification Association, Inc.
Allegheny Power is here too but not as good as they once were...
Louis A. Johnson Veterans Hospital is the best for service.
UHC is great too...uhcwv.com

we have winter here...not like Georgia...those guys do that work in the worst of conditions...and when there is trouble in the USA, they go there and help out.

[tbailey1138]

Check out the Huntington area. Huntington would provide pretty much everything you mentioned in your post and if you wanted a smaller town to live in, there are several close by.

Huntington is the second largest city in the state with about 50,000 people. It was also recently named by Forbes Magazines as having the best cost of living in the US. The city is also home to Marshall University and all of the things that Marshall brings with it such as theater, art, sports, etc. Huntington has several performing arts venues in addition to the local civic arena. The city also has a great sense of community and has more of a southern feel to it in terms of hospitality. The sense of community is enhanced by all of the festivals offered including a Greek Fest, Hot Dog Fest, Hilltop Fest, Multicultural Festival, Art in the Park, Chili Fest, Rib Fest, Jazz Fest, and a couple of arts & crafts festivals. The parks here are also top notch with Ritter Park being the best of these.

In terms of jobs, Huntington is home to 2 large hospitals which are both affiliated with Marshall. There are also several smaller facilities in Huntington along with a VA hospital as well. Others on this forum familiar with the nursing field in the state have said that Huntington offers the highest pay for nurses in the state. Verizon and AEP also have a presence here which may provide what you are looking for in your job field. There are also many award winning schools in the area and within the next few years, nearly all of the schools in the county will be new.

Below are some links that you may find helpful along with one site with information about other communities in the area. Hope this helps and let me know if you need anything else.
Tim

City of Huntington, West Virginia
The Greater Huntington Community Web Portal
The Huntington Heroes - Home
Welcome to Marshall University
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
:: Welcome to Huntington, West Virginia :: - HADCO - Huntington Area Development Council (Job info)
Huntington YMCA - Welcome
CABELL COUNTY SCHOOLS - DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF EVERY STUDENT
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Marshall Artists Series
Big Sandy Superstore Arena - Huntington, WV

[awakenthesun22]

"Mayberry"? Look into Barboursville WV, a Huntington suburb. You can even go fishing and rock skipping at the lake in the park.

[g_massie]

Lewisburg, Hinton, Princeton,Elkins

[snorpus]

Hillsboro, Marlinton, Green Bank, Mobley

[David Kennedy]

Greenbank...and Mobley....not much urban sprawl in those cities. I'm looking for a small farm near Brink...near the old indian trail...The flatlanders will never find those places...

[GottaHerdOn]

I'll second Elkins, its small, but not too small to not have services like a hospital, banking, and shopping... Montrose and Beverly are even smaller, qaunt towns near Elkins. Buckhannon and Parsons are two other options. Ask me if you have any questions.

[udead2me]

Klamath Falls is the place to be. Your future kids can play in the mud. Okay kidding it has a low crime rate and alot of good schools like Hosanna Christian school, if your religious, If your not, move to Butte Falls.

[snorpus]

Psssst.... ud2m,

This is the West Virginia forum, not Idaho. You're only about 2500 miles off.