Help! I might be moving to west virginia! (Huntington, Morgantown: real estate, apartments)

[valene1992]

Hey, I've finished University and I'm getting into the journalism field. I've been told Morgantown West Virginia has excelling writing departments...in the journalism field. I'm just starting out looking for a job in that field, writing for a newspaper. I've also heared Morgantown is a college town it depends on its university im not quite sure what this means... Can anyone help me...? is morgantown WV a good place to move? Can anyone suggest anywhere else to move.. to in the U.S... or better places in west virigina not too expensive..low crime rate good shopping malls...
HELP?

[SweetRose99]

I went to WVU for a couple years... it isn't far from where I live. I am not sure where you are from but really I would try to go somewhere else. Here is the info on Morgantown and WVU- it is a college town sort of area... big on football there. However, it isn't the sort of all on campus community because the campus is really spread out. Traffic kinda sucks esp in morning and it is hard to get a parking space so you normally have to ride public transportation (which never works because buses always break down) or drive and park a long way away and walk... which sucks because campus is located on hills. I took Journalism 101 there and I think the Journalism major would be easy to get through... however I don't think you will learn much ... classes usually consist of 100-300 students with very little student-teacher time. You will basically be teaching yourself... and that is in advanced classes also. As far as registration and basic campus staff like financial aid etc. ... again your on your own...no one is ever available to help. You are just a number. I have emailed teachers frequently and they take several weeks to get back to you. If you move to Morgantown you might as well stay in the town because driving from a different area is a pain... I think if I was you I would check out westover, WV which is about 10-15 minutes with morning traffic. It is sort of away from the crowd a little. Also apartments are cheaper. I rented a house while I was there and it wasn't bad. I think the crime is fairly low...I mean not to many murders or anything... basically your average college town minor things. If u want shopping you have to drive to Pittsburgh really. I mean Morgantown has your basics- target, walmart, giant eagle, JCPennys, American Eagle etc. but other than that it is really bad. They are building it up a little... they just got an olive garden, bed bath & beyond, etc. Pittsburgh is about a hour and 1/2- 2 hour drive though and I know a lot of college students made that drive. West Virginia also is a bad place to get a job... the economy sucks and the housing market is down (which means you might be able to get a good deal) but at the same time... expect a job in retail or fast food which is where most work. I would say it would be tough to get a job at the local newspapers because it isn't a huge area. One bonus- excellent bars. Because it is a college town they have several really fun bars... but still not enough to be entertaining because basically people go to the same places over and over. Also Morgantown gets really dirty in the winter... expect if you walk (which if u go to class u will have 2) to get salt and slush from roads half way up your pant leg. Bonus... the Journalism school is sort of close to the bus station. Anyways I hope this helped! I hate to be really negative about it but I wished someone would have told me these things before I moved there.

[snorpus]

Originally Posted by valene1992

I've also heared Morgantown is a college town it depends on its university im not quite sure what this means...

Morgantown has a resident population of about 27,000 (the 5th largest city in West Virginia) and a student population (Fall 2007) of 28,113. So much of what happens in Morgantown revolves around the University. At least when school is in session, the population skews younger than is the norm in WV, and much entertainment, nightlife, etc. is aimed at the 20-30 age bracket.

[opinions2]

I drove through WV several times when I used to live in NC (I was there 6 years). It looks like the chemical and mining companys have pretty much taken it's soul. Check out the cancer rates. I remember the city Nitro most of all, a real moral and environmental crime was committed there.I am from up North and I would never move back down south again. Things are just allot different there. This is my opinion, you should visit for a week or more then make your choices.
I wish someone would of told me of the differences in regions of the US it can be a different world.

[NOVAmtneer82]

No offense but I don't see how anybody can claim that the north which was once the cradle of industrialization in America is any cleaner than WV or other southern locals. I went to WVU and CONSTANTLY had to listen to people from New Jersey and NY tell me how dirty the state was, you would have to be a moron to think that (not referring to you opinions).

[tbailey1138]

Give Huntington a look. Huntington is the second largest city in the state with just under 50,000 residents and it is also home to Marshall University. Marshall has a journalism school (if that helps) and the school complements the city quite nicely and does not run the city the way WVU tends to run Morgantown as others have said (I went to WVU and also feel this tends to be true). Residents outnumber students here about 3:1 so while the students are important, the residents remain the focus of things. The Marshall campus is also more compact and separate from the city which makes it easier to identify things related to each. The Huntington MSA as a whole is home to just under 300,000 people so there are several different journalism opportunities in the area. In Huntington, there is the Herald Dispatch. The H-D just switched back to local ownership and in my opinion, the quality has gone way up. Other opportunities include the Huntington Quarterly magazine and Huntington News.Net for online news. Ashland, KY and Ironton, OH also have local newspapers but the H-D in Huntington is definately the largest of the local papers.

The area is also home to the largest mall in WV in the Huntington Mall. It's a nice mall with a good variety of stores and the selection just keeps improving in my opinion. When you combine this with Pullman Square and some of the other shopping downtown, the area offers alot. Downtown also offers a good variety of things to do with a lot of live music venues, good shows at the local civic center, a Funny Bone comedy club, one of the top 1,000 movie theaters in the nation (meaning we get a lot of the limited runs) at Pullman Square and several great performing arts venues with some wonderful shows. The parks here are wonderful and the Ritter Park area is definately worth visiting, both for the parks and the beautiful homes in that area. Crime is high here for a WV town (as most have little to no crime and this is the 2nd largest city), but when compared to most of the nation, crime isn't bad here at all. Weather here is also a plus as we have 4 distinct seasons, but our winters here are the most mild in the state. The are some very nice areas in and around Huntington including Pea Ridge, Barboursville, Milton and others. I recommend if you want to be close to things though, live downtown. If you watch "We are Marshall" with Matthew McConaughey it will give you a good idea of what Huntington looks like as a lot of the movie was filmed here (and it's a good movie too). I've lived in Morgantown and Huntington and feel that Huntington definately has a lot more to offer for people of all ages. Here are some links to give you an idea of the area. Hope this helps and let me know if you need anything else.
Tim

Huntington, West Virginia (WV) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders
City of Huntington, West Virginia (check out the videos at the bottom of the page)
Homepage - Huntington, WV - The Herald-Dispatch
Huntington News Network : Huntington's Premier News Resource in West Virginia
The Greater Huntington Community Web Portal
Marshall University School of Journalism & Mass Communications (I know you aren't looking to go to school but they may be able to help with job opportunities)
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
http://www.huntingtonmall.com/home/index.ch2
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Modern Photo Album | Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc.
Marshall Artists Series
Huntington Symphony Orchestra of Huntington, West Virginia
Welcome To Your Huntington Funny Bone
Big Sandy Superstore Arena - Huntington, WV

[David Kennedy]

Morgantown is home to WAJR...I would try to get a job with them as they will stay on the cutting edge of radio media...and the Dominion Post is moving to an electronic format
as the times and the needs of people change...other than that...its Pittsburgh and its media...with the big TV stations...in Morgantown you could freelance into Pittsburgh..

[Hinton Bound]

Originally Posted by opinions2

I drove through WV several times when I used to live in NC (I was there 6 years). It looks like the chemical and mining companys have pretty much taken it's soul. Check out the cancer rates. I remember the city Nitro most of all, a real moral and environmental crime was committed there.I am from up North and I would never move back down south again. Things are just allot different there. This is my opinion, you should visit for a week or more then make your choices.
I wish someone would of told me of the differences in regions of the US it can be a different world.

try this link Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed type in your city, then go the "health" section to see air and water quality. For Hinton, WV: Air quality 90/100; water quality 101/100. For Orange County, NY (my "hometown") Air quality 32/100; water quality 40/100.

Clean air, clean water, clean living... The choice is clear!
~Mark

[billscamaros]

valene1992 - sorry if i missed the point. your post seems to imply that you have already finished college, have a degree and are looking to find a job. if so, i wouldn't think morgantown (or any "college" town) would be a good place to look for work. with a journalism degree, i would think that you would look for either a state capital city or a major metro area .... i guess depending on how you want to enter that field.

charleston, pittsburgh, DC metro would seem to me to have better opportunities.

[snorpus]

And then there's Hillsboro:

91/100 for air quality, 88/100 in water quality.

But I think their median home price of $525,000 might be a bit high.