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There is no question that there is a lot of interaction between NCWV and the 'Burgh, especially on weekends, but it is at a very different level in the Eastern Panhandle. I have to disagree with you on this one. They absolutely are very much involved with the DC/Baltimore "metro" in every way there. Until last year, I had immediate family living there and it was part of their weekly lives. The EP has basically been absorbed by the DC folks, and that continues to be more and more the case with every passing day. It is actually an amazing thing to see. In spite of the growth potential we have here in NCWV, which in West Virginia terms is amazing, the EP will definitely be the area to contend with going forward in this state. Give it another decade, and they will dominate the state politically. Growth there will be totally unstoppable from the DC/Balto spillover.
My opinion, within 15 years Berkeley County will be the most populated county in West Virginia, number 2 will be a tossup between Mon County and Kanawha, which will continue to be headed in opposite directions.
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Probably unavoidable, and IMO extremely undesirable. As a native of a little piece of Appalachia in a state dominated by D.C. suburbanites, I can tell you it is a contentious situation that we lose almost every time.
I strongly disagree. The growth and suburban sprawl happening in Berkeley and Jefferson County is unprecedented for West Virginia and I will even argue we aren't even close to the peak yet.
Berkeley County Council's president said in a recent WEPM interview that Berkeley County alone records an average of 80-90 new addresses per week. Of those addresses that are not commercial, most of those people work in DC or surrounding areas (although Procter & Gamble at Tabler Station is playing a big role in this number).
In another interview, a Jefferson County delegate (forgive me...I can't remember which one) said an average of 17,000 people leave the county everyday for DC-area jobs. Most drive, but many catch Metro in Nova or Shady plus there is daily Amtrak through Berkeley/Jefferson.
On the floor of my Martinsburg apartment...3 out of my 4 neighbors are daily DC-area commuters.
I could go on but my point is you don't see numbers like these between Morgantown-Pittsburgh.
We are DC Metro.
But without the nice stores and restaurants? It’s more like a metro of a metro. I was in downtown Martinsburg last week and it looked like a run down rustbelt town. When does this change?
Well I go to Martinsburg often and I have to disagree. The downtown definitely is a work in progress but it is changing for the better and looks nothing like most rust belt cities downtown. Most streets are tree lined and the buildings painted and kept up even those that aren't occupied.There are some buildings in need of repair but they are getting a handle on their drug issues from what friends say. I'm not sure for its size in this state their is any better looking downtown. Many downtowns are making a effort in this state but still have a long way to go.Beckley,Bluefield,Wheeling,Morgantown,Huntingto n,Charleston,Parkersburg,Clarksburg,Fairmont and Clarksburg are all trying but most if not all like Martinsburg have a long way to go with their downtown areas.Martinsburg looks as good as any of these downtowns.Clarksburg and Fairmont except for a few new buildings is still run down and Beckley has improved its downtown but still little landscaping. I figure with West Virginia Tech there no Beckley will be on a upswing. Wheeling and Huntington are probably making the most strides in changing their downtowns but there is still a lot to do.Morgantown for a growing city has need for major changes downtown. Bluefield and Charleston are basically dead and I see little hope for either anytime soon.
But without the nice stores and restaurants? It’s more like a metro of a metro. I was in downtown Martinsburg last week and it looked like a run down rustbelt town. When does this change?
Gentrification hasn't really hit Hagerstown, MD that much either, despite Washington County growing into a commuter/exurban community of D.C.
I don't really know if these small cities on the fringes of the metro will gentrify in the same way edge cities closer in (think Frederick, MD or Leesburg, VA) did, or whether the growth will stay focused on the "donut" around the city as the urban core stagnates. I am glad to hear Martinsburg is looking up.......can't say I have ever been in the city itself.
But without the nice stores and restaurants? It’s more like a metro of a metro. I was in downtown Martinsburg last week and it looked like a run down rustbelt town. When does this change?
What downtown in West Virginia doesn't look like a rust belt? Aside from smaller communities like Berkeley Springs, Charles Town, Lewisburg.
The growth is in the county. New restaurants and stores are continuously in Berkeley County at a rate unlike anywhere else in the state (aside from Morgantown). While the county's population is skyrocketing, the City of Martinsburg hasn't moved much. This is mainly because there is little room for the city to grow unless they were to begin annexing.
The problem now, like DT WV alluded to, is reputation. While new stores/restaurants are starting to slowly pop up downtown, the regional reputation of drugs/violence/prostitution that was significantly worse when I was a kid hasn't been forgotten yet.
As far as stores and restaurants, they're popping up left and right, but in the county. We have several nice restaurants with more coming.
This thread has taken a bizarre turn. How did we get from HIV outbreak in huntington, to an economic development thread for an area 6 hours away, in under 15 posts? lol
This thread has taken a bizarre turn. How did we get from HIV outbreak in huntington, to an economic development thread for an area 6 hours away, in under 15 posts? lol
Because we have one poster who will never pass up an opportunity to dog one particular city in the state.
A city I have no ties to or have ever lived in but I don’t get it. In the end in much of the nation’s view of WV is a joke. So how someone gets off on doing this is pretty shallow and sad but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander so if they have a need to roll that way then let it roll.
I’ve thrown out a little gas on the fire in this thread just wanting people to see it and feel it.
BY NO MEANS should ANYONE in WV take superiority complex against some other part of the state.
WV does not need it. We have enough problems already.
But at the end of the day their butt sits in WV just like most of us. So if they want to take a dump on one part of the state the I guess they must like smelling like poo because they’re wiping it on themselves too.
Because we have one poster who will never pass up an opportunity to dog one particular city in the state.
A city I have no ties to or have ever lived in but I don’t get it. In the end in much of the nation’s view of WV is a joke. So how someone gets off on doing this is pretty shallow and sad but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander so if they have a need to roll that way then let it roll.
I’ve thrown out a little gas on the fire in this thread just wanting people to see it and feel it.
BY NO MEANS should ANYONE in WV take superiority complex against some other part of the state.
WV does not need it. We have enough problems already.
But at the end of the day their butt sits in WV just like most of us. So if they want to take a dump on one part of the state the I guess they must like smelling like poo because they’re wiping it on themselves too.
Because we have one poster who will never pass up an opportunity to dog one particular city in the state.
A city I have no ties to or have ever lived in but I don’t get it. In the end in much of the nation’s view of WV is a joke. So how someone gets off on doing this is pretty shallow and sad but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander so if they have a need to roll that way then let it roll.
I’ve thrown out a little gas on the fire in this thread just wanting people to see it and feel it.
BY NO MEANS should ANYONE in WV take superiority complex against some other part of the state.
WV does not need it. We have enough problems already.
But at the end of the day their butt sits in WV just like most of us. So if they want to take a dump on one part of the state the I guess they must like smelling like poo because they’re wiping it on themselves too.
Nobody is taking shots at other parts of the state or showing superiority, in my opinion. We're just stating facts by detailing why the EP is an economic leader and will continue to be so in WV, much like Morgantown. If that is a touchy subject for some, my apologies.
I wasn't expecting to derail the thread by simply replying to a post I (and others) disagreed with, but here we are.
That being said, I would like to get back to the original topic of the thread.
Nobody is taking shots at other parts of the state or showing superiority, in my opinion. We're just stating facts by detailing why the EP is an economic leader and will continue to be so in WV, much like Morgantown. If that is a touchy subject for some, my apologies.
I wasn't expecting to derail the thread by simply replying to a post I (and others) disagreed with, but here we are.
That being said, I would like to get back to the original topic of the thread.
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