Mountain State Betrayal? (Fairmont, Martinsburg, Charles Town: environment, relocate, budget)

[bigbrowneyes3586]

Ok, I'm from Fairmont. I love WV. There's no place I'd rather come home to. But. . . I want to relocate to a more urbanized area after I graduate college. There's been a lot of talk about the Eastern Panhandle. My initial plan is to live in the Panhandle and teach in MD were teachers' pay is a lot higher. So here's my spill:

How feasible is this?

What town is the best to live in, especially for a commuter?

How's the cost of living?

How is this are when it comes to apartments, rental homes, etc. . . ?

I'd really appreciate your input.

[Janipoo]

Where in Maryland are you looking to teach? That might help narrow it down.

[eaduke]

You could also drive across the state line in Virginia and get paid a lot more for teaching.

[appalachiangirl]

Winchester,VA is a pretty town and is growing quickly .

[David Kennedy]

It's not so much how much a person makes...its how they use it.
A few years ago, two old maid sisters, who had worked as telephone operators all their lives and made very little money gave several milliion to the university. Wise investing and frugality gave them everything that money could buy...in the end they had a surplus that is still giving much to others...

The money in the EP will be swallowed up by living expenses that you would not have in the interior of Wv.
Please give a proposed budget a good look before you make any descision...nothing like paying $1200 a month for that apartment and eating peanut butter sandwiches because there is no money for food...
When you interview, get the feedback directly from the other teachers working there...moving anywhere takes a considerable amount of courage...

[mtneeratheart]

The Eastern Panhandle isn't really much of an urbanized area, it is more of an outer fringe locale with commuting ties to the DC/Baltimore megalopolis. That being said it is quite a nice area and does offer a lot in terms of both natural beauty and convenience to big city amenities.

A family friend lived in Berkeley County WV and taught school in Washington County MD (Hagerstown) and Frederick MD which were about 20-40 minutes from her home. Other people jump the VA line and head to Loudoun County which is ALWAYS in need of teachers due to it's massive population growth. I think at last count Loudoun was adding over 3,000 students per year, so teaching is in very high demand. The EP is also desperate for teachers but lets face it, WV teachers salaries are horrible compared to MD and Northern VA.

The only drawback about working in Loudoun VA is that you will be sharing the roads with thousands of commuters heading to jobs in Northern VA and DC which can make the drive quite lengthy. I went out to visit some friends in the EP one evening and was AMAZED at how much traffic I encountered on the rural 2 lane roads heading into WV, it was a real bear.

Don't worry too much about your living situation as the Eastern Panhandle isn't expensive unless it is being compared to other parts of WV. It is VERY cheap compared to Arlington VA (where I live) and other DC burbs. I think you will find that your salary will more than support a decent living environment, especially if working in a neighboring state.

I would advise you to look in the Charles Town area or Shepherdstown (college town = plenty of apartments). Good luck!

[bigbrowneyes3586]

Originally Posted by David Kennedy

It's not so much how much a person makes...its how they use it.
A few years ago, two old maid sisters, who had worked as telephone operators all their lives and made very little money gave several milliion to the university. Wise investing and frugality gave them everything that money could buy...in the end they had a surplus that is still giving much to others...

The money in the EP will be swallowed up by living expenses that you would not have in the interior of Wv.
Please give a proposed budget a good look before you make any descision...nothing like paying $1200 a month for that apartment and eating peanut butter sandwiches because there is no money for food...
When you interview, get the feedback directly from the other teachers working there...moving anywhere takes a considerable amount of courage...

You're right. I've been somewhat tempted to stay in this area or even work in the EP. I grew up on a tight budget, so i won't waste what i make. But i know my dollar will stretch farther if i work across the state line, kinda. I heard that the MARC train picks up in or near Martinsburg and Charlestown and takes commuters into DC. That should be a bit of a savings on transportation, if i play my cards right.

[David Kennedy]

Give it your best shot...what could happen?.... failure...even that is a positive experience if viewed with both eyes open...

[mtneeratheart]

The train goes into DC but you certainly don't want to teach in the public school system there. You will have to drive to any schoool in suburban MD or Northern VA, they schools aren't really located around any of the rail stations.

[billscamaros]

where does the MARC train cross thru virginia ?? i thought that it entered into md at harpers ferry and traversed md entirely to get into dc.

at $4/gal, i would guess that you want to have as short of a commute as possible.

i'd say that there are plenty of opportunities for the OP.