Moving to Hurricane (Charleston, Huntington, South Charleston: environment, relocation, travel)

[Sweetwater156]

Some advice needed please.

I am a 21-year old female moving to Hurricane from Wilmington, NC. From what I expect, it will be a lot different than home. Can anyone give me ideas of things to do up there, places to go, etc. Are there any good health food stores in the area? What about veterinarians- does anyone have any good recommendations for that area? (I work at a vet clinic and will need to find another job, would love to stay in that field.)

I am not much of an "outdoor-sy" person, but I am hoping that will change-- there's not much to see at the beach when you've been here 21 years!

Are the residents friendly? What kind of restaurants are in the area?

Basically, anything you can tell me will be very much appreciated as I know next to nothing about the state and would love to get some knowledge before moving up there so I can know what to realistically expect!

Thanks in advance,
Stephanie

[tbailey1138]

There are a few restaurants in the Hurricane/Teays Valley/Scott Depot area such as Applebee's, Bob Evans, a Thai restaurant, a Mexican Restaurant and some fast food places. A new Wal-Mart was just built in Hurricane and there are some new shops going up there so the area is growing in that respect. There's also a Home Depot and a few other shops in Scott Depot. There are a lot of nice houses in the area but land is harder to come by and home prices are subsequently going up.

For most of your shopping and things to do, you'll have to go to either Huntington or Charleston. This is where you'll find concerts, nightlife, the malls, etc. There are a few Vet clinics in the Hurricane area but I'm not too familiar with them. There are of course more in the Huntington and Charleston areas. If there's nothing in stone yet, I'd consider living in either Huntington or Charleston based on gas prices and how much driving you'll do to get to malls, Target, things to do etc. Being at Hurricane, it'll be 23 miles to Huntington (17 miles to the mall) and 24 miles to Charleston and that is just exit to exit on the interstate.

Hope this helps a little and hopefully someone who lives there can give you more information on the Hurricane area. My cousin lives in Hurricane and works in Charleston but does most of his shopping, outdoors stuff, etc. in Huntington. I live in Huntington but I travel to Hurricane occasionally to visit so my experience with the area is limited. If you have any other questions I'll do my best to answer them though.
Tim

[mtneeratheart]

Since you are 21 and from a city environment I will have to recommend living in either Huntington or Charleston. Those are the two largest cities (they are small cities) in WV and offer more for a young person than anything in Hurricane/Teays Valley, which is family central.

Health food stores? Nope you will be going to the Kroger or Wal-Mart, no Trader Joes or Whole Foods anywhere in WV. Vegetarian...maybe in Huntington, but not in Hurricane, it's hard to find an eating establishment in Putnam County that isn't fast food.

Things to do there? My friends that lived in Teays Valley growing up used to talk about hanging out at the local truck stop or shopping mall parking lots (I'm not joking). There is a wave pool that is decent to use in the summer, or at least it was when I was growing up. It's definitely a very family oriented area, you'll be more likely to find people going to the local football game on a Friday night than a party night out on the town. GO TO HUNTINGTON OR CHARLESTON!

Good luck with your relocation!

[Sweetwater156]

Thanks for your replies. I didn't choose Hurricane... I am moving with my boyfriend who was offered a job opportunity in Cross Lanes (wherever that is!)

I'm not too big on small-town life but I lived in a VERY rural area about 40 minutes from Wilmington when I was younger. I moved back to Wilmington the day I graduated

Eh, I was really hoping for some natural food stores. Here, there are two that are fantastic. But I do like Kroger's... haven't shopped there in ages!

Any more advice about the people or the area that I should know about?
Keep in mind I haven't seen snow since 1989.

[atlantagreg30127]

Cross Lanes is a suburb of Charleston. For the record in case you misunderstood folks earlier, Charleston isn't a tiny town as in "Mayberry small town" - it IS an actual CITY. It's just not on the same level as Charlotte or Pittsburgh or Atlanta or anything. If you're used to Wilmington, size wise Charleston isn't that far off. It has a distinct skyline, government offices, an arts center, a 180+ store mall downtown, etc etc.

P.S... I haven't lived in Charleston for a very long time, but there is a listing I found via Google for "Healthy Life Stores" there. Click HERE and hopefully the link will work. Not sure exactly what they are as we don't have them where I live now, but it LOOKS like a health food store from the description if it's still open.

[David Kennedy]

Health foods?...how about a REAL farmers market...they are EVERYWHERE

and some people even grow their own food...

[mtneeratheart]

There is a nice farmers market IN charleston (Capital Market) but the OP was asking about health food stores in Hurricane, places like Whole Foods carry a far better selection than your garden variety farmers market...

[vec101]

What happened to the Health Food store near 5 corners in Charleston? Is it gone?
The Krogers in Ashton Place and Riverwalk Plaza carry more upscale products than other Krogers. They also have a selection of health foods.

We really like Cross Lanes Vets. 776-4501. Have found the docs to be very good (and my dog has had some major problems the last couple years). They are expanding because they are getting animals referred to them from around the state and out-of-state.

Friendly? I have found the people in WV to be very friendly. Hurricane and Teays Valley area have exploded in the last several years. Lots of new homes and stores. It's pretty much a "bedroom community" - people live in the Valley but work and play in Charleston and Huntington. The area has an Elderbeerman, Wal-Mart, movie theater, etc. but most shopping is in Huntington, Town Center Mall in Charleston, and along Corridor G in South Charleston.

WV is an outdoor playground. Think you will like it even if you are not an outdoorsy person. Plan on visiting Canaan Valley, how about white water rafting in Fayetteville, etc.
For info on Hurricane, Charleston, and Huntington areas, go to
City of Teays Valley, West Virginia : Information Resources for Teays Valley Residents and Visitors.
Hurricane, West Virginia
Putnam County, West Virginia - Official Site
Charleston CVB (broken link)
City of Huntington, West Virginia
Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Huntington, West Virginia
Travel Planner

Went to see Jesus Christ Super Star at the Clay Center last night. Ted Neeley - original lead from the movie - again played his role as Jesus. The show was really good.

[vec101]

Also see Clay Center and Civic Center sites:
The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia
Charleston Civic Center - The Center of It All!

[kasperkosmo]

For Vets, we take our dogs to Cross Lanes Vet Hospital. It's fairly large, for the area, with about 5 vets and they just built a new wing. They have been great to us as customers, but I don't know how they treat employees. I can say that we have seen the same vet techs since we have been going there (about 4 years), so it must not be too bad.