Charleston, WV Among the Fastest Dying Cities in the US? (Huntington: credit, house)

[harborlady]

Mtn, arizona, corgis- Yes, I am happy here. And it's not perfect. No place in the world is. But it does for me what I need in life, something it couldn't do for mtneer. No, that doesn't make me blind to what has frustrated mtneer enough to leave, but neither of us is inherently wrong for our choices. It may have no value to forbes because of what forbes holds as valuable in it's sensibilities, but that doesn't make Charleston worthless because they say so. It means they failed to appreciate anything Charleston has to offer, which is all about them- isn't it?

Want the bad news? Watch the TV or read the newspapers fixated on everything bad, and use that to judge the entire population for what one weasel did. Were they telling the whole truth the good news would get equal time, but that doesn't sell papers now does it? It's the same throughout the USA, and frankly, it makes us the laughing stock of the world ripe for exploitation by the likes of rupert murdoch and jerry springer. You could live in the garden of eden and have headline news of hedonism and apple scandals daily. This is my sad America, my kin, that can't seem to grow the hell up.

Corgis my deed names my hill swan hill. I went looking at a few houses over on that hill by adele and summit & almost bought one of them if not for the slope of the property being too difficult for me to landscape. If I'm not mistaken its right around the corner from the Baha'i temple, with a panoramic view of capital dome & most of downtown. Surprised to see such a modern org take root there but it's done wonders for that neighborhood. They have an innate philosophy of community service that's almost going to guarantee that neighborhood will continue coming up. Just hope realtors don't get greedy looking for top dollar hype like elsewhere, and I guess if you can count on WV'rs being sensible enough not to buy into hype, we'll all be fine with modest RE gains. I'm saying this as a homeowner myself, who would have nothing but gains if they did the hype routine, but at a terrible price to all.

Of all the things ignored about WV being #1 at, they failed to mention that Charleston has an extraordinarily HIGH rate of people who outright own their homes (vs being beholden to a mortgage company). That means less business for lenders? That means people don't pay 200% the value of their homes in interest alone over the course of a 30 yr amortization schedule? Oh well... tuff noogies. Realtors can envy San Francisco real estate pricing & commissions all they want, but the whole city is a deal relatively speaking for buyers as a result of population decline. Might explain why another neighbor of mine is from San Francisco.

No amount of petitioning town hall can rival neighbors who are tight, who put pride in their homes and families despite limited means or whatever an economy is doing. That san fran dude isn't poor, he's a social worker, and off the clock helps counsel christie's 5 foster children that aren't officially on the state registered social services program. They were basically classmates of her daughter in school whose parents fell out and left them on her doorstep. She's not a rocket scientist, never got beyond an associates degree or attended charm school, but she's got more character in her pinkie than most and a talent for motherhood that's never been given real credit in our culture. One helluva lady, I admire her tenacity and commitment.

She'll never see a six fig salary, but I ask you how much is it worth to America to catch kids before they go down the wrong road? Outsiders would presume her whole family is white trash, but I know better. Anyone have a complaint about her porch, how she's managed to make ends meet, or her failure to have the proper body mass index? What could be more absurd a measure of a human beings worth? Maybe Forbes & statisticians should give that a thought.

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by mtneeratheart

yeah don't worry about it, I spent 22 years of my life in Charleston and some of the neighborhood locations never made sense, at least from a directional standpoint. South Charleston is west of the city. North Charleston is adjacent (and on the same side of the river) as the West Side. The East End is in a much more southerly direction from downtown than easterly. Someone must have gotten a little confused...

Oh that part I'm still trying to make sense of, and I'm starting to think it's got something to do with an ancient benchmark along kanawha river, and a presumption of true north relative to it. Sticky wicket if you look at how that river snakes around so much though. That's my best guess.

[vec101]

Ot they were drunk.

[vec101]

May have something to do with "The West Side was laid out by J. Brisbane Walker; called Elk City (Absorbed by Charleston in 1895." Charleston Newspapers Corporate site
I stumbled across this while searching for something else in the archives. I'm not paying to read the rest of it. Didn't with the other thing either.

[harborlady]

LOL vec- could be. Magnetic north can get screwy from geologic deposits when using a standard compass of old. Corrections for true north devices came about later than when a shovel broke ground for colonial times Charleston? Gotta ask historians on that one.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by harborlady

Mtn, arizona, corgis- Yes, I am happy here. And it's not perfect. No place in the world is. But it does for me what I need in life, something it couldn't do for mtneer. No, that doesn't make me blind to what has frustrated mtneer enough to leave, but neither of us is inherently wrong for our choices. It may have no value to forbes because of what forbes holds as valuable in it's sensibilities, but that doesn't make Charleston worthless because they say so. It means they failed to appreciate anything Charleston has to offer, which is all about them- isn't it?

Want the bad news? Watch the TV or read the newspapers fixated on everything bad, and use that to judge the entire population for what one weasel did. Were they telling the whole truth the good news would get equal time, but that doesn't sell papers now does it? It's the same throughout the USA, and frankly, it makes us the laughing stock of the world ripe for exploitation by the likes of rupert murdoch and jerry springer. You could live in the garden of eden and have headline news of hedonism and apple scandals daily. This is my sad America, my kin, that can't seem to grow the hell up.

Corgis my deed names my hill swan hill. I went looking at a few houses over on that hill by adele and summit & almost bought one of them if not for the slope of the property being too difficult for me to landscape. If I'm not mistaken its right around the corner from the Baha'i temple, with a panoramic view of capital dome & most of downtown. Surprised to see such a modern org take root there but it's done wonders for that neighborhood. They have an innate philosophy of community service that's almost going to guarantee that neighborhood will continue coming up. Just hope realtors don't get greedy looking for top dollar hype like elsewhere, and I guess if you can count on WV'rs being sensible enough not to buy into hype, we'll all be fine with modest RE gains. I'm saying this as a homeowner myself, who would have nothing but gains if they did the hype routine, but at a terrible price to all.

Of all the things ignored about WV being #1 at, they failed to mention that Charleston has an extraordinarily HIGH rate of people who outright own their homes (vs being beholden to a mortgage company). That means less business for lenders? That means people don't pay 200% the value of their homes in interest alone over the course of a 30 yr amortization schedule? Oh well... tuff noogies. Realtors can envy San Francisco real estate pricing & commissions all they want, but the whole city is a deal relatively speaking for buyers as a result of population decline. Might explain why another neighbor of mine is from San Francisco.

No amount of petitioning town hall can rival neighbors who are tight, who put pride in their homes and families despite limited means or whatever an economy is doing. That san fran dude isn't poor, he's a social worker, and off the clock helps counsel christie's 5 foster children that aren't officially on the state registered social services program. They were basically classmates of her daughter in school whose parents fell out and left them on her doorstep. She's not a rocket scientist, never got beyond an associates degree or attended charm school, but she's got more character in her pinkie than most and a talent for motherhood that's never been given real credit in our culture. One helluva lady, I admire her tenacity and commitment.

She'll never see a six fig salary, but I ask you how much is it worth to America to catch kids before they go down the wrong road? Outsiders would presume her whole family is white trash, but I know better. Anyone have a complaint about her porch, how she's managed to make ends meet, or her failure to have the proper body mass index? What could be more absurd a measure of a human beings worth? Maybe Forbes & statisticians should give that a thought.

And the irony is that I am a Wash DC native; left there 30 years ago.......never to return even for a visit.

I spent 1978-89 in California and have been (mostly) in the Phx area ever since.

Despite my strong dislike for '4 season' weather; between the overcrowding and the looming water shortages here in the Southwest.........I am giving more and more consideration to heading to the Charleston area. Too; I do suspect that the 'greenhouse effect' is correct, whether it is man made or just a natural fluctuation on especially winter temps/rainfall totals---------I am becoming more and more uneasy living here in the Phx area. Side note: apparently the putative greenhouse effect is making the winters back east warmer as well---------it seems to me that both DC and Charlestion daytime highs in in February have jumped 5 degrees upward in the last 20 years. Too; several friends of mine in Pa, etc. have also commented on the milder winters as well

There you have it.

I am not a religious person; per se----------but, I am a very strong believer in that things happen for a reason. That mantra is my 'guiding light' and, since I have learned to never go against it--------my life has improved.

Too; the very inexpensive housing in even the city of Charleston has definitely piqued my interest, I am no fan of McMansions, etc. and I would have no problem living in a 1,200' 1925 bungalaw provided it was structurally sound

[Georgia]

Let's see, I live in Atlanta, which is one of the Top 10 so called Most Alive in Growth cities in the US.

Yep, it's growing alright. The whole Atlanta metroplex is growing at 100,000 per year and yes we do have a job market, but what else do you get with the wonderful growth city.

Can't sell your home
#7 highest foreclosure rate in the nation
A terrible crime rate
Car's sitting still on the highway due to constant gridlock
Thugs here, thugs there, thugs everywhere.
Smog, Smog and more smog
So much deficit riddin government curruption that dead folks in WV voting looks legit.
Terrible government schools that hold a 48% dropout rate
Etc.

Seems to me that personal definition is the attribute, in my opinion, Charleston is alive when I travel there. Locations like Atlanta is the definition of decay and losing life.

So in magazine terms, as soon as I can ever get a transfer (been trying now for 4 years) you can guarantee I will be looking for a dying city so fast that my heels will be kickin' my butt cheeks to get the hell out of here.

Charleston! Your just fine in my book!

[r601020]

Originally Posted by Georgia

. . what else do you get with the wonderful growth city.

Not picking on Atlanta, but you left out . .

Last year 07', during Southeast drought, it was estimated Atlanta had 90 days of water left. Golf courses, however, were still permitted to water the grass in the morning.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by r601020

Not picking on Atlanta, but you left out . .

Last year 07', during Southeast drought, it was estimated Atlanta had 90 days of water left. Golf courses, however, were still permitted to water the grass in the morning.

Something about Atlanta scares me as well..............

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by r601020

Not picking on Atlanta, but you left out . .

Last year 07', during Southeast drought, it was estimated Atlanta had 90 days of water left. Golf courses, however, were still permitted to water the grass in the morning.

As a native Charlestonian who now also lives in Atlanta....

Some say the "90 days of water left" stuff was bunk - others say it actually got worse than that, and they didn't want the 5 million metro area residents to completely freak out. I don't think we'll ever really know the truth. It sure helped Sam's Club and Costco sell lots of bottled water though with folks stocking up just in case.

About 10 miles or so South of my house is a very large lake and park called "Sweetwater Creek". Nice area with boating, ducks, hiking trails, etc. Well, last Autumn, here is a photo I took of one end of the "lake"...



Note - no lake. Ok, so officially, Lake Lanier - the super large lake that much of Atlanta gets it's water from, actually has LESS water in it now than it did this same time last year. Sweetwater Lake has a bit more due to more evenly falling rains, but still, as a whole I think the metro area is actually worse now that it was in August of last year - plus we've added roughly 110,000 new metro residents since last year, too. Do the math - it's going to get rough. Our Goober Governor isn't even trying to dig more lakes to hold more water, either. Great for people who own well drilling companies, though.

I live on the West metro side of Atlanta, about 25 miles outside the city, these days. Used to live intown but Atlanta's growth finally got on my nerves and I moved out here. Of course, here in the "sticks", they've built the equal of Corridore G, 3 condo complexes, 5 drug stores, and a 4 lane highway, all within 4 miles of my house, in the last 3 years. And this again, is the "sticks" part of the metro. Luckily, my drinking water comes from a different lake than what a lot of others get theirs from, and it's doing better this year. Still, eventually between the global weather changes and people moving here like bees, something's gonna pop eventually.