jefferson county advice? (Martinsburg, Charles Town, Inwood: rent, townhomes, public school)

[poohki]

My family and I are planning a move in summer 07. My son is going to be attending Shepherd University. Any advice on which part of Jefferson County? My husband will be commuting to Rockville, MD everyday. We have been in that area several times, but always during the weekend, so I am wondering about the traffic during rush hour. Thanks.............

[poohki]

Any information would be very helpful and well appreciated! Any one?????

[yourjteam]

Originally Posted by poohki

My family and I are planning a move in summer 07. My son is going to be attending Shepherd University. Any advice on which part of Jefferson County? My husband will be commuting to Rockville, MD everyday. We have been in that area several times, but always during the weekend, so I am wondering about the traffic during rush hour. Thanks.............

I love living in the area. I am not far from there. It's beautiful. The traffic can be a little bit hectic, as are most areas, during rush hour heading in to Maryland from Harpers Ferry (if that is the way he will travel) but it's not the worst I have experienced. I would suggest seeing for yourself before you make a decision on where you want to be. If you need anymore help, let me know!!!

[theburro]

Originally Posted by poohki

My family and I are planning a move in summer 07. My son is going to be attending Shepherd University. Any advice on which part of Jefferson County? My husband will be commuting to Rockville, MD everyday. We have been in that area several times, but always during the weekend, so I am wondering about the traffic during rush hour. Thanks.............

Traffic will be brutal day-in and day-out. One - 1.5 hours one-way would not be unusual. Would he consider taking a commuter train? I think there's a MARC train or Amtrak that goes from Harper's Ferry and a station near Shepherdstown to Rockville. These are both nice WV towns.

[poohki]

I appreciate the information. We are trying to find a house in Shepherdstown, but that seems the most expensive area in Jefferson County. We would like to be close to the University, but still have access to restaurants, and shopping. I know there is a mall in Martinsburg, and also we saw a large strip style mall with Home Depot being built on Rt. 9 last year. Is that open now? Basically I know very little about the area, and would love any info.

Thanks for the information about traffic, unfortunately we don't have much of a choice in area to live. The Marc train does sound like a good idea!

[stormes44]

The strip mall you're referring to is called Potomac Marketplace. Yes, it's
open with many stores like Home Depot, a Weir's grocery store, Petco, a UPS
store, many food places like Quiznos and Ledo Pizza and Panera Bread, with
a Glory Days Grill (DC area chain) set to open soon, and Kohl's is having their
grand opening on March 8th. Across Route 9 is a new development being
built called Fairfax Crossing which includes single family as well as townhomes.
They also plan a large retail center to include Lowes, JC Penney, Target, and
TGIFridays. All of this exists about 15 minutes or less from the MARC train
station at Duffields. I don't know what time your husband has to commute,
but getting to Rockville won't be much fun if he leaves after 6AM. The
problem is the two-lane bottleneck on Route 340 at Harper's Ferry that will
never be widened as long as the National Park Service has anything to say
about it. Let me know if you'd like more information about Jefferson County.

[poohki]

I would love any information you'd like to pass on. Thanks!

[stormes44]

Well, I'm not sure what you want to know, but I can offer up some
comparisons between Jefferson and Berkeley County. Number 1:
Jefferson County has a zoning ordinance; Berkeley does not, which
is one reason why JC has a fraction of the strip clubs and other
eyesores like BC's newly adopted state tree, the billboard. You can't
travel anywhere in BC for more than a mile or so without seeing a
huge steel biilboard literally perched in someone's front yard. No,
I'm not exaggerating. Billboard companies are paying anyone who's
interested rent on their property in order to erect these unsightly
towers, which you can see for miles, especially at night since they're
illuminated. I live in JC about 6 miles as the crow flies from I-81 and
I can see them at night. And in the winter, when the leaves are off
the trees, I can see them during the day. In JC, there are a few
leftover billboards that existed prior to the zoning ordinance which
have been allowed to stay, but no new ones are allowed. The JC
school system is finally contructing a new high school, only the
second one in the county. Located just south of Charles Town, it
will be called Washington High, after the town's namesake. JC has
had problems in the past working with the state to get funding for
many school projects, but a newly elected school board plans to
improve that situation. JC doesn't have the benefit of I-81 running
down the middle of it, which does make it convenient getting to
other retail centers like Winchester and Hagerstown, but instead we
have the tranquil Shenandoah River. As I mentioned before, there is
a lot of retail coming. I wouldn't be surprised if Wal-mart builds a new
SuperCenter somewhere along US 340 since their current location is
inadequate. Housing is being concentrated in areas that have access
to public water and sewer, and is further controlled by a subdivison
ordinance, which is currently being revised to help guide growth and
development in the future. BC has spent millions over the last few
years installing sewer lines throughout the southern end of the county
which virtually rolled out the red carpet to developers who quickly put
up densely populated developments one on top of the other, completely
overwhelming the transportation infrastructure which will never catch up
with the way the State funds improvements, especailly in the E. Panhandle.
Funding for an expansion in the northern part of BC will open it up as well.
Housing seems to be pricier in JC, but you get what you pay for. I speak
as a previous resident of BC (Inwood) who got out just before the place
exploded. I now enjoy quiet days surrounded by farmland, and some of the
darkest, starriest nights you can find this close to metropolitan DC. Good
luck in finding your new home, and welcome to West Virginia.

[poohki]

Thank you for all of the infomation. I have noticed that BC is less costly than JC, and now I know some reasons why. I think I will concentrate on finding something in JC. I appreciate all of the insights to both counties. I have noticed that there seems to be alot of housing development in the eastern panhandle. We moved out of Sterling, VA for just that reason 6 years ago to Fauquier County, and then it also exploded with housing. It seems to follow whereever we go. Thanks also for the information on the school system. I have been a Kindergarten Assistant for the past 6 years, and am looking to get a job in the public school system when we move. You wouldn't happen to know of a shortcut off of 340 that would take my huisband into Shepherdstown, would you? I see on this forum that 340 gets quite backed up in the evening? thanks again for all of the information, it is very useful to us.

[stormes44]

State Route 230 takes you from US 340 through Halltown and on into
Shepherdstown, about a 15 minute drive, unless you get stuck behind
a school bus. Here is a map:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=12...,0.356712&om=1

I forgot to mention that I work in Reston and my 55 mile commute takes
me 55 minutes in the morning (via Route 7 and the Dulles Greenway) and
around an hour on the way home. 'Course, I leave the house at 5AM, but
that's the price I'm willing to pay to live where we do.

Teacher salaries are a sore spot here in the E.P., and retaining good ones
is difficult. Many of the teachers that live here work out of state for the
money. I don't know about assistants, though.

(Edit: The backup on Route 340 begins in Maryland, prior to crossing the
Potomac River. There is a traffic light on the other side of the bridge
(you're now in Virginia), and it's two lanes of traffic until you pass the
entrance to the HFNP Visitor Center parking lot. It's only after 340 becomes
4 lanes that the traffic improves, and then you will reach the junction
with SR 230 and the turnoff to Shepherdstown. After that, traffic again
gets heavy as you get closer to Charles Town. I haven't commuted
that way in a long time, but my feeling is that if your husband can manage
to get to the Potomac River bridge by 4PM or so, it won't be that bad.)