Relocating to southern WV (Charleston, Huntington: house, buying, high school)

[GSDGyrl]

My husband is being relocated to southern WV and was wondering if anyone could give advice on finding a realtor. Primarily looking in Logan, Mingo, Wyoming counties and possibly Raleigh county. Have done numerous internet searches but not finding anything. Looking for land with or without house. Also, what are the pros and cons for a newcomer to this area?

Thanks

[vec101]

Have you been to those counties yet? I'd strongly suggest a drive through them and then decide on where to live.

[GSDGyrl]

Originally Posted by vec101

Have you been to those counties yet? I'd strongly suggest a drive through them and then decide on where to live.

We are planning a trip Oct.6-10. I was trying to get an idea of which areas would be the best place to start. I have found several properties in Summers, Raleigh and Fayette counties but don't really know how far away they are from where he will be working (Mingo county). After reading some of the threads here, it seems as if most people live in the northern area of the state! I appreciate your response - was hoping I would get more but thanks for responding.

[kookamus]

Mingo county might be a bit of a shock depending on where you are coming from. Williamson is the main town. It's like going back in time. (at least to me). Only been there a couple of times. Coal is king. From what i gather if you get off the beaten track you will run into some real live hillbillies. Corridor G goes from Williamson to Charleston and is a real nice 4 lane. You could live closer to Charleston and commute. The counties you might be interested are Kanawha, Boone, Logan Then Mingo.

[thebalogas]

I would try Kanawha county. I am not sure how to get to Mingo county from there and you really need to factor in the winter weather. I have been to Williamson once, as well and it is indeed a culture shock and I lived in Kanawha County.

[tbailey1138]

Summers, Fayette and Raleigh Counties are a pretty good hike from Mingo County. They don't look too far geographically but there are no good roads that would be a straight shot between those counties and Mingo. Your closest bets for Mingo Co. would be either Wayne, Lincoln, Logan or Mingo itself. If you are looking to be close to a lot of conveniences, Wayne Co. would probably be your best bet. This would put you about mid-way between your husband's work and the conveniences of Huntington which is the 2nd largest city in the state. WV has a few pockets of concentrated population and everything else is pretty well spread out. You'll find that most of the population and development is very close to the major roads. Huntington and Charleston each have about 50,000 people and then Parkersburg, Morgantown and Wheeling each have around 30,000 people each. Here's a link with some good maps to give you an idea about location of counties and cities along with the major roads. Out of curiosity, which city will your husband be working in and where are you all from? Also, what kind of things are you looking for in the place you are going to live? Hope this helps.
Tim

West Virginia State Map - Cities, Roads, Counties, Rivers, Lakes, Topo

[GSDGyrl]

Originally Posted by kookamus

Mingo county might be a bit of a shock depending on where you are coming from. Williamson is the main town. It's like going back in time. (at least to me). Only been there a couple of times. Coal is king. From what i gather if you get off the beaten track you will run into some real live hillbillies. Corridor G goes from Williamson to Charleston and is a real nice 4 lane. You could live closer to Charleston and commute. The counties you might be interested are Kanawha, Boone, Logan Then Mingo.

I am a mountain girl myself (!) and used to living in a town with no traffic lights. I don't mind the small town atmosphere however I don't want to live in fear and after reading some previous threads, it sounds as if the southern counties aren't too safe for a newcomer. We are open to other counties - just don't want to have a long commute. Thanks for the info!

[GSDGyrl]

Out of curiosity, which city will your husband be working in and where are you all from? Also, what kind of things are you looking for in the place you are going to live? Hope this helps.
Tim

Thanks Tim. I don't know the name of town yet...just that its in Mingo County. Right now we are in SC. We'd like to buy 50 acres or so. Doesn't matter if it has a house or not as we can build. I love the mountains (raised in them myself) so looking forward to that. Whatever we end up buying must have a creek or something on it. That's what we're looking for anyway!

[Hinton Bound]

Try www.landandfarm.com to find property.

[tbailey1138]

Originally Posted by GSDGyrl

Thanks Tim. I don't know the name of town yet...just that its in Mingo County. Right now we are in SC. We'd like to buy 50 acres or so. Doesn't matter if it has a house or not as we can build. I love the mountains (raised in them myself) so looking forward to that. Whatever we end up buying must have a creek or something on it. That's what we're looking for anyway!

There are some nice areas down there and things are growing up quite a bit as compared to what they used to be but things are still pretty spread out. My wife knows someone who lives in Ceredo(Wayne Co. just outside of Huntington) and teaches at Burch High School in Delbarton (Mingo Co.) and he drives an hour and a half to work every day but he loves it. Some people like Lincoln Co. because there is lots of land there and it puts them about 45 minutes to Huntington or Charleston and would probably be about the same to Mingo depending on where you live. Biggest thing is to ask yourself is what you want out of where you live and how close do you want to be to certain things. I think you will be welcomed anywhere you end up but make sure that you love everything about your location. When you visit, you may want to make Huntington or Charleston your base and head out from one of those cities. You may want to look off of Rt. 10, Rt. 52, Rt. 152 and Rt. 119/Corridor G. There are usually some pretty nice areas along some of these roads but they do get pretty remote the farther you get from the larger cities. I hope this has been helpful and let me know if you need anything else.
Tim