What's the Best City in West Virginia? (Charleston, Huntington: salons, apartment complexes)

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

Yeah, you're Top 5 would be Clendennin, Cedar Grove, Glasgow, Dupont, and Pond Gap, right? Morgantown is easily the best place in the State for quality of life, education, and job opportunities. Now, the cheapest it is not, but there is a reason it is expensive. People actually want to be here and that makes demand high.

Charleston Area
Canaan Valley
Elkins
Lewisburg
Harpers Ferry

and please give me a break, Morgantown's "Quality of life" is a joke! Drunk College Students that start fires and crappy apartments that litter hill sides make Morgantown seem like a Favela in Brazil. The best quality of life is in our smaller towns that are famous for their hospitality and friendliness. And another thing the towns you listed may be poor in nature, but are alot friendlier and down to earth unlike so places in our state!

[hollister22]

Originally Posted by Chriscross309

Charleston Area
Canaan Valley
Elkins
Lewisburg
Harpers Ferry

and please give me a break, Morgantown's "Quality of life" is a joke! Drunk College Students that start fires and crappy apartments that litter hill sides make Morgantown seem like a Favela in Brazil. The best quality of life is in our smaller towns that are famous for their hospitality and friendliness. And another thing the towns you listed may be poor in nature, but are alot friendlier and down to earth unlike so places in our state!

Such Ignorance. Favela in Brazil? Morgantown is One of the Best Cities to live in the State. Drunk College Students? What college doesnt have "Drunk" students? Living in small rural isolated villages isnt everyones cup-of-tea. It sure isnt mine. Morgantown has plenty of hospitality by the way. Let me ask, What does your "Village" have to offer better than Morgantown, besides Rural grassland and High mountain-Living country wilderness?

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Chriscross309

Charleston Area
Canaan Valley
Elkins
Lewisburg
Harpers Ferry

and please give me a break, Morgantown's "Quality of life" is a joke! Drunk College Students that start fires and crappy apartments that litter hill sides make Morgantown seem like a Favela in Brazil. The best quality of life is in our smaller towns that are famous for their hospitality and friendliness. And another thing the towns you listed may be poor in nature, but are alot friendlier and down to earth unlike so places in our state!

So, the east side of Charleston is some kind of mecca to you? The students only live in parts of our wonderful town. Most of them are actually nice young folks (far preferable to the political pukes who hang out in your number one choice). The rest of the city includes direct access to more than 40 miles of hiking/biking trails, outstanding restaurants, nearby lakes and mountains, easily the most educational offerings, the best sports scene, excellent residential neighborhoods, arguably the best performing arts scene, and relative close proximity to a major city. It has far and away the highest percentage of educated people living in it, and has been outperforming the rest of the state in terms of job availability for several years now. The student apartments are giving way to newly build complexes on a regular basis.

That said, in terms or pure, raw beauty there is no more beautiful place than Snowshoe Mountain (Pocahontas County) at sunset.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

So, the east side of Charleston is some kind of mecca to you? The students only live in parts of our wonderful town. Most of them are actually nice young folks (far preferable to the political pukes who hang out in your number one choice). The rest of the city includes direct access to more than 40 miles of hiking/biking trails, outstanding restaurants, nearby lakes and mountains, easily the most educational offerings, the best sports scene, excellent residential neighborhoods, arguably the best performing arts scene, and relative close proximity to a major city. It has far and away the highest percentage of educated people living in it, and has been outperforming the rest of the state in terms of job availability for several years now. The student apartments are giving way to newly build complexes on a regular basis.

That said, in terms or pure, raw beauty there is no more beautiful place than Snowshoe Mountain (Pocahontas County) at sunset.

I really think you've never been to Charleston, or altleast not in the past 5 years. Charleston has river trails for hiking and biking, outstanding restaurants, nearby lakes and mountains, "the BEST education system in the state", the BEST sports venues and quanity, the best residential communities in WV, is the leading city and biggest in WV, has an OUTSTANDING performing arts scene with the addition of great venues like the Clay Center, Culture Center, Municipal Theater, Civic Center, Davis Hall, and UC's theater! Not to forget about the things Morgantown doesn't have, like the capital market, Charleston Town Center, Haddad Riverfront Park, Historic East End, State Museum, Clay Center, Village District, Bridge Road Shopping District, Appalachian Power Park, Mardi Gras Casino, and is ALOT closer to the great attractions that WV has to offer!!!!

Charleston has the best:

schools
neighborhoods
infrastructure
parks
museums
skyline (only)
community development organizations
restaurants
high end shopping
performances
events
hospitals

and Charleston is way more attractive than Morgantown, I mean really!

who cares how close Mtown is to PITT, Charleston IS the regional hub! There is a reason it was voted to be our state's capital city! Cause it's the BEST!

Now I like Morgatown, but its not Charleston! or little Pittsburgh like some people wish! It's a crowded, hole in the wall, that only lives off of kids from New Jersey that can't afford Rutgers, and kids from WV that think its Hillbilly Harvard!

[Alicia Bradley]

Huntington!!! As far as Elkins turning up on some people's lists - really?? I was seriously underwhelmed. Is there generally a west-east split with this sort of poll, I wonder?

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

Huntington!!! As far as Elkins turning up on some people's lists - really?? I was seriously underwhelmed. Is there generally a west-east split with this sort of poll, I wonder?

What exactly were you underwhelmed about? I'd love to hear this.

[Chriscross309]

I like Elkins because of its location to everything important to me! Being so close to skiing, friends, and the real mountains of WV. Plus the town has alot going for it, and there is a friendliness unlike any other!

[CTMountaineer]

Chris... nice to hear from you:

I'm retired from WV state government, so I've spent more time than I would like to have spent in Charleston, which is a dirty old town basically on the decline (it's lost 30% of its population in the past few decades because people are trying to get away from there). The city is basically propped up by taxes it rips off from the rest of the state and provides little in the way of positive product in return. Parts of it actually smell from chemical residue and other parts are not safe after dark. In contrast, our city is vibrant and growing with a prosperous economy and a diverse economic base.

It does have a hiking/biking trail, but it is minimal in comparison with the far superior resource in the Morgantown area. I'm trying to remember the great outdoor venue you're talking about? The closest thing I can think of to Charleston is maybe Hawks Nest which is more than an hour to the east. In Morgantown it is literally out the back door including more than 16,000 acres if pristine forest land, whitewater rivers, and beautiful lakes, as well as the Allegheny Mountain Range.

You actually believe Charleston has the best education? I just know you don't really believe that or you'd lose all credibility. We have a major university located here, with all the research, facilities, and the resources associated with it. We also have more than 200 eateries of virtually every type. And, unlike Charleston, our town does not roll up the sidewalks at 5pm.

I have not noticed any great shopping in Charleston (maybe you could enlighten us further there?). I see the generally decrepid Town Center across from the Civic Center that is a refugee from 1950s bad taste archetecture. Most of the smarter folks who used to live in Charleston have long since abandoned the place and moved to Hurricane or Morgantown (I'd say 10% of our population is from there).

There are some nice neighborhoods in Charleston. There are also some crappy neighborhoods. It's like that anywhere, but the population here is overall much better educated, and there is a better chance they are employed.

You don't really want to compare facilities now, do you? I mean the Coliseum vs. the Civic Center? That hideous looking riverfront thingamajig in Charleston to the Morgantown riverfront facility? The various theaters and venues for arts here compared with those in Charleston? Mountaineer Field vs. Laidley Field? I'll give you that you have more museums, but we're working on that here and expect to be adding a beautiful new art museum to our group within the next year or so. You also have the minor league baseball field there which is better than our baseball facility, but really now... minor league baseball is the top draw in Charleston. And, you know about our sports offerings here. There is simply no comparison.

And, you somehow want to say Charleston makes up for not only the better quality of life here, but also 50,000 resident Charleston somehow offers everything they have in Pittsburgh, right? You must not have been to Pittsburgh then. I don't really like it there, but they have a thousand times more stuff than you have in Charleston, and if somebody needs the kinds of things you can only get in a big city you're at least 3 to 4 hours from it there. It's right up the road from here, and it's soon to be a lot easier to get there with the new expressway coming on line.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

I'm retired from WV state government, so I've spent more time than I would like to have spent in Charleston, which is a dirty old town basically on the decline (it's lost 30% of its population in the past few decades because people are trying to get away from there). The city is basically propped up by taxes it rips off from the rest of the state and provides little in the way of positive product in return. Parts of it actually smell from chemical residue and other parts are not safe after dark.

It does have a hiking/biking trail, but it is minimal in comparison with the far superior resource in the Morgantown area. I'm trying to remember the great outdoor venue you're talking about? The closest thing I can think of to Charleston is maybe Hawks Nest which is more than an hour to the east. In Morgantown it is literally out the back door including more than 16,000 acres if pristine forest land, whitewater rivers, and beautiful lakes.

You actually believe Charleston has the best education? I just know you don't really believe that or you'd lose all credibility. We have a major university located here, with all the research, facilities, and resources associated with it. We also have more than 200 eateries of virtually every type. And, unlike Charleston, our town does not roll up the sidewalks at 5pm.
I have not noticed any great shopping in Charleston (maybe you could enlighten us further there?). I see the generally decrepid Town Center across from the Civic Center that is a refugee from 1950s bad taste archetecture. Most of the smarter folks who used to live in Charleston have long since abandoned the place and moved to Hurricane or Morgantown (I'd say 10% of our population is from there).

There are some nice neighborhoods in Charleston. There are also some crappy neighborhoods. It's like that anywhere, but the population here is overall much better educated, and there is a better chance they are employed.

First off Charleston's economy is fine! We have seen a shift in population location from the city to the suburbs, but that is every American city! Plus Charleston has been seen the opposite in the past few years. Our local school system is the best in WV and our test scores prove it! Not to mention we build new schools, have the best high school athletics, and the community plays a huge role in the schools! Not forget that we have 2 Universities, and UC is way more academic then WVU.

We have Kanawha State Forest, THE KANAWHA RIVER, Hawks Nest, Kanawha Falls, the New River Gorge, and real mountains. We also have great city and county parks like Cato, Magic Island, Coonskin, Haddad Riverfront Park, and about 20 other urban gardens, dog parks, walking paths, art walks, greenspaces, and recreation areas! Plus there is two new parks set to be build, one right in downtown on Summers St.

200 places to eat is nothing! About half of that is fast food! Charleston has every dining culture aswell, and on a much larger scale! And that scene is growing very fast! The high end shopping is at The Shops at Bridge Road, The Village District, and even inside the Capital Market! Morgantown has nothing like it! And our town roles up at 8 because our population unlike Mtown is mature!

The Town Center is growing and modernizing! The mall also has more expensive brands that can't be found anywhere else in WV. The Civic Center is scheduled to have a facelift to both inside and out.

Like Morgantown, Charleston has its rough neighborhoods. But we have lots of progress in community development through the Charleston Area Alliance, and East End/West Side Main Street organizations. For example, the East End of Charleston has a beautiful shopping and dining area alond Washington St. (near the capital) and has featured local artists through sculptures, murals, and even on light post banners. West Side Main St. has done the same thing, and is building a community learning center across from the state of the art elementary school that is one of a kind in the nation!

Just curious when was the last time you were in Charleston? 1973?

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Chriscross309

First off Charleston's economy is fine! We have seen a shift in population location from the city to the suburbs, but that is every American city! Plus Charleston has been seen the opposite in the past few years. Our local school system is the best in WV and our test scores prove it! Not to mention we build new schools, have the best high school athletics, and the community plays a huge role in the schools! Not forget that we have 2 Universities, and UC is way more academic then WVU.

We have Kanawha State Forest, THE KANAWHA RIVER, Hawks Nest, Kanawha Falls, the New River Gorge, and real mountains. We also have great city and county parks like Cato, Magic Island, Coonskin, Haddad Riverfront Park, and about 20 other urban gardens, dog parks, walking paths, art walks, greenspaces, and recreation areas! Plus there is two new parks set to be build, one right in downtown on Summers St.

200 places to eat is nothing! About half of that is fast food! Charleston has every dining culture aswell, and on a much larger scale! And that scene is growing very fast! The high end shopping is at The Shops at Bridge Road, The Village District, and even inside the Capital Market! Morgantown has nothing like it! And our town roles up at 8 because our population unlike Mtown is mature!

The Town Center is growing and modernizing! The mall also has more expensive brands that can't be found anywhere else in WV. The Civic Center is scheduled to have a facelift to both inside and out.

Like Morgantown, Charleston has its rough neighborhoods. But we have lots of progress in community development through the Charleston Area Alliance, and East End/West Side Main Street organizations. For example, the East End of Charleston has a beautiful shopping and dining area alond Washington St. (near the capital) and has featured local artists through sculptures, murals, and even on light post banners. West Side Main St. has done the same thing, and is building a community learning center across from the state of the art elementary school that is one of a kind in the nation!

Just curious when was the last time you were in Charleston? 1973?

I'll start with the last and work my way back. I was last in Charleston in January, 2011. I did drive through it once since then, but won't count that one. Yep, all those old declining towns have an "Alliance" trying to revive them, but in Charleston's case the place is on life support so it is definitely an uphill battle. So, you're counting Hawks Nest and Fayetteville as Charleston assets? You're the first I've seen attempt to do that, but one is at least an hours drive to the east and the other further than that so that's a bit of a stretch. My ex is from the Greater Glasgow Metro Area, about 23 miles east of Charleston and even they don't lay claim to being near mountains.

The Charleston city parks are okay. They aren't the best in the state (that distinction belongs to Wheeling) but there is nothing wrong with them. Coonskin is a nice park. We also have nice city parks in Morgantown, which are surprisingly well used considering the even nicer resources located nearby.

So, Charleston is like "every other American city" with people moving to the suburbs? It isn't like OUR American city because people aren't doing that here. Morgantown is actually developing from the inside, and outside development is taking place simply because we are out of space here. And really now, Teays Valley and Hurricane as "suburbs" of a 50,000 town from 25miles away? Hmmmm. I think Huntington can lay as much claim to those places as Charleston.

We have every varitey of eating establishment in Morgantown. Somebody once pointed out that we don't yet have a German restaurant, but Mon County has one in Blacksville so we almost have one. We have several authentic Mexican, at least 2 Indian, a Moroccan, several Chinese, an African, 3 Japanese Steakhouses, excellent Italian, various specialty, Saragasso's, Madeline's, Cafe Bacchus, good hotel eateries, and all the various chains (except Hooters... I'm looking forward to that one), as well as the fast foods you mentioned. In my opinion, they closed the most unique eatery in Charleston last year when they closed that downtown diner. They definltely have no greater "scale" of places to eat in Charleston than they do here.

It's nice that a Charleston group rehabilitated the old railroad transfer building into a farmers market, but we're building a brand new facility here in Morgantown. We also have a farmers market at Cheat Lake, and there are also ones at virtually every nearby town... Fairmont, Waynesburg, Uniontown, etc.

But the final and most convincing argument comes, I believe, from the fact that people tend to vote with their feet. Charleston and Kanawha County in general are at best stagnant, at worst declining. You can only do so much with the kinds of jobs provided by state government, and heavy industry is still on the downswing. That doesn't look to change any time soon. Morgantown and Monongalia County are headed in the opposite direction. People actually want to be here. So, I guess that makes you among the fewer and fewer folks who think Charleston is best and me among the growing number of folks who realize the value we have here in Morgantown.