Wheeling, Charleston or Huntington (Morgantown, Washington: 2010, houses, neighborhoods)

[bls5555]

Here's the deal folks, and I appreciate the help.

I am currently looking into homes in West Virginia. The critiera being I want to find an older fixer upper in a nice family neighborhood in the price range of 100,000 to 130,000. We can go higher if need be but don't really want to.

I am self employed and basically travel to bigger cities Monday - Wednesday (stay over night Mon and Tues) and work from home whenever need be Thursday thru Sunday, so having big cities within a 3 hour drive would be preferable.

I know that Pittsburgh and Columbus are within that range of Wheeling. Im not sure on the other 2 without looking at a Map.

Which of these 3 do you believe is the nicest and which of the 3 do you believe I would be able to find the type of house I am looking for? Thanks for the help.

[vec101]

Charleston is about 4 hours to Pittsburg, Huntington 30-60 minutes further. Wheeling is about 1 hour from Pitts.

To Columbus - Huntington about 2 1/2, Charleston about 3 hours, Wheeling about 2 hours.

Like Chas and Huntington (more familiar with Chas so like it better). Wheeling OK but personally would not want to live there.

House in price range in Chas - Yes but it will probably take some looking.

[tbailey1138]

I think that Huntington would fit your wants and needs quite well. Huntington is full of beautiful old homes that have been very well maintained. A lot of these homes are in the area referred to as the southside. The house that my wife and I live in is one such home. It was built in 1904 and you just couldn't get the qiuality or character in a newer house. We love taking walks around the neighborhood just to look at the architecture. In addition to the beautiful homes, this area is even more picturesque due to the presence of Ritter Park, a nice rose garden and the Huntington Museum of Art. Huntington also offers a lot to do in terms of entertainment, shopping, great restaurants, etc so there's always something going on. Add to this the revitalization and growth going on downtown and you have a great place to live.

For your work needs, Huntington is also close to the larger cities like you would want as well. As mentioned, Columbus is about 2 1/2 hours away, Cincinatti is right at 3 hours and then Lexington, KY is just under 2 hours. Tri-state Airport also offers direct flights to Cincinatti, Charlotte, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale along with flights to Atlanta during the summer if that would be helpful. They are also getting ready to add a direct flight to a city in the Northeast in the near the future.

Hopefully you can come and visit Huntington and look around. Here are some links that you may find helpful and let me know if you have any other questions.
Tim

http://www.city-data.com/album/album...-Virginia.html (most of the houses pictured here are on the southside)
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
Tri-State Airport - Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Welcome To Your Huntington Funny Bone
Big Sandy Superstore Arena - Huntington, WV
Home - Marshall Artists Series

[ABCDom]

I won't get into the which city I feel is "better," as all have their pros and cons. Nonetheless, here is an interesting fact listed on the WV Tourism website that might assist you in making your decision:

"From Morgantown, WV you are within a three and a half hour driving radius to 60% of the country's population."

[tbailey1138]

Originally Posted by ABCDom

I won't get into the which city I feel is "better," as all have their pros and cons. Nonetheless, here is an interesting fact listed on the WV Tourism website that might assist you in making your decision:

"From Morgantown, WV you are within a three and a half hour driving radius to 60% of the country's population."

I think nearly every city in WV uses the same statistic. From the Huntington Chamber of Commerce "With Huntington, W.Va. strategically located within 500 miles of two-thirds the United States population, the region is poised for progress in the 21st century. Interstate 64 runs through the area connecting residents to Lexington, Ky. in a mere two hours, while Charleston, W.Va., the state capitol, is less than an hour away."
Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce || Discover Huntington | Transportation

Then here's the map from another Huntington website.


If you notice, both maps are actually centered in Charleston. Add the better airport transportation between Huntington and Charleston and that opens the map up even more.

[bls5555]

i didn't realize they were that close to Charlotte. Thanks for those maps. Hell, Charleston to Charlotte looks about the same as I currently have between Kansas City and St. Louis. I didn't realize it was that close.

[bls5555]

Originally Posted by tbailey1138

I think that Huntington would fit your wants and needs quite well. Huntington is full of beautiful old homes that have been very well maintained. A lot of these homes are in the area referred to as the southside. The house that my wife and I live in is one such home. It was built in 1904 and you just couldn't get the qiuality or character in a newer house. We love taking walks around the neighborhood just to look at the architecture. In addition to the beautiful homes, this area is even more picturesque due to the presence of Ritter Park, a nice rose garden and the Huntington Museum of Art. Huntington also offers a lot to do in terms of entertainment, shopping, great restaurants, etc so there's always something going on. Add to this the revitalization and growth going on downtown and you have a great place to live.

For your work needs, Huntington is also close to the larger cities like you would want as well. As mentioned, Columbus is about 2 1/2 hours away, Cincinatti is right at 3 hours and then Lexington, KY is just under 2 hours. Tri-state Airport also offers direct flights to Cincinatti, Charlotte, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale along with flights to Atlanta during the summer if that would be helpful. They are also getting ready to add a direct flight to a city in the Northeast in the near the future.

Hopefully you can come and visit Huntington and look around. Here are some links that you may find helpful and let me know if you have any other questions.
Tim

http://www.city-data.com/album/album...-Virginia.html (most of the houses pictured here are on the southside)
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
Tri-State Airport - Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Welcome To Your Huntington Funny Bone
Big Sandy Superstore Arena - Huntington, WV
Home - Marshall Artists Series

Thanks for the links. I just clicked on the Huntington City data link and, wow, it looks nice. It won't be until Spring 2010 that a move happens but Im trying to get my ducks in a row so I can really search out the house that we want.

[tbailey1138]

If you see something that catches your eye in Huntington just let me know and I can give you an idea of what's in the immediate area. Well priced homes in the Southside area tend to go VERY quick just to let you know. A lot of people are buying these old homes and putting some serious money into them so prices are going up too. Another place that you may want to look is in the Highlawn area. This is on the other end of town but has a lot of similar homes. If you've ever seen the movie "We are Marshall", most of it was filmed in Huntington except the football scenes and a few interior shots. It has some really nice shots of Huntington along with some good shots of what some of the neighborhoods look like. Give it a look if you haven't seen it yet. Just let me know if there's any other way I can help.
Tim

We Are Marshall

[scorpy01]

You might want to consider the Wheeling area, rather than Wheeling. I like the counties to the north and south of Wheeling. Brooke County to the north has excellent schools, including a top notch fitness center at the high school which is available to all residents, free of charge. You'll easily find homes in your price range. To the south is Marshall County with some really beautiful older homes. It isn't as convenient to Pittsburgh as Brooke County is, though.

[ArcticPhoenix]

Originally Posted by bls5555

Here's the deal folks, and I appreciate the help.

I am currently looking into homes in West Virginia. The critiera being I want to find an older fixer upper in a nice family neighborhood in the price range of 100,000 to 130,000. We can go higher if need be but don't really want to.

I am self employed and basically travel to bigger cities Monday - Wednesday (stay over night Mon and Tues) and work from home whenever need be Thursday thru Sunday, so having big cities within a 3 hour drive would be preferable.

I know that Pittsburgh and Columbus are within that range of Wheeling. Im not sure on the other 2 without looking at a Map.

Which of these 3 do you believe is the nicest and which of the 3 do you believe I would be able to find the type of house I am looking for? Thanks for the help.

Wheeling would probably be your best bet, honestly. You have Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh all in a reasonably short drive. You can even make it to DC in a few hours, since it isn't really all that far. Same can be said for Baltimore. And, I would imagine that houses in Wheeling would be cheaper than Charleston or Huntington, considering the depressed economy in the area.

Be forewarned, however, that driving in the winter may be a little bit of a challenge. It won't be anything like what I have to deal with in the winter (I live in Eastern Washington, and it's bitterly cold and snowy here in the winter), but it can still be a challenge because of the lake effect snows.

Now, as far as Huntington goes, Huntington might be a feasible place for you to live as well. Cincinnati, Columbus, and Lexington KY are all within a reasonable drive.

Huntington also has a bit of a better economy than Wheeling does. However, Wheeling has a big advantage in that it's a "gateway" from the Midwest to the Northeast. If that doesn't matter to you really, then you may want to go with Huntington.