Another Morgantown Question :) (Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg: construction, public school, university)

[lordtreize]

Alrighty, here's a comment from those that used to live in Preston Co. and now live in Morgantown. University High just build a new beautiful school. Looks like one of those old turn of the century highschools you used to see in smaller town across the nation. They actually have their own football field. Considering they've had to share one with Morgantown High for years.

As far as weather... I'm from Preston Co. which is just East of Morgantown, but 2000 feet higher. Trust me if you want to visit a winter wonderland, just head east about 15 minuets to Coppers Rocks, and Bruceton... you will be in show heaven. Morgantown doesn't retain it's snow, it's lower in altitutde and you have to remeber that we are on the Latitute as Athens, Greece. Our Avg. Temps for winter generally are above freezing. And our winter months are typically dryer than our summer months so result is less snow.

Now for food, Yes K-rogers along 705 has the best out of season produce in the area. I have never seen a kroger so nice. The Mountain People's co-op doesn't have much anymore; however, if you want some fresh produce and care to travel in the summer. In Garret County MD. about an hours drive. The Mennonites, Amish, and some of the Bruderhoffen, have many different farmers markets. Fresh butter, eggs, greens, apples in the fall, peaches. All are wonderful. There are a few farmers markets in Morgantown, but they aren't well organized. EVen the on in Preston on Rt. 7 before Kingwood isn't that well organized, never know what you'll get.

[happeemommee]

The area sounds wonderful! I know WVU is great and I'm excited about going there, even if I am a bit older than the usual student. But since reading your replies, I have a few more questions.

Preston County is 2000 ft higher in elevation,how are the roads between there and M'town? How are the schools in Preston County? I have all daughters,some that run track and one in basketball and soccer,how are the teams?

We had a little snow in western NC today, how was it up there?

I've gotten a couple Homes and Lands magazines and there are a lot of pretty homes in Bruceton, very reasonably priced.How long does it take to get fromthere to the college?

I truly appreciate all your responses about the grocery stores and co-ops. I don't mind driving a little further for fresh food! However, as far as grocery stores go,Kroger is right up there with Publix. I think Earthfare is my fave, but that's another topic.

Thanks again for all your help, please feel free to keep info coming. Ican't wait to get there, June is SOO far away!

[lordtreize]

Alright, well I'll try to make this as short as possible with as much info as possible. I'm from Preston so I know a lot about it.

First things first, Preston is a very large count in comparison with the other counties around it. It is much higher and the land is much more hilly. The Bruceton area is an exception. It's on a plateau. It's also right beside I-68 so it's actually not to bad getting to Morgantown. The only problem is that it is straight up hill from Morgantown to Bruceton with a fairly steep grade.... thankfully in the winter it's kept very clear. But to put the differnce in height into perspective. Here in morgantown we got about 2 inches of snow... in Bruceton they got about 10. Preston is a world to it's own in winter.

Now... to the schools. Bruceton is an odd one. If you have a highschooler, you have a choice. You can send them to Morgantown or to Preston High. I personally loved Preston High. I wasn't a big sports person, never have been, but Preston is very Fine Art Oriented, believe it or not. Has a very good band and drama department; however, at the moment the entire school system in Preston County is going to the dogs. The current Levy didn't pass so they can't build schools that they need. Bruceton school (k-8) is okay... but the other schools are having a time.

Bruceton is a beautiful place to live, lots of farm country up there. Also I go to WVU. So if you have any questions hit me up. My AIM is Lordtreize.

[happeemommee]

Thank you,Lordtreize for all your help. It really sounds like Bruceton is where we want to be. They got 10 inches of snow today? June really can't get here fast enough for me,hopefully jobs will still be available when we can move. My hubby works construction, but will do whatever he can get his hands on, so I can finish school.


So tell me about WVU. Do you like it? Are your classes crowded?I went to UKY for awhile and it was very crowded and it was impossible to see your advisor, sign up for classes, etc.The financial aid department was a nightmare, when I applied to WVU I heard back within three days.I'm hoping that's a sign of how organized and "well run" things are. (I'm not bashing UK, there were a lot of positive things too,just for the record.)

Thanks again..def rep points for you!

[lordtreize]

Can you tell I'm board tonight? Just let your husband know that Morgantown is one of the Recession proof cities in America. There are tons of construction jobs to be had here.

AS for WVU... I love it. It is a big school, little less than 30,000 students. They are highly organized though. I only had one problem and that was chaning majors, but it was because they had called the wrong deparment for me. Now they aren't perfect, I've heard some horror stories, but on the whole they are pretty good. Email is definatly the way to go most of the time. As for advisors, they can be hit and miss sometimes, but that is the same every where sadly. The good thing is most of the secretarys know everything you need to know. ANd if you can't get the information you need from you advisory they have an adviaroy department, of sorts, that will get it for you. It's kind of an over the head move.

I was a transfer student from FAirmont State, in Fairmont just south of Morgantown. I hated that school. EVery year I would have to wait months on my finacial aid while they just sat on their asses and didn't do anything. It was rediculous. I have never had a problem with the financial aid at WVU, not even once.

By the way, if you need help in schedualing or need to know where you are going. I know the town like the back of my hand as well as the campus, so if you need a tour guide I'm your man. Both me and my boyfriend are at WVU, I'm working on my BS and he's working on his Masters in Education. Hope to hear from you.

[happeemommee]

Thanks! I will definitely let you know! That's very nice of you. And I'm glad you mentioned Fairmont State,my hubby was thinking of going there part time, but I hadn't really heard anything good or bad about it,but problems in the financial aid department is a red flag for us ( and I'm sure many ppl) we use my check to pay up the rent / mortgage for awhile. Anyway, enough of my life story, lol.

Have a good night and I'll be in touch!

[adam36]

From the perspective of someone who moved to Motown over 1.5 years ago, Preston county schools are the joke of the area. Residents have refused to pass school levies in forever, forcing school administrators to consolidate to a ridiculous point.

The difficulty with roads in this area is the quick elevation change -- each neighborhood can be experiencing entirely different weather and road conditions. You really need to be prepared for some black ice at any time when the temperature is low, primarily when ascending/descending.

As for marketplaces, Motown has a decent farmer's market each Saturday morning of the summer. I was able to stock up on most fruit, veggie and bread mainstays by shopping there.

[lordtreize]

Originally Posted by adam36

From the perspective of someone who moved to Motown over 1.5 years ago, Preston county schools are the joke of the area. Residents have refused to pass school levies in forever, forcing school administrators to consolidate to a ridiculous point.

The difficulty with roads in this area is the quick elevation change -- each neighborhood can be experiencing entirely different weather and road conditions. You really need to be prepared for some black ice at any time when the temperature is low, primarily when ascending/descending.

As for marketplaces, Motown has a decent farmer's market each Saturday morning of the summer. I was able to stock up on most fruit, veggie and bread mainstays by shopping there.

I really apreciate how quick you are to judge without knowing the entirety of any story. I will always support consolidation. I am a product of Preston High, and of the county. While right now they are suffering this is not forever. The last two levies didn't pass because they were totally one thing... Pay raises for administration that in no way deserved it. Prior to that the levy in 2000 passed because it was pay raises for the teachers, and support staff. This current levy was worded very, VERY badly and really sounded like more of the past two. It was, however, for the building of more schools. My mother voted no for it because it seemed like it was for pay raises, after I told her she was very down hearted. This was common among people afterward. I will admit though, that the Preston County education administration have always been corrupt. We always seem to get a Superintendent that is more interested in building wealth than schools. We also get principals that do the same, considering the last principal at Preston High was fired because she was caught shop lifting barbie dolls at Wal-mart, then found to be embezzling money with the treasury secretary of the BOE. I still blame this on being on of the only counties in the state where Republicans out number Democrats.

[ABCDom]

I really don't want to get into a debate with anyone concerning Preston County versus Monongalia County. Nonetheless, I do want to provide happeemommee with my two cents. I will attempt to avoid reiterating what has already been stated, but I'm sure that some of this will be reproduced. I lived in Morgantown (Monongalia County) for 30+ years and have obtained three degrees from WVU. I wasn't aware that if you lived in Bruceton Mills you could send your children to Morgantown (things change). From what I have read, it does seem to me that you'd be well-suited in Bruceton...There is a lot of land for very affordable prices. Just keep in mind a few things: During the school year, driving to Morgantown proper will take approximately 20 minutes…On top of that, you can add an additional 15 minutes for parking (both the downtown and Evansdale campuses). As has been stated, it does snow, especially in Preston County. There might be one or two days throughout the year when Monongalia County schools are open, but you are “snowed in.” To be honest, it’s not that big of a deal and teachers / professors are typically very understanding…Don’t risk your life to get to class! I am not at all attempting to offend anyone, but Morgantown definitely has a lot more to offer as far as public education is concerned. I am not suggesting that Preston High School is bankrupt in any way, but both MHS and UHS have traditionally had more to offer scholastically. Also, you inquired about athletics…Both of the Morgantown schools are FAR superior in most sports (especially the “popular” sports such as football, basketball, soccer, etc.). Again, I am not suggesting that Preston High School is a “bad” school with “poor” athletics, but facts are facts. As an aside, I didn’t attend either of the Morgantown high schools, so my opinion is not based on a preconditioned bias; it’s based solely on facts. I would very strongly encourage you to enroll your students in either Morgantown school before schools in the surrounding area. Lastly, I will address the WVU versus UK comparison. Lordtreize did a good job of providing you with a realistic view of WVU. Do you know what your major will be? For the most part, your major will dictate which campus you have to go to in order to attend classes, see advisors, etc. Either way, you will have to get intimately familiar with the downtown campus for financial aid and other administrative necessities. I have spent quite a bit of time in Lexington and both schools are similar. The traffic patterns, delays, and parking are VERY similar. I love WVU / Morgantown, but the infrastructure isn’t as well laid out as Lexington, so that can make commuting difficult (at best). Also, WVU has more “hills” than Lexington and campus is more spread out. Administratively, I would rate WVU just as competent as other state institutions of similar size. Every school has its hiccups (like you experienced at UK), so don’t be shocked to have similar experiences at WVU. If you have other specific questions that you would like for me to address or if there is anything else that I can provide, please don’t hesitate to let me know! Good luck…

[happeemommee]

Thanks again Lord and you too, ABC. Your posts are very informative. I'm really looking forward to getting there. I'm glad to hear that the high schools and the Prof's are understanding if we do in end up in the higher elevations. That was a big concern of mine.

I do think Lexington, was laid out very well and even if you didn't know exactly where you were going, it was still pretty easy to figureit out. The parking on campus, however was a different story.parking was horrendous!! So, I take it parking at WVU is no easy task, either?

I'll be going first for my Women's Studies degree and then, hopefully into the accelerated nursing program, if that gives you any clues as to how my parking situation will be. I also wanted to see if either of ya'll, (or anyone) knew anything about residency requirements for in state tuition. I am sure that for the remainder of my WMS degree I'll pay out of state, but am hoping since we'll be buying a house and transferring car tags,insurance, etc and that i'll be putting three kids in the schools there, that between degrees they'll let me change my status. Esp since my oldest will want to be going to WVU too and she'd qualify for in state.

One more question this time around...I keep reading and hearing everywhere that Mtown is recession proof and there is tons of construction going on...how sure are the projects that are going on? Literally, WNC is going down the drain..companies are going out of business, even county jobs and hospitals are laying off because of this situation.It's really scary!! My hubby was going to wait and go when the kidsget outta school in June, but is thinking if thingsare that good he may go in january.

Sorry for the book I wrote tonight!