Considering moving to west virginia (Huntington, Morgantown: loft, crime, home)

[usherslove05]

My boyfriend and I are considering moving to West Virginia in the future. I have a few questions and was hoping to get some feedback. Martinsburg, WV is about 5 or 6 hours from where i live (Sullivan County, NY). My questions are: what is the job market like? I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and was hoping to move someplace where it would be put to use and i could make a decent living. Im interested in caseworker, advocate, service coordinator positions. second, are there and facilities that provide and care for the developmentally disabled there? we both work for a facility that cares for developmentally disabled adults. Also, my boyfriend is black, and i am white is this a racist community? Are there other parts in West Virginia that you feel would be more suited for us? Thanks in advance...

[vec101]

Martinsburg and the Eastern Panhandle are often referred to as a suburb of DC. By this it's meant that a lot of people from the greater DC area have been moving to the Panhandle - so there has been a boom in housing, a lot of growth, etc.

I'm not real familiar with the area so will bow to others for advise on jobs, etc.

[David Kennedy]

Give Morgantown a look...geriatric work is being funded and working...larger leadership pool for that venue. Monongalia General..email into the HR website.

[Hinton Bound]

Originally Posted by usherslove05

My boyfriend and I are considering moving to West Virginia in the future. I have a few questions and was hoping to get some feedback. Martinsburg, WV is about 5 or 6 hours from where i live (Sullivan County, NY). My questions are: what is the job market like? I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and was hoping to move someplace where it would be put to use and i could make a decent living. Im interested in caseworker, advocate, service coordinator positions. second, are there and facilities that provide and care for the developmentally disabled there? we both work for a facility that cares for developmentally disabled adults. Also, my boyfriend is black, and i am white is this a racist community? Are there other parts in West Virginia that you feel would be more suited for us? Thanks in advance...

Are you looking to keep the 5/6 hours drive time? I'm origionally from Middletown (Orange County), and live near Beckley. Takes my Dad about 7 hours to drive from Middletown. There are a TON of medical jobs in Beckley, with the VA or one of several hospitals.

FWIW, we looked at moving back to NY, Sullivan county was one of the places we looked. We absolutely LOVE it in WV! You get the look and feel of upstate NY, without the insane property taxes.

Although with Harbor Lady and me already here, we may be exceeding our qouta of ex-NY'ers

~Mark

[tbailey1138]

Be sure to check out the Huntington area. I think there would be a lot opportunity for you and your boyfriend here. Here are some links to check out.

Tim

City of Huntington, West Virginia
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
http://www.city-data.com/city/Huntin...-Virginia.html
Marshall University - Dept/College Name
VAMC Huntington, West Virginia Home
Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital Internet Website Home Page

[backlog]

every one that has answerd you live in and around a larger city. not huge by any means but a city just the same. As for the country side you will be looked upon with disgust,country folk in wv will not associate with you nor will they assist you with directions or other wise. what goes on in the city stays in the city. clamping down on things that cause our children to ask why. Nothing against you personally and I would help if asked. I is just some friendly advise to you.I and we are looking at west virgina as a new place to settle. Have been there several times on visits and have some good friends living their dream. But there dream is simple. Small farm red neck style. We hunt,deer,bear-fish live off the land. They were born there and moved away but returnd to raise there kids straight. That is the thinking of many folks who live and work in wv. We live in Tampa Fl and hate it here.Have been in fl since it snowed in "77" born on a farm up north. Yes diversifacation is inevitable. But also is avoidable. Morgantown is a college town,Martinsburg is surronded by diversity and is feeling the crunch. but with this in mind all above mentioned citys have seen a dramatic increase in drug related crimes. Good luck. Keep children in control and busy with family values.

[Hinton Bound]

Originally Posted by backlog

. As for the country side you will be looked upon with disgust,country folk in wv will not associate with you nor will they assist you with directions or other wise. what goes on in the city stays in the city... That is the thinking of many folks who live and work in wv.

Huh?

Although I'm not black (but I once played one on TV...), I'm not a WV native. I drive a truck with NY plates on it, and have never had anyone be rude or inconsiderate to me or my wife. People here are as friendly to you, as you are to them.

[Silkdashocker]

Originally Posted by Hinton Bound

Huh?

Although I'm not black (but I once played one on TV...), I'm not a WV native. I drive a truck with NY plates on it, and have never had anyone be rude or inconsiderate to me or my wife. People here are as friendly to you, as you are to them.

backlog, i have to disagree with you. Some of the country folk in WV are as nice as i've met anywhere.

[Threerun]

You know, 'backlog' may have some validity in his or her post. I lived in the Martinsburg area for a while. My best friend is black, and he's been married twice to white gals. Never phased me or anybody else I know. Family is well respected in Martinsburg, he coaches little league... Heck my son and his son are good friends to this day.

When I lived in Inwood, one of our neighbors was bi-racial. I used to work with the wifey many years ago in Hagerstown, then they just 'moved' in and I was in for a surprise when I saw her one morning at the kids bus stop! It was like an old reunion.. Anyway her hubby was a mason by trade, nice guy, hard working- I even helped him on a stone veneer job a few winters ago. Nobody in the neighborhood really gave two hoots about their 'bi-racial' marriage. They were just neighbors. (And this was a neighborhood where everybody had acreage, neighbors got together to butcher hogs, we all hunted- even Jeff the 'black guy' bagged his share of deer and turkeys- you could call us all redneck if you will...)

Another neighbor there was a nice black couple. I tilled their garden many a time for them.

My wife and I on several occasions had most of the neighbor kids over for sleepovers, movie nights- stuff like that. I think at one point we had 12 sacked out on the loft floor in sleeping bags and blankets- Black, white, mixed- whatever color you want to describe. Kids are kids, and we all watched over them. They all knew they could count on their neighbors for anything. In that neighborhood, no one would ever be 'locked out' of a home.

It was a good neighborhood.

So maybe backlog lives somewhere where these values aren't really practiced. I can say in Bridgeport I havn't seen this type of thing at all. But then again Bridgeport and my old home in Inwood are worlds apart. My neighbors barely have took the time to talk to me, there are very few black folks here, kids don't seem to pack up the way they did in the 'country'.. It's very insular.. And Bridgeport is about 180degrees from where I used to live.. I guess it's a little more suburban or urban in feel and texture...

So maybe backlog lives in some place in the country that's just as insular and not as welcoming. I find it hard to believe, especially given seeing what I've seen in my years in WV, but maybe it does exist.

If you want to meet some good, down to earth folks near Martinsburg, and like to live in a more rural clime, give me a p.m. and I can tell you where the place is. You would have no problems there. If I could go back, I would tomorrow. In a heart beat.

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by backlog

Yes diversifacation is inevitable. But also is avoidable. Morgantown is a college town,Martinsburg is surronded by diversity and is feeling the crunch. but with this in mind all above mentioned citys have seen a dramatic increase in drug related crimes.

There has been? All I know is that if someone is murdered in Morgantown, it's front page news for a week...then page 2 news for the rest of the month. I haven't heard much about any drug crime increases. On the other hand, I work in Uniontown, so maybe it's just the comparison of a town that REALLY DOES have a problem with drugs that skews my judgement...