is wv the right move? (Charleston, Huntington: day care, houses, job market)

[MySkreenName01]

hello all

Myself and the family are looking for a new place to call home. We've been in nj all of our lives . things here are just getting out of control. taxes are crazy,tons of people moving here. it's just not for us any more. looking for a small town feel with some privacy. been to wv before. love it as well as tn great place too.things are bad every where right now .i was wondering how is it wv? i have heard stories about folks that dont have enough money to buy food and have to live off the land.how is the job market there ? (I'm a carpenter) .Would wv be a good choice for us?

[snorpus]

The building boom never got out of hand in WV, so the housing contraction hasn't been as severe. Areas to look at where there's significant construction activity would be the Morgantown-Bridgeport (I-79) corridor, the Charleston-Huntington (I-64) corridor, and the Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg and environs).

[vec101]

"i have heard stories about folks that dont have enough money to buy food and have to live off the land."

I have heard those stories too but actually think it is weird way of looking at the poor -- I mean there are poor people everywhere. I think the poor who are able to live off the land are in a better position than the poor who live in a big city. If you are poor, I think being able to hunt for your meat and grow a garden is a distinct advantage.

Yes, we have poverty due to various reasons
1. Living way out in remote areas with no idustry around. But have to tell you, in WV, it is not unusual for people to drive an hour or more to work. I know a lot of people who choose to live in Beckley and work in Charleston.
2. Their heritage - some people grew up on welfare and believe it is their "birthright" to live that way their entire lives. For others, their family lived in the area forever and they don't want to relocate to be closer to jobs. For others, living poor is the way they were raised, that's all they know, and they can't figure put the route to break the cycle.
3. Not everyone is going to have a high paying job and many people don't want to work at a low paying job. If you factor in day care and no health benefits, some can't afford to go to work at a low paying job.
4. A lot of jobs are physically hard jobs and often long hours. Way too many people in the US don't want to work hard.

My main point is - most of these reasons for poverty is true for all the states, not just WV.

We are in better condition than most states (one of the lowest unemployment rates, 44 states are running a defict - we are not). However, we always run at an even keel at a rate which is considered low by most other states -- except of course, now that the bubble has burst for other states, we are still chugging along and in better shape.

The current economy is already starting to trickle down to us - Circuit City is closing all stores in all states, so their goes ours. Century Aluminum is struggling cuz of the downturn in the demand for their products.

On the flip side, the newspaper has recently had articles about a shortage of State Mine Inspectors, a shortage of school nurses, etc. About a month or 2 ago, our local Poppa John's was offering a $350 sign on bonus for workers cuz they were so desperate for employees.

I often hear people in WV complain they can't find a job. I think it is truer to say they cannot find a high paying job and one they really want.

Whew, sorry, you just asked a question and I went on a roll.

[vec101]

As to carpenters:
MoTown is considered pretty recession proof cuz of the college and hospital.

Sounds like the Martinsburg area is still growing strong.

Not sure, but there still may be a good bit of new development going on in the Clarksburg/Bridgeport area.

Carpenter situation in the greater Chas area - I have NO idea about the commercial carpenter industry but can give you my experience on the house building side. During the bubble, developers went wild building $350-$650 homes and everyone and his brother became a developer - result, a gluttony of houses in that price range. Like any industry when it is booming - you get so many people coming into it, the industry gets bloated, then starts weeding them out. Plus, the price of land got ridiculous. I have heard that at least a couple developers are now building developments with homes in the $200-$300 range.

We are looking to do a major remodel on our house and in talking to building contractors, here's what I have found (I'm not an industry expert) -- things have slowed down for the big guys and high priced guys (the fact that it is winter is probably part of the reason). The smaller guys who are good but have small crews and are less expensive have more work than they can handle - people are almost fighting over them to build or remodel their house. One of the hardest things to find is someone to do those little repairs around your house or small jobs.