small towns in the Mountains (Charleston, Beckley: real estate, house, employment)

[dianeeileen]

Hi for the past few years I have been pushing my husband to relocate to WV. We have made two trips down, once to
Beckley for a job interview for him and once to Charleston for the same. I liked both towns to visit but would rather live in a smaller area. We are coming to WV again this spring to look for a home, husband who retired found a part time job he can do from home. I would like a small town, pop. under 1000 that has a store or two in the mountain area of WV rather than the pan handle. I would like something with cheap housing under 40k for a 2-3 bedroom home. I don't mind living in a town or really rural but I do want to be with 1 hour of a hospital. Any suggestions would be welcome. Diane

[snorpus]

You might look into Marlinton, in Pocahontas County. Population about 1500, has 2 grocery stores, a Dollar General, a hardware/lumber store (non-chain), and a few places to eat. Small community hospital just a couple of miles outside of town.

You could live either in-town, or in more rural nearby areas, such as Edray, Buckeye, or Hillsboro.

[BJC]

Why not look at Summersville? I am not sure of the population, but they have a hospital, WallMart, a great lake. There are several unincorporated areas around Summersville that you might like. Summersville is about 30 min north of Beckely on Rt 19.

[kevinm]

Choose Lewisburg if you want small town feel and some modern ammenities.

[dianeeileen]

Thank you, I will look into those towns and surrounding areas. I will post my progress on locating our place. Diane

[harborlady]

Diane knowing the degree of rural compatible with your family and how close ammenities y'all need at this stage in your life is crucial. There are variable levels of government services throughout WV, and being aware of what you can/ can't live without is key. I'm unclear if your retirement is solid enough that you won't be needing modest employment for a while.

When I went shopping for a house in lewisburg the price tags were far beyond your budget, even if it's pleasant there. Pocahontas cty is gorgeous, inflated in price tag due to resort area, but personal taste- the whole eastern end of the state elevations are too cold for me. I liked summersville plenty, and the real estate wasn't as inflated as lewisburg, but many properties I saw there were remote & less maintained roads. A good thing to some, a bad thing to others. Accepting those terms means altering your lifestyle.

Silly as it sounds, I started seeing my house shopping as a goldilocks expedition to see what was most compatible. That approach worked well for me after a few years of trying to electronically shop from afar. The physical reality of WV counts for so much more than traditional statistics that can be deceptive.

Not sure if you realize that any home valued at 40k in WV will require handyman work of variable degree. The home I bought, for instance, pre dated insulation. I'm happy, but my eyes were wide open, so no regrets and stayed well within budget. Generally speaking, WV cities are not mass sprawl metropolis. Drive 15 minutes in any direction and you'll find rural settings. Hopefully it stays that way rather than over zealous developers pushing urban sprawl. Buyers market outside of the panhandle boom is in your favor. Good luck!

[Hinton Bound]

Originally Posted by dianeeileen

Hi for the past few years I have been pushing my husband to relocate to WV. We have made two trips down, once to
Beckley for a job interview for him and once to Charleston for the same. I liked both towns to visit but would rather live in a smaller area. We are coming to WV again this spring to look for a home, husband who retired found a part time job he can do from home. I would like a small town, pop. under 1000 that has a store or two in the mountain area of WV rather than the pan handle. I would like something with cheap housing under 40k for a 2-3 bedroom home. I don't mind living in a town or really rural but I do want to be with 1 hour of a hospital. Any suggestions would be welcome. Diane

Diane,

You just described Hinton. It's between Beckley and Lewisburg (20 min/35min respectively). Appalchian Regional Hospital is right in Hinton. For all the big box stores, chain restaurants and specialty medical needs, Beckley is where we go.
We live "up on the mountain" in a very rural setting. You can find this in many places in WV, but the one thing we have that the others don't- The cleanest air and water quality in the country. It's on sperlings best places. Type in Hinton, WV (or any place you'd like to check), then go to the "health" tab.

[dianeeileen]

Many good points to consider, yes modest employment is a requirement, my husband has a part time job that he can work from home that supplements our income to some degree, I also have an internet book business selling on Amazon.com that I will be continuing after we move. Neither bring in a lot but we are pretty simple people.
Yes the homes in my price range are tending to be very small or handy man specials. I have passed on quite a few for that reason. I expect to have to make some improvements, and repairs. i just don't want to have to gut a home and rebuild from the studs up. I am a little worried about being too far from a hospital because of my mother (78) who is coming with us. We are rather young retirees, I am 46 and my husband is 56 but taking care of my mother forced me to retire at least for now and my husband is on SSDI for going blind. However he is very capable and is a social worker by profession. Right now he teaches other blind persons how to use the computer with adaptive software designed for blind people. He does it thru Skype and over the phone mostly. He sub contracts with an agency and can move pretty much any where.
Thank you all for your thought ful post and keep um coming this is a little bit daunting but I love WV and want to come very badly. Diane

[snorpus]

If your husband relies on Skype, then having high-speed (broadband) Internet access is a must... not all parts of WV, especially the very rural parts, have broadband.

[dianeeileen]

That's a big consideration , I had not thought about that, yes broadband is a must. Something I had taken for granted. Good point. Thanks