City Hospital, Martinsburg, WV (Jefferson, Hedgesville: real estate market, houses, established neighborhood)

[Elsfdoc]

I am interviewing for a position at City Hospital in the near future and would appreciate any and all info that can be shared regarding the facility, its management, and the community perception of the hospital. (Yes, I know I may be opening a can of worms with the last request but it does help to know what is being said in the community.)

I am also seeking info on the real estate market in the Martinsburg area. I have read the majority of the postings related to that topic and have come away with mixed messages regarding living in vs. living near the town. Can anyone clear up the confusion?

My family will need a 3bdrm house with a fair sized lot to accomodate our 3 dogs and the wife's continual need to putter about in the garden...

Thanks in advance.

[Janipoo]

I have lived here for a little over a year and you know I have not heard anything good or bad about the hospital. It actually would be good information.

As for living there are quite of communities around here, some with large and some with small yards. How old are your kids because I can give you information about schools that I have heard when we were looking and also about the schools my kids attend.

[Elsfdoc]

No school age children at home, just my wife and mother-in-law. We do quite a bit of home projects, dyi type of things to improve the house and garden so established neighborhoods would be ok as well. We do enjoy homes with a lots at the .5 to 1 acre size. Do you know of any neighborhoods or areas that you would recommend or advise to steer clear of?

Not having heard negatives about the hospital is actually a good thing since they evidently provide expected levels of service.

[awakenthesun22]

I know a girl who worked there, said she liked it. I don't know specifics though.

[Janipoo]

I moved to Brookfield in Falling Waters, the lot sizes are 1/2 to 1 acre. I know that Federal Hill and Harlan Run have 1 acre lots they are right next to each other in Martinsburg/Hedgesville. I don't think you will have a problem finding the land you want. There are plenty of them with nice size lots. Most developments with an acre or more have well and septic our community has public utilities but they are still building.

[Georgia]

City Hospital in the past was one to run from! Winchester, VA is the main hospital in the area which offers top notch care. Now, with this said City Hospital was brought into the WVU network that may have improved it's reputation. Do a Google on hospital ratings.
Overall, City Hospital's issue is attracting quality physicians.

[Threerun]

Since the transformation it is much better. Much better.

[KnoxBrian]

My wife is a physician for WVU hospitals east and splits her time between City and Jeff Memorial. According to her, City has some of the brightest and most talented doctors she has ever worked with, and she would not hesitate to send her own mother to City. Jefferson on the other hand, thats a different story. As far as houses go, there are lots of houses sitting around vacant right now, so I imagine you could get quite a deal!

[clintsullivan]

Have to agree with most of the posts here. General perception seems to be that Winchester is the best with Martinsburg running second. Obviously for some conditions & procedures people from the area go to Baltimore or DC.
The real estate question is more difficult. I've lived in Jefferson County for about 36 years now and am a real estate appraiser working in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan & Hampshire. There are many properties with more than 1/2 acre and thankfully the zoning ordinance was soundly defeated in Berkeley County so that outside of a subdivision with restrictive covenants you can garden, raise chickens, etc. and let your dogs enjoy the yard. Here in Jefferson we have a very lax zoning ordinance which still allows mostly any non-commercial usage of your own property. Near or far from town would depend on how far you want to drive. You could live mostly anywhere in Berkeley, North Eastern Morgan or Western Jefferson and be within a 30 minute drive of the Hospital. There are plenty of retail and service outlets throought Berkeley and Jefferson. At the present it appears that mid to higher quality homes on lots bigger than 1/2 acre in Berkeley County are holding value better and often exceed pricing in Jefferson County. Historically this has not been the case as Jefferson is a shorter commute to the DC/Baltimore region.
If you have any specific questions about locations, etc. let me know and I'll try to help.

[Silkdashocker]

The IT Dept at City Hospital is a bunch of goofballs. They can't even figure out how to configure their own equipment sometimes.