Movin' On? (Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg: home, theater, university)

[MeganAK]

Well, here we are on the West Virginia Forum. Someplace I never imagined I would be! We are from Alaska, and for various reasons, are ready to get our of Dodge. We have looked South, we have looked North, we have looked Midwest. We are just desperately seeking that place to call home!
Our ideal:
Enough land to have some space around us (minimum 20 acres)
Enough trees to heat with wood
Good space for gardening to raise some food
Accessible to a town for shopping/services/work (as a Nurse) but we want our land to be somewhat rural/country.
More Libertarian-type political climate than Liberal or Conservative
A little itty bit of snow in the winter, enough to remind us that it is winter
Some nice, hilly country
Good recreation in the area (we like to hike, bike, hunt, fish, kayak, climb, camp, etc.

Well, I think that is about it. We were absolutely drawn to the pictures we saw of West Virginia, but neither one of us knows much about the area. We looked at Morgantown, but the land seems expensive, and the nursing wages seem low.anyway, tell us what your favorite spot would be if you were us, and why.

[vec101]

"nursing wages seem low"

Here is a list of nurse wages in some areas Registered Nurses
Shows WV wages for nurses are about $24.00 per hour.
Hourly mean wage $24.53
Annual mean wage $51,020

That is a good wage in WV.
Is it low for nurses nationally - may very well be. However, take overall cost of living into consideration then make a judgment.

The "best" hospitals in WV are in Morgantown and Charleston. (No offense to anyone in the other hospitals in WV).
You can get "rural" right outside of these areas. However, land is relatively premium near these areas.
How far do you want to drive to work?

What part of WV? You just need to come down and drive around.

[MeganAK]

Oh, thanks! Yes, you are right. $24.00 is great. That is right around what we were hoping for. Thanks for the correction. I would be willing to drive 45 minutes to work, depending on the road conditions. I am used to having to drive an hour to work in Alaska. I am not sure what part- we are hoping to head down June 1st and drive around! Thanks for the info.

[tbailey1138]

Make sure to check out the Huntington area as you look for your new place to live. The Huntington area would meet many of your needs from jobs to things to do. Weather here is among the most mild in the state with only a couple of 6 inch or so snowfalls in a typical year. Your 10+ inch snow only comes once every few years so if you like a lot of snow, this isn't the place to be. If you want a mild winter though, you're in luck. You could also likely find the type of land you are looking for on the outskirts of town along Route 2 or Route 10. If you had no luck in these area, Wayne County and Mason County are only a short drive to Huntington and there is typically lots of this type of land there.

http://www.whyhuntingtonwv.com/

Huntington is also home to two of the largest hospitals in the state that provide not only some of the best care in the state but the country as well. From my experiences in healthcare and what nurses have told me as well, Huntington pays about the best in the state for nurses. There is also a VA here, several other area hospitals and other medical facilities as well.

http://cabellhuntington.org/
http://cabellhuntington.org/news/newsbreaks/
http://www.st-marys.org/
http://www.huntington.va.gov/

There's lots to do here as Huntington is the second largest city in the state. The Huntington Mall is the largest shopping center in the state and Pullman Square is a lifestyle center that has been the catalyst for downtown revitalization that has been going on for the last few years. PS offers shopping, dining, a comedy club and the largest theater complex in the state. There are several music venues here as well as a civic arena that's one of the top 20 in the nation for its size. We also have a 1920s Vaudeville theater called the Keith Albee that is a beautiful old theater that is currently undergoing renovations. There are also several great museums here like the Huntington Museum of Art and Heritage Farm Museum. Huntington also offers some great parks with more planned and the addition of some more biking paths as well. Beech Fork is a state park that is close by and also offers a lot of outdoor recreation in the form of hiking trails and boating. If you enjoy boating, the Ohio River makes the northern border of the city and provides more opportunities for water based recreation. The outdoor recreation center of WV is also only 2-3 hours away if you want to make a visit there occasionally.

Http://www.huntington-mall.com
http://www.pullman-square.com/
http://www.bigsandyarena.com/new_site/index.shtml
http://www.huntingtonsymphony.org/index.htm
http://www.marshall.edu/muartser/
http://www.hmoa.org/
http://www.heritagefarmmuseum.com/
http://www.ghprd.org/
http://www.paulambrosetrailforhealth.org/
http://www.beechforksp.com/

Add to this all that Marshall University offers in terms of arts and athletics and you are never wanting for something to do. If you want to get an idea of some of Marshall's history and see Huntington in the process, watch "We are Marshall" as much of the movie was filmed here. Hope this helps and here are some more links. Let me know if you have any other questions.

http://www.marshall.edu/
http://herdsportsphotos.exposuremanager.com/g/
http://www.marshall.edu/movie/

Tim

[vec101]

There are a lot of areas around and between Chas and Huntington where you can find what you are looking for and be within 45 minutes of hospitals in Chas or Huntington. Ditto for Morgantown.
BTW, a lot of people live in Beckley and work in Charleston - it's about 1 hour drive on interstate.

If you want rural, look around slect areas of Kanawha and Cabell counties but not sure you will find as rural as you want. Also look around Lincoln, Boone, Logan, and in North look around Preston, north of Chas are Clay County or Roane -- both are pretty rural.
Map of counties West Virginia Counties

If you want really really rural but driveable to a smaller hospital, look at Tucker (ski area country so maybe too much snow), McDowell, Nicholas, or Wyoming.

Best outdoor fun in WV is around Tucker County or Fayetteville (hiking, skiing, white water rafting, etc.)
Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls, West Virginia Travel and Vacation Information
West Virginia Vacation Planning, Travel and Tourism Information - Southern West Virginia CVB
The Official West Virginia State Parks and Forests web site.

TBaily, gorgeous pix.

[Silkdashocker]

Great pic Tbailey. I enjoy Pullman Square. Taking the wife there Saturday night for her birthday.

Vec, when mentioning Charleston North, don't forget I-77 Corridor between Parkersburg and Charleston you have Jackson County. There is a lot of good land available. Much of it is rolling hills with long flat bottoms due to lot's of flooding in years past from the Ohio River. Makes for great fertile farmland, and the hills are still heavily wooded. With I-77, you can get to Charleston or Parkersburg in about 45 minutes- 1 hour from Ripley/Ravenswood.

[MeganAK]

Wow! I have so much information! Thank you all for your posts. I will do some research and look into those areas. I sent away for my nursing license today! I will probably be asking for more specific information as our time gets closer- we are planning to drive down the highway into the Lower 48 in June. West Virginia seems like just what we were looking for. Thanks for all the very helpful info and I might ask for more specifics in a bit, but I have some researching to do for now...... Thanks!

[MeganAK]

Where is "Greenbriar Alley'? And what is this about Kanawha Alley being also called 'Chemical Alley?

[vec101]

It's Greenbrier Valley and Kanawha Valley.
Kanawha/Charleston used to be lots of chemical plants. Still some - not as many.

Greenbrier County is gorgeous, has a hospital, is rural and lots of very rural areas around it.

[MeganAK]

oops, duh, forgot the 'V'. Thanks!