Parkersburg? (Vienna, Williamstown, Washington: 2011, insurance, crime)

[cnnsi]

There may be the possibility of moving my family to Parkersburg for a job opportunity. I have not seen many posts on Parkersburg and am wondering about job opportunities there for my spouse (currently working on a master's degree), schools for elementary age children and just generally what the town is like. I know the cost of living is lower than many places in the nation, but would like to know anything else that people in the area have to say about it.

[WVUPharm2007]

The schools are top notch. I was able to take every AP course I'd want to take. The area is boring as hell for a teenager, but its a nice, safe place to raise a family. Jobs are hit and miss depending on what you are after.

[Ceezer]

Like Pharm said, the schools in the area are great. Even if you chose to live across the river in Washington Co (Ohio) the schools there are excellent.

Boredom was a cry I occasionally heard in my teens, but it was never a problem with me. I was adventurous and willing to look for stuff to get into (plus I was into fishing/camping/etc).

Have you ever heard the term, "Southern hospitality"? Well, I've lived in the Carolinas for 13 years and the South has nothing on the Mid-Ohio Valley (cost of living is much, much lower there than the South, too). One of the things I miss most is how the area was very community oriented. They were always trying to have something going on down on the banks of the Muskingum (Marietta/Williamstown) to get folks out and socializing. There is an immense amount of history in the area worth checking out and lots of nature-based to-dos like Old Man's Caves and Hocking Hills.

Even my neighbor, whose son has raced boats in Marietta the last 2 years, can't tell me enough how much he likes the area.

I'd love nothing more than to be back in WV, especially Wood/Wash Co, but my Carolina girl of a wife refuses to move away from her mom/sisters...

[Silkdashocker]

I used to live 30 minutes south of Parkersburg and i have nothing but good things to say about the area. Parkersburg has a decent mall, and lot's of good shopping, restaruants and even two good hospitals.

Like above posters mentioned, the schools are top notch, along with the athletic programs. As PHS finished ranked #2 in ESPN's Titletown USA contest in the summer of 2008.

P'burg also has a decent city park with paddle boating, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, ect.

[WVUPharm2007]

The park is awesome. I used to live on 19th street 3 blocks away. I spent many summers growing up at the pool, fishing in the pond, and playing ball on the courts. It was pretty much the center of my life in the summer. I went down there not too long ago...what's with them turning that great little concession stand near the playground into a freakin' police outpost? Lame.

[k3389]

are there any black ppl in the area?? would it be safe for a black family to move to?

[David Kennedy]

Of course you are kidding us...?

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by k3389

are there any black ppl in the area?? would it be safe for a black family to move to?

I was raised by a black family. I had no problems.

[themoxyrox]

Parkersburg has to be by far the WORST place I have ever lived.

Here is my honest and a bit long opionon:

The Streets and Sidewalks - Potholes, potholes, POTHOLES. Whose pocket is the money for road repairs going into? And what sidewalks there actually are in the city look like crap, except for the handicap access corners, they rip them out and replace them every year. Yet dowtowns streets and sidewalks look great for 2 reasons 1) nobody goes downtown and 2) because there is nothing downtown.

Driving - Now I know why my auto insurance cost so much here. Where do you people get your license at?

Lazy Cops - Driving down Dudley Ave. my car overheats, so I pull into the parking lot beside the DMV, pop the hood and fiddle with the radiator cap thinking its loose. Turn it the wrong way -BOOM!- it explodes spraying hot antifreeze all over the place. All the while there is a cop sitting in his car in the DMV parking lot facing me, and had he not been sleeping (or passed out in a donut coma) he could have offered assistance to a young woman in need of help. Instead a kind stranger (from Ohio) pulled over to make sure I was alright and offered help.

Rude People - Is it the air around here that makes everbody go out their way to be rude?

Pollution - What is that looming gray stuff thats always in the sky and seems to settle on everything. "Mid Ohio Valley Crud" as someone I know described it.

Health - Before moving here, me and my family never got sick, yet after living here for 8 years its a common part of life now. "Cancer Capitol", I haven't done the research, but I believe it. Again someone I know made up the "Cancer Capitol" nickname, so I take no credit.

Entertainment - Where to go, what to do? You could always go out for dinner, tons of restruants, take your pick. But I want to go shopping. Well go to south side Wal-Mart. They don't have what you need? Go to the Vienna Wal-Mart! Still no luck, well you could try the mall, but half of the stores in it are closed...

Outdoor Fun - 2 words: City Park. 2 more words: Crap Hole. Couldn't they hire someone to clean the goose crap of the walk ways? But whats the point, nothing ever happens at City Park! Fireworks on the 4th of July, big wow. Rest of the year, nothing.

Weather - The craziest I have ever seen. It could be hot and humid one day, freezing cold the next, hot again the next day, etc. Must be the "Valley".

The Ghetto - Don't ever stop to get gas at Kompak or Go-Mart on 16th and St. Mary's after dark. As Clark Griswold would say, "Roll "em Up!" Don't get the joke? Watch Nation Lampoon's Vacation and you'll figure it out!


Schools - Whoever said they were "top notch", has to be joking. But I won't even get into that.

Crime - The statistics for these on City Data are way off. An innocent kid gets shot in the chest with a 12 guage over a simple neighbor dispute and the shooter isn't arrested? O.K.

Raoming Pitbulls - When you call the Humane Society multiple times about pitbulls raoming free in your neigborhood, trying to bite small kids, do you think they come out and do anything about it. NOPE. You have to fend for yourself in your own yard.

Empty Buildings - We got a lot of them. No major retailors would come here, even before the ecomony went downhill.

Well I will end my rant for now, but may be back with some more to add later...

[bballjunkie]

Originally Posted by themoxyrox

An innocent kid gets shot in the chest with a 12 guage over a simple neighbor dispute and the shooter isn't arrested?

There is always more than meets the eye. Read this story to see why there is no arrest yet:

Father: Deadly shooting began over comments about interracial dating - NewsandSentinel.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Parkersburg News and Sentinel