relocating to Morgantown, WV (Cheat Lake, War: rent, condo, day care)

[nikongirl24]

Aw now that's sad. I know times are tough, trust me, it's hitting us too-- but seriously, PA is literally RIGHT NEXT TO MORGANTOWN. I live at a tri-state crossroad, OH-WV-KY and often go into another state and don't realize it. MD is also not far from Morgantown either. Chances are you've been right over the border but not realized it.

As for outsiders-- the tourism business keeps WV afloat many many times! Tourists LOVE our beautiful state. The mountains, streams and national forests are a mecca for some outdoorsy type to come and visit! Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley, Jennings Randolph Lake, etc... many places for "outsiders" to see! WV loves the tourists!

I don't think we get better w/out them at all. We down here in Southern WV LOVE to meet people from other states, countries, places-- we share our experiences with them, ask them to talk about where their from and get to share about our unique culture.

I think we get along with folks just fine... but obviously I don't speak for everyone.

To each his/her own!!

[tbailey1138]

Originally Posted by nikongirl24

I don't think we get better w/out them at all. We down here in Southern WV LOVE to meet people from other states, countries, places-- we share our experiences with them, ask them to talk about where their from and get to share about our unique culture.

I agree 100%! If we want our state to grow and prosper, we have to welcome others into our wonderful state. Some of my better friends here in Huntington are from other states. They love it here and feel quite welcome. I like to know where others are from, their experiences and what brought them to Huntington. That's one of the best ways to learn our strengths and ID our weaknesses. Much of the strength of the Create Huntington movement is the combination of people who are from here and those who moved here from elsewhere all working together to make things better. People from other areas often appreciate our state more because they haven't been around it their whole lives and they don't take what we have to offer for granted.

[catlor]

I have lived in Morgantown all my life and I have to disagree the we are unfriendly to outsiders. I do believe that certain areas of the state are friendlier than others - Huntington being one of those. I have also been out of the state on several occasions including both Myrtle Beach and the Outer Banks. I like Hilton Head best and my trip to Italy was a real pleasure.

What I don't get about some of the posts on this board is that if someone has a negative opinion of our acceptance of outsiders, why are we re-enforcing that negativity by using derogatory names like corn shucker? How are people to take it if we say we are friendly to outsiders and then call them derogatory names? Especially people who are reading these boards to get an idea of our warm and welcoming our beautiful state is. Just my two cents. Now its off to check out the Florida board for some vacation ideas.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Risikio

I have joined several local organizations. The West Virginia State Poetry Society and some local collectors/hobby clubs. I have also done a lot of community service through school. In each case, I have found the same thing about being welcomed. Maybe it is my age. Although I am leaving for graduate school this fall, I am a non-traditional student and not exactly "college-aged". I am also not of retirement age. These appear to be the biggest two groups in Morgantown and West Virginia. So, maybe it is that I don't relate to the younger "hip" crowd or the retirees.



I disagree, both from my personal experiences mention in another post and in national rankings of the quality of healthcare. The following national scorecard ranks West Virginia 44th out of 50 states. West Virginia - The Commonwealth Fund

I don't believe I ever said the healthcare in Indiana was good, I simply said the healthcare in this state was poor. I stand by my assessment of the state's healthcare.



Again, in my original post I said the crime was low and that Morgantown was a good place for someone with a family - so no it does not have some of the negative aspects of a big city, but I disagree that it is reasonably close. A 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to Pittsburgh is not reasonably close. I commuted everyday to Pittsburgh for a year because the company I originally worked for in Morgantown closed its doors and I could not find work here. 45-60 minutes would be reasonbly close.

Funny, I've made the drive from Morgantown to Pittsburgh many times in 1 hr. 15 minutes. It depends on traffic, and the morning rush hour on the Parkway West through the tunnel can easily take a half hour. The new Mon-Fayette Expressway will knock several minutes off that commute and will bring people from the south into the 'Burgh on the other side of the tunnels.

There is a distinct difference between health care in West Virginia and health care in Morgantown. There are lots of healthcare options in Morgantown, and many of them are shared with Pittsburgh.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by catlor

I have lived in Morgantown all my life and I have to disagree the we are unfriendly to outsiders. I do believe that certain areas of the state are friendlier than others - Huntington being one of those. I have also been out of the state on several occasions including both Myrtle Beach and the Outer Banks. I like Hilton Head best and my trip to Italy was a real pleasure.

What I don't get about some of the posts on this board is that if someone has a negative opinion of our acceptance of outsiders, why are we re-enforcing that negativity by using derogatory names like corn shucker? How are people to take it if we say we are friendly to outsiders and then call them derogatory names? Especially people who are reading these boards to get an idea of our warm and welcoming our beautiful state is. Just my two cents. Now its off to check out the Florida board for some vacation ideas.

I agree on all counts. I also agree that Huntington is one of the friendliest places on earth. It has a very nice blue collar blend of south-midwest-Appalachian culture. To this day I have several friends in Huntington.

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by JimmyL

I have lived here (Morgantown) all my life and have never been outside of the state. Consequently, I have never been to Myrtle or OBX, whatever that is. I haven't had the means to leave the state until recently. The pay here is too low to allow for such pleasures. It is hard enough just getting by here. I find Morgantown very expensive and you don't get a lot for your money.

I personally wouldn't recommend Morgantown to anyone. I don't hate it, but there isn't really anything here that I find attractive either.

The job market is pitiful. There are no manufacturing or warehousing jobs. WVU runs this town and determines who comes in and who doesn't in the way of business, so as others have stated, it is VERY political.

I agree that the healthcare system could be better. I have had bad experiences at both Ruby and Mon General. I didn't realize how poorly the state ranked in healthcare.

As far as culture, if you like the outdoors like hiking, camping, hunting, then you will like it here. If you are looking for museums, concerts, and professional sports, then this probably isn't the place for you. I would love to see a WWF match here, but I guess I would have to go to a big city for that.

With regards to accepting outsiders, I wish they would all just leave and leave us all alone. We get along so much better without them.

Lol...ok...one post...same writing style as the other dude with one post...yeah, ok troll.

[Risikio]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

There is a distinct difference between health care in West Virginia and health care in Morgantown. There are lots of healthcare options in Morgantown, and many of them are shared with Pittsburgh.

I find it interesting that everyone says the healthcare here is shared with Pittsburgh. During the four years I spent going to the 10 different specialists, I asked several times for a referral to Pittsburgh and no one wanted to oblige. I fail to see the connection between the healthcare here and Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Johns Hopkins or anywhere else.

I disagree that there is a distinct difference between the healthcare in Morgantown and West Virginia. From my personal experiences, I have had problems with Ruby and with United Hospital. I don't know about the southern part of the state, so I can't really compare, but my experiences haven't been limited to just Morgantown. If I had had a better experience, then maybe I would agree.

[nikongirl24]

I will say that as far as Huntington goes, I am going to deliver at Cabell Huntington Hospital, and NOT St. Mary's. Don't know if anyone is familiar with the hospitals down here, but my reason is because SM doesn't have a NICU, and I'm a high risk pregnancy. CHH has a top notch prenatal care center, and just built several new additions. Included in that are a new state of the art cancer center, a University Health extension (added to what was there for athletes, etc..., and a new ER.

I don't use the hospital much... :/ so I'm not too knowledgeable about what parts are great, etc... and how they compare to other hospitals. Kings Daughters (In KY) is supposedly a great place for cardiac care.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Risikio

I find it interesting that everyone says the healthcare here is shared with Pittsburgh. During the four years I spent going to the 10 different specialists, I asked several times for a referral to Pittsburgh and no one wanted to oblige. I fail to see the connection between the healthcare here and Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Johns Hopkins or anywhere else.

I disagree that there is a distinct difference between the healthcare in Morgantown and West Virginia. From my personal experiences, I have had problems with Ruby and with United Hospital. I don't know about the southern part of the state, so I can't really compare, but my experiences haven't been limited to just Morgantown. If I had had a better experience, then maybe I would agree.

Many of the specialists in Morgantown also practice in Pittsburgh. I had trouble with healthcare in Bloomington. You can have great experiences or poor experiences everywhere. You are either unlucky or looking for problems.

[Risikio]

I must be unlucky.

I will say that I am quite happy with our son's pediatrician, but he is the only doctor in Morgantown that I have found I like. He is out at Cheat Lake and really knows his stuff when it comes to young children.