Hope to Relocate from Southern New Jersey and really need some local advice (Charleston: real estate, house)

[jlm74]

Hi all. I'm new to the forums so be gentle with me! I am a southern nj native. I am a horseback riding instructor and own some acerage in a really beautiful area. The problem is I have to work two other jobs to keep my house and my farm. NJ is squeezing out it's residents and it's sad since my family settled here in 1670 as whalers. That being said, West Virginia is the most beautiful state I can imagine. It is still possible to have the dream to own and afford acres of land for my horses, chickens and dogs. I am researching places (towns and counties) to live and feel overwhelmed!
It has to have affordable land. I'm hoping to get at least 50 acres, have four seasons (i think most of WV does but Im not sure!), be safe, scenic and have a town nearby (20 min of so) that has things to do and great places to eat. I love the pictures of the towns I see with the cafes and museums and while I want to be in the country, I do want to be able to travel to a great little town once and a while.

I grow organic vegetables so having a farmers market nearby would be great! My family and I are also history lovers. Just got back from a trip to Gettysburg in fact. So any area with historical sites near would be amazing too.


I know it's a tall order to ask for help picking a place to move, but who better to ask?!

Thank you for any help and advice you can give.

[snorpus]

How big a city, and what defines "affordable" ?

Charleston and Huntington are the two largest cities, at about 50,000 each (with more in the metro area). But I don't know if you'll be able to find 50 affordable acres within 10 or 15 miles.

A region you might want to investigate is the East Central Mountains, along U.S. Rte 219. Stretching from the Maryland border in the north to Princeton in the south, there are a number of farms in this corridor that might be suitable. The major cities are Elkins in the north, and Lewisburg and Princeton in the south.

One of the real estate companies in this region is Red Oak Realty. To search their site for properties of 25 acres or more, go to the site and click on Listings, Advanced Search, enter 25 (or any other number) as the minimum number of acres you're interesting in, and then click "Search This Window".

Good luck!

[jlm74]

Thanks for the quick reply Snorpus.

Affordable is vague and subjective isn't it!Sorry about that.

If it's vacant land, under 100k would be wonderful. If it has a home or homes and some barns we would be able to spend around 225k although less is always more! The problem is properties in our current area, as well as many places I am sure, have dropped considerably. So it truly depends on what we can sell our farm and our house for. I'm afraid we will be lucky to get what we paid for it even with 100k in improvements.

I'm hoping to be able to find a job through one of the universities, park services or goverment. I have journalism and writing experience and am currently working with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension in the County now. I forgot to mention what I would do for work. That is always important!

The area you mention, what is the terrain like? Having horses is difficult without some flat land and I am amazed at how varied the land is in different parts of the state.

Thanks again!

[jlm74]

oh and it doesn't have to be a big city at all. Small is good. Just want to have good places to eat out on occasion and some cultural activities.

[Hinton Bound]

Red Oak Realty is a good site, they're located just east of where I'm at. Another great site to try is www.landandfarm.com .

We live in a small town between Beckley and Lewisburg. We find all of our "big city" needs in Beckley. Land is relatively cheap in Summers county, taxes will be a pleasant surprise for you. Our terrain is hilly to slightly mountainous. There are nice meadows, with plenty of room for horses. Farmer on the other side of me has 3, but I don't see him riding them. They just stroll over and provide me with free fertilizer.

~Mark

[GottaHerdOn]

I live about 15 minutes outside Elkins. Within your price range you should find 70-85 acres easily with a homestead. We also have horses, and many people in the area actually have horses, but like Hinton said, we rarely get to ride them. We're workaholics But I know a lot of riders and there are some horse service facilities in the area.

Davis and Elkins College in Elkins might be hiring, I know their applications are up over 300% this year, perhaps they will be hiring. Its a small school though with 650 students. Its smaller than our high school ha ha. It should be fairly easy though to find a government job in the Elkins area especially if its tied to the Mon. Forest or the Division of Natural Resources. We have a daily local newspaper called the Elkins InterMountain. I'm not sure if they're looking for writers or not. We also have an extension office through WVU, not sure if that would be of assistance.

[tbailey1138]

You might consider the Huntington area as you look. The types of acreage you are looking for can often be found in the surrounding counties of Wayne, Mason and Lincoln Counties. Depending on where you find the land, your drive may only be 15-20 minutes or it could be about 30 minutes but typically not much farther than that.

If you like horses, there are several horse farms in the area and Lexington is just under 2 hours away straight down I-64. They are also planning to build a new Horse Center in Milton (15-20 minutes from Huntington) in the next few years so the horse culture is likely to grow around here.

Huntington offers a lot to do itselfs and Marshall University is also here if you are looking for a collegiate job. Huntington has a civic center for concert and larger performances, a Funny Bone Comedy Club, several performing atrs centers, the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, a great museum of art, a great local music scene and a good club scene (from what I've been told) if you like that sort of thing. Huntington does a farmers market and it's open 6 days a week from 7:00 A.M. until sold out. Just up from the farmers market is a butcher that has a lot of great offerings and also sells local vegetables. Huntington also offers plenty of history. The town was founded by railroad great Collis P. Huntington and is thus rich in railroad history. The Guyandotte section of Huntington has lots of civil war history as does Barboursville. Both towns actually have civil war re-enactments at different times of the year. Heritage farm and museum then offers a glimpse of Appalachian history through some neat displays, buildings and museums. Marshall University then offers athletic events, another art gallery, performing arts, its own symphony and many other events as well.

Central City Market
Old Central City
Heritage Farm Museum and Village of Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington Symphony Orchestra of Huntington, West Virginia
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Marshall University, Huntington, WV

I really encourage you to check out the Huntington area as you look. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tim

[David Kennedy]

Doddridge County has the best land for a reasonable price.

If you have money...Greenbrier County.

What do the horse people say?

[Two-Rivers]

There's an equestrian school in Wood co., not sure if that's any help. I still see some nice farms in Wood, Ritchie, and Wirt counties. Ritchie and Wirt would place you roughly 35 miles or less from Parkersburg/Wood co., the 3rd largest city in WV. I know of a horse farm in Ritchie co., I believe $154k was the asking price. The lawn looked like a golf green, however a lot of the pasture acreage must be on top of the hill behind the residence, with road access. I may be able to find the realtor link to it if you want to peek at it. It's located about 35 miles from Parkersburg.

[jlm74]

Thanks for the replies and the help. It's really appreciated. I agree, having horses and taking care of them you never get to ride them. I haven't ridden in about 6 months! They are mostly my lesson horses, but how could I not want to ride on my own 75 acres in WV!
Two-Rivers: I would definately be interested in any information you could get on the farm.

David: NJ drains the money out of you, I'll be leaving what little i have here.lol.. Greenbrier and the Panhandle areas are pretty expensive arent they?

TBailey: Thanks for the town information, Im going to look at the links. What county is that?

Herd: I'll check out the job information. Any idea how the national parks hire or if there is a site?

Hinton: I've been looking at West Virginia Property on land and farm for months! im addicted.

Let me ask if anyone has opinions on three places I found. Any information about the locations would be great. I'm flying blind.

Pleasants Co.: Farm in Shirley
Roane Co: Farm in Alma
Doddridge: West Union

Thanks guys.