Moving to Wv (Charleston, Parkersburg, Wheeling: 2009, rentals, insurance)

[WV- homeward bound]

Look into Harpers Ferry WV, Charles Town, or Martinsburg WV. It is starting to boom. I live in rural Harpers Ferry. I drive to work in VA. You can get a really good salary in Virginia, You and your husband should not have a problem finding a job here. As an accountant, you should be able to find a job where you could work from home. New restaurants are going up now in Harpers Ferry. There is lots of new buildings going on. A new high school is being built and they just finished a new Middle School.

Just my 2 cents...

[wvbound]

just what is a dropoff? I have never been on a road with those.

[farmerkd]

Originally Posted by citygrl707

Hi i will be moving to wv in late january i was wondering in anyone could tell me where is a good place to live? I have small kids so the schools and the neighborhood has to be good. I Need a area with jobs i currently work in accounting in chicago. My parents live in bluefield wv and i spent alot of time there as a child we moved to chicago when i was 7 or eight. I was researching hunnington, beckley, or bluefeild. Its seems bluefield doesnt have a lot of jobs. I am looking to rent a house and i want to find a nice decent neighborhood to raise my kids. Thank you for your answer

Let me suggest Morgantown, you will be about 4 hours from Bluefield, but northern WV is the best part of WV. You will however find, high insurance, and pricey housing. The schools in Monongalia Country are the best. The crime is low, traffic is bad due to poor city planning, however has improved over the last few years. Lots of development in Morgantown compared to any place in WV. WOULD not suggest southern WV.

[wvbound1]

Can anyone tell me something about the Fairmont/Bridgeport area? I'm moving down as soon as my house sells in Pittsburgh. I need a place close to Clarksburg. Schools are important. Activities for a 15 year old who is not too happy about moving.

I don't understand the tax structure there. We have enormous property taxes that pay for schools here in PA, but I can't get a handle on how much property taxes are in West Virginia. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by wvbound1

Can anyone tell me something about the Fairmont/Bridgeport area? I'm moving down as soon as my house sells in Pittsburgh. I need a place close to Clarksburg. Schools are important. Activities for a 15 year old who is not too happy about moving.

I don't understand the tax structure there. We have enormous property taxes that pay for schools here in PA, but I can't get a handle on how much property taxes are in West Virginia. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

To understand West Virginia's tax system, you must first understand West Virginia's government structure.
WV has a large centralized government based in Charleston, thus it's economic issues throughout it's statehood.

Income Taxes are 4-6.5% tiered. Over 60K gross will give the 6.5% income tax.

Sales tax is 6% across the board. In PA you do not pay sales on food and clothing so this will be an additional cost to you.

Car Tax and Personal Property tax. You will pay a personal property tax on your vehicle depending upon county. West By God (I am a native and expatriot) Virginia has a tendenancy to tax anything that moves. Some counties will tax your dog and even your darn trees when you buy them at the nursery. If you have a very nice car (Mercedes) you could pay upwards to $700 per year for tags and fees. Average is a couple hundred as with many Southern States.

Real Estate Taxes: From PA, expect about a 30% decrease from your current bill for the same house.

When I speak of the state government in WV, you will see the difference from the independent PA township style. West Virginia is the only remaining state in which all tax money is divvied up by the good ole boys in C'ton.
The gov is Manchin. The son of the past Sec of State A.James Manchin
Your State Senator is ole Bobby Byrd. The ex-Klansman who has been holding the realm of pork barrel power since 1954. Sen Rockefeller, now senator was past governor. In the past you had Jennings Randolph, etc. Where am I going with this. Well, as you see WV politicians usually hold the positions of power not only for life, but seem to hand it down to their kids as they move on, thus no change in policy since June 20, 1863.

WV does have it's issues and will remain in the past times until it goes through some vital transformation. However, it is a beautiful state, full of polite downhome, no bs, folk, Martinsburg/Charlestown excluded.

Hope this answers some questions

If you feel this was helpful click below

[wp3]

I grew up in Bridgeport, and moved to "the city" (Washington DC) as soon as I could. So yes, there is that sense of wanting to get away. BUT, now that I have young children, I am wanting to go back.

Try the north central area in general, Bridgeport in specific. It has growngrownGROWN thanks to Sen. Byrd over the past few years. Plenty of jobs, and even beaucoup federal opps., too. And not relatively speaking, the schools in Bridgeport are apparently hard to beat. Every year, a few grads from Bport go to colleges such as Stanford, Cornell and the Naval Academy.

Bluefield is about 1 hour/1.5 hours from there.

[chelmeg27]

your best bet would be Charleston if you want to be in the southern part of the state or Morgantown if you want to be in the northern part of the state.

Richard

[sealtick]

I would suggest checking into Williamstown, WV. Williamstown is a town just outside Parkersburg and across the river from Marietta, Ohio. Next to I77 and approx 1 1/2 hr from Charleston WV. A couple hrs from Columbus, Ohio. Your personality comes into the factor of relocating, and Williamstown sits in the middle of many opportunities. The town is excellent for school acedemics and more of a down-home atmosphere, but not quite what you would call the back wood WV. Matter as a fact the town is all out a CLASS ACT! Set aside from being a football town, there exist a stress free lifestyle. A town curfew which gives way to little to none crime rate. I just love it! One stop light. Drive across the river and you have your college town. Go into Parkersburg, just minutes away, and you have the choice of all modern stores and an indoor mall. The town has too much to say in just a simple note. Although I didn't find a home in the town of Williamstown at the time I was relocating back here to raise my family, I purchased a home just outside Parkersburg and Williamstown, and I have the option of choice to drive to single A or double A school, and I chose Williamstown, ( Wood County Schools have an open school policy )for I wouldn't have life for me or my family no other way. It has been the best!! P.S. My family didn't choose the football route, but all the same, Did I mention that the high school opts out to WVUP ( A branch of WVU,Morgantown ). Check it out! I can give more info......Too much to say. Williamstown also scored an all over average the highest in the state last year in test scores. Is that not an incentive?

[Frank1938]

Although I have been gone from W.Va for a long time, I was born in Charleston & raised about 30 miles south of there. I go back yearly.
I also lived in Chicago (near Wrigley Field) & worked for CTA
I have never missed Chicago but still think W.Va as home & is a fine place to live but know the employment situation is not good
I would suspect the Charleston area would offer more chances of finding a job. The eastern panhandle (near D C) is pretty much high dollar housing.
I did read that West Virginia has the lowest crime rate in the nation for the 24th year in a row....Maybe they just take care of their problems & don't report it to the police !!!!
Maybe they are a bit clannish as the other poster noted, but most are nice people.
If I could, I would move back tomorrow

[WV bad ass]

Originally Posted by htlong

cubmom,
there you go again,...is everyone in w.va a hillbillie because you dont like there ways of life? most are obese and smoke in public......very critical cub mom oh and what a disgrace atv on public roads call the cops!

hey, man...there ain't nothin' wrong with hillbillys or (atv's) 4-whellers on the road but it is ilegal your only aloud to drive 'em o unpainted roads & when you do git on a painted road its to git to another back road. we ain't all fat ether, we don't all smoke (i don't & most my friends don't) ok, so mabe ya otta come meet us befer ya judge us! thank ya.

christina!