Opinions please (Martinsburg, Man, Jefferson: real estate, houses, movies)

[isis297]

We have some friends who are moving to an area of Martinsburg that is between the northwest point of the city and Hedgesville. They have spoke so fondly of the area (they aren't there yet but will be relocating there from MD) that we felt we should check it out. We drove out this past weekend and while it is a beautiful area, I felt like I was in the middle of no where. I love small towns but I felt very removed.

Is this a feeling that normally goes away? What I mean is, have any of you felt like that but moved there anyhow and now can't imagine if you had let your initial feelings stand in your way?

The houses were beautiful. The prices were amazing. I just felt lost I guess once outside the developments.

What do your children think of the area? Are they happy being there or do they talk about not being able to wait to move away...something I have seen mentioned here on this forum in the past?

Please don't get me wrong. I definitely see why many call the area "God's country". I just have a ton of concerns about making it "home" mostly about my children's happiness (don't want them counting down til they turn 18, sports, swimming), medical (my children and my mom have asthma and heart conditions respectively and I've already heard all about City Hospital :|), etc.

Do you see a lot of influx of people moving there from MD and DC?

I would really appreciate your feedback.

[RD35]

Berkeley County is by no means in the middle of no where. Martinsburg is about 15 minutes to Hagerstown, 20 minutes to Winchester, 45 minutes to Frederick, and 90 minutes to DC/Baltimore. The county now has over 102,000 residents and is the 75th fastest growing county in the nation, growing approx 35% in the last 9 years. This increase is caused by the influx of residents from MD, DC, VA.

I am guessing the area you are referring to is the Ridge Road or Dry Run Road area. Devlopments in that area are Federal Hill, Harlan Run, Apple Knoll, Mountain Crest, Laurel Ridge, etc. All of which are in the Hedgesville School district and about 10 mintutes from amenities. Lot sizes tend to be larger in the Hedgesville area and prices are really great right now. The only part of Berkeley County I would consider remote is in the Gerrardstown/Shanghai area and maybe around The Woods Resort.

Some others may chime in on heathcare, but from what I hear City Hospital has greatly improved since joining WV University. There is also highly rated hospital less than 30 minutes away in Winchester.

For the children you may want to check out the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Park and Rec website ( Homepage ) for information on summer camps, pools, and youth leagues.

I dont think young people are eager to leave after they graduate. There are a lot of job opportunities in Martinsburg: Mainly government jobs such as the VA Center, Air Guard, ATF, FBI, IRS, USCG OSC, USCG NMC just minutes from town. Many do take jobs outside of the area, but still live here. I am 25 years old and I built a house in Martinsburg and found a good job with only a 15 minute commute.

I'm a little biased, but all in all I don't think it gets any better than this area. We have historic areas right in our backyard, outdoor activities, affordable living, and the city only a short drive away.

[clintsullivan]

I'll second RD35 on all the points.

I guess it will depend on perception and what you are looking for.

There are areas within the Hedgesville zip which do take a longer drive to get to retail, commercial, hospitals, etc. because of the small low speed roads. The Hedgesville zip stretches from north of Rt 9 in Hedgesville proper to Rt. 45 in Glengary (Gerrardstown/Shanghai areas as RD noted.) That is a very large area. The locations to the South & West do feel more rural & secluded.

I live in Jefferson County, to the East of Berkeley, and I think Jefferson has less of a hustle & bustle feel, lower population, less land area too, and a little less time to the DC suburbs. It really depends on what specifically you are looking for.
No matter where you live a large amount of the kids will want to leave after they graduate if for nothing else than to get away from their parents. But in my experience many will be moving back once they realize that their home town wasn't much different than everywhere else.

I'm a real estate appraiser and have lived here for 30+ years so feel free to pm me for area specifics, etc. if you do get serious about the area. You can also contact the chamber of commerce in Berkeley or Jefferson for new resident information packets.

[Janipoo]

We moved from Anne Arundel County, MD 2 years ago. Even though I wanted so much to move here it did take an adjustment. I was used to everything next door to me. We looked all over the area and settled in Falling Waters.

I can't say anything bad about the schools, they are way better than were we came from. My daughter attends Hedgesville High and my son is getting ready to attend Spring Mills Jr. My son has had a speech and reading problem and the old school just kept getting him further away with all their so-called problems but within the first year attending Potomac Int. his reading has greatly improved.

I do most of my shopping in Hagerstown but there is a lot of building going on in Martinsburg.

As far as City Hospital, I had heard all the talk about it too and I have recently got to experience it myself and would say that to be true. I went into the emergency room with severe pain in my neck and arm and they sent me home saying it was a pulled muscle, 2 days later when I lost use of my arm I went to a doctor and with MRI's found out that I have severe disc disease and I am scheduled for surgery.

If you need anymore questions answered don't hesitate to ask.

Oh I should also say that you will find the nicest people in the area, especially coming from Maryland.

[isis297]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I guess I had just hoped the area was going to be more like the small towns I have lived in where you still passed a grocery store, post office, library, pizza places, etc. right there. Even now in upstate NY I have to drive 15 to 20 minutes to get to department stores, malls, movies, etc. but don't want to have to add the others to that list. Those are things I absolutely want down the street. Did I just miss them?

Also City Hospital is a huge concern for me. While I know patients can be transported elsewhere, the time that ticks by until that happens may be time my mom doesn't have. She has a heart condition and has already been on life support three times in the past 10 years twice given less than 10% chance of making it through the night. Happily she is still here and I owe the doctors and hospitals in MD for that.

It's funny, most of the people I went to school with went to college in MD happily and even though many moved at some point or another for jobs, all but about four have moved back to MD they missed it so.

Does anyone have any insight on how badly GM leaving is/will affect(ing) the area? That is another concern of mine...

[isis297]

BTW, Janipoo, I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and hope you have a speedy and complete recovery!! So glad your doctor found out what was wrong!!

[Janipoo]

Originally Posted by isis297

BTW, Janipoo, I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and hope you have a speedy and complete recovery!! So glad your doctor found out what was wrong!!

Thanks.

Also I must say I have not missed MD at all even though my whole family lives there still.

[RD35]

We have the pizza places, department stores, malls, movies, etc. all within 10-20 minutes or less. The area you probably came in (I'm guessing I-81 to Exit 16W towards Hegesville) isn't quite as commercialized. Most of the conveniences are in the middle of the county. On the north and south ends of Martinsburg you will see all of the beloved fast food chains and big box stores. If you were coming from Maryland and went towards Hedgesville chances are you didn't really see any of Martinsburg.

Regarding City Hospital, I have a few relatives that were treated there and received excellent treatment. As Janipoo mentioned the ER leaves quite a bit to be desired, it is just too over crowded. Here is an article about the upcoming City Hospital ER expansion:

Hospital expansion project is approved - journal-news.net | News, sports, jobs, community information for Martinsburg - The Journal

According to the article they serve 45,000 patients a year currently in the ER, after the expansion they can handle 60,000 to 65,000 per year. So I imagine that would definitely make things better.

Regarding GM: General Motors has such a small presence in Martinsburg that it would not be a total loss now if they left. Back in the day the facility along I 81 had over 1,000 jobs. Now GM operates out of a much smaller facility near Quad Graphics and employees 120-150 I believe. As far as I know GM has no plans to shut down that plant.

The Major Employers of Berkeley County are:

Berkeley County Schools: 2,014 Employees
VA Center: 1,583 Employees
WV Air National Guard: 1,300 Employees
City Hospital: 1,017 Employees
IRS: 900 Employees
Quad Graphics: 850 Employees
United States Coast Guard: Approx 800 Employees
RESA: 416 Employees
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms: 400 Employees
Orgill, Inc. 330 Employees

[Janipoo]

Originally Posted by RD35

We have the pizza places, department stores, malls, movies, etc. all within 10-20 minutes or less. The area you probably came in (I'm guessing I-81 to Exit 16W towards Hegesville) isn't quite as commercialized. Most of the conveniences are in the middle of the county. On the north and south ends of Martinsburg you will see all of the beloved fast food chains and big box stores. If you were coming from Maryland and went towards Hedgesville chances are you didn't really see any of Martinsburg.

Regarding City Hospital, I have a few relatives that were treated there and received excellent treatment. As Janipoo mentioned the ER leaves quite a bit to be desired, it is just too over crowded. Here is an article about the upcoming City Hospital ER expansion:

Hospital expansion project is approved - journal-news.net | News, sports, jobs, community information for Martinsburg - The Journal

According to the article they serve 45,000 patients a year currently in the ER, after the expansion they can handle 60,000 to 65,000 per year. So I imagine that would definitely make things better.

Regarding GM: General Motors has such a small presence in Martinsburg that it would not be a total loss now if they left. Back in the day the facility along I 81 had over 1,000 jobs. Now GM operates out of a much smaller facility near Quad Graphics and employees 120-150 I believe. As far as I know GM has no plans to shut down that plant.

The Major Employers of Berkeley County are:

Berkeley County Schools: 2,014 Employees
VA Center: 1,583 Employees
WV Air National Guard: 1,300 Employees
City Hospital: 1,017 Employees
IRS: 900 Employees
Quad Graphics: 850 Employees
United States Coast Guard: Approx 800 Employees
RESA: 416 Employees
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms: 400 Employees
Orgill, Inc. 330 Employees

I will add my 2 cents to the GM factory, there is a rumor that it will be shut down but no official word (and we all know how that goes). My husband is a trucker shipping Chrylser parts to and from Detroit so I would take what he is hearing more of Gospel. He is working out of Williamsport, MD and they do get parts from that plant. As RD35 has said I don't think it will have much impact on the area.

As far as City Hospital, I went there a Holiday weekend and no one was even in there. I couldn't get into anywhere else because of the holiday. I don't even think a doctor seen me, I think it was all nurses. I had about 3 people come in and ask me the same questions and left.