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Ive been sort of monitoring this thread since Silk started it, since I was the guy touting Morgantown over Charleston, but I just wanted to add something that I feel, IMO of course, is wrong in the last post. Ive been to concernts in the Municipal audotorium and civic center. The Creative Arts Center and The Coliseum are far better. In fact, I saw the same act, Ron White, at the CAC and the Municipal Auditorium. The CAC performance was much better. Also, the Coliseum is nice as well. In Morgantown, in September alone, I have seen the Fray, Akon, Kellie Pickler, Third Eye Blind and Girl Talk. Thats not even factoring in the acts that come to Pittsburgh.
Are you honestly going to make the argument that the CAC and the Coliseum are better venues than the Clay Center, Culture Center, Civic Center, Municipal Auditorium, etc?That is certainly your opinion and you are entitled to it but let me just say you are the first person I have ever heard say that...with the exception of CT.
Morgantown has 28,000 college students so of course every now and then they are going to get a few shows that Charleston or even Huntington doesn't get. Hell they've even had shows there that haven't come to the DC area on the same tour. I hope you aren't going to try and tell me that the cultural offerings are better in Motown than here. The Fray always does several shows every year at various college campuses and WVU happened to be on their list this year...along with Carthage College, Arkansas State, University of Rhode Island, Penn State, and the University of Illinois.
And again just to reiterate.. Morgantown is not Pittsburgh. Neither is Wheeling. Neither is Weirton. Just like Martinsburg is not DC.
Believe me I'm not claiming Charleston blows Morgantown out of the water on everything but it is simply illogical to make the claim that because the Fray, Akon (which was for FallFest), Kellie Pickler (also FallFest), and Third Eye Blind (yep..also FallFest) came to town that the cultural offerings are superior. Do you honestly think if Morgantown didn't have a major university there that those acts would even consider?
For a city of Charleston's size the Clay Center does get some decent Broadway shows and musical choices. The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is based in Charleston and they always put on a nice show. Friends of Old Time Music and Dance is housed at the Culture Center and they always bring in nice acts ranging from Celtic to Appalachian to African steel drum bands. I've even come home from the DC area to see some of their shows. Let's not forget Mountain Stage which is based out of Charleston although yes they DID do one show in Morgantown recently. I don't think Morgantown has a major arts festival like FestivALL in Charleston either during the summer...because the town loses half of its population.
The offerings in Huntington that Tbailey posted aren't anything to scoff at either. I remember when I was younger the Big Sandy Superstore Arena getting concerts that nobody else in the state got as well.
Last edited by NOVAmtneer82; 10-15-2009 at 06:58 AM..
Dom... all one has to do is walk around the two towns (Morgantown and Charleston) in the evening to see the difference. Charleston largely dies at nightime but Morgantown is bustling. The barometer as to what is more desireable can be read by where people want to be... and Morgantown is clearly the answer. I'm not saying that as anything negative toward Charleston, but the era of manufacturing prosperity in this country is past and the better paying jobs associated with those activities are on the wane. You do still find "assembly" plant jobs to some degree, but those don't really replace the losses due to the elitists dual quest of cheap labor and bogus environmental ripoffs of our middle class.
Charleston's staple of state government employment is significant, and it does help offset some of the losses in better paying sectors affording a stability not found in most towns. But, they are STATE government jobs in a state that is kept poor by stupid politics as usual and internal bickering and jealousy. Political pork barreling will insure an inefficient allocation of already scarce resources and keep the general tax base artificially low. Those jobs for the most part provide a subsistence level existence.
There are actually not many towns in West Virginia that can compete with Charleston due to the state government stability. However, the topic of this thread is a comparison between Charleston and one of the only towns that can not only surpass it for stability but exceed it for potential. Morgantown's academic based employment pays on average better wages... college faculty and researchers are very highly paid by West Virginia standards, and the medical personnel at the major teaching/research hospitals associated with The University make very good salaries. In addition, the related industrial production at Mylan is not only going great guns... it is expanding.
In addition, the government jobs in the Morgantown region (many workers from the Morgantown area) are mostly Federal jobs that pay much higher wages than those in Charleston. There are more than 1,000 workers in Morgantown area Federal prisons, not to mention the Federal jobs in nearby Fairmont and Clarksburg.
The University is in growth mode in nearly every facit, even with the Nation's and State's economic downturn. That is not to say the area has not lost jobs because of the downturn... it has. What it says is that in spite of those losses it has gained far more jobs than it has lost.
Everyone likes their hometown. I can't tell you how much it hurt to see the gradual decline of the once proud and prosperous City of Wheeling... which as recently as the 70s was the State's primary economic engine. It is now less than half of what it was once. The whole Northern Panhandle is a big ghost town. And, I can understand those who stand by their Kanawha County, wanting to believe in it's continued prosperity and greatness. But, folks, Charleston ain't what it used to be and indications are it will be even less than it currently is in the coming years. There aren't enough horses in state government to stem the outward flow, and artificially expanding the borders just to keep demographics will not alter the downward trend in reality.
And, as to cultural events and opportunities... come on. Do you really believe the Clay Center can match the University City in those areas. It isn't even close.
There are 100 places to eat and dozens of art galleries in Morgantown.
In comparison, Charleston boasts the annual Chile tasting contest and a Regata, along with some of the same shows and acts you can find in Morgantown. And, Charleston is nowhere close to a large city.
You are right that improving the infrastructure will be a major challenge. Taking down most of the buildings on the river side of Beechurst and expanding that road would help. They can also make 705 four lanes all the way to Mileground, and use lighted arrows to control traffic flow during peak traffic areas there. Don Knotts can be expanded all the way to the I60 connector with relatively little difficulty. And new highway construction in the West Run area is essential with a connection to US19. We're actually in pretty good shape in the Star City area.
Again I'm not saying Charleston is perfect, obviously the employment situation in my field wasn't good enough (IMO) to justify me staying there. But then again it wasn't in Morgantown either.
I get that you really like Morgantown and there is nothing wrong with that but sometimes you accuse other people of distorting facts and then do the same thing. I went to school in Morgantown for four years and go back to visit often..I have NEVER seen "dozens" of art galleries in Morgantown. And downtown Morgantown is bustling at night because hordes of drunk college students (I was one of them, believe me) stumble out of dorms and walk a few blocks to the many dive bars up and down High Street. Most of those same bars don't even stay open during the summer. Charleston isn't exactly a nightlife mecca but at least it has plenty of decent places like Bar 101, the Vault, Sams, Blue Parrot, Vandalia, Impulse, etc to keep people there satisfied. And 80 percent of their patrons aren't under the age of 21 either.
And yes Charleston had a CHILI (not Chile the country) cookoff but as tbailey mentioned earlier you were touting a biker rally in Morgantown. I think I know which one I would chose and it certainly wouldn't be the latter.
I am really shocked also for someone that has lived in the NYC area that you think traffic in Morgantown is that bad. You must live VERY far away from the city because as someone used to the constantly gridlocked state of DC area roadways I just don't see it. Why should Charleston plow tons of money on roads for a place that only has "bad traffic" during the school year. I-64 between Charleston and Huntington is just as congested if not worse than anything in Morgantown for comparison.
I'm not even going to go into the state worker argument because it makes no sense. Yes there are plenty of lowly paid state employees but there are also plenty of very high salaries (relative to the area at least) at the Capitol complex. I don't see how someone working at a federal prison is anymore worthy of recognition than someone who works in the Department of Highways, or the DMV, or the DEP, etc. They are all state and federal agencies.
NOVA- I wasnt saying they are better. But I believe that someone said that Morgantown didnt have anything like the Municipal Auditorium or the Civic Center. I was just pointing out that they were there. Since they are WVU related, I thought people might not have thought of them. I dont know which is better, honestly, there is no way to probably determine. All Im saying is I saw the same act in both places and the CAC was better. I honestly thought the Municipal Auditorium was awful. Thes seats were old and there was no leg room. The acoustics were not that good either from what I remember.
I know that Morgantown isnt Pittsburgh, but when the issue is where is a better place to live, I dont think you can look at in a vacuum. Pittsburgh is an hour away from Morgantown and that plays a factor. Major sporting events, an International Airport and great concerts are just an hour away from Morgantown. An hour away from Charleston is . . . Beckley? Parkersburg?
MSA: Morgantown, WV Best places ranking: #7 among small metro areas Population: 118,506
Morgantown has the convenience of a city with the appeal of a small town. West Virginia University, which is Monongalia County's largest employer, generates much of the city's business activity. WVU's Business Incubator nurtures startups, and the university also provides clientele and an educated workforce.
Major retailers and restaurant chains have made inroads into Morgantown in the past five years. Still, local business owners say Morgantown remains a small, supportive community. The one thing Morgantown lacks is a major airport. However, the city is not far from Pittsburgh, which lies 75 miles north, and Washington, D.C., is only a few hours' drive away. Local perks include abundant outdoor leisure activities, including white water rafting and hiking.
Again I'm not saying Charleston is perfect, obviously the employment situation in my field wasn't good enough (IMO) to justify me staying there. But then again it wasn't in Morgantown either.
I get that you really like Morgantown and there is nothing wrong with that but sometimes you accuse other people of distorting facts and then do the same thing. I went to school in Morgantown for four years and go back to visit often..I have NEVER seen "dozens" of art galleries in Morgantown. And downtown Morgantown is bustling at night because hordes of drunk college students (I was one of them, believe me) stumble out of dorms and walk a few blocks to the many dive bars up and down High Street. Most of those same bars don't even stay open during the summer. Charleston isn't exactly a nightlife mecca but at least it has plenty of decent places like Bar 101, the Vault, Sams, Blue Parrot, Vandalia, Impulse, etc to keep people there satisfied. And 80 percent of their patrons aren't under the age of 21 either.
And yes Charleston had a CHILI (not Chile the country) cookoff but as tbailey mentioned earlier you were touting a biker rally in Morgantown. I think I know which one I would chose and it certainly wouldn't be the latter.
I am really shocked also for someone that has lived in the NYC area that you think traffic in Morgantown is that bad. You must live VERY far away from the city because as someone used to the constantly gridlocked state of DC area roadways I just don't see it. Why should Charleston plow tons of money on roads for a place that only has "bad traffic" during the school year. I-64 between Charleston and Huntington is just as congested if not worse than anything in Morgantown for comparison.
I'm not even going to go into the state worker argument because it makes no sense. Yes there are plenty of lowly paid state employees but there are also plenty of very high salaries (relative to the area at least) at the Capitol complex. I don't see how someone working at a federal prison is anymore worthy of recognition than someone who works in the Department of Highways, or the DMV, or the DEP, etc. They are all state and federal agencies.
I worked for 16 years for the State of WV. Believe me, there aren't very many high salaries on that payroll. I also worked for the State of NY for more than a decade. Only the very highest paid employees in WV make what ordinary workers make in NY State. WV public salaries are available on the web if you care to check them out. You are correct that the NYC traffic is far worse, but we are talking in relative terms here. This thread is comparing West Virginia towns, all of which are small towns. For a small town, Morgantown's traffic is horrific and it is mostly the State's fault. It is state numbered highways that are inadequately maintained.
You're right, I got a bit carried away when I said "dozens" of art galleries. I really hadn't stopped to count them. There are a number of art galleries in town. Here are some of them...
They are building a new, multi million dollar art gallery at The University in the coming year. I realize that Charleston, Huntington, and Wheeling get some decent acts, but overall Morgantown gets better ones and yes, it has to do with the 29,000 students who live there too. No doubt about that. And, nothing against the Big Sandy or the Civic Center, but the Coliseum is larger and better except as Bailey will point out, they won't allow tractor pull events there.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 10-15-2009 at 09:10 PM..
I was asked to compare and contrast two things in a short essay, for my English 101 class, so what two things would I perfer to compare and contrast than Moragntown and Charleston!
I hope you all enjoy, and please note that I'm not the best essay writer, so just take the information and not the "English aspect" of the paper!---LOL Thanks!
Also note that this post isn't in essay form due to errors with the editing box!
West Virginia is not well known for its cities. In fact, The Mountain State might be known for its lack of cities. There are only a couple towns in the state that could even be considered cities. The other day I was walking in downtown Charleston, the state’s largest and capital city, and I was gazing at the unique facades of the buildings. I then thought about how there could not possibly be any cities in West Virginia that could match up to the luster of Charleston. After a few minutes of thinking it over, I decided to compare and contrast two of West Virginia’s most notable cities, Charleston and Morgantown. Being the largest city in West Virginia and its capital city, I have decided to give Charleston the right to be discussed first.
Charleston was built on its industrial strength, and its talented workforce. The city is nestled down in the hills along the beautiful and mighty Kanawha River. It was once known for its big factories and railroad monopoly, but now is a white collar business sector with a large percentage of the jobs being for the government. The industry is still there, but not in the numbers it once was. The city is not known for being an exciting place, and normally the town closes up shop after ten o’clock. With that being said, that does not mean that the town is dead or even depressing. Most of the action happens during the lunch hours of the work week, and on the weekends. A popular place in Charleston is the modern and appealing Town Center, located right in downtown. This mall offers every store imaginable and then some. Another popular place is the Capital Market. This urban cultural center offers great tenants like a wine shop, fish market, signature candy store, organic grocery store, coffee shop, and even a fancy Italian restaurant named Soho’s. Not to forget the dozens of produce vendors and a meat market. Charleston also has a very elaborate downtown with brick sidewalks that line beautiful store fronts and glass office towers. Some of the best restaurants and specialty shops in the state can be found in this urban environment. Two other downtown amenities that are worth mentioning are the Clay Center for Science and Arts, and Appalachian Power Park which is home to the Power, a minor league baseball team.
The city of Charleston would be nothing if not for its beautiful architecture and tree lined neighborhoods. Almost all of the cities neighborhoods are unique and appealing to both residents and visitors. The beautiful mansions of South Hills, Kanawha City, and the East End offer so much flavor to the town and its history that it would be disrespectful to not acknowledge them. Only the marvelous brick office buildings and the state capitol building itself are more impressive.
With every thing I have mentioned, I should also point out Charleston’s weakest points. There has been a slow, but steady, decline in population for some time; this is mostly because the absence of industrial jobs. Charleston has also seen in the past few years an increase in crime within the cities neighborhoods. The city ranks among the highest in the state.
I could go on about the negatives, but I would not have the time to mention all of the positives that already outweigh the negatives. Charleston is home to the largest, and one of the leading school systems in the state. It ranks among the best in the nation in applying technology in the class room. Charleston is also home to a variety of private schools that are also among the best. Another asset to the city is the convenience of two quality Universities, The University of Charleston and West Virginia State. Both have a rich tradition in education and are currently seeing a pattern of growth.
Although I love Charleston and all it has to offer, I cannot successfully compare and contrast one city. It is actually impossible to do such a thing. So now I introduce my second city, Morgantown; home to West Virginia’s largest and most distinguished University, WVU. It has held the title as our nation’s best small city several times and will probably do so again in the near future. There is a thirty thousand student, land grant institution that drives prosperity in this mountain oasis. With the largest percentage of young people in the state, Morgantown has been seen as a cosmopolitan town with a party atmosphere. High Street in downtown is nationally recognized as a nightlife Mecca. There is numerous clubs and restaurants opened during the night in Morgantown which has lead to WVU being ranked in the top ten for partying for the past one thousand years. In fact, the Princeton Review has placed WVU in the number one position many times in this category.
A person cannot go to Morgantown and think that it is all about partying, because that certainly is not true. There is a top of the line University that offers activities for both students and residents to engage in that cannot be found anywhere else in the state. One of these events is college football. I realize that WVU is not the only college in West Virginia, in fact not even the only division one college, but nothing else compares to the sights and sounds of a football game offered in Morgantown. With a stadium that holds over sixty thousand, and a winning football program like WVU, Morgantown becomes the largest city in the mountain state on game days.
Some of Morgantown’s negatives are actually positives; one is the use of space. Morgantown is so cramped from its recent growth, that it has simply out grown its streets and buildings. Traffic can be terrible during the school year and sometimes the traffic leads to accidents. Buildings have been built on tough terrain such as hillsides because the land has been used up for the most part. Another negative is the violence that comes along with a large university. Morgantown has been known for its excessive victory celebrations that can eventually lead to fires and riots. Although these problems seem unhealthy, they can be solved.
Getting back on track with the cities positives, Morgantown is close to loads of outdoor recreation and adventure. Located along the Monongahela River, and close by to Cheat Lake, the college kids can easily escape a hard week of studying to a relaxing natural setting. Also near by is the beautiful observation point of Coopers Rock. Along with the countless recreation Morgantown also offers a variety of services and amenities that are unique to college life and young living.
In many ways Charleston and Morgantown are completely different. One is a family oriented, business center that plays host to a relaxed population. While the other is a thriving college town, that has outgrown its home and is full of excitement and adventure. Both cities have in common the passion that all West Virginians bring with them, and both offer a culture that is strictly unique to its borders. Analyzing these two wonderful cities has been quite an experience, but has helped me to choose my favorite. My heart will always remain in Charleston, but Morgantown is close in second.
Last edited by Chriscross309; 11-16-2010 at 05:26 PM..
It's interesting that you resurected this thread after all this time. That's a nice theme, and for a Charlestonian, you were pretty objective. Obviously, I disagree with some of your conclusions (I believe that Morgantown is actually the State's largest city most of the year, when school is in session with 30,000 students and 32,000 residents sharing the same space), but can not disagree with your observations about what goes on in both towns.
It's interesting that you resurected this thread after all this time. That's a nice theme, and for a Charlestonian, you were pretty objective. Obviously, I disagree with some of your conclusions (I believe that Morgantown is actually the State's largest city most of the year, when school is in session with 30,000 students and 32,000 residents sharing the same space), but can not disagree with your observations about what goes on in both towns.
If I were grading your paper, I'd give you an A.
Thank You CT
but about city population--- you might be right, but Morgantown doesn't have towns like S. Charleston, Dunbar, St. Albans, and Cross Lanes to make it a larger city metro instead of city proper.
but about city population--- you might be right, but Morgantown doesn't have towns like S. Charleston, Dunbar, St. Albans, and Cross Lanes to make it a larger city metro instead of city proper.
That's true, if you go strictly by "metro" designations, which I contend are arbitrary and misleading. Instead of St. Albans, Morgantown has Fairmont (15 minutes to the South), Clarksburg (30 minutes to the South), Uniontown (25 minutes to the Northeast), Waynesburg (20 minutes to the North), as well as Westover and the growing community of Granville to the West and Northwest). And, being in the proximity of Pittsburgh certainly does influence the character of the town as well. So there are various ways of looking at it.
You can't simply choose city limits, metro designations, and regional characteristics to suit your argument on a whim. Personally, I think the bottom line is the two towns serve different "missions" if you will. In terms of "people" they are probably similar in number day in and day out. In terms of "character" they are quite different.
There are no large cities in the region for Charleston, so that town is the focal point for functions that associate with the gathering place for administrative activities. Depending on your point of view, it is either a seat of Government or a cesspool of politicians and lawyers. Morgantown does not serve that function since Pittsburgh is closeby. It is a University town, and values that character and the fact that it is distinguished from the towns of a more purely administrative nature.
Charleston is also a town with a diminishing heavy industry character. Morgantown does have a history with industry, but it was of a lighter character (glass and faucet manufacturing as opposed to chemicals). Industry was a much bigger part of the Charleston character than it was in college town Morgantown. Since industry is disappearing in general, that has negatively impacted Charleston to a much greater degree than it has Morgantown. Mining interests are well represented to this day in both towns.
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