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I have been reading through these forums and they are spectacular! I really appreciate everyone's honesty!!
My name is Lisa. I am 28 year-old female. My fiancee is Mike, he's 29 and wants to become an ironworker. We have a son who is 6 years old. We want to leave expensive, overcrowded California for the East Coast. We want to start over.
I am a Type 1 Diabetic on an insulin pump. I take very good care of myself. Does anyone know if there are good hospitals in Parkersburg? How far is the nearest emergency room?
I also do not do well in humidity, due to health reasons. Does anyone know where is the least humid place to live in the state (or within 50 miles of Parkersburg)?
We don't mind the snow =o)
The reason we are picked Parkersburg is because of the local 787 Ironworkers union. So we need to move somewhere as close to the union and in the middle of all the ironworker jobs as possible.
Are the public schools good for Mike Jr?
The public schools in California are AWFUL! I went to private school for this reason.
We are an active young family, social, and like to be involved in church and town activities! We also have a dog and a cat.
ANY information on weather, best neighborhood to live in, schools, medical care, and ironworker jobs would be wonderful!
Hey Lisa,
I think Parkersburg is a pretty family friendly place.The area is big on high school sports and the schools seem to be pretty decent. Plenty of churches around the area too.
Parkersburg has 2 hospitals right in town St.Jpsephs and Camden-Clark.
As far as humidity we can get some in the Summer but it isn't really too bad compared to other areas like Virginia. We've been getting some snow this Winter but not as much as they've been getting in DC Also the Winters have a lot of cold cloudy grey days.
Looks like the union is on 13th St in Pkb, that would be Jefferson Elementary District.
We just moved here last summer, I did a ton of school research for my daughter before deciding where to live.
Jefferson would not be a school I would choose for my child. I base this on GreatSchool.net's rating of 2 out of a possible 10, on the WesTest scores available on the WV State Board of Education website (JE is much lower than other local elementaries) and on the word of mouth from realtors, other parents, substitute and student teachers in the county. All of them told me that I'd be happier putting my daughter somewhere else.
If you MUST live next to the union, then there are 2 private school options that are both excellent. Parkersburg Catholic and North Christian School.
If you can live further afield, then Blennerhasset E (which goes to South Parkersburg HS) is excellent and South Parkersburgh home costs are a lot lower than other areas - It's really not that far away though.
Also in an outlying area, Waverly Elementary is great, it goes to Williamstown HS, and although it is tiny, in a tiny tiny community, it has great test scores and a great feel.
I chose to live in Vienna, which is a 10-15 minute drive to downtown Parkersburg. I narrowed it down to Greenmont/Vienna/Neale/Emerson Elementary schools. All of them are excellent I think. Greenmont is in McMansion territory and is very nice. Vienna/Neale/Emerson are all nice, safe, warm community schools, with good test scores. I think home prices in this district are slightly inflated because of the school district - but the prices are nothing compared to California prices I'm sure.
When I was looking for a home here, before we moved I used Vienna Realtors website to do property searches. (I'm not plugging for them, in fact I was not crazy about the realtor/owner who showed us a house) but anyway, you can search the mls by elementary school, it's a great way to get a feel for the neighborhoods.
The valley isn't the absolutely best place in the world if you are not big on humidity. It is a very good place for what you say you are looking for though. I will also note that the bad stagnant days don't last long.
You can live anywhere in the area and be no more than a 15 minute drive to the Union. As noted there are two hospitals that while not world class they are more than capable of handling your needs. Don't take that wrong. Both are very nice for the vast majority of needs.
Any complaints you have with the schools will most likely be minor.
If you are looking to avoid humidity, look somewhere else. It is hot and humid through several months of the summer as Parkersburg is right on the banks of the Ohio River. I think those who have said that it is not too bad have just gotten used to it. Humidity RULES the summer months.
student teacher ratio for kindergarten here is 1:17 but because of a small overload they have 1:23 in our school. that's for a teacher plus a full time aide. it increases a little as the kids get older.
my biggest complaints with this area are:
1. the area is the hard hard water!! eww, can't drink it - but once we buy a house we'll put in a water softener and it will be better.
2. no Target! I really miss Target. I don't know why one hasn't come here - the nearest one is probably 2 hours away!! I mean, we have a lot of the other big box stores, just not that particular one.
The humidity in Parkersburg is nowhere near as bad as it is in Central Va. We do have some hot and humid days here but not as many as when I lived in Va.
Also I know one of the ironworkers at that union.He's a welder and has a hard time finding work in the area at times and has to go out of town.
I agree a Target would be nice for this area but no such luck yet.
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