People in West Virginia (Martinsburg, Bluefield: to live, move to, beach)

[Robhu]

You can drive down a narrow road in W.va and get waves from folks sitting on porches or coming the other way in cars. If you break down you won't need a cell phone to get assistance. Probably the first person who comes by will stop and ask if you need help.
Doesn't matter where you are from or what license plate you have on your car.
Good paying jobs can be scarce and the quality of modern living isn't what some would find comfortable in some areas.
But the people are great.
I don't live in W.va, but I have visited there many times over my 61 years because I have relatives there.
It is a beautiful state and the people haven't forgot what is really important.
They haven't lost the ability to be nice to their fellow man no matter what their own circumstances may be.
I could be happy to retire there and get out of the me-me-me rat race.

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by citybilly

As far as Mich. folks looking down on Ohioans, it reminds me of the song by Kris Kristofferson, " Everybody needs somebody to look down on".
Mich. people joke about Ohioans and also Hoosiers, who in turn make jokes about Kentuckians. Ohio and WV seem to have issues. In Ca.they joke about Mexicans, not realizing that Mexicans make fun of Americans, too, while smiling and acting so sincerely gracious. Maybe Rodney King had it right. Can't we all just get along?

LMAO you should hear canadians pickin on newfoundlanders- they call them "newfies". english mock the 'frogs', french mock the 'limeys', and when I was in russia, they have horrible sentiments toward the chinese.

As for rodney, he went back to jail twice for domestic abuse.

I guess peeps need a scapegoat, but that's all about them, right?

Here's a bit of attitude from NY I'll donate to the cause.
"Just because you're mad that you don't know, doesn't magically make me ignorant. It only means you're staying ignorant. Have a nice day!"
(shuts em up quick)

[Sir Barton]

The world has a lot of problems right now. Terrorism, Iraq war, illegal immigration, and in addition, people have to worry about paying bills, getting to work on time and many other things. It's understandable that people aren't that friendly now. How about you try smiling at them? I guarantee most would smile back, too.

[David Kennedy]

A great first step would be to destroy all clocks and calendars....reckon time by Day or Night...Spring, Winter, Summer and Fall...let it go like that for a generation or two and see what shakes out..

[kfreeman5]

I moved to Martinsburg, WV from a beach community down south and I think people are the same just about anywhere you go - some are friendly - some are not. The major problem I have had with Martinsburg is talking with customer service employees over the phone. When you call a business (not all but many) or somewhere like the school board for information they speak to you like you have four heads. Also I've noticed at the food lion by the post office - I can't get the people who work there to make eye contact with me - even when I'm asking them a question. What's up with that?

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by David Kennedy

A great first step would be to destroy all clocks and calendars....reckon time by Day or Night...Spring, Winter, Summer and Fall...let it go like that for a generation or two and see what shakes out..

That was the best medicine for me. It took me 2 months of wilderness camping in the blue ridge to get used to being human again. Insomnia went away, every minute of my time wasn't accounted for in a productivity report, and my shoulders magically separated from my ears.
I was amazed how different life could be when you only had to answer to the sky.

[David Kennedy]

Harborlady: That was a great account of your re-awakening to life...we should all be so lucky to have that same experience...we are worth it...that's what Canada is for...wolve's howling in the evening bring back the primitive primal urges we have been taught to forget.
We are men and women.

[Lone Star Rebel]

I agree. I think just about every place you go today you will have friendly folks and some not so friendly. I choose to avoid the not so friendly. I remember WV back in the 70's and everyone was so kind & helpful. For the most part, that has not changed much. This is what I am looking forward to when I relocate to WV. Times are changing for many reasons all over the world but very little in WV. Some would say this is a good thing & some would say it's a bad thing.

I like WV, always have and I am really looking forward to returning. It can't come soon enough for me. Yeah, the taxes thing scares me a bit but... If I broke it all down here in west Texas; I'm sure it all comes out the same in the end. The big difference for me is the beauty of the people & the land that is bringing me back to WWWV!

Go Mountaineers!!!

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by Lone Star Rebel

I agree. I think just about every place you go today you will have friendly folks and some not so friendly. I choose to avoid the not so friendly. I remember WV back in the 70's and everyone was so kind & helpful. For the most part, that has not changed much. This is what I am looking forward to when I relocate to WV. Times are changing for many reasons all over the world but very little in WV. Some would say this is a good thing & some would say it's a bad thing.

I like WV, always have and I am really looking forward to returning. It can't come soon enough for me. Yeah, the taxes thing scares me a bit but... If I broke it all down here in west Texas; I'm sure it all comes out the same in the end. The big difference for me is the beauty of the people & the land that is bringing me back to WWWV!

Go Mountaineers!!!

When it all comes down to dust, nowhere in this country can you avoid taxation so long as people want government programs to raise their collective standard of living. The problem with this mentality is that to deliver to all citizens with economy in mind, it will never live up to maid service standards they thought they were getting.

Any program you want costs something, so the honest way of proposing a new program is to tell each citizen how much it will cost them directly. I think if there were more transparency about the reasons for a local govt investing in this or that- get people more involved in the process of decision making- they'd see what a thankless job it is balancing the books. State comptrollers are like the mean ole mommy who wont buy me a lolipop at the checkout line. rofl

The less you expect out of government, the less it taxes. The less you have, the less they can take. The more you have, the more energy it takes to manage it. I prefer the K.I.S.S. system better (keep it simple, stupid)

[LadyLinda]

Originally Posted by hotrod8

I am also looking into moving to WV in a couple of months and agree with you that no one knows how to be neighborally anymore. Jobs are a lot harder to find but at this time Im willing to take a paycut. Good luck
Scott

BTW, were YOU friendly while you were there? No one can resist a smile and a hello.
If you do not want a pay cut, you might have to drive 1/2 hr or an hr. But a beautiful ride that will be! Redbud and forsythia along the road, pink and white dogwood peeks out saying Spring Will Soon Be Here! You can smelll teh smoke from wood-burning stoves drifting low to the ground (indication of rain) or rising above the tree tops ( no rain.LOL). Find a car pool easy enough, because many go out of town or state to work.
I hope you try WV. You will never want to leave.