People in West Virginia (Bridgeport, Elkins: fit in, for sale, real estate)

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by PBennear

I'm from the eastern panhandle and for the record Georgia doesn't know what the heck they're talking about.

'

Howdy P,

Hate to say, but I do.
See I am also from the Eastern Panhandle. Born/Raised in Martinsburg.

Now, are you talking about Martinsburg past or Martinsburg/Charlestown present?????

[wvrose]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Food and Cookies. Yepper, Remember Aunt Bea was a West Virginia Girl

Hi Georgia,
Enjoyed your cute comment.
My son and I used to visit a lot of folks in WV to bring them encouraging news and talk about their interests. And I tell 'ya', We were forced literally to stay for lunch or snack. It was pleasant for sure! I still remember those dear folks. They have a permanent place in my heart.
During harvest time they always want to give you some of there garden treasures. Can't wait to get home.
wvrose

[4x4x4]

Hi there Georgia. Hope you got my reply on the wv winter forum. We West Virginians are a special breed. Most of WV is territory. So over here in the panhandle, when you look out of your window, you see one or two houses. You know who your neighbor is. You know there name, what they do for a living, you know there children's names, and you know that if ever you need anything, they will be right there for you. With the WV jokes aside, your neighbor is your family. People will wave alot. That wave is an extended invitation that is welcoming you to the family of man.

[daffyd]

As a native West Virginian who has lived in various parts of the Eastern USA, I will attest that West Virginians, taken as a group, are some of the friendliest people anywhere. I lived in Columbus, Ohio, for 3 years; there is a definite malicious prejudice against people from Appalachia in some parts of the Midwest, particularly Ohio and southern Michigan...I lived in central Florida for 23 years, not an unfriendly place, but not especially friendly, either (there are not enough native Floridians to rally much anti-non Floridian sentiment - plus the fact that folks born in Miami are different culturally from native Kissimmeeans from Panhandle folks). For all that, I have never encountered as basically hostile a group as exists in Georgia (we live in a rural area near a small town about 50 miles south of Atlanta)...Southern hospitality IS fake (no surprise), and the local folks seem to harbor a hostility that borders on downright hatred.
I made lifelong friends among Ohioans and Floridians (natives and others), but the only Georgians I have met who have been at all welcoming (disregarding the "Southern Hospitality" crap) are all Black, somewhat surprising since for all intents and purposes I am a white guy.
It is such a pleasure to visit W.Va. (I would be happy to live there, but my wife and I are both in the medical profession - W.Va. has one ot the highest rates of litigation in the country - we can't afford the insurance nor the stress of repeated involvement in lawsuits); the people are for the most part genuinely nice...there is little of the suspicion or guardedness so prevalent here. The folks here in "the South" could use some lessons from my fellow Mountaineers in the true practice of hospitality.

[rcnkat]

hi I am a native Floridian visiting your site and I wish some of you
W. Virginians would come down to Florida and show some of these people
who have moved in some southern hospitality....I wave and say hello and
I gotta tell ya---some people just look at me like I am from a different
planet.....if everyone was a little nicer in this world....we would
all get along a little easier each and every day.....
I did see a catchy bumper sticker the other day-- all it said was
"just be nice" I think we should all give it a try....especially some people
in Florida...

[tiny21366]

Hi.I live in Des Plaines,Il .I think it's just here.The people done home are all friendly.I have some neighbors who are nice .I go to Mi quite often to see my kids people there are nicer than people here.

[justlaf]

Hi,West Virginian born and breed here and there is no where else like it in the US.....lots of nice places around the US......I have been to ever state except Montana, Washington, and Vermont.....and believe me West Virginia rates way up there in the down home friendlness, pull up a seat and take your shoes off kind of people.....that's not to say that there aren't some irratating people here i'm sure if you look hard enough you can find them , but for the most part West Virginia people are very friendly and helpful, , most would give ya the shirt off their back if they found you in need.......Mathew McConaughey sure seems to like it in Huntington......The movie is made but he just keeps comin back!

[LivingLarge]

I have lived everywhere from Texas to outside of Washington, D.C. and can honestly say that West Virginians are some of the nicest and thoughtful people in this country. However, if you move into the far eastern panhandle, you will find that you are not really living among West Virginians most of the time. The population that has spilled over from Maryland is harming the reputation of West Virginians in this area. I find Maryland folks to be some of the most ignorant and inhospitable in the nation, and they are flooding this area. West Virginians in this area are also becoming less and less hospitable to outsiders, and understandably. I know of one man who was playing the Northern Virginia "push and shove" traffic game with a West Virginia man in this area when he got a dose of West Virginia hospitality toward these types. Apparently, the West Virginia guy was following too closely, and the Northern Virginia fellow decided to show him and "brake test." When he did, the West Virginia fellow hit his gas and bumped that Volvo with his Chevy. So, the unknowledgable and likely foolish NOVAte did it again. And once again the Mountaineer hit him. So the NOVAte got even smarter and decided to pull over and "chew him out." Undoubtedly expecting to see a turtlenecked government tootie-whiner get out so he could enjoy some enraged banter. Instead, the Mountaineer got out and laughed at him while he burned up. Then this NOVAte decided to punch a window out of his own car in a rage and threaten the Mountaineer. Yes, I said punch a window out of his own car. So, the Mountaineer felt threatened and said to his wife, who was in his truck, "bring me my gun, I'm going to shoot this XXXX." Who do you think the local, WV, police would have blamed this on?? After he heard those words, the NOVAte calmed down and got back in his now damaged vehicle and drove back to wherever. The incident illustrates that yes, West Virginians can be nice, but they also have a short tollerance for those with no manners.

[LivingLarge]

I have lived in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. West Virginians are some of the most authentic and genuine people in this country. However, the eastern panhandle is becoming populated with Marylanders and Northern Virginians, who are some of the least tolerable people probably in any country. Many people who come to this area get their impression of West Virginians from these people, though in all likelihood you are dealing with one of these other types in any given encounter.

[Griffis]

Some of this talk reminds me of the people back in Wyoming. Very friendly, open, independent and laid back folks. But I mean to tell you, they have a LOW tolerance for BS. You can't get away with flicking them attitude or trying to start crap on 'em. They are live and let live people, but they won't put up with crime, gang crap and gfeneral *****holism.