Areas Outside of Charleston - Malden, WV (Beckley, Martinsburg: sale, real estate market)

[sudokumaniac]

I see a home listed in Malden, WV, that I'm interested in. It is on Dry Branch Road. I am wondering what locals think of that area, what they can tell me about it, and should I be concerned about the roads in the wintertime?

Is there a lot of snow? Are the roads plowed and easily traveled? Would this be a difficult commute from this location to Charleston everyday if I needed to get to and from work?

Please tell me about anything else that you think I should know.

I appreciate your input. Thank you very much.

[harborlady]

I'm not sure where malden is relative to charleston, but I had similar questions when I was deciding to move here. I found this site handy, and you can compare areas throughout as well. charleston and huntington seem to have a microclimate of their own, and I think malden might fall outside those microclimates the same way st albans does (which is in the middle of the two cities). The link below includes many handy statistics, not just snowfall.

google growing zones for usda, you'll see a funny colored map that shows you how frosty things can get (giving you an idea of what you can grow= what the lowest temps will be).

Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, house prices, home value estimator, recent sales, maps, race, income, photos, education, crime, weather, houses, and more

[vec101]

Malden is about 15 miles from downtown Charleston. From Chas head toward Beckley on I-64/I-77. It's between Marmet and Belle (ok, maybe you haven't heard of those either but driving down I-64 you may have noticed Walker Machinery's Cat plant in Belle - it's big).

Looked on the map to see eactly how far away it is and discovered there is also a South Malden which is even closer to Chas (Marmet and a couple other towns lie between it and Malden - hmm, go figure). South Malden is just right outside Kanawha City which people generally consider as Charleston. There is a Dry Branch Drive there.

Is the house in Malden on Dry Branch Road or in South Malden on Dry Branch Drive? (I don't know where Dry Branch Road, Malden is). Either way, if you are not far from the Interstate, it's usually a breeze to Chas in the winter. However, we do have days that Mother Nature dumps right before rush hour and roads are nasty. It's just a part of living in the upper part of the US.

I know nothing about Malden or South Malden (Kanawha County). My impression is that both are older towns with older houses. Putnam county exploded in the last several years with new houses and new businesses, lots of people moving in, for many years ran neck -in-neck with Martinsburg area as fastest growing county in the state. My impression is that Malden is the exact opposite of that. Not sure what all is in the close area to Malden but there is a plaza with some stores in the general vacinity - but then again, both towns are a quick drive to Kanawha City and Chas.
I have no real knowledge - they may be charming little towns.

I never hear bad things, about crime, etc. (or anything actually) on the news about Malden so that is probably a good sign.

[atlantagreg30127]

When I was growing up back home, we actually lived right next to Malden in "Port Amherst". Back then at least Malden was a very sleepy and old community - what I guess you'd call a "bedroom community" to Charleston. My sister actually still lives in Port Amherst and the last time I asked her what the area was like she said, "same as it was when you lived here", if that answers anything.

As others have said, it's a short drive to other areas though that are more hoppin'.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Malden along with the entire Route 60 corridor is quite economically depressed. I would highy recommend living in Charleston proper or certain communities west of town along I-64, namely the Montrose area of South Charleston, Cross Lanes, or the Teays Valley area of Putnam County.

[harborlady]

mtneer when I was staying down that way- over by belle- I noticed there was one side of the tracks, and then the other side. If you were north/east of the tracks it wasn't far off from what gregs sister was saying. If you were south/west of those tracks nearby the water, coal/industrial plants dotted the river, along with older construction homes. Blanket statements just don't apply to WV because there are neighborhood pockets of all varieties everywhere. Even in south charleston and teays valley. The difference being the age of construction and scope of tax liability. You can currently find, at fire sale prices, a 1.5 million home for $500k in foreclosure, but maint of a behemoth and taxes to match aren't for everyone.

As far as malden proper, I don't think I was in that town per se-- I was in a nearby nice town with a hot dog joint, but where is there a town without hot dogs??? lol I believe I had headed north from I64 exit 96 along rte 60, my map ended so I had no idea where I was. Seemed a bit gentrified for WV.

Vec- going by your directions, heading south from charleston exit 95 is kanawha city, and I was over by exit 94 (?next southern exit, but the #'s don't match up) at night scavenging for dinner- there seems to be some big complex of stores over there. Things close fairly early, but there was no grafitti or people hanging out being loud. I had no reason to be concerned about safety. I didn't go into the side neighborhoods to see anything, though.

Sudokuminac, about snow/roads- the interstate is the first thing to get plowed and in both incidents of winter driving I've had while scouting properties here myself, they were on the ball right away. State rtes (rte60 for malden) come next, then side roads. Depending on your proximity to interstate, or if you've got the ability to plow yourself, would determine that. I noticed a few living on rural acreage would buy a plow attachment for their deere tractors or trucks and rumor has it that it's a sideline biz in snow emergencies. Arrangements like these are made with handshakes, not formal contracts, best I can tell.
Volume of snow can be determined @ city-data.com statistics website. Sorry I can't tell you more specifics about dry branch road because I don't think I've been there.

WV is very strange in that you turn a corner and its an urban arrangement, turn another corner its rural. Some surprises are happy, others are not, and you won't know if it's right for you until you see it for yourself because these things are incredibly subjective. I was in same position shopping for a home from afar, and I found that next to impossible save for coming here and seeing first hand what I was walking into. A few WV natives presume my neighborhood in west charleston is horrible, when in fact, it's fine. I've accidentally fallen asleep with the front door wide open overnight- no problems whatsoever. My neighbors look out for me like a long lost daughter. North charleston and further west from where I am seem dicey at best.

If you've already got a job lined up in charleston, I suggest renting a while in charleston/kanawha city and taking your time to find your ideal home setting on your own timetable. If you're just curious about quality of life relative to another location, bring your camping gear, come for a vacation, and keep these smaller towns on your driving route to check them out directly. The season is in your favor, and so is the real estate market.
Good luck!

[NOVAmtneer82]

Harborlady, you are correct that blanket statements don't always apply to everything in west virginia, just like anywhere else. That being said, as someone who spent 22 years of my life in the Charleston area, I would NEVER recommend Malden or anywhere else along US 60 in the "upper valley" as a place to live. Charleston in my opinion isn't even large enough to warrant living outside the city. There are plenty of neighborhoods from semi urban to woodsy within city limits, those also come at all price range.

[kookamus]

if it's dry branch off of piedmont road FORGET IT!

[sudokumaniac]

Thank you to all who responded. I am going to heed your advice and consider other WV areas.