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We have been looking into areas in Kanawha County to relocate to, possibly in a year. I have looked at Clendenin, Elkview, Alum Creek, and Barboursville.
We would like to be within 5-10 miles of a small town (gas station, small grocery store, drug store, school. library, etc) We would also like to be within 45 minutes of Charleston. A hospital and pediatrician within a 15- 30 minute are also important.
We have 3 children, one in elementary, and 2 in middle school. All 3 are very good students, so I would like a good school system. Extracurricular activites, like 4H and soccer are important too.
My dream is to be able to sit in the yard and see mountains looming in the distance. We would like to be outside of the town a bit, to have some land, 2-5 acres. I would love to be able to have a horse. Right now we have dogs, cats, and chickens, so it would have to be some place that allows that,and in a city or suburb would not work.
Housing costs would be 80K or below. I don't mind doing rehab/restoration (we are still doing it on our 150 year old farmhouse),but would prefer not to have to if possible. (I'm really tired of removing crumbling concrete like plaster from the walls!) Again, we would like some acreage.
Employment; my husband is in retail, management or merchandising. There is a possibility he could transfer within the company he works for. Applying for some sort of state job is also a possibility. Right now I am employed part time as a school bus driver so I can be available when the kids are sick, etc (plus I love my summers off!). In my life BK (Before Kids) I was a social worker, and worked for our county, doing foster care casework and Child Protective. I have a BSW and most of an MPA (missing one class and thesis). If I want to go back to work full time I probably look for state or county employment. I also currently own and operate a pet sitting business (small) and would like to do that when we relocate as well.
As you can probably tell,we love animals. I currently work with a rescue based in NC (am on the board), coordinate transports, and foster dogs when needed. I would love to be able to foster and place more dogs when we move, and am looking at homes with some sort of outbuilding. We would also like to be somewhat near a body of water; lake, river, stream, etc.
(Please excuse typing errors, the space key is sticking). Any suggestions of good areas would be appreciated. We are planning a visit in April just to drive around, look at different areas, and to talk to people we meet. Any suggestions for fun things to do with the kids or things to see while there would be appreciated as well.
Whew, you are asking for a tough find. You need a realtor to help you out.
"Housing costs would be 80K or below." - especially with 2-5 acres, that is where your challenge will be, especially trying to get a house in that price range with small town with gas station, small grocery store, drug store, school. library, etc. and not in a suburban area.
Looking for everything you want AND a good school system -- hmmmm.
"5-10 miles of a small town (gas station, small grocery store, drug store, school. library, etc)" - I'm not so sure Elkview, Clendenin, and Alum Creek have all those. However, they are very close to Charleston. Alum Creek may fit your needs in a lot of ways.
See mountains - don't worry about that. You will see them just about everywhere in WV.
You may want to look in the Buffalo or Red House areas of Putnam County. I figure you would find places you like in Lincoln County but not so sure about the school system. Ditto for Boone County or Logan County.
I love the kitchen on the first house, so many cabinets! I love the yard and the square footage on the second. I'm not averse to a doublewide, although my hub is. I am also looking at foreclosures. 2 acres is fine, I guess I can live without the horse. The reason for living outside the small town is to have a bigger yard, and to be able to keep our 5 dogs. Yes, they are house dogs, but they do go outside for exercise. Plus, we usually have a large veggie garden, so I can freeze for winter. And, just room for the kids to play. My husband and I both grew up in the country, and want our kids to have that too.
A small library is fine, the library in the town nearest us is very small, but you can order books online from the library system. And, there are times when you need a loaf of bread or gallon of milk, and don't want to make a long trek to the major grocery store.
Can you find a house with 2 acres in a suburban area? Where we live in central NY, it's not that usual. The towns are small. (the pop. of the nearest town is 2035 in 2007), and most of the homes are on small lots. Once you get outside the town you find more land. And yes, the prices do increase, but usually on newer houses, the older ones that need work are priced less.
I have found several listings on the Old Colony site that I like, and am signed up to receive updates. It will all depend, I guess, on when we relocate, and what the employment situation is. If I return to work full time we will be able to afford more, but I will have less time to spend with my kids. I spent 6 years as a stay at home mom before I returned to work part time.
I love the kitchen on the first house, so many cabinets! I love the yard and the square footage on the second. I'm not averse to a doublewide, although my hub is. I am also looking at foreclosures. 2 acres is fine, I guess I can live without the horse. The reason for living outside the small town is to have a bigger yard, and to be able to keep our 5 dogs. Yes, they are house dogs, but they do go outside for exercise. Plus, we usually have a large veggie garden, so I can freeze for winter. And, just room for the kids to play. My husband and I both grew up in the country, and want our kids to have that too.
A small library is fine, the library in the town nearest us is very small, but you can order books online from the library system. And, there are times when you need a loaf of bread or gallon of milk, and don't want to make a long trek to the major grocery store.
Can you find a house with 2 acres in a suburban area? Where we live in central NY, it's not that usual. The towns are small. (the pop. of the nearest town is 2035 in 2007), and most of the homes are on small lots. Once you get outside the town you find more land. And yes, the prices do increase, but usually on newer houses, the older ones that need work are priced less.
I have found several listings on the Old Colony site that I like, and am signed up to receive updates. It will all depend, I guess, on when we relocate, and what the employment situation is. If I return to work full time we will be able to afford more, but I will have less time to spend with my kids. I spent 6 years as a stay at home mom before I returned to work part time.
Thank you for your comments and help.
I'm curious, ... why are you looking to go from Central NYS specifically to Kanawha?
Primarily because it is near the state capitol. I grew up within 30 minutes of Albany. It also seems like the employment opportunities would be best near the capitol. And, to be honest, I found a house I fell in love with on a realty site in Clendenin.
I also would like to be near the mountains. I am very open to other counties, and we plan to just drive around looking at different areas when we are there in April.
Again, any suggestions on fun/interesting places to take the kids when we are there would be appreciated too.
Primarily because it is near the state capitol. I grew up within 30 minutes of Albany. It also seems like the employment opportunities would be best near the capitol. And, to be honest, I found a house I fell in love with on a realty site in Clendenin.
I also would like to be near the mountains. I am very open to other counties, and we plan to just drive around looking at different areas when we are there in April.
Again, any suggestions on fun/interesting places to take the kids when we are there would be appreciated too.
Coincidentally, I am retired from both New York State and the State of West Virginia although I spent my NYS time in the Putnam-Westchester area. The kinds of work you are looking at in WV (CPS and Foster Care) are handled by a state agency rather than by a county as is the case in New York. I did that sort of work in WV myself. They generally have a need for people to do that work anywhere in the state in WV largely because they do not pay well. Otherwise, the nature of the work would be virtually identical to that which you are accustomed.
If you want to be near the mountains in Kanawha, you will need to get to the south or east of Charleston. The areas west of that town are mostly flatland/rolling hills.
You might also want to look at North Central WV (Morgantown to Clarksburg area) in that this region is similar in character to Upstate NY, and the region east of Morgantown is mountainous, much like the Adirondacks, and it is reasonably near a large city (Pittsburgh). Don't get me wrong, the Kanawha folks are very nice (I used to be married to one), but it would represent more of a cultural shift for you than North Central. In addition, if your husband is in retail, the Morgantown region is experiencing tremendous growth in that area and has job opportunities... a rarity in today's circumstances.
Real estate is expensive in Morgantown because everyone wants to be there, but check Kingwood and Terra Alta as well as Grafton and see if there is anything to your liking there. Just a suggestion.
II have found several listings on the Old Colony site that I like, and am signed up to receive updates. .
YW. Glad you have hookied up with the OC site - it is the BEST for looking for homes since it lists all the realtor listings, not just their own (although they have the majority of the listings in the area).
Things for kids to do in April - South Ridge Grand Prix
Electric Sky Theater (http://www.theclaycenter.org/events/electricskytheater/ - broken link)
Science Galleries (http://www.theclaycenter.org/events/science/default.aspx - broken link)
Also check out this post //www.city-data.com/forum/west-...what-must.html
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