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I've read a lot of threads in this forum and to tell you the truth, it's scary. Evidently there are no solid neighborhoods that are safe and secure. Everyone describes them as mixed, i.e. good houses next to crappy houses. Schools are bad, etc. Can I raise my middle school and high school kids there? I can spend ~$400K on a house..but where? Are there traditional type neighborhoods? Pool, tennis?
Sounds like 'the lady had a bad experience when our legislature was in session...'girls work that town like the old railroad hotel days when the states business is being done...and yes...Our public servants 'slopping at the 'Public Trough are white collar with law degrees but most do lack education and travel...they are mostly from the same mafia family and cannot be helped to find respectable work.
We are trying to change these things but they have the money at this time and Obama is sending them more with the gangster stimulus.
Sometimes I wonder, if we are going to make casino's the big draw, that we don't add prostitution to it like it should be..
Nevada and Colorado still have it on the books and it would clean up an additional revenue source for their eastern casino market.
Not as offensive as Pot possession and a minor mis-demeanor in the court system...I'll bet the voters would give it the ok...they did gambling...bought into it all.
Sorry for 'your friends experience..nothing like being held at gunpoint..most of that is done in the rural areas by land owners or pot farmers.
I know several good cops..they have a difficult time..and Wv per se? It's not for everybody..for sure.
BTW, the Library this poster is speaking of is located on Capitol Street! Capitol Street of all places. It's full of lawfirms, high end shops and restaraunts. Sure there are some weirdo's hanging out in front of the library at times, usually street performers, or some drifters, but i've never seen a gang there before. Gangs usually don't hang around prominant business folk, which and 90% of the pedestrians in that area during the day. If your hanging around Capitol Street at night then that's your own fault. It turns into more of a bar crowd, and that's well known.
There is a lot of hot air on this forum so don't put too much thought into it. Charleston isn't a bad place to raise a family (I grew up there but now live in the DC area) as long as you can secure decent employment. This can sometimes be a challenge in West Virginia but it seems like you might already have a job lined up.
I suppose the exact location for you in the Charleston area would depend on the type of things you desire in a community. Sissonville keeps getting mentioned when people ask about the area but as someone who grew up in Charleston I cannot understand why. It is a very rural area that isn't really convenient to town and the schools are mediocre at best. Same with the Elkview and Clendenin areas north of town. You have a budget of 400K..don't move out to the boonies. Go to the South Hills section of Charleston where you will find nice housing, great schools, and an easy five minute trip downtown. There tends to be somewhat of a snooty atmosphere in that part of town but not everyone is like that. Kanawha City in the eastern portion of Charleston is nice as well although you will find a lot of families in this part of town send their children to the out of district George Washington High School (in South Hills) or Charleston Catholic as opposed to Capital High School.
There is a lot of hot air on this forum so don't put too much thought into it. Charleston isn't a bad place to raise a family (I grew up there but now live in the DC area) as long as you can secure decent employment. This can sometimes be a challenge in West Virginia but it seems like you might already have a job lined up.
I suppose the exact location for you in the Charleston area would depend on the type of things you desire in a community. Sissonville keeps getting mentioned when people ask about the area but as someone who grew up in Charleston I cannot understand why. It is a very rural area that isn't really convenient to town and the schools are mediocre at best. Same with the Elkview and Clendenin areas north of town. You have a budget of 400K..don't move out to the boonies. Go to the South Hills section of Charleston where you will find nice housing, great schools, and an easy five minute trip downtown. There tends to be somewhat of a snooty atmosphere in that part of town but not everyone is like that. Kanawha City in the eastern portion of Charleston is nice as well although you will find a lot of families in this part of town send their children to the out of district George Washington High School (in South Hills) or Charleston Catholic as opposed to Capital High School.
Thanks for the information. What high school serves the South Hills area of Charleston? Also, are there good malls around?
No problem. George Washington High School serves South Hills. The middle school is John Adams and elementary schools are Holz, Overbrook, and Kenna. Southridge Center is about 5-10 minutes south along Rt. 119 (known locally as Corridor G). It has your basics like Wal-Mart, Sams, Lowes, Target, Kohls, Dicks Sporting Goods, movie theater, etc. Lots of chain restaurants out that way as well. The main mall in the area is Charleston Town Center and as the name implies is right in downtown Charleston about 5 minutes from the majority of South Hills neighborhoods. There is also an area called Bridge Road Shops right in the heart of South Hillls. It is somewhat of a small neighborhood village district with a few upscale stores and restaurants.
I agree with NOVA in that South Hills would be an advantageous place to live. Whereas I feel bad for the poster who had a bad experience in WV (if it is indeed true), but that is a rarity as far as I am concerned. If you have $400,000 to spend on housing, you should have absolutely no trouble finding a rather nice upper-middle class home in a safe Charleston neighborhood. Whereas I can see why some would direct you to rural areas located in close proximity to Charleston, I am not sure that I would agree. To be honest, it depends on the individual...What would you prefer and what suits your tastes more? Just as with other "cities," there tends to be more crime in the city, but as I said, you will have no problem finding a very safe neighborhood at your price point. GWHS has a very good reputation (and I am from another part of the State and have no bias) and the homes are quite lovely. Please let us know if you have more specific questions. Also, I strongly encourage you to actually visit the area, as I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I'm a big fan of Kanawha City (and not just because I live there!). It is the stereotype for a traditional neighborhood. It has some beautiful neighborhoods that are lined with these really tall oak trees. Lots of people like to jog/walk their dog/walk with neighbors up and down them. There is an indoor tennis court somewhere in Kanawha City, but I don't know about a pool. It's just a few minutes to the mall, there's a Kroger's in Kanawha City, a Lowe's, several drug stores, resturants, etc, so some days you may not even need to leave the neighborhood. Like someone else said, there's a Target, Walmart, etc, down Corridor G, but traffic can be pretty rough.
If you like homes "with personality" (aka older homes) that have smaller yards, the East End by the Capitol building has some gems. A lot of the area is pre-1950s, but have been kept in mint condition, and it shows. It's also a very safe place for a family, and like Kanawha City has really nice streets for jogging. There's also a trail next to river in front of the Capitol building that is really nice. Since it's right across the river from Kanawha City, you're also a short trip across the bridge for Kroger's, etc.
South Hills is VERY nice. My only concern with South Hills are the roads in winter can get snowy/icy. And there are really hills and some sharp turns in South Hills. So if you're not used to snowy/icy roads, that might not be the best choice.
Charleston does have a lot to offer a family. There's a pretty decent minor league baseball team that has a lot of events on top of the games, there's the Clay Center which not only have a fantastic musuem but also offers nationally-known musicians, musicals, etc. Mountain Stage is a radio show on NPR that usually has a packed house for a variety of genres, and it's recorded on the Capitol grounds. There's Festiv-ALL, which is a weeklong (actually slightly longer) street festival in the summer that has just all sorts of stuff to do, there's other cultural events as well.
Thanks for all the great information. Y'all are making me feel better already!
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