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I have an opportunity to take a job in Huntington, WV. However, my family and I plan to live on the east part of Kentucky.
I spoke with some co-workers and they seem to hint to me there are racial tensions there.
I'm Filipino (Asian), I'm married with 2 young kids so safety is a priority for me. I'm doing my research but you all would be a great resource as you live or have lived or have a great deal of experience with the area (KY, OH, WV).
Like I mentioned I'd be working in Huntington but will probably end up living 45mins away in either KY (first choice) or OH (second choice).
Any feedback as to the overall environment towards minorities and any issues that I may have to deal with in the KY/WV area. Thoughts?
I have an opportunity to take a job in Huntington, WV. However, my family and I plan to live on the east part of Kentucky.
I spoke with some co-workers and they seem to hint to me there are racial tensions there.
I'm Filipino (Asian), I'm married with 2 young kids so safety is a priority for me. I'm doing my research but you all would be a great resource as you live or have lived or have a great deal of experience with the area (KY, OH, WV).
Like I mentioned I'd be working in Huntington but will probably end up living 45mins away in either KY (first choice) or OH (second choice).
Any feedback as to the overall environment towards minorities and any issues that I may have to deal with in the KY/WV area. Thoughts?
To be honest though going across state borders isnt going to change much. Things dont magically change when you cross an invisible line. Parts of Kentucky around Southern WV are perhaps even worse off in crime than WV. Same thing with Ohio. The areas of Ohio and Kentucky around Huntington WV are very rural areas far from any real urban cosmopolitan areas. The attitude is pretty much the same.
Personally I think you would probably be fine, but I do find the numbers disturbing. To Huntington posters I am not trying to stir anything up here. I am sorry to have to point this out but he was asking an important question that really could effect his life and I think that statistic is pretty relevant to that and it would be wrong to withhold it. I urge you all to add input you have from personally living there.
I have lived in Huntington my entire life, with the exception of recently, and I have never heard of any racial tensions. That is probably just the WV stereotype rearing its ugly head. In fact, Huntington is more diverse than its relative surrounding areas of Kentucky and Ohio.
I would choose Ohio over Kentucky around here. Proctorville OH is very nice and a great community. Huntington itself has more than its fair share of nice neighborhoods as well. The community in Huntington is also very accepting of outsiders of any kind.
Huntington is most likely not what u think it is. If you want information on neighborhoods in or around Huntington, I can provide that as well. The best, in my opinion, are in Ohio and in/around Huntington.
I too actually live in Huntington and back up what PynballWyzyrd says. Huntington is a great place to live and thanks to the presence of Marshall University, there is a decent amount if diversity here. The university is also currently attempting to double or even triple its current international student population so that will add to it even more. Because of this, Huntington is much more diverse than the surrounding areas in KY and OH. As an aside, my brother went to school here with a guy who was Filipino and he is actually still a dentist here. Another guy who is half Filipino and was a couple years ahead of me in school lives just around the corner as well. Neither of them have ever talked about any problems.
If I may ask, was there a specific reason for choosing Ohio and Kentucky over West Virginia as a place to live? Working in Huntington myself, the convenience of living here is so nice in being able to walk to work and walk or bike to many of the places in town. This also gives you closer and easier access to parks, shopping and entertainment as well.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
The reason why I did not want to live in WV was because of the Home school and Vaccination laws which are super strict. Our kids are home schooled and we do not vaccinate our children (whole different topic). From what I understand if you do not vaccinate your kids in WV the state can take your children away from you. Not sure about the home school laws but my wife said they were strict as well as far as reporting purposes and the state possibly taking your kids away for whatever reason (I personally don't know but my wife does).
So that's my only reason and I'm thankful at least Huntington is on the border of KY/OH so I do have an option. Thank you again all for the feedback, so areas around KY/OH that would be good family places to live would be much appreciated.
Ah, ok. That makes more sense and I totally understand. Over in Kentucky, the closest places to Huntington to look would be Ashland, Catlettsburg and Canonsburg. Ashland is the largest (has its own mall) but Catlettsburg is just across the river from Kenova, WV and a very short trip to Ashland or I-64 to Huntington. A bit farther away you have Grayson, KY and it has some nice outdoor recreation areas like Grayson Lake, etc but it might be a little far away for you.
For Ohio, this wil put you closer to Huntington itself. You have Proctorville, Chesapeake and Southpoint all right across the river from Huntington. Ironton is a little farther up the road but is the largest of the towns over there. These towns are all smaller though and would require you to come over into Huntington or Ashland for just about anything like shopping, parks, good restaurants, etc. The one advantage Ohio has is that it does give quick access to both KY and WV.
I can't really comment too much on these places because I've only passed through them and not spent too much time. I won't pretend to be an expert based on that limited info but I may be able to answer some of your questions.
One last thing, it seems that some if the laws in WV may be changing. According to this advocacy site, you can now submit a form in WV for medical exemption regarding childhood vaccinations. Here's a link to that and some others if you wish to look into WV further.
The reason why I did not want to live in WV was because of the Home school and Vaccination laws which are super strict. Our kids are home schooled and we do not vaccinate our children (whole different topic). From what I understand if you do not vaccinate your kids in WV the state can take your children away from you. Not sure about the home school laws but my wife said they were strict as well as far as reporting purposes and the state possibly taking your kids away for whatever reason (I personally don't know but my wife does).
So that's my only reason and I'm thankful at least Huntington is on the border of KY/OH so I do have an option. Thank you again all for the feedback, so areas around KY/OH that would be good family places to live would be much appreciated.
Ah, ok. That makes more sense and I totally understand. Over in Kentucky, the closest places to Huntington to look would be Ashland, Catlettsburg and Canonsburg. Ashland is the largest (has its own mall) but Catlettsburg is just across the river from Kenova, WV and a very short trip to Ashland or I-64 to Huntington. A bit farther away you have Grayson, KY and it has some nice outdoor recreation areas like Grayson Lake, etc but it might be a little far away for you.
For Ohio, this wil put you closer to Huntington itself. You have Proctorville, Chesapeake and Southpoint all right across the river from Huntington. Ironton is a little farther up the road but is the largest of the towns over there. These towns are all smaller though and would require you to come over into Huntington or Ashland for just about anything like shopping, parks, good restaurants, etc. The one advantage Ohio has is that it does give quick access to both KY and WV.
I can't really comment too much on these places because I've only passed through them and not spent too much time. I won't pretend to be an expert based on that limited info but I may be able to answer some of your questions.
One last thing, it seems that some if the laws in WV may be changing. According to this advocacy site, you can now submit a form in WV for medical exemption regarding childhood vaccinations. Here's a link to that and some others if you wish to look into WV further.
Thanks! we'll keep an eye on it and that definitely open the doors for additional options.
Does that USMC in your name mean you are a marine.
WVians respect military, especially Marines, regardless of their race.
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