Huntington Area - PROS/CONS - neighboring town info. (Charleston: best city, low crime)

[foofoobunny]

Can I get some opinions on the pros and cons of the Huntington area?

What nearby towns would be a good place to raise a family - we don't need to be in Huntington?

What are the upper middle class areas?

[creemarie]

I have lived in Huntington for just over 3 years and I think it is a fantastic city to live in. It's a great city to raise a family in, and from what I've seen, the school systems are excellent. In my opinion, it's propbably the best city in WV. Huntington offers something for just about everyone. Here are some links to check out some of the area's attractions:

City of Huntington, West Virginia
The Greater Huntington Community Web Portal
Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Pullman Square - Restaurants Shopping Entertainment
Under Construction

Downtown Huntington had suffered from neglect for many years, but is currently undergoing an extensive revitalization and is thirving once again. The new development, Pullman Square, has helped spur a lot of this growth in addtion to some new community interest and involvement.

A lot of people complain of "high" crime in Huntington. True, there is crime in the area and there are bad sections of town, this is something that you will encounter no matter where you reside, though. I have always felt very safe in Huntington.

The biggest downfall in Huntington would have to be the negative attitude of a lot of the residents (mostly older people, I hate to say). They tend to complain a lot about things and want to see changes for the better, but yet refuse to do anything to make those changes. In addition, once things start to improve, then they start to complain about that, too. It's just a catch-22 and can be very frustrating at times. But the situation is improving as more people from out of town move here and offer a new perspective and often have a new found love for Huntington and see its potential. (and I'm one of those people!)

The upper middle class neighborhoods in Huntington are Southside (near Ritter Park), South Hills/Park Hills (near the museum), and Stamford Park.

Barboursville is a small village about 10-15 minutes from downtown that you might be interested in. This is also where the mall is located. The school systems here are also ranked very high. Some of the upper middle class areas in Barboursville include Deer Creek and Timberlake. A little further from Barboursville, you might be interested in Regal Oaks and Esquire sub-divisions, about 20-25 minutes from downtown.

There are plenty of sub-divisions in the area to choose from, it just depends on what you are looking for and where you want to live.

Hope this anwers your questions!

[foofoobunny]

Thank you very much - very informative!!

[SteelersFan09]

Milton always seemed to have some terrific looking houses/areas , but I'm not sure if you consider that part of the huntington area or not.

[foofoobunny]

how far is Milton from Huntington?

[KimberRN]

Creemarie..... I started working at Cabell-Huntington Hospital this summer........I worked at CAMC in Charleston......So I've worked in both cities.....

I think every city and town in WV is great because we have great people....but what has me concerned in the drug train into Huntington from Detroit with the drug runners referring to it as Moneyton.....I see the effects of it from working in the hospital.... What I'm wondering is why isn't law enforment and city officials doing more to combat this problem..... I hate to see Huntington go down the tubes by Detroit outsiders.....

I think considering cities in other states that Huntington overall has a low crime rate but people around here say it's high because they are not used to the new problem that's arrived and they're seeing more crime than ever related to drugs......

[tbailey1138]

Milton is indeed part of the Huntington area and it is about 20 minutes away from Huntington. Milton does have several nice sub-divisions and is also an area to look at if you want the option of more land with your house. Milton is also the home of world renowned Blenko Glass and hosts the Cabell County Fair and the WV Pumpkin Festival. Most of your shopping and work needs will be in Barboursville and Huntington though so be prepared for a little bit of a drive to get to what you need/want.

Drugs are something that unfortunately seem to be affecting nearly all of WV, from the bigger cities to the most rural areas. A lot of the drugs come through Charleston since it has 3 interstates which converge right in Charleston and it's somewhat centrally located as well. Many will come to Charleston and Huntington from the more rural areas due to the hospitals and higher number of pharmacies and people. Huntington seems to be making some ground in the war on drugs with the new chief of police as he was involved with the drug task force in Charlotte prior to coming here. They are also in the process of developing a new treatment center that is based on a different model of having the people actually stay at the facility with others going through the same thing for added support and accountability.

As KimberRN stated though, I still feel that Huntington has relatively low crime and as Creemarie mentioned, I have never felt unsafe at any time when downtown. I feel that Huntington offers a great sense of community and has plenty of opportunity to offer it's residents as well. The city also offers a lot in terms of entertainment from concerts, broadway shows, comedians, art venues, local festivals, shopping, Marshall University events and more. Here are a few other links that might give you an idea of what Huntington has to offer. Let me know if there is any other way that I can help.
Tim

Marshall Artists Series
Modern Photo Album | Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. (http://www.keithalbeearts.org/node/133 - broken link)
Welcome To Your Huntington Funny Bone
Big Sandy Superstore Arena - Huntington, WV

[GottaHerdOn]

My only con about Huntington is cops... They seem to be everywhere, which I suppose could be a good thing. However, they seem to either just sit around at the gas stations or fast food places or else are picking on people, and no I"m not talking about the drunken idiots wandering around causing problems getting picked on. I also realize that Speedway and Taco Bell hire them to sit there to bring down the chances of a robbery, but it just makes me feel like I'm in a communist state and martial law has been declared..ha ha Too much of police presence can come off in a bad way is all I'm saying.