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If you like the suburban setting of Cheat, you should check out developments on the Goshen Rd. It's far far far closer to Fairmont, equidistant to Morgantown as Cheat area, but very similar style of living arrangement as you'd find in developed housing neighborhoods.
If you like being able to walk to dinner, check out South Park (look at Garfield St area, near the high school - beautiful homes; Park St - nice, historic homes; or look further up the hill - just stay away from the Kingwood Ave neighborhood because it's mostly student housing - though it's easy to tell from the appearance of the houses what type of neighborhood you are in. Also, since your husband is working in Fairmont, check out the couple of nice neighborhoods in Westover - West St and Park Ave. You might find a real deal there, and you'll shave a lot of time off your commute to Fairmont.
Good luck, let me know if need clarification or have questions.
If you like the suburban setting of Cheat, you should check out developments on the Goshen Rd. It's far far far closer to Fairmont, equidistant to Morgantown as Cheat area, but very similar style of living arrangement as you'd find in developed housing neighborhoods.
If you like being able to walk to dinner, check out South Park (look at Garfield St area, near the high school - beautiful homes; Park St - nice, historic homes; or look further up the hill - just stay away from the Kingwood Ave neighborhood because it's mostly student housing - though it's easy to tell from the appearance of the houses what type of neighborhood you are in. Also, since your husband is working in Fairmont, check out the couple of nice neighborhoods in Westover - West St and Park Ave. You might find a real deal there, and you'll shave a lot of time off your commute to Fairmont.
Good luck, let me know if need clarification or have questions.
These are good suggestions. I think it is important to remember that our visitor is coming from a large city, and isn't too worried about a few minutes of commute time. In big city terms, commuting from Cheat to Clarksburg would be considered a walk in the park. You and I might be concerned about 10 minutes. As somebody who worked for years in the NYC area, I can tell you it will take a long time for somebody who has been commuting in the DC/Balto area to develop that mindset. Hour long commutes are considered the norm there. In the NYC area, that was closer to 2 hours... each way.
Thanks for the suggestions. And yes, commute times here are a nightmare so that is one aspect of moving that really appeals to us.
Where is the best school in town? Looking at greatschools.org I see Cheat Lake is rated the best followed by North ES and Suncrest Primary. Are either of those in town? Also, I noticed Suncrest only goes to grade 3. Where do the children go for fourth and fifth grade? What school serves South Park? My husband has traveled to Fairmont and Clarksburg for work quite a bit but has never made it up to Morgantown so he's no help in the geography of the city!!
Also, can anyone tell me anything about Bridgeport? That's been recommended but I'm not sure what kind of "feel" it has.
We'd ideally like to live somewhere accepting of newcomers but we don't want to be surrounded by transplants either.
The overwhelming vast majority of people are very welcoming of newcomers as long as you don't question how they live.
We don't really know what you want. Bridgeport is a nice area. As far as WV goes there is a lot available within 10 minutes of most places in Bridgeport. The things available will be a fraction of what is available in NY.
Bridgeport has about as many shopping options as you'll find in WV. Morgantown has about as much entertainment as you'll find in WV. Cheat has great scenery without being in a rural mountain area. Fairmont is in the middle.
Thanks for the suggestions. And yes, commute times here are a nightmare so that is one aspect of moving that really appeals to us.
Where is the best school in town? Looking at greatschools.org I see Cheat Lake is rated the best followed by North ES and Suncrest Primary. Are either of those in town? Also, I noticed Suncrest only goes to grade 3. Where do the children go for fourth and fifth grade? What school serves South Park? My husband has traveled to Fairmont and Clarksburg for work quite a bit but has never made it up to Morgantown so he's no help in the geography of the city!!
Also, can anyone tell me anything about Bridgeport? That's been recommended but I'm not sure what kind of "feel" it has.
We'd ideally like to live somewhere accepting of newcomers but we don't want to be surrounded by transplants either.
Thanks!
Cheat lake is in cheat lake right outside of morgantown.
The overwhelming vast majority of people are very welcoming of newcomers as long as you don't question how they live.
We don't really know what you want. Bridgeport is a nice area. As far as WV goes there is a lot available within 10 minutes of most places in Bridgeport. The things available will be a fraction of what is available in NY.
Bridgeport has about as many shopping options as you'll find in WV. Morgantown has about as much entertainment as you'll find in WV. Cheat has great scenery without being in a rural mountain area. Fairmont is in the middle.
Having lived in the NYC area for nearly 2 decades, I very much disagree with what you're saying about things available being a fraction of what's available in NY. It is not a simple matter to get to much of anything in those large cities. Your physician might be 45 minutes in one direction... your super market a half hour in the other. While it is true there are more entertainment options, in general the product is not significantly better, it is a lot more expensive, and it is a project to get to also. In fact, with our basically weekly shows and concerts in Morgantown, it is much more accessible and utilized for the average person than what you have with a large city. It would be unusual for the average New Yorker to go to more than 2 or 3 plays in a year.
Bridgeport is a nice area. Cheat Lake is considerably nicer. I'm not sure what middle school they go to in Cheat Lake, but we don't have any "bad" areas around here (virtually no crime and so forth), so personally I would be comfortable with my children in any of our local schools. I will agree that you could hardly go wrong in choosing any of those areas for your home. NCWV is truly the gem of our state, in my opinion.
The overwhelming vast majority of people are very welcoming of newcomers as long as you don't question how they live.
We don't really know what you want. Bridgeport is a nice area. As far as WV goes there is a lot available within 10 minutes of most places in Bridgeport. The things available will be a fraction of what is available in NY.
Bridgeport has about as many shopping options as you'll find in WV. Morgantown has about as much entertainment as you'll find in WV. Cheat has great scenery without being in a rural mountain area. Fairmont is in the middle.
Thanks. I wouldn't dream of questioning the way someone lives. Just want to make sure we're in an area where our children will be able to make friends quickly. As I was a military kid we moved to a few places where outsiders were not accepted by locals and would never wish that on my children. At the same time we're trying to leave the DC-type overachieving, helicopter parenting, succeed at all costs mentality behind and don't want to move somewhere that is going to be similar mindset with different geography. We want to be in a down to earth, friendly community. That is what I meant. Apologies if it was misinterpreted.
If you're looking for a walkable, in-town neighborhood with beautiful historic homes I would definitely recommend South Park. As others have said, part of the neighborhood is largely populated by student rentals, but as a resident of that end of South Park, I can tell you that the two sides of the neighborhood are pretty well separated. The type of students that live in this neighborhood aren't loud, fraternity types anyway. Regardless, it is visibly obvious that the lower/eastern part of the neighborhood is primarily students, while the hilltop/western part of the neighborhood is populated by professors and other professionals. From South Park, you would have easy access to all that downtown Morgantown has to offer. I highly recommend that you check it out.
If you're going for a more suburban atmosphere, I will echo others in that Cheat Lake, Bridgeport, and Thistledown Estates (between Morgantown and Fairmont) are nice, upper middle class areas with lots of transplants. I will say that locating in Morgantown, as opposed to further down I-79, will probably be advantageous in the long run, considering that it is the area's primary hub and is only 75 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh.
Take it as you will, but in my personal opinion, you're going to get more for your money if you live in South Park. You'll still be living in a safe, primarily white collar area, but you'll be getting a home that was crafted in a time when build quality mattered, surrounded by mature trees. You're not going to find anything like that in a modern subdivision. In addition, you and your children will be exposed to the type of atmosphere that only a real, established neighborhood can provide. All the cultural and dining options of downtown Morgantown, the Decker's Creek and Mon River rail trails, and abundant park space will be at your doorstep. If I recall correctly, the area is zoned to Mountainview Elementary, South Middle, and Morgantown High (which is actually in South Park).
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