Athens, OH (Marietta, Washington, The Plains: apartment complexes, for rent, townhouses)

[Guacomoleholy]

Hey there,


Can anyone tell me about Athens, OH? I got a new job about 50 mins away and I'm wondering if we should be moving there, as opposed to living where we currently are.We lived in West Chester until I got this job in West Virginia. We've visited Athens twice now and we really liked Court Street and the campus, and weren't too bothered by the size of the city.

We did not find much information on the school system there. My son is in High School and has a very high GPA, so we'd like to make sure that he goes to a good high school where he will be able to maintain his standards.

Furthermore, we are not looking to buy a house. We would instead like to rent a house, but the market there is understandably geared towards students, and it's hard to find a house suitable for a whole family. Does anyone know of any higher end apartment complexes or townhouses for rent?

I've also heard mixed advice on moving to Athens due to the party scene. Some say that as long as we don't live too close to the campus we will be fine but others say Athens isn't a great place to raise a family due to all the partying.

Lastly, is there anyone who knows much about both Athens, and Charleston, WV? We are considering both and it would help if someone knew both and could offer opinion on them, although I completely understand if no one can help us out there.

Thanks!

[TheYO]

I went to Ohio University, so I lived in Athens for the better part of four years. I think it's a fine place to raise a family, given you don't mind the small town feel.

Athens High School is a good school. Here's the state report card. The high school is actually a few miles away from Uptown (Court Street area) in a small town called The Plains, so it's removed from the college atmosphere. It's probably the best high school in the area. Remember, that part of the state is rural Appalachia and has a high poverty rate, and most schools suffer as a result. OU faculty and staff usually send their kids to Athens city schools, and the university supports a lot of efforts in Athens.

I wouldn't worry too much about the party scene. It's pretty contained to the areas immediately north of campus. Avoid High, Washington, Congress, W State, the first few blocks of E State, and Mill and all of the streets off of it (Palmer, Oak, Hocking, Elliott).

With the exception of the two large complexes on the hills off of Richland (The Summit and University Courtyard), the area south of the Hocking is pretty void of students, despite being just across the river from campus. The streets off of E State are mostly long-term residents as well, especially the further you are from Stimson Ave. It's also pretty quiet in the area north and west of Carpenter St. Plus, the entire town of The Plains is in the same school district, without the college party scene.

[No_Recess]

I'm confused:

Why would you move to Athens if it's 50 minutes away from your new job instead of just moving to the town the new job is located?

[Guacomoleholy]

Originally Posted by No_Recess

I'm confused:

Why would you move to Athens if it's 50 minutes away from your new job instead of just moving to the town the new job is located?

I work in a town in WV, where there aren't any amenities and very poor schools. It's either Athens or Charleston,WV.

[MissingIndiana]

I know a few people who live in/around Athens and work just over the border in West Virginia. It's doable, but I've done an hour plus commute and hate that you have to do that. I have limited experience with Charleston and just know it's a bigger town and occasionally has had some issues with pollution (chemical spills into the water, chemical clouds in/near town). I assume you're working around Parkersburg though? It's almost twice as far to get there from Charleston as opposed to Athens. There's no way I'd do that.

Athens is smaller, but the university gives it some life. My wife has family in the area and two brothers who attended the university. There is a bit of a party atmosphere at times, but it's not 24/7. You could certainly enjoy some of the shops and restaurants without it being too much. The countryside is beautiful and there are some great parks like Hocking Hills. Burr Oak is also nice from what my wife tells me. I've also heard that schools in The Plains are about the best in the area, and that's very close to Athens. Other area schools can be dismal though and there's a lot more interest in local high school football teams than education. For one of the schools in Chauncey I think it was, the public refused to vote for a levy that would have specifically paid to fix the roof which was leaking. In general, there is a lot of poverty in the counties around Athens. Small towns that I would guess, per capita, went bust bigger than Detroit. Abandoned buildings, etc. Athens though has some nice homes in the country immediately around it in places

If your job actually is in Parkersburg, have you considered Marietta? I don't know much about the schools, but the town itself doesn't seem to bad from what I've seen of it. It's only 20 minutes or so out from Parkersburg.

[Guacomoleholy]

I work about 40 mins away from Parkersburg, in Ravenswood,WV. I looked at Marietta but the schools were abysmal. The high school had a 4/10 rating. I don't want to go too much on the online ratings because I know they're not always very in-depth, but 4/10 is too low.