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Plenty of work in your field here in the eastern panhandle. I'll sell you my house, mortage shouldn't be a problem with your income. It's definitely not a cookie cutter mcmansion and you get nearly 4 acs w/o HOA or restrictions. Google Shepherdstown or look at my post from yesterday //www.city-data.com/forum/west-...me-help-2.html in response to 4myangels suggesting this may be a backwoods / redneck area. Lots to do here and like Morgantown, we've got a university.
Clint
Let's be real, do not compare Shepherd College to WVU. That said, the E. panahandle is not, by any means, a redneck, hillbilly area.
Let's be real, do not compare Shepherd College to WVU. That said, the E. panahandle is not, by any means, a redneck, hillbilly area.
I wasn't and wouldn't compare the two. They are quite different, as are the areas. I liked SU better when it was still SC, that's what it was when I went to school there. But it still hasn't lost its college charm with the new name. When it comes to undergraduate studies Shepherd beats WVU hands down; if you are there to learn. (In the '80's, my English 101 class had about 20 students; even then I think WVU class size for 100 level courses was over 50. I could hang out with many of the prof's at the local pub or attend parties at their houses and you could get one on one help with course work.) But no doubt the graduate programs in Morgantown have alot more to offer.
Clint
If you have family living in the areas you mention, then by all means check it out (Morgantown/No. Central WV), summers are a little hotter, winters are definitely worse than LI, much more snow, and many hills - you need a 4x4 to get around safely following snow storms. These areas, however, are VERY affordable. I went to WVU and hated Morgan"hole" back in those days - maybe its a bit nicer now.
You know, I just don't see how you come up with that. Winters are worse than NYC, where the concrete makes things 5 to 10 degrees warmer than nearby areas, but they are definitely not worse than LI although you are correct about 4WD being a good thing due to the hills. Summers are perhaps a little hotter but not much. And they last a little longer due to the slightly lower lattitude... winters are a little shorter. And, if you haven't been to Morgantown in the past 8 years you wouldn't recognize the place in many ways. It is growing and prosperous, and doing much better economically than the Northeast. There are a lot of New York transplants living there now.
Thanks everyone! The thing is after reading all of those classified ads if I can use the few that gave salaries or hourly wages as a guideline - it is comparable to Long Island NY.
I am familiar with higher ed jobs, health and human services and it seem about the same.
NY is so expensive!
You got that right. I'm retired from the State of NY, and can tell you most of the expense is related to high taxes in one way or another. WV is like night and day in that regard. Overall much lower cost of living, and in Morgantown a very high quality of life with many cultural offerings related to The University and outstanding outdoor venues. It is also a very safe community that, due to the fact that a major university is located there, has an extremely well educated population.
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Symphony Website (http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pghsymph.nsf/concert+listings/58FD4ED7A30F99E0852575770064B492?opendocument - broken link)
I wasn't and wouldn't compare the two. They are quite different, as are the areas. I liked SU better when it was still SC, that's what it was when I went to school there. But it still hasn't lost its college charm with the new name. When it comes to undergraduate studies Shepherd beats WVU hands down; if you are there to learn. (In the '80's, my English 101 class had about 20 students; even then I think WVU class size for 100 level courses was over 50. I could hang out with many of the prof's at the local pub or attend parties at their houses and you could get one on one help with course work.) But no doubt the graduate programs in Morgantown have alot more to offer.
Clint
No knock on Shepherd, it is a good school, but the college experience in Morgantown is outstanding in every respect. And, the town has developed into a first rate college town.
I'd recommend that as you look, definately check out Huntington. Huntington is the second largest city in the state with about 50,000 people. Being in the medical professional, we have 2 of the largest hospitals in the state here along with the Med School attached to Marshall University. This med school was named the 16th best in the nation for meeting its "social mission" by a recent study. We also have a VA here and several other hospitals close by. From what I've experienced and heard, the pay for medical professionals here is about the highest in the state.
For your kids, Huntington was named as the Best place in WV to raise your kids by Business Week and there are several good public and private schools here. Marshall Univ, also has plans to start the first S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) school in the state in the next couple of years.
The cost of living in Huntington is one of the lowest in the country and if you are looking for a nice small town, Barboursville might suit your needs or if you'd like an older home with character and the convenience of being close to downtown, parks, etc, Huntington has several very nice neighborhoods.
As mentioned, the climate here is about the most mild in the state. We see very little snow here in the winter and the summers, although humid, are comfortable. There's plenty of outdoor stuff in the area too with the Ohio River, Beech Fork State park, and several lakes and parks close by in Kentucky as well.
For shopping, you'd have the largest mall in the state here along with Pullman Square downtown and 2 more developments currently undergoing the planning stages. Huntington is also the only planned city in the state so getting around is very easy and the roads here are relatively flat.
You can actually see what the town looks like in the movie "We are Marshall" with Matthew McConaughey if you want to get a good idea and learn some of the town's history at the same time. There's a lot to do here and a lot of good opportunity here so I hope you'll check us out. Here are some links that you may find useful and let me know if you have any other questions about Huntington.
You know, I just don't see how you come up with that. Winters are worse than NYC, where the concrete makes things 5 to 10 degrees warmer than nearby areas, but they are definitely not worse than LI although you are correct about 4WD being a good thing due to the hills. Summers are perhaps a little hotter but not much. And they last a little longer due to the slightly lower lattitude... winters are a little shorter. And, if you haven't been to Morgantown in the past 8 years you wouldn't recognize the place in many ways. It is growing and prosperous, and doing much better economically than the Northeast. There are a lot of New York transplants living there now.
Morgantown - Avg hi/lo Dec 44/27 Jan 39/22 Feb 43/24
annual snowfall - 32 in.
Stony Brook - Avg hi/lo - Dec 45/30 Jan 40/24 Feb 42/26
annual snowfall 28 in.
The lady said she was looking for a little warmer climate - Morgantown is not warmer - it's colder than Stony Brook, NY.
If snow/weather is a sticking point, as an example, earlier this year in February when there were massive snowstorms nearly EVERYWHERE on the East coast and many places had accumulations of 20, 30 or even 40 inches of snow for the month, Huntington had 11.9 inches of total accumulation for the month. That was one of the snowiest Februarys on record for the area as well. The way that it would melt though, I think the most that we had at one time during those big storms was 8 inches. Here's a quote from other areas of WV as well for the samw time period : "The totals in West Virginia -- Morgantown (22.8), Elkins (30.6) and Beckley (32.4)..."
Morgantown - Avg hi/lo Dec 44/27 Jan 39/22 Feb 43/24
annual snowfall - 32 in.
Stony Brook - Avg hi/lo - Dec 45/30 Jan 40/24 Feb 42/26
annual snowfall 28 in.
The lady said she was looking for a little warmer climate - Morgantown is not warmer - it's colder than Stony Brook, NY.
It's similar in winter. As I said, the altitude compensates for the lattitude. What is somewhat different is the length of the cold season, which is shorter in Morgantown... spring comes a little earlier and fall lasts a little longer. If climate is the issue, however, in my view the most mild climate is found in the Eastern Panhandle. Martinsburg has the same moderating noreaster effects found in Stony Brook and, being further south, the result is milder.
It's similar in winter. As I said, the altitude compensates for the lattitude. What is somewhat different is the length of the cold season, which is shorter in Morgantown... spring comes a little earlier and fall lasts a little longer. If climate is the issue, however, in my view the most mild climate is found in the Eastern Panhandle. Martinsburg has the same moderating noreaster effects found in Stony Brook and, being further south, the result is milder.
Martinsburg E. panhandle area is the only part of WV which was traditionally aligned with the "old south' (Virginia). In fact, the residents there in the civil war were for staying with Virginia (secession) unlike much of the rest of Western Virginia (the current WV counties) Abe Lincoln "forced" the e. panhandle into WV to preserve the important rail lines running through the E. panhandle. Back to climate, Charleston area has most most mild climate in the state - check the data - low elevation, lower lattitude, and is the beneficiary of gulf coast warm air that runs up the west side of the Applachians, and fizzles out about Charleston.
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