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My wife and I are considering relocating to West Virginia and would like some advice and opinions from you folks. I have been offered a position in Rockville, Maryland and that is the reason for the move. Currently, we reside in NC but lived in Northern VA for many years and under no circumstances want to live in that mess again. Same for MD...too many people, traffic, and a ridiculous cost of living. Thankfully, I will only need to make the trip to Rockville 2-3 times per week. It is only my wife and I so schools are not a factor. Ideally, we would like to rent a townhouse or small single family home for the first year until we get our bearings. I know very little about West Va but figured that the Panhandle area would be most logical. I would greatly appreciate any advice/opinions on the following:
* What cities/towns would you recommend we explore? Ideally, we would prefer a low crime area (who doesn't?) that offers a lot of outdoor activities. Of course, the closer it is to the Maryland border the easier my commute will be. We would like to find a place in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. We are not the kind of people that likes to go out for a night on the town often, so living near a lot of shopping areas, restaurants, bars, etc. matters little to us.
* I understand that there is a commuter train from Maryland that has stops in certain towns? Which train is it and where are the stations located?
* How expensive is it to register and title a vehicle? I have a fairly new truck I would need to register. Are emission and safety inspections required?
* What is the cost of utilities (water/electric/internet)? Does West Va place a heavy tax burden on it's citizens? One of the reasons I do not want to live in VA again is due to the ridiculously high personal property taxes in that state.
Any tips/suggestions for newcomers to the area they will be greatly appreciated as well!
* What cities/towns would you recommend we explore? Ideally, we would prefer a low crime area (who doesn't?) that offers a lot of outdoor activities. Of course, the closer it is to the Maryland border the easier my commute will be. We would like to find a place in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. We are not the kind of people that likes to go out for a night on the town often, so living near a lot of shopping areas, restaurants, bars, etc. matters little to us.
We're in Harpers Ferry and really like it. Plenty of outdoor activities here and nearby. Right on the MD border. Quiet and peaceful. Good that you don't want a night on the town much, 'cause there ain't much of that out here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asmodai
* I understand that there is a commuter train from Maryland that has stops in certain towns? Which train is it and where are the stations located?
MARC train - Brunswick Line - stops in Martinsburg, Duffields, and Harpers Ferry on the way in towards Rockville (ultimately DC). It's a long commute, but I love MARC WAY more than DC's Metro subways.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asmodai
* How expensive is it to register and title a vehicle? I have a fairly new truck I would need to register. Are emission and safety inspections required?
Our minivan registration is $30/yr. Annual inspection $12.66. Real property tax for the past 4 yrs has been $580, $390, $335, $235.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asmodai
* What is the cost of utilities (water/electric/internet)? Does West Va place a heavy tax burden on it's citizens? One of the reasons I do not want to live in VA again is due to the ridiculously high personal property taxes in that state.
Utility costs don't seem too bad to me, having come from Prince George's County (MD). Real property (house) taxes WAY lower, but overall I'd say the taxes out here aren't too much lower than they were for us in MD. Don't know anything about VA taxes, so can't compare.
You probably won't have all the internet options available to you like you would in Rockville. We have DSL (Frontier), no complaints. As I understand it, there are no FIOS plans for the area.
We're in Harpers Ferry and really like it. Plenty of outdoor activities here and nearby. Right on the MD border. Quiet and peaceful. Good that you don't want a night on the town much, 'cause there ain't much of that out here!
MARC train - Brunswick Line - stops in Martinsburg, Duffields, and Harpers Ferry on the way in towards Rockville (ultimately DC). It's a long commute, but I love MARC WAY more than DC's Metro subways.
Our minivan registration is $30/yr. Annual inspection $12.66. Real property tax for the past 4 yrs has been $580, $390, $335, $235.
Utility costs don't seem too bad to me, having come from Prince George's County (MD). Real property (house) taxes WAY lower, but overall I'd say the taxes out here aren't too much lower than they were for us in MD. Don't know anything about VA taxes, so can't compare.
You probably won't have all the internet options available to you like you would in Rockville. We have DSL (Frontier), no complaints. As I understand it, there are no FIOS plans for the area.
Thank you so much for the useful info! Harper's Ferry is one of the areas that we are planning to check out. Are there any areas/neighborhoods in Harper's Ferry that you could recommend? I've tried the rental section on Craig's List but not much there.
Thank you so much for the useful info! Harper's Ferry is one of the areas that we are planning to check out. Are there any areas/neighborhoods in Harper's Ferry that you could recommend? I've tried the rental section on Craig's List but not much there.
I think most people who come to the Panhandle do so because they can buy a place. That might have something to do with a lack of rentals. (But that's just a theory).
Also consider Charles Town, Ranson and Shepherdstown. Those are the other "big" towns in Jefferson County. If you plan on using the MARC train, addresses in Shenandoah Junction might be the most convenient (near the Duffields stop).
I think most people who come to the Panhandle do so because they can buy a place. That might have something to do with a lack of rentals. (But that's just a theory).
Also consider Charles Town, Ranson and Shepherdstown. Those are the other "big" towns in Jefferson County. If you plan on using the MARC train, addresses in Shenandoah Junction might be the most convenient (near the Duffields stop).
Thank you for the information. Shepherdstown is on our list of areas to check out as well.
Thank you so much for the useful info! Harper's Ferry is one of the areas that we are planning to check out. Are there any areas/neighborhoods in Harper's Ferry that you could recommend? I've tried the rental section on Craig's List but not much there.
I don't have any particular to recommend, sorry, I'd just say that I don't think there are any bad areas around here, at least none that I know of. Harpers Ferry is nice, Shepherdstown too but a little pricier, Charles Town is nice but a bit overdeveloped (and presumably will get even more so now that table games are at the racetrack), and Ranson seems OK. If you start to get further out like to Martinsburg, that's where you could run into some bad areas.
I don't have any particular to recommend, sorry, I'd just say that I don't think there are any bad areas around here, at least none that I know of. Harpers Ferry is nice, Shepherdstown too but a little pricier, Charles Town is nice but a bit overdeveloped (and presumably will get even more so now that table games are at the racetrack), and Ranson seems OK. If you start to get further out like to Martinsburg, that's where you could run into some bad areas.
That paints a bad picture on Martinsburg. There are some very nice quiet neighborhoods in Martinsburg and Berkeley County. You will add a few minutes to your commute, but housing costs are about 10% cheaper. The MARC train is accessible from downtown and I81 runs through the county and connects to I70.
There are a lot of town homes for rent in Berkeley County. Some places I would recommend checking are Hammonds Mill, Spring Mills, or Brookfield. All three are in the northern part of the county and minutes to the Maryland border.
Laurel Ridge is another great option towards Hedgesville on Route 9. There's always a few townhouses for rent there. It is a very quiet family oriented neighborhood.
Wasn't trying to do that. There are lots of nice areas out there, but as I understand it also some bad areas. Whereas I don't think of Jefferson County as having any areas as bad as that. But I don't have any data, that's just my perception based on what I've heard and read over the past 5 years.
We've been to M'burg many times, one of favorite places is War Memorial Park, which (among other nice things) has a great pool for the kiddies.
That paints a bad picture on Martinsburg. There are some very nice quiet neighborhoods in Martinsburg and Berkeley County. You will add a few minutes to your commute, but housing costs are about 10% cheaper. The MARC train is accessible from downtown and I81 runs through the county and connects to I70.
There are a lot of town homes for rent in Berkeley County. Some places I would recommend checking are Hammonds Mill, Spring Mills, or Brookfield. All three are in the northern part of the county and minutes to the Maryland border.
Laurel Ridge is another great option towards Hedgesville on Route 9. There's always a few townhouses for rent there. It is a very quiet family oriented neighborhood.
There are parts of Martinsburg that are just awful.
There are parts of Martinsburg that are just awful.
There are bad parts of Charles Town too. The western part out by the Ford dealership can be down right sketchy. You are right, Martinsburg has its bad spots (Raleigh st & Commerce st area) but Berkeley county in general is safe and really nice.
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