Moving to Charles Town,WV (Martinsburg, Washington: short sale, power lines, new home)

[ch4kids]

Hello to All...My husband will be working in Herndon, VA. We are originally from Long Island, NY but have been living in in Edmonton, Alberta (due to my husband's job). We have 4 kids ages 15, 14, 12 and 9 who are apprehensive about another move and a move to somewhere they know nothing about. Is there anyone out there who can let me know a bit about the kids in that area as far as being welcoming and things for them to do locally? Also, we are looking into the communities that would be in the Washington High area. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[billscamaros]

Good morning. Charles Town is a pretty nice place to live, IMHO. I live in the Cloverdale Heights development, which is right across rt 340 from Washington High. This coming year, I'll have two kids at Washington High, and we've been pretty happy with their experience there. Both also attended Charles Town Middle School, and we were happy with that experience also. My kids found it very easy to make friends when we moved here in 2001. There are very active local youth sports leagues (soccer, baseball, football and cheering). There are plenty of outdoor activities.

You didn't express any opinion on the type of housing that you're looking for .... so I'll toss out a thought or two. Cloverdale is fairly upscale, the lots are all an acre or more and we're fairly happy there. In retrospect though, I'd probably look at the Locust Hill development instead. Houses are also upscale, but the lots are smaller so there is more of a neighborhood feel to the place. I notice that alot of my kid's friends live there, so they would have had more to do there. Both are developments with HOA's though, so if you're looking for some freedom in what you do, these might not be the places for you. There are a couple of other developments ...... Huntfield, Crosswinds, Breckenridge .... all are nice, but I don't know alot about them.

Regarding the hubby's job in Herndon ..... that shouldn't be a bad commute. I work in Fairfax City, and leave a little before 5 am in order to get to work by 6 am. Traffic can get a little congested from Leesburg into Herndon depending on the time. Taking the Greenway (a toll road) from Leesburg to Herndon is an option .... but it's expensive during rush hour.

Good luck in your move. Please ask more questions if you have them.

[ch4kids]

Hello Billscamaro: Thank you for the information, the fact you have kids around my older 2 boys ages is helpful. Charles Town does sound like a nice place and we are looking forward to moving and getting settled.

We are looking for a house with about an acre and the searches I am looking at and the realtor I am working with have been leaning towards Spruce Hill, Craighill and I have seen some in Locust Hill, so I appreciate the information about Locust Hill as far as kids go. If you don't mind, what is your opinion on the Spruce Hill community.

I greatly appreciate the information you have provided and anymore you have. And the info. on my husband's commute is great, thank you.

[chrisgsxt19]

My Husband and I just bought a house in Kearneysville, Village of Washington Trail S/D(about 10mins from CT). We were actually under contract on a short sale for a while that was in Spruce Hill. That being said the community looked very nice, houses looked well maintained etc. The reason we didn't buy in Charles Town was because I wanted to be a bit closer to shopping and I felt like I would always be driving to Martinsburg/Hagerstown for many things and we fell in love with our house when we saw it. My Husband and I are VERY happy with our neighborhood choice and house(can't think of any neg. things at the moment). His corp. office is in Sterling and it takes him about 1hr 15mins. BTW we also looked at Locust Hill.........I would say it was just ok IMO, outskirts of CT...we didn't see a house in the S/D that was what we were looking for....

[billscamaros]

I think that the Spruce Hill development is pretty nice. It stretches over the hillside away from Rt 340. In my opinion, I'd look at the far side of the development as you could avoid having the power lines overhead ..... those don't look good to me. One plus for that development, as well as Huntfield, is that your kids could walk to Washington High. I like Locust Hill mostly due to the number of kids there ..... I imagine that it would be nice for your kids to have friends in the 'hood.

I'm not familiar with the Craighill development that you mention.

Regarding shopping .... Charles Town has three grocery stores (Martins, Food Lion, Weis and a super Walmart (gotta love buying your clothes and groceries in the same place!!!)) There are a couple of local CVS pharmacies. There are several pizza places. Assuming that your kids are like mine, they can continuously argue as to which pizza is "best". You, however, will know the truth.

Martinsburg is about 25 mins away now, thanks to the upgrade of Rt 9 to four lane, and there is some shopping there, plus a number of good resturants. Honestly though, my wife and I (and more importantly, my kids) generally head into Virginia to the Leesburg outlet shops and the Dulles Town Center mall (in Sterling) for most of our shopping and eating out. Those places would be closer to 45 - 60 minutes away vice 25 mins or so to Martinsburg.

You might check out Quail Ridge, in Summit Point. It's a little more remote, not far off of Rt 340 (good for the hubby's commute) and has acre plus lots. It's further from Charles Town however.

Ditto Pembrooke Grove, just off of Summit Point Road.

[ch4kids]

Thank you Chrisgsxt19 for the info. I am not familiar with Kearneysville, but I don't want to add anymore to my husbands commute, so I am pretty set, at least at this moment to Charles Town. That being said, I will do some additional research on the schools in that area and see if it would be an option if I don't find what I am looking for in Charles Town. Thank you again for your opinion, I appreciate it.

[ch4kids]

Thank you billscamaros, my realtor sent me a new listing in Spruce Hill that had the power lines at the back of the property and I nixed that immediately. My kids will definitely have their opinion on the pizza especially since they have not had any that they like since we left NY.

I am certain that we want to be within walking or a short drive to the HS, it is hard enough getting them up for school but to add extra travel time is not my idea of fun in the morning. I will continue to look at the developments that you have recommended and I again appreciate all of the great information. My kids will need to get used to the fact that we have to drive 45 mins to an hour for the type of shopping they are used to, but I feel the tradeoff will be worth it. Thanks again and any additional tips are greatly appreciated, as it looks like we will be relocating in September.

[ch4kids]

I just wanted to say thanks to all who gave me such valuable information. My family and I have made several trips to Charles Town and we are very happy to say that we are scheduled to close on our new home in Locust Hill on June 1, 2012. We are very happy with the community feel and our home backs up to the horse farms, so we all are thrilled with that.

Thanks again everyone and I am sure we will run into one another in town!

[billscamaros]

Congratulations! Locust Hill is a beautiful community, and I'm sure that you will love it there. I'd guess that your oldest will attend Washington High this coming fall. I'm not sure if Locust Hill falls within the South Jefferson Elementary boundary ... we loved having our kids there also. Best wishes that you transition is smooth.

Please post up with any questions that you have about Charles Town.

[spunkydawg]

Nice of you to come back and thank everyone, ch4kids.

btw, I moved here (Harpers Ferry / Charles Town) 7 years ago from the DC area, and that was one of the best decisions I ever made, we all (wife and kid and dogs included) love it out here.