North Central (Clarksburg etc) vs Eastern Panhandle WV (Martinsburg etc) (Charleston: transplants, apartment complexes)

[feedfriend]

Hi,
I like in Martinsburg and was wondering some about North Central WV. Some questions (pretty sure some people here have lived in both):
1. Is NCWV growing fast? How much compared to Martinsburg (I don't want development)
2. How busy is it compared to the EP? Is traffic ever an issue? How is 79? Will you ever get delayed in some traffic (minus accidents and roadwork). If so about how long?
3. Are the people friendlier? Are the people in general friendly in NCWV?
4. Are there a lot of transplants? Are more moving in?
5. Are the accents stronger?
6. Cost of living seems about the same somewhat. Any opinion on that?
7. I feel like the EP is feeling more and more like a bedroom community to DC and losing its local flavor. Is NCWV?
8. How do restaurants compare?
9. Is it more WV-esque?
Any input would be great. This is a great site. THANKS!

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by feedfriend

Hi,
I like in Martinsburg and was wondering some about North Central WV. Some questions (pretty sure some people here have lived in both):
1. Is NCWV growing fast? How much compared to Martinsburg (I don't want development)
2. How busy is it compared to the EP? Is traffic ever an issue? How is 79? Will you ever get delayed in some traffic (minus accidents and roadwork). If so about how long?
3. Are the people friendlier? Are the people in general friendly in NCWV?
4. Are there a lot of transplants? Are more moving in?
5. Are the accents stronger?
6. Cost of living seems about the same somewhat. Any opinion on that?
7. I feel like the EP is feeling more and more like a bedroom community to DC and losing its local flavor. Is NCWV?
8. How do restaurants compare?
9. Is it more WV-esque?
Any input would be great. This is a great site. THANKS!

1. NCWV is growing fast, but not like the EP
2. Traffic in Morgantown is, but the rest isn't too bad,
3. I couldn't say for sure, but if the people on this forum were an example then no.
4. I'd say in Mtown and Bridgeport.
5. I'd say yes, but remember that it isn't anything like Logan or Welch. LOL
6. Couldn't comment.
7. I'm going to say no because its a different kind of growth.
8. I'd say NCWV has better restaurants due to the large Italian population. Also Morgantown has some good places to eat.
9. Yes, by far!

I'm from Charleston so my opinions are not from a local view. CT will probably find something that I've missed, and he'll most certainly be on here LOL.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by feedfriend

Hi,
I like in Martinsburg and was wondering some about North Central WV. Some questions (pretty sure some people here have lived in both):
1. Is NCWV growing fast? How much compared to Martinsburg (I don't want development)
2. How busy is it compared to the EP? Is traffic ever an issue? How is 79? Will you ever get delayed in some traffic (minus accidents and roadwork). If so about how long?
3. Are the people friendlier? Are the people in general friendly in NCWV?
4. Are there a lot of transplants? Are more moving in?
5. Are the accents stronger?
6. Cost of living seems about the same somewhat. Any opinion on that?
7. I feel like the EP is feeling more and more like a bedroom community to DC and losing its local flavor. Is NCWV?
8. How do restaurants compare?
9. Is it more WV-esque?
Any input would be great. This is a great site. THANKS!

I can give you the view from Morgantown, but not Clarksburg. Morgantown is the heart of NCWV anyway.

1)Yes it is growing fast. Martinsburg has the highest growth rate in the state, but Morgantown is not far behind, and it is bigger. Morgantown is the 5th, or 4th biggest city in the state not counting the students. With students it is probably 3rd or 2nd biggest. Morgantown is also for all extensive purposes part of the Pittsburgh metro area (not officially but it is like 5 miles away from the official area) which would make it the 2nd biggest metro area city in WV after Martinsburg, assuming it could be considered part of DC Metro area.

2) Interstates are not bad, unless there is construction. Traffic in Morgantown is terrible. Morgantown's infrastructure lags at least a decade behind the city. Morgantown, like Martinsburg, is ignored by Charleston when it comes to infrastructure.

3) People from NCWV are generally friendly. Some of the students in Morgantown can be rude, especially the ones from the NE coast. Students aside it is typical Appalachia. I wouldnt say they are friendlier than the average West Virginian, but they arent worse.

4) Yes, Morgantown is growing fast. As a result the area around Morgantown up to Fairmont is growing as part of the metro area. Not counting the student population it is attracting people from all across the country, and when you count the students it is very diverse.

Also has a growing international population, especially from Asia. I would say mainly Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Easterner. Both students and permanent residents.

5) Within Morgantown city limits there typically isnt a strong WV accent. In Mon county there is a slight WV accent. Cant speak for all of NCWV.

6) Morgantown is growing, and is known for a high quality of life. Consequently it is very expensive (for WV). The rest of NCWV isnt so expensive. Fairmont is cheap.

7) Morgantown is not a bedroom community. It is a stand alone small city with a great college town atmosphere that supports itself. There are people who commute to Morgantown from Pittsburgh. Fairmont is kinda a bedroom community to Morgantown and Clarksburg, but still has enough going on to remain a town. Clarksburg isnt somewhere I venture much, but it seems to not be a bedroom community. Overall NCWV is NOT a bedroom community.

8) Can only really speak for Morgantown and Fairmont. Good Italian food and Morgantown is a surprisingly good restaurant scene. A good number of ethnic, high class, diners, chic, fancy, local, low class, ect restaurants.

9) Morgantown is not very WV esque. It is more similar to Pittsburgh in character and more typical Northeastern US. Probably similar to Martinsburg in that regard. It is close to some of the biggest cities in the US. A little over an hour to pittsburgh, less than 3 hours to Cleveland, a little over 3 hours to DC + Baltimore, 4 hours to Philly, and 6 hours to NYC.

[drs72]

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

I can give you the view from Morgantown, but not Clarksburg. Morgantown is the heart of NCWV anyway.

1)Yes it is growing fast. Martinsburg has the highest growth rate in the state, but Morgantown is not far behind, and it is bigger. Morgantown is the 5th, or 4th biggest city in the state not counting the students. With students it is probably 3rd or 2nd biggest. Morgantown is also for all extensive purposes part of the Pittsburgh metro area (not officially but it is like 5 miles away from the official area) which would make it the 2nd biggest metro area city in WV after Martinsburg, assuming it could be considered part of DC Metro area.

As far as growth in the business and retail sector goes that's pretty accurate but the Martinsburg area is blowing North-Central away in population growth. Berkeley County is among the fastest growing counties in the country. It's out of Mon County's league. Assuming you meant to say "for all intents and purposes," I really don't agree that Morgantown is practically part of the Pittsburgh metro. True, it does border Fayette County which is part of the metro area but there is a lot of wide open non-developed space between Morgantown and say Washington or Uniontown which I would consider the fringes of the actual Pittsburgh metro. You don't really see a huge commuting pattern between NCWV and the PGH area which is typically what characterizes communities within a metro area. NCWV, roughly between Morgantown and Clarksburg down I-79, is more or less one unit to me in terms of being one economic and cultural area. People always seem to point to Pittsburgh as another reason for the growth of this part of WV, but I call BS. Pittsburgh as a city, county, and metro area has been losing population for decades. There really isn't any part of that area that's booming. If anything the stagnation of PGH has hindered the growth of NCWV in a way. Could you imagine if the suburbs were expanding in this direction with our already ideal economy? I credit the growth of this area, solely to this area. People from North-Central should be proud that these small towns have seen so much growth on their own accord. As for Martinsburg, Berkeley County is in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg MSA and the Baltimore-Washington CSA, while Jefferson County is officially in the Washington metropolitan area.

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

2) Interstates are not bad, unless there is construction. Traffic in Morgantown is terrible. Morgantown's infrastructure lags at least a decade behind the city. Morgantown, like Martinsburg, is ignored by Charleston when it comes to infrastructure.

Agree completely here. I've met many West Virginians that shrug off the traffic woes here and attribute them to Morgantown being a "city." What they don't realize is that Morgantown really isn't that big and a town of this size should not have backups for miles on any given day or a "rush hour." What I will say though is that sometimes there can be quite a bit of traffic on I-79. At certain times of the day, especially on Fridays, the corridor between Morgantown and Clarksburg can get a bit congested, but nothing worth writing home about. As I said before, this corridor is very interconnected. You have people going back and forth between Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg to work (tech park, FBI, Mylan, WVU, etc.), dine, shop, etc.

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

3) People from NCWV are generally friendly. Some of the students in Morgantown can be rude, especially the ones from the NE coast. Students aside it is typical Appalachia. I wouldnt say they are friendlier than the average West Virginian, but they arent worse.

I was in Kentucky recently and, when I said I went to WVU, somebody inquired as to where in WV I was from. When I said I wasn't from WV they said, "Oh, so you're from New Jersey," and proceeded to tell me about how I went to "Rutgers South."

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

4) Yes, Morgantown is growing fast. As a result the area around Morgantown up to Fairmont is growing as part of the metro area. Not counting the student population it is attracting people from all across the country, and when you count the students it is very diverse.

Also has a growing international population, especially from Asia. I would say mainly Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Easterner. Both students and permanent residents.

Yep. I hear different languages everyday when school's in session.

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

5) Within Morgantown city limits there typically isnt a strong WV accent. In Mon county there is a slight WV accent. Cant speak for all of NCWV.

From my experience generally going throughout my day in Morgantown, having met a lot of students from the area, a lot of blue collar workers from Fairmont and P County, and having had a few professors from Clarksburg, I would describe the accent of this area as a toned down Pittsburgh accent with varying amounts of Southern influence mixed in. Is it the WV accent the OP is thinking of? Nope. That's further south.

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

9) Morgantown is not very WV esque. It is more similar to Pittsburgh in character and more typical Northeastern US. Probably similar to Martinsburg in that regard. It is close to some of the biggest cities in the US. A little over an hour to pittsburgh, less than 3 hours to Cleveland, a little over 3 hours to DC + Baltimore, 4 hours to Philly, and 6 hours to NYC.

I would have to disagree here. While I can see the purpose in trying to paint Morgantown in a more cosmopolitan light, I don't see Pittsburgh when I look at Morgantown. Don't get me wrong, the influence is definitely there (and throughout all of northern Appalachia) but, simply put, Morgantown is what West Virginia looks like when it grows. No offense to Pittsburghers, but I've met my fair share of arrogant, rude yinzers. People here are completely different. And Pittsburgh is not "typical Northeastern US." It's urbanized Appalachia and, if you had to place it in a geographic region, it would be the Midwest not the Northeast. It's Pennsylvania location doesn't change the fact that it has much more in common with cities like Rochester, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and other Great Lakes industrial belt cities than it would ever have in common with Boston, New York, etc. I wouldn't describe the overall feel of the EP as northeastern either. It's more akin to upper Shenandoah Virginia. My best description would be Mid-Atlantic (basically the tippy top of the upper South at the bottom of the Northeast corridor, if that makes any sense).

Cry_havoc, if it looks like I'm trying to tear apart your post, I apologize. I was just reading each of your bullet points and kept coming up with my own two cents to add and I figured it could only benefit the thread to post it all lol.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by feedfriend

Hi,
I like in Martinsburg and was wondering some about North Central WV. Some questions (pretty sure some people here have lived in both):
1. Is NCWV growing fast? How much compared to Martinsburg (I don't want development)
2. How busy is it compared to the EP? Is traffic ever an issue? How is 79? Will you ever get delayed in some traffic (minus accidents and roadwork). If so about how long?
3. Are the people friendlier? Are the people in general friendly in NCWV?
4. Are there a lot of transplants? Are more moving in?
5. Are the accents stronger?
6. Cost of living seems about the same somewhat. Any opinion on that?
7. I feel like the EP is feeling more and more like a bedroom community to DC and losing its local flavor. Is NCWV?
8. How do restaurants compare?
9. Is it more WV-esque?
Any input would be great. This is a great site. THANKS!

NCWV is growing quickly, especially the Morgantown area, but Martinsburg is growing even faster as spillover from DC. Many are commuters who work there. Morgantown's growth is related to The University for the most part, and the increased amount of research taking place there.

As home to the state's only major university, Morgantown is busy most of the time but it maintains the college town ambience in spite of the fact that it is one of the state's two largest cities (Huntington is the other) most of the year when regular school is in session. During summer months, when there are only 10,000 students in town instead of 30,000, it is the state's third largest city. On football Saturdays, the stadium alone is the state's largest city and it is there are twice as many people within the city as any other place in the state.

Morgantown people are the friendliest in the world. It is totally different in that regard to Martinsburg, which is really more like northern Virginia than West Virginia. The real West Virginia stretches in a line from Morgantown to Beckley (NCWV and SCWV). The other areas are heavily contaminated by Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. There is nothing wrong with the other areas, but they are not as Appalachian in character.

Cost of living is comparitively high in both towns. In Martinsburg is it because of sheer demand from the DC spillover. In Morgantown the demand is to a large extent created by the outstanding amenities the town offers... location of a major university, great arts and athletics, awesome outdoor venues nearby, college town atmosphere, nice recreational facilities, and more than 200 eateries including some outstanding restaurants. The population of Morgantown is, by far, the best educated in the state.

The speech "accent" is northern Appalachian, somewhat similar to Pittsburgh but we don't use "yinz" here. That stops north of Washington, PA. It has a slightly less southern character than the accent in Martinsburg.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by drs72

As far as growth in the business and retail sector goes that's pretty accurate but the Martinsburg area is blowing North-Central away in population growth. Berkeley County is among the fastest growing counties in the country. It's out of Mon County's league. Assuming you meant to say "for all intents and purposes," I really don't agree that Morgantown is practically part of the Pittsburgh metro. True, it does border Fayette County which is part of the metro area but there is a lot of wide open non-developed space between Morgantown and say Washington or Uniontown which I would consider the fringes of the actual Pittsburgh metro. You don't really see a huge commuting pattern between NCWV and the PGH area which is typically what characterizes communities within a metro area. NCWV, roughly between Morgantown and Clarksburg down I-79, is more or less one unit to me in terms of being one economic and cultural area. People always seem to point to Pittsburgh as another reason for the growth of this part of WV, but I call BS. Pittsburgh as a city, county, and metro area has been losing population for decades. There really isn't any part of that area that's booming. If anything the stagnation of PGH has hindered the growth of NCWV in a way. Could you imagine if the suburbs were expanding in this direction with our already ideal economy? I credit the growth of this area, solely to this area. People from North-Central should be proud that these small towns have seen so much growth on their own accord. As for Martinsburg, Berkeley County is in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg MSA and the Baltimore-Washington CSA, while Jefferson County is officially in the Washington metropolitan area.


Agree completely here. I've met many West Virginians that shrug off the traffic woes here and attribute them to Morgantown being a "city." What they don't realize is that Morgantown really isn't that big and a town of this size should not have backups for miles on any given day or a "rush hour." What I will say though is that sometimes there can be quite a bit of traffic on I-79. At certain times of the day, especially on Fridays, the corridor between Morgantown and Clarksburg can get a bit congested, but nothing worth writing home about. As I said before, this corridor is very interconnected. You have people going back and forth between Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg to work (tech park, FBI, Mylan, WVU, etc.), dine, shop, etc.


I was in Kentucky recently and, when I said I went to WVU, somebody inquired as to where in WV I was from. When I said I wasn't from WV they said, "Oh, so you're from New Jersey," and proceeded to tell me about how I went to "Rutgers South."


Yep. I hear different languages everyday when school's in session.


From my experience generally going throughout my day in Morgantown, having met a lot of students from the area, a lot of blue collar workers from Fairmont and P County, and having had a few professors from Clarksburg, I would describe the accent of this area as a toned down Pittsburgh accent with varying amounts of Southern influence mixed in. Is it the WV accent the OP is thinking of? Nope. That's further south.


I would have to disagree here. While I can see the purpose in trying to paint Morgantown in a more cosmopolitan light, I don't see Pittsburgh when I look at Morgantown. Don't get me wrong, the influence is definitely there (and throughout all of northern Appalachia) but, simply put, Morgantown is what West Virginia looks like when it grows. No offense to Pittsburghers, but I've met my fair share of arrogant, rude yinzers. People here are completely different. And Pittsburgh is not "typical Northeastern US." It's urbanized Appalachia and, if you had to place it in a geographic region, it would be the Midwest not the Northeast. It's Pennsylvania location doesn't change the fact that it has much more in common with cities like Rochester, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and other Great Lakes industrial belt cities than it would ever have in common with Boston, New York, etc. I wouldn't describe the overall feel of the EP as northeastern either. It's more akin to upper Shenandoah Virginia. My best description would be Mid-Atlantic (basically the tippy top of the upper South at the bottom of the Northeast corridor, if that makes any sense).

Cry_havoc, if it looks like I'm trying to tear apart your post, I apologize. I was just reading each of your bullet points and kept coming up with my own two cents to add and I figured it could only benefit the thread to post it all lol.

Dont worry about it. I like discussion and think you added some great input.

However, I think you misunderstood me. Morgantown is not a bedroom community to Pittsburgh. Morgantown is definitely a stand alone city, but it has a lot of links to Pittsburgh both economic and demographic. Technically, Morgantown is not part of the Pittsburgh metro area, but the Morgantown metro area and Pittsburgh metro areas touch each other, and I would argue that it is in it. Washington PA is not the fringe of the Pittsburgh metro area. It is well into the Pittsburgh area. Uniontown is on the fringe, and Morgantown more so.

As for culture you are right in that it is a mixture of WV and Western PA, but Morgantown has more in common with Western PA than it does southern WV. Yinzer is a bad example, because it is a Pittsburgh thing only. Most people from Pittsburgh wouldnt be classified as Yinzers. I feel Morgantown and Pittsburgh have a similar attitude, but there are some differences.

Finally, Morgantown is very cosmopolitan for WV. Keep in mind that WV is a very un-cosmopolitan state, so Morgantown cosmopolitan and big city cosmopolitan are very different. Morgantown is much more cosmopolitan than Charleston, which has a very unique local culture. Morgantown's attitude is more in line with typical city US with a slight Appalachian flavor. Keep in mind a good portion of Morgantown residents are from all over WV and the NE. Ive also noticed a lot of southerners moving to Morgantown lately, especially from Florida and South Carolina.

[feedfriend]

Thanks for the responses so far. If I do move, I plan on moving out of the towns (30 minutes-ish) so I think I will find what I am looking for. Once the cities end, it seems like they END. No scattered sprawl going on.

So on 79, would I typically be going the speed limit during a busy time with some congestion, going a bit slower, or at a near standstill?

Sounds like I will be safe from overdevelopment. I guess the mountains will help overgrowth.

The people I talked to seemed to have somewhat of a strong accent. Saying warsh, elongating i's, etc. Maybe not southern, but strongly different than what you would hear on a newsreporter on TV (I guess more 'Appalachian' than Martinsburg?). Am I right there?


And the people I talked to seem very nice, but that could have just been a random occurrence.

Great responses. I am in the IT world and there seems to be a lot of opportunities in the area.

[drs72]

Originally Posted by feedfriend

Thanks for the responses so far. If I do move, I plan on moving out of the towns (30 minutes-ish) so I think I will find what I am looking for. Once the cities end, it seems like they END. No scattered sprawl going on.

So on 79, would I typically be going the speed limit during a busy time with some congestion, going a bit slower, or at a near standstill?

Sounds like I will be safe from overdevelopment. I guess the mountains will help overgrowth.

The people I talked to seemed to have somewhat of a strong accent. Saying warsh, elongating i's, etc. Maybe not southern, but strongly different than what you would hear on a newsreporter on TV (I guess more 'Appalachian' than Martinsburg?). Am I right there?


And the people I talked to seem very nice, but that could have just been a random occurrence.

Great responses. I am in the IT world and there seems to be a lot of opportunities in the area.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that you would be "safe" from sprawl, depending on where you locate to. In Monongalia County, the vast majority of Morgantown's growth has been suburban. Lots of what was once the wooded countryside and family farms has been sold off and turned into shopping centers, townhome/condo/apartment complexes, and McMansion developments. This has been evident by the recent strain on infrastructure. Cheat Lake is about three miles from the very eastern edge of Morgantown and traffic headed in that direction can be at a standstill at certain times of the day. Further out in Mon, Preston, Marion, and Harrison, I think you would be safe from the area building up around you. If you're thinking you'd like a nice plot of acreage and some peace and quiet, there are definitely still a lot of options. If you're going to be working in Morgantown, I would recommend trying to find something west or south of town. That would give you an easier commute. If you're going to be working in Fairmont or Clarksburg/Bridgeport, you should be fine in any of the surrounding areas. Keep in mind that when you overlook transplant favorites you tend to move into communities that have, in a sense, been established without you, if you get what I mean. If you could be a little more specific as to what type of community you're looking for, that would help me and others give you advice on where to start looking. There are sort of "middle of the road" developments as well that are new suburban developments, but a little further out and not surrounded by much, if that's what you were going for.

As far as traffic on I-79 goes, at the busiest times, traffic usually flows at about the speed limit or a little below but you'll never run into crippling traffic in any way, shape, or form on the interstates. When it comes to the interstates in the area, the infrastructure is adequate for the amount of cars on the roads.

The Appalachian dialect is definitely prevalent around here. In Morgantown, I can go days without hearing it. Among locals it definitely predominates albeit less and less with each generation (excluding locals with transplant parents). However, I know the Martinsburg area pretty well and can tell you that there is definitely a prevailing accent there as well. A lot of transplants are being pumped into that area right now which is influencing the way the younger generations talk but, among people that have lived there their whole lives and have local parents, even children have a Southern undertone with long I's, fronted O's, and a little twang. It is different than what you'll find further west in the state though.

Concerning IT, unless I'm overlooking something, you're best bet in North Central would be to find a job with the university or at one of the corporations in Fairmont Technology Park.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by drs72

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that you would be "safe" from sprawl, depending on where you locate to. In Monongalia County, the vast majority of Morgantown's growth has been suburban. Lots of what was once the wooded countryside and family farms has been sold off and turned into shopping centers, townhome/condo/apartment complexes, and McMansion developments. This has been evident by the recent strain on infrastructure. Cheat Lake is about three miles from the very eastern edge of Morgantown and traffic headed in that direction can be at a standstill at certain times of the day. Further out in Mon, Preston, Marion, and Harrison, I think you would be safe from the area building up around you. If you're thinking you'd like a nice plot of acreage and some peace and quiet, there are definitely still a lot of options. If you're going to be working in Morgantown, I would recommend trying to find something west or south of town. That would give you an easier commute. If you're going to be working in Fairmont or Clarksburg/Bridgeport, you should be fine in any of the surrounding areas. Keep in mind that when you overlook transplant favorites you tend to move into communities that have, in a sense, been established without you, if you get what I mean. If you could be a little more specific as to what type of community you're looking for, that would help me and others give you advice on where to start looking. There are sort of "middle of the road" developments as well that are new suburban developments, but a little further out and not surrounded by much, if that's what you were going for.

As far as traffic on I-79 goes, at the busiest times, traffic usually flows at about the speed limit or a little below but you'll never run into crippling traffic in any way, shape, or form on the interstates. When it comes to the interstates in the area, the infrastructure is adequate for the amount of cars on the roads.

The Appalachian dialect is definitely prevalent around here. In Morgantown, I can go days without hearing it. Among locals it definitely predominates albeit less and less with each generation (excluding locals with transplant parents). However, I know the Martinsburg area pretty well and can tell you that there is definitely a prevailing accent there as well. A lot of transplants are being pumped into that area right now which is influencing the way the younger generations talk but, among people that have lived there their whole lives and have local parents, even children have a Southern undertone with long I's, fronted O's, and a little twang. It is different than what you'll find further west in the state though.

Concerning IT, unless I'm overlooking something, you're best bet in North Central would be to find a job with the university or at one of the corporations in Fairmont Technology Park.

I think that's a very accurate description. Our Interstate infrastructure is adequate for the moment (although there is a need to complete I68 to the Wheeling area) and there are seldom tie ups there. The corridor between Morgantown and Bridgeport gets congested during rush hour, but it flows smoothly for the most part. Most of our infrastructure needs are in Morgantown proper and the Van Voorhis-West Run area. We need a lot of help from the state there.

I also agree with your description of Martinsburg (where my daughter and her family have lived for years). There is a distinct Virginia southern character to the locals, and more of a DC character to most of the transplants there. The locals sound like Judy Woodruff (if you watch PBS). In Morgantown, our locals tend to sound like Don Knotts (if you remember the Andy Griffith Show) although that is an exagerated form of the accent. It is quite charming, actually, and local folks will strike up a conversation with you anywhere at any time.

[snorpus]

When I graduated from high school (Wetzel County, another county on the far fringe of the Pittsburgh Metro) and went to college (in Pittsburgh), my parents moved to Florida. So I didn't return to the area until my 10th HS Reunion.

What I noticed most was that many of my high school classmates had developed an accent during my absence. Whether that was due to simply not hearing it for ten years, or being corrupted by listening to yinzer-speak for so long, it wasn't until I heard it anew that I realized there even was a northern Appalachian accent.