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For another option, if you really are looking for a small, quiet, clean, scenic town, with a VA hospital, take a look at Beckley in southern WV (population around 16,000, but the county population is 79,000, 6th largest in the state). Beckley is a very nice city and is situated in a really beautiful region of the state. Pollution is virtually non-existant as there are no major plants, and it sits on a high plateau at around 2500 feet. While southern WV is the heart of coal country, the mining towns are west of Beckley. This is a very scenic region of the state with immense outdoor activities. Before moving to Parkersburg I lived there and believe me the people are very, very friendly, in my opinion the friendliest in WV. While there are a lot of older, retired residents, Beckley also seems to have a young progressive attitude as well, possibly due to the white-water rafting industry, which is very big in southern WV. There are many nice neighborhoods and developments within and outside of the city limits, especially towards what is kinow as the Grandview area near the New River. The downsides is that Beckley gets by far the most snow of all of West Virginia's larger towns and it isn't close to any big cities. But that's what we like about our state, we are for the most part well away from any truly big cities. However, Charleston is ony 50 minutes north for a change of pace, and it is at the crossroads of two major interstates. It is also very convenient if heading south towards North or South Carolina. I miss that!
I would not recommend Huntington, Parkersburg, or wheeling. Not trying to step on anyone's toes here but they are not places I would personally recommend. If you want further explanations pm me and I can elaborate.
Oh could you, please?
It looks like we'll be heading up to WV within weeks to take a look at some areas and we're really trying to narrow down the possibilities.
Also fwiw we have a Civic... not exactly a gem and jewel of winter driving. Is it an insane idea to consider traveling around WV without waiting for spring? I don't know how the roads are right now.
Just check the weather reports. During a major "winter event", you might not want to be on the roads with your Civic, unless you have snow tires.
Once you get a day or two beyond a big snowfall, all the major roads and most of the secondary ones will be snow-free, and the minor roads will at least have been plowed.
In my younger and braver days I had no problem navigating the backroads of CT in my (even smaller, 2-door) Civic at the time, winter weather or not. Now I'm a bit more cautious.
It looks like we'll be heading up to WV within weeks to take a look at some areas and we're really trying to narrow down the possibilities.
Also fwiw we have a Civic... not exactly a gem and jewel of winter driving. Is it an insane idea to consider traveling around WV without waiting for spring? I don't know how the roads are right now.
Ok, first to address the car. You could manage on 2 wheel drive, but I generally recommend waiting for the roads to clear before driving. Check the weather and try to avoid the snow. Even if you know how to drive on the snow you might be surprised by how small WV roads are, the bad condition they are usually in, and how long it takes to get them cleared.
As for the cities. They are not experiencing good times right now. They are kinda run down, and the term rust belt could come to mind. They dont have as much to offer as other parts of WV. They arent bad places per se, but I feel there is better.
If you want why I dont recommend a specific one of them please PM me. People can get really upset if they feelsomeone is putting an area or a region down, and the resulting argument could hijack this thread. Id rather just avoid that.
I agree with Tim that Huntington would be a good city to live in. Although older, Wheeling has always struck me as a neat city with a lot of culture. In addition to the other positive recommendations that have already been made, do take a close look at Parkersburg and the mid-Ohio valley region, which is more in the northwest part of the state, and within 2-3 hours of four big cities. It is a beautiful town located on the banks of the Ohio River, and isn't run down. While there are no major universities here, which can be both a positive and negative, WVU has a large regional campus in Parkersburg and there are three other colleges in the Parkersburg-Marietta region. The VA hospital in Clarksburg is an hour away. Meanwhile, Parkersburg has the 3rd largest medical healthcare center in the state, the Department of Treasury, Coldwater Creek, Toyota Motors, WV Blue Cross Blue Shield, and to be fair also the world's second largest Dupont plant, as well as every possible major chain restaurant, a large regional mall, a regional airport, and an excellent city park system. The people are very friendly, laid back, and down to earth. Crime is very low, and home prices are reasonable. Unemployment is below the national average and continues to improve. I've lived here for 20 years and have found it a very easy and very convenient city to live in, a little sports crazy at times, especially for high school football, WVU, and the Steelers.
Parkersburg also stands to benefit directly and signifcantly from the Marcellus shale industry with its central location in the MS region, the Ohio River, and its highway infrastructure. Below are a couple of links with information, but if you want to know more just send me a PM.
I live in New Cumberland, WV and its a very nice small town where you know pretty much everyone. We are about 20-30 minutes from PA and OH. We are also very close to a horse racing track (which I go to a lot since my in-laws work with the horses). There's no fast food places here but we have a diner right next to the gas station. There's also a library, fire station, police station, baseball feilds, a park, a grocery store, a dollar general, and a few other things. I hope I helped...I just thought since no one said my town I would.
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