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Sixty percent of the company's interstate moves involving West Virginians were outbound last year, ranking the state fourth highest in the "high outbound" category.
It's better than being last I guess. However, if I'm not mistaken, hasn't the states population stabilized? Largely due to growth in the Eastern Panhandle, along with NCWV?
Will we see any other cities in WV see any moderate growth this decade?
The entire Ohio Valley seems primed to make a leap if it can harness the oil and gas development.
IMHO, outside of the EP, and NCWV, I can see Parkersburg experiencing large economic and population increases. This due in part by news of a possible cracker facility.
Huntington and Wheeling follow in no particular order. Wait and see mode for these two former jewels on the mighty Ohio. One would expect the Prichard Intermodal Facility to lead to a promising future and a more diverse economy. As for Wheeling, they are in the heart of the Marecellus Shale and, it does sound like the city has been in the process of reinventing itself. I do not know enough about Wheeling to comment first hand so I'll leave it at that.
I think your observation is spot on. In spite of the great growth taking place in NCWV and the EP, even more people have left the state in general. Parts of the southern tier are becoming like ghost towns, but the entire Ohio Valley is poised for a growth spurt in my view, especially the area between Parkersburg and Chester. Wheeling will grow too, but unfortunately the parts that made it a uniquely quaint city in the past have been damaged extensively, so it will appear very different in the future.
It's better than being last I guess. However, if I'm not mistaken, hasn't the states population stabilized? Largely due to growth in the Eastern Panhandle, along with NCWV?
Will we see any other cities in WV see any moderate growth this decade?
The entire Ohio Valley seems primed to make a leap if it can harness the oil and gas development.
IMHO, outside of the EP, and NCWV, I can see Parkersburg experiencing large economic and population increases. This due in part by news of a possible cracker facility.
Huntington and Wheeling follow in no particular order. Wait and see mode for these two former jewels on the mighty Ohio. One would expect the Prichard Intermodal Facility to lead to a promising future and a more diverse economy. As for Wheeling, they are in the heart of the Marecellus Shale and, it does sound like the city has been in the process of reinventing itself. I do not know enough about Wheeling to comment first hand so I'll leave it at that.
The problem is NCWV and EP are not getting enough funding. WV could become a boom state and a leader among states if Charleston would start building infrastructure in these places. Instead it takes all their revenue and uses it for pork projects in other areas of the state that are declining.
WV is too mountaineous and remote to ever experience much population increase.
Northern West Virginia is far closer to major population centers than Clemson ever dreamed of being, and much less remote too. The Ohio Valley would put any river anywhere close to South Carolina totally to shame, just like the Mountaineers did Clemson. It is primed for industrial growth, and there are more natural resources located in 1/10 of West Virginia than in all of the Palmetto State combined.
Northern West Virginia is far closer to major population centers than Clemson ever dreamed of being, and much less remote too. The Ohio Valley would put any river anywhere close to South Carolina totally to shame, just like the Mountaineers did Clemson. It is primed for industrial growth, and there are more natural resources located in 1/10 of West Virginia than in all of the Palmetto State combined.
if you say so, the panhandle primiarly gets some growth b/c it is near DC but that area is more like Maryland than WV.
look at every mountain state in this country, not much growth in population and probaby most are losing ppoulation.
i woudln't be srurpsied if Pittsburgh was losing poopulation.
The problem is NCWV and EP are not getting enough funding. WV could become a boom state and a leader among states if Charleston would start building infrastructure in these places. Instead it takes all their revenue and uses it for pork projects in other areas of the state that are declining.
It's better than being last I guess. However, if I'm not mistaken, hasn't the states population stabilized? Largely due to growth in the Eastern Panhandle, along with NCWV?
The two (stable population, 60% outbound moves) aren't necessarily contradictory.
If the outbound moves average 2 persons per move (think retirees moving south) and the inbound moves average 4 persons per move (think young family escaping NoVA), the population will actually grow. 2 out and 3 in would be exactly in balance.
And moving data doesn't account for population changes of those who don't move: births - deaths. I think West Virginians are notably non-transient as a whole, so births-deaths probably out-weighs the population change due to migration.
WV is too mountaineous and remote to ever experience much population increase.
HAR!! Oregon---where I moved from---both feels and truly is... much more remote/isolated than WV - and the state is still seeing fantastic growth.
Honestly....Many West Virginian's would begin to see new meaning in the words ''isolated'' and ''remote'' and ''mountainous'' if they were to ever experience parts of the PNW and inter-mountain west. There's absolutely no comparison. I know WV is often described as this remote, isolated place -- but this just couldn't be further from the truth. The culture is also often misrepresented.
Albeit WV is a state made up of mostly mini/micro towns - most of them represent a vast network interspersed only a hop,skip, and jump away from each other.
West Virginia has great potential as both the real-estate and property taxes represent great value. West Virginia is a great state for a semi-retired day trader, niche consultant... or someone who has almost any type of home or web-based business.
Last edited by At-Chilles; 01-05-2014 at 08:48 PM..
HAR!! Oregon---where I moved from---both feels and truly is... much more remote/isolated than WV - and the state is still seeing fantastic growth.
Honestly....Many West Virginian's would begin to see new meaning in the words ''isolated'' and ''remote'' and ''mountainous'' if they were to ever experience parts of the PNW and inter-mountain west. There's absolutely no comparison. I know WV is often described as this remote, isolated place -- but this just couldn't be further from the truth. The culture is also often misrepresented.
Albeit WV is a state made up of mostly mini/micro towns - most of them represent a vast network interspersed only a hop,skip, and jump away from each other.
West Virginia has great potential as both the real-estate and property taxes represent great value. West Virginia is a great state for a semi-retired day trader, niche consultant... or someone who has almost any type of home or web-based business.
Great post At-Chilles, very informative, and i agree with your perspective. Heck, i will even go as far to add that even parts of the southwest and the heartland feel more isolated than parts of WV. Now maybe those states population centers are more transient, but there are vast areas of nothing but mother nature for miles.
The remoteness of WV pales in comparison to some of these area's of frontier. And Alaska, that state is in a league of it's own.
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