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Thanks for the update. I still own several properties in Lincoln County and was disappointed at how low the property values are, yet my property taxes have almost doubled. It is painful that vacant and rental properties are taxed at double the rate.
It is hard to believe that those Shoney's stores went out of business. I used to work in Kanawha City just a couple of blocks from the 35th St. Bridge. That Shoney's was very busy when we ate there and we almost always had to wait for a table.
I used to love living in WV for its feeling of nature and beauty. Now, I can't say that I feel comfortable there any longer. The government there seems to have become invasive and intrusive, contrary to the "Mountaineers are Always Free" slogan of the state. They require permitting for every little improvement to the home, too much like here in CA.
I have been spoiled by living in the mild, Mediterranean climate of San Francisco for 30 years. The temps usually here hang in the range of 55-65. I used to fear the earthquakes but not any longer. We haven't had hardly any, but we had a lot of them leading up to the big one in 1989.
No, we definitely won't be having a turf war. People have many varied reasons for selecting their destinations. Help them find what they need with factual information instead of turf wars. Neither Charleston nor Huntington are dying.
Welllll.... I beg to differ. The link at the bottom gives a very good comparison of both population and economic growth and forcasts. There is a reason that both Huntington and Charleston are no. 1 and no.2 in MarketWatch.com's listing of most miserable cities. Obesity and unemployment as well as lack of job diversification adds up over time. Here's the link to that if anyone is interested: 10 most miserable cities in America - MarketWatch
Remember Morgantown has the largest university with over 30k students, Largest employer in the state WVU Medicine with over 26k employees and the only city in the state to have non-stop growth through out the recession.
The comparison below here is a litttle skewed in ways with the high student population, but if you look it over you will see how that affects certain statistic like median income. But that can simply be fixed by looking where the belle curve falls without the student outlier. But 10% growth in the last 15 years verses a 5% loss for Charleston alone is just one simple measure of how the two compare.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Welllll.... I beg to differ. The link at the bottom gives a very good comparison of both population and economic growth and forcasts. There is a reason that both Huntington and Charleston are no. 1 and no.2 in MarketWatch.com's listing of most miserable cities. Obesity and unemployment as well as lack of job diversification adds up over time. Here's the link to that if anyone is interested: 10 most miserable cities in America - MarketWatch
Remember Morgantown has the largest university with over 30k students, Largest employer in the state WVU Medicine with over 26k employees and the only city in the state to have non-stop growth through out the recession.
The comparison below here is a litttle skewed in ways with the high student population, but if you look it over you will see how that affects certain statistic like median income. But that can simply be fixed by looking where the belle curve falls without the student outlier. But 10% growth in the last 15 years verses a 5% loss for Charleston alone is just one simple measure of how the two compare.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
This is a thread about helping somebody choose a place to live near Charleston. Please stay on topic. Your comments are irrelevant given that then OP has said "near Charleston." I'm not disputing your links (I didn't read them). What I'm telling you is that we are not having a turf war in the forum. If you persist in trying to start one, there could be consequences.
This is a thread about helping somebody choose a place to live near Charleston. Please stay on topic. Your comments are irrelevant given that then OP has said "near Charleston." I'm not disputing your links (I didn't read them). What I'm telling you is that we are not having a turf war in the forum. If you persist in trying to start one, there could be consequences.
From what I understood based on what the OP said, I believe he was looking primarily around Charleston, but his original post didn't actually specify that it needed to be around Charleston. That's just where he'd already been looking. I took it that he would have been receptive to suggestions of other suburban towns in West Virginia that are just outside of a larger city, but that's just how it sounded to me. I could be wrong of course, but nonetheless I do agree that these should be helpful suggestions that meet the OP's criteria rather than a my-hometown-is-better-than-your-hometown battle.
Anyway, I just thought I'd chip in my two cents' worth to hopefully clear things up and keep things friendly. Definitely don't mean this in any sort of confrontational way.
If you want to live in city limits and want public schools then go to South Hills. If you want to take advantage of semi-reasonably priced older housing and are prepared to send your kids to private schools then you can luck into some older gems of housing on the hill section of the west side, flat areas on the east end and flat Kanawha City. But in those areas things can easily change block by block. Avoid areas where the housing has been converted to rentals. Crime and drugs are a real concern to be aware of. Avoid the smaller towns directly adjacent to Charleston. In fact if you aren't prepared to live in city limits then I'd avoid the Kanawha County as a whole and look to Putnam but the traffic can suck at times. It's not DC traffic but it still can be a mess.
Thanks for the update. I still own several properties in Lincoln County and was disappointed at how low the property values are, yet my property taxes have almost doubled. It is painful that vacant and rental properties are taxed at double the rate.
It is hard to believe that those Shoney's stores went out of business. I used to work in Kanawha City just a couple of blocks from the 35th St. Bridge. That Shoney's was very busy when we ate there and we almost always had to wait for a table.
I used to love living in WV for its feeling of nature and beauty. Now, I can't say that I feel comfortable there any longer. The government there seems to have become invasive and intrusive, contrary to the "Mountaineers are Always Free" slogan of the state. They require permitting for every little improvement to the home, too much like here in CA.
I have been spoiled by living in the mild, Mediterranean climate of San Francisco for 30 years. The temps usually here hang in the range of 55-65. I used to fear the earthquakes but not any longer. We haven't had hardly any, but we had a lot of them leading up to the big one in 1989.
Shoney's like most things rooted in WV did not adapt to the times. Too many people can't see beyond the hills and have no desire to know there's a world going on outside of them.
From what I understood based on what the OP said, I believe he was looking primarily around Charleston, but his original post didn't actually specify that it needed to be around Charleston. That's just where he'd already been looking. I took it that he would have been receptive to suggestions of other suburban towns in West Virginia that are just outside of a larger city, but that's just how it sounded to me. I could be wrong of course, but nonetheless I do agree that these should be helpful suggestions that meet the OP's criteria rather than a my-hometown-is-better-than-your-hometown battle.
Anyway, I just thought I'd chip in my two cents' worth to hopefully clear things up and keep things friendly. Definitely don't mean this in any sort of confrontational way.
From my experience and in no particular order ranking
Wheeling, Morgantown and Charleston. Also the three farthest counties on the eastern panhandle containing Charles town, Berkeley springs and martinsburg
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RE: Shoney's
