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Hi all, I am from NJ and have 2 job offers, one is near Corning, NY and other is near Charles Town, WV.
We are a family of 3 and I have a 5 year old daughter. We are not big time adventurers but like to have short trips and my wife absolutely loves shopping. Through out our lives we have lived in big cities and never been in a small town.
I would really appreciate if you all help me with following queries:
1. Which of these 2 places have better school system?
2. How about the downtowns and shopping around the areas?
3. I have heard that communities in certain parts of WV are not very friendly, does Jefferson county has these issues?
4. Which place would be more diverse?
5. I have heard about some drug and crime problems in Elmira and around, is Corning also affected?
6. Which place do you think is a better place to raise a family?
I would really appreciate any response in this regard and help me make a decision. Thank you!
I would ask this in the General US forum or also in the NY forum.
Corning is a nice, small “city” with about 11,000 people. Elmira has a mix of neighborhoods and I don’t believe that there is spill over from there to Corning, which is 15 minutes or so away.
Charles Town I believe is a little bit more diverse, but there are parts of the Corning more so than others.
DC isn’t that far away from Charles Town and I believe that there is train access into DC from Charles Town. Corning is close to the Finger Lakes and it’s quaint communities.
I think both would be good, but it would come down to what you are looking for and how both feel to your family.
I would also compare income offers and do a net of tax calculation. You don't want to be low-balled on the WV offer "because it's WV" and then come to realize that a lot of WV's eastern panhandle is very expensive when it comes to housing due to all the federal government workers.
Just as an illustration: when they talk about a teacher shortage in WV, the eastern panhandle is a huge driver here as it is way too expensive to buy a house on a WV teacher's salary.
Not really familiar with the area around Corning, NY, but it does seem like Charles Town is closer to bigger cities if you ever need to access those amenities though.
I don't know anything about Corning, so all I can do is answer for Charles Town.
1. Which of these 2 places have better school system?
Charles Town is decent. Not bad, but nothing great.
2. How about the downtowns and shopping around the areas?
If downtown and shopping are dealbreakers, then forget about Charles Town.
I mean, there's plenty of basic stuff around, a Walmart and whatnot, but nothing special.
3. I have heard that communities in certain parts of WV are not very friendly, does Jefferson county has these issues?
Nope, Jeff. Co. is very friendly.
4. Which place would be more diverse?
I believe Jeff. Co. is around 10%-15% minority. I'm sure you could easily find stats on this.
5. I have heard about some drug and crime problems in Elmira and around, is Corning also affected?
Charles Town is low crime. Nearby Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown are also nice.
6. Which place do you think is a better place to raise a family?
Charles Town is a great place to raise a family. Assuming you have "regular" kids who like the outdoors, sports, free space, etc. If they like shopping... forget about it. :-)
Not sure why you say there is no shopping. How close do you need to be . Everything you should want is nearby as far as shopping. In 20 to 30 minutes you have everything in Martinsburg and Winchester and in a hour you are anywhere in the Washington D.C. shopping area. It wouldn't get much better than shopping in the Charles Town area. Plenty of little shops in Shepherdstown. Hagerstown Md. is 45 minutes and Frederick is like 30 minutes In the immediate area their are grocery and yes Walmart and more shopping coming including a Marshalls.Many great little markets in the area also.
I would ask this in the General US forum or also in the NY forum.
Corning is a nice, small “city†with about 11,000 people. Elmira has a mix of neighborhoods and I don’t believe that there is spill over from there to Corning, which is 15 minutes or so away.
Charles Town I believe is a little bit more diverse, but there are parts of the Corning more so than others.
DC isn’t that far away from Charles Town and I believe that there is train access into DC from Charles Town. Corning is close to the Finger Lakes and it’s quaint communities.
I think both would be good, but it would come down to what you are looking for and how both feel to your family.
Thank you for your reply. I agree, it all depends on how we feel about both areas, hence planning a trip to both places over next couple of weekends with the family. I did check the population stats on both areas and seems both areas are equally diverse.
I would also compare income offers and do a net of tax calculation. You don't want to be low-balled on the WV offer "because it's WV" and then come to realize that a lot of WV's eastern panhandle is very expensive when it comes to housing due to all the federal government workers.
Just as an illustration: when they talk about a teacher shortage in WV, the eastern panhandle is a huge driver here as it is way too expensive to buy a house on a WV teacher's salary.
Not really familiar with the area around Corning, NY, but it does seem like Charles Town is closer to bigger cities if you ever need to access those amenities though.
Good point, I initially thought that cost of living would be more in NY compared to WV, however in comparison taxes are slightly higher in NY but cost of living eventually is not much different. It seems from various other forums and websites, Upstate NY is not very expensive, especially areas in Steuben county.
I don't know anything about Corning, so all I can do is answer for Charles Town.
1. Which of these 2 places have better school system?
Charles Town is decent. Not bad, but nothing great.
2. How about the downtowns and shopping around the areas?
If downtown and shopping are dealbreakers, then forget about Charles Town.
I mean, there's plenty of basic stuff around, a Walmart and whatnot, but nothing special.
3. I have heard that communities in certain parts of WV are not very friendly, does Jefferson county has these issues?
Nope, Jeff. Co. is very friendly.
4. Which place would be more diverse?
I believe Jeff. Co. is around 10%-15% minority. I'm sure you could easily find stats on this.
5. I have heard about some drug and crime problems in Elmira and around, is Corning also affected?
Charles Town is low crime. Nearby Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown are also nice.
6. Which place do you think is a better place to raise a family?
Charles Town is a great place to raise a family. Assuming you have "regular" kids who like the outdoors, sports, free space, etc. If they like shopping... forget about it. :-)
Yes, I do have a regular kid who likes to do all normal stuff as other kids. She is not old enough to just love shopping yet. Just comparing both places online I found that Corning has a better downtown and neighboring places have more shopping options available compared to Charles Town. I agree with D T WV Mountains, DC is only an hour drive or we can even take a train ride if we need to go to big malls or high end stores.
However, the most important difference between 2 places that I have come across is the school scenario. Around Corning I found more school options and they have good ratings on GreatSchools.org as compared to Charles Town. As per GreatSchools quite a few schools around Corning are well above average compared to Charles Town. Do you have any information regarding this aspect? Are there any good private schools around Charles Town (around 10-15 drive) if public schools are below average?
This for us would be one the most important thing in our decision making process.
I don't know anything about Corning, so all I can do is answer for Charles Town.
1. Which of these 2 places have better school system?
Charles Town is decent. Not bad, but nothing great.
2. How about the downtowns and shopping around the areas?
If downtown and shopping are dealbreakers, then forget about Charles Town.
I mean, there's plenty of basic stuff around, a Walmart and whatnot, but nothing special.
3. I have heard that communities in certain parts of WV are not very friendly, does Jefferson county has these issues?
Nope, Jeff. Co. is very friendly.
4. Which place would be more diverse?
I believe Jeff. Co. is around 10%-15% minority. I'm sure you could easily find stats on this.
5. I have heard about some drug and crime problems in Elmira and around, is Corning also affected?
Charles Town is low crime. Nearby Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown are also nice.
6. Which place do you think is a better place to raise a family?
Charles Town is a great place to raise a family. Assuming you have "regular" kids who like the outdoors, sports, free space, etc. If they like shopping... forget about it. :-)
I agree with all of these except #2. I was downtown Charles Town Saturday and was very impressed by the number of local shops, restaurants and boutiques that have opened.
Mad Monk's coffee is awesome. Bushel & Peck is a GREAT local market with produce, organics, etc. Abolitionist Ale Works has a great vibe.
I personally would not call downtown Charles Town "nothing special". It's starting to form its own unique vibe and I predict more storefronts will be filled in the near future.
Yes, I do have a regular kid who likes to do all normal stuff as other kids. She is not old enough to just love shopping yet. Just comparing both places online I found that Corning has a better downtown and neighboring places have more shopping options available compared to Charles Town. I agree with D T WV Mountains, DC is only an hour drive or we can even take a train ride if we need to go to big malls or high end stores.
However, the most important difference between 2 places that I have come across is the school scenario. Around Corning I found more school options and they have good ratings on GreatSchools.org as compared to Charles Town. As per GreatSchools quite a few schools around Corning are well above average compared to Charles Town. Do you have any information regarding this aspect? Are there any good private schools around Charles Town (around 10-15 drive) if public schools are below average?
This for us would be one the most important thing in our decision making process.
You wouldn't even have to go that far. Tyson's Corner, Leesburg, Dulles-area have some larger, upscale shopping options. 45 minute drive...slightly longer considering traffic.
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