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So the majority of the Berekley/Martinsburg residents are committing to Martinsburg/Hagerstown as opposed to immediate DC/NOVA?
If so, what jobs are there in Hagerstown that is driving this amount of growth in Martinsburg?
I assume Eastern Panhandle for these Tysons commuters is Jefferson County?
The subs in Jefferson County seem like the kind you find in Loudoun whereas Martinsburg are a lot more basic.
Yes, I would agree that the majority are commuting to Hagerstown and Winchester. Followed by those going down the I-270 corridor, then NOVA/DC.
As far as Hagerstown/Winchester jobs (in no particular order): Healthcare, education, construction, warehouse/distribution, and blue collar. You can make more money in all of those industries in MD/VA and bring it home to WV where it is significantly cheaper to live.
You are correct on your second point about Jefferson County.
So the majority of the Berekley/Martinsburg residents are committing to Martinsburg/Hagerstown as opposed to immediate DC/NOVA?
If so, what jobs are there in Hagerstown that is driving this amount of growth in Martinsburg?
I assume Eastern Panhandle for these Tysons commuters is Jefferson County?
The subs in Jefferson County seem like the kind you find in Loudoun whereas Martinsburg are a lot more basic.
mmccul answers the question well.
Keep in the mind the commuting circles exist because the housing prices in these concentric circles are inflated by the salaries the commuters are making in the next county in, so you nearly always get "more house" by commuting a county or so away from your job than living next door.
So the majority of the Berekley/Martinsburg residents are committing to Martinsburg/Hagerstown as opposed to immediate DC/NOVA?
If so, what jobs are there in Hagerstown that is driving this amount of growth in Martinsburg?
I assume Eastern Panhandle for these Tysons commuters is Jefferson County?
The subs in Jefferson County seem like the kind you find in Loudoun whereas Martinsburg are a lot more basic.
One is Jefferson County- between Charles Town and Shepherdstown. The other is near Hedgesville in Berkeley- Springs Mill?
Keep in the mind the commuting circles exist because the housing prices in these concentric circles are inflated by the salaries the commuters are making in the next county in, so you nearly always get "more house" by commuting a county or so away from your job than living next door.
Great point. I'm now realizing Hudlander was replying to you from your earlier post...my apologies! Didn't mean to take over.
Yes, I would agree that the majority are commuting to Hagerstown and Winchester. Followed by those going down the I-270 corridor, then NOVA/DC.
As far as Hagerstown/Winchester jobs (in no particular order): Healthcare, education, construction, warehouse/distribution, and blue collar. You can make more money in all of those industries in MD/VA and bring it home to WV where it is significantly cheaper to live.
You are correct on your second point about Jefferson County.
I never saw Hagerstown or Winchester as a major job center though, like Dulles/Tysons or NOVA....at least to the extent of which there is so so much growth in Berekly
I never saw Hagerstown or Winchester as a major job center though, like Dulles/Tysons or NOVA....at least to the extent of which there is so so much growth in Berekly
They definitely are not NOVA, but then again very few places in the entire US are. But, Hagerstown and Winchester are growing in their own ways and provide enough job opportunities for those in the fields previously mentioned.
The key to the Eastern Panhandle being the sweet spot for residential growth all comes to one concept: make higher salaries anywhere in MD/VA, bring it home to WV where it will be taxed less and the dollar goes further (at least for now).
I never saw Hagerstown or Winchester as a major job center though, like Dulles/Tysons or NOVA....at least to the extent of which there is so so much growth in Berekly
It doesn't have to be a major job center if many of the jobs that are there are not filled with residents of the county, who have to commute in closer to DC to afford their rent/mortgage.
Growth in any place is a combination of many factors. The biggest take away IMO is that the further away from the urban core you go, the more likely you are to find commuters who don't commute all the way in, but rather take the jobs in more inner circle commuter counties whose residents commute to the next county in, and so forth.
OK...so the growth/sprawl in Martinsburg are spillover workers from Winchester/Hagerstown and maybe a few super commuters to NOVA?
Whereas Jefferson County is NOVA commuters as is Winchester.
Yes and no. While there definitely are more Hagerstown/Winchester commuters altogether, I wouldn't describe the super commuters in Berkeley as "a few". It's far more common than most people realize. I don't have exact numbers, but I would be willing to bet it's in the thousands.
I was sitting at a Martinsburg bar once last year with a guy who was just visiting for the weekend. He was joking about how he had yet to meet anybody from the EP who was actually from the EP. Somehow the topic of jobs came up and (I don't remember why) everyone seated around the bar went around and said where they work. Out of the roughly 10 of us, I was one of the few that didn't mention a place in Fairfax, Loudoun, down I-270 or DC.
I know that's an odd example, but my point is the chance of that just being by coincidence are slim. Super commuting is far more common in Jefferson and Berkeley than a lot of us realize. Again, it's important to remember that a lot of these jobs (even pre-COVID) are hybrid. They are only commuting maybe 2-3 days a week and working from home the rest.
Last edited by mmccul; 01-07-2021 at 07:59 AM..
Reason: clarification
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