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Originally Posted by peaceofmind
I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my blog. All of this information helps me. I currently live in a big city(Philadelphia) and I really want to get out of here. The crime is tooooo high and that really affects the quality of life. There are a lot of things to do here but you don't want to partake because of the crime. The people are not friendly here... probably out of fear. My concern would be that my son would be bored. But then again he could probably ride his bike all around without having to worry about incidents of crime. Once again I realize crime is everywhere but it has got to be better than Philadelphia. I just want to make sure that we choose an area that is integrated and open minded to some degree. Is Bluefield cooler than other sectionss of WV in the summer? What are the winters like? Do you have a lot of snow? One more question.....parks and lakes are they nearby? Thanks again..... I think Bluefield folks ROCK!
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Well, as I mentioned, Bluefield has a higher percentage of African Americans that is typical state wide. WV's black population overall is only 5%. There are also other ethnicities like Italian and Polish because of the history of coal mining in nearby counties and VA.
From Wikipedia:
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With a strong ethnic community, Bluefield was the site of the 1895 founding of the Bluefield Colored Institute, the nation's first college with primarily black students. That college is today's Bluefield State College.
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From BluefieldWV.net:
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Racially, the city's Caucasian population is very close to the national average. Bluefield is 75.8% White while the country is 75.1%. The Black population is 22.1% locally whereas the national figure is 12.3%.
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There is very little racism or antagonism to outsiders which you do find in WV. I have noticed more and more retirees locating here so somehow the word got out about our little area of southern WV.
It is also the home of the Baby Birds which is the minor league team for the Baltimore Orioles so if you like baseball, it's an affordable way to spend a summer evening.
Yes, the climate is much more moderate than elsewhere. Bluefield is known as Nature's Air Conditioned City because temperatures in the summer rarely go above 90 degrees.
When they do the city gives out free lemonade at various locations.
Winters tend to be mild as well with some snow but usually not enough to cause major problems.
Closeby state parks within an hour's drive include Bluestone State Park, Bluestone WMA, Brush Falls, Panther, Pinnacle Rock and Pipestem Resort. There are numerous lakes.
There is also an extensive ATV trail in nearby McDowell Co. People come from all over to use it.
The historic coal mining town of Bramwell is also with a half hour's drive as is Pocohantas VA.
And one thing you won't get elsewhere are the breathtaking views that are everywhere in the Appalachian Highlands. There are many Sunday drives where you can stop and see four counties and the state of VA. You can stand on a mountain top and see numerous moumtain ranges receding into the distance. Just going to and from work is a scenic drive.
Bluefield is southern in tradition and has the friendliness and slow paced life that comes with that.
Housing and land is very affordable.
Another added bonus is the proximity to VA and lower food costs and gas.