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I have only been there once but it was pretty cool little area. Lots of character and potential. I really liked some of the dense housing and older architecture. Other than that, I can't say anymore. Others will come in and fill you in I'm sure.
That entire island is in the 100 year (1% chance every year) flood plain. I have no clue on the rates themselves, but they won't be cheap.
As for the neighborhood itself, I can't speak to it too much. I've only been there once, and that was for the Super Six. I never heard the best things about it growing up, but then again I heard the same about Huntington and I love it here. I'm sure there's good parts and some that are getting better. But again, I have very limited, mostly second-hand experience.
I would live there it wouldn't bother me at all but I'm used to inner city living with houses connected to each other or only a couple feet apart. It's pretty mixed, whites and blacks, families, older people, and younger single people. It's close to everything and the interstate runs right over top of it. The Chinese restaurant there is good and has been there for many years. Some of the old houses are huge but a number of them were bought up and turned into apartments. If you're buying instead of renting you definitely want to check on the flood insurance. It's divided into 2 sections by route 40 that runs into Ohio and they're simply called the northern section and the southern. The southern section is the section with the Casino. Like any city neighborhood as old as Wheeling Island some buildings are in much better shape than others.
This guy made a video driving around the Island and did sort of an amateur tour:
I would live there it wouldn't bother me at all but I'm used to inner city living with houses connected to each other or only a couple feet apart. It's pretty mixed, whites and blacks, families, older people, and younger single people. It's close to everything and the interstate runs right over top of it. The Chinese restaurant there is good and has been there for many years. Some of the old houses are huge but a number of them were bought up and turned into apartments. If you're buying instead of renting you definitely want to check on the flood insurance. It's divided into 2 sections by route 40 that runs into Ohio and they're simply called the northern section and the southern. The southern section is the section with the Casino. Like any city neighborhood as old as Wheeling Island some buildings are in much better shape than others.
This guy made a video driving around the Island and did sort of an amateur tour:
Good post. In general, the northern part of The Island is considered to be the better part. Like all urban areas that decided to reduce availability of housing projects, The Island took a hit as the folks who used to happily live in the projects by choice were socially engineered and forced to live in former residential areas with Section 8 funding. It is not the same neighborhood it was 40 years ago.
Historic Wheeling has gorgeous churches, several more than a century old, including St. Alphonsus Church which was, like most of Wheeling, German ethnic. The church houses hundreds of historic sacred relics as shown in this report...
Good post. In general, the northern part of The Island is considered to be the better part. Like all urban areas that decided to reduce availability of housing projects, The Island took a hit as the folks who used to happily live in the projects by choice were socially engineered and forced to live in former residential areas with Section 8 funding. It is not the same neighborhood it was 40 years ago.
Great video.
The only place I've seen more Victorian homes condensed like that is in San Francisco. Martinsburg, Winchester and Hagerstown all have a fantastic selection of Vintage homes - but they don't have the sheer number of Victorian homes that Wheeling seems to have.
What you saw in the video were mostly post Victorian, some pre Victorian, and on South Front Street actual Victorian mansions. I agree that far and away Wheeling still has the most historic architecture in spite of the fact that much of it has been torn down. The most beautiful Victorians are to be found in Center Wheeling and North Wheeling, while many mansions from that era and subsequent times can be found in Woodsdale. You have to note though that much of the historic architecture in Wheeliing was actually build pre Victorian in the early 1800s to around 1850, and much of that is still in good condition and in use today.
Although there is a fair amount of Victorian and pre Victorian architecture in Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry, most of the authentic historic stuff is located in Wheeling. And, while much of the state's housing stock is wood frame construction, a very large part of the Wheeling historic districts were well build brick homes built by German craftsmen with first rate materials and construction, marble and tile fireplaces framed with Chestnut or Oak, and stained glass and/or crystal glass windows. Some of it is absolutely beautiful and irreplaceable.
The only place I've seen more Victorian homes condensed like that is in San Francisco. Martinsburg, Winchester and Hagerstown all have a fantastic selection of Vintage homes - but they don't have the sheer number of Victorian homes that Wheeling seems to have.
Yeah I agree with this. I watched that video and just saw so much potential. I'm really pulling for Wheeling. Cool city in WV.
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The Relics of Wheeling's St. Alphonsus Church
