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My wife and I are considering moving to West Virginia in a few years once we retire, and we are planning to take a trip in December to check out various cities. We currently live in Tampa, Florida, and about the only criteria we have is that we do not want to live in a big city, and we do not want to live in the northern part of the state either. Other than that, we are pretty much open to any city in WV. A few of the places we've been looking into are Weston, Buckhannon, Barboursville and White Sulphur Springs. Can anyone tell me something about those cities...are they nice areas to live in, do they flood (that is a big concern of ours), how is the crime, etc.? Any information would be very much appreciated and will help us in our search. Thanks!
I highly recommend the Barboursville area. Being close to Huntington, you would benefit from all of the things that Huntington offers such as Marshall athletics, nice downtown area, good airport, lots of good festivals, good parks, etc. Barboursville is also home to the Huntington Mall which is the largest shopping mall in the state. Barboursville has a lot of nice quaint areas to meet just about any home setting that you would want if it would be more rural or in a subdivision setting. This area also has the most mild winters in WV with some snow but usually very little. You also have the Ohio River here for that type of recreation if you like boating, fishing, etc. Barboursville does not flood and there is very little concern of that unless you live right beside a creek, etc. Crime in Barboursville is also very low with your typical small town things but nothing major. I highly recommend that you come to check the area out and come in the summer if you can. Lots more to do since the weather is better and you might get to catch some of the local festivals like the Greek Fest or the Hotdog Festival. Great food at both of these. If you are wanting to come up and look at the area, you can get a direct flight from Tampa to Huntington via Allegiant air for $69 or less one way. A co-worker just got a flight for $19 one way there and back to take her daughter to Disney(they offer direct flights to Orlando, Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale). Here are some links and I hope this helps.
Tim
gordon I've been to both from my new home base in charleston, which is between white sulphur and barboursville. They're both nice, and each has it's distinctive flavor. Hospitals in huntington and charleston people come from all around the state so I think that speaks of their abilities.
White sulphur springs has greenbrier inn/golfing, lewisburg has a main street 'downtown' but nothing is over done- not population density or noise or crime. Nice and friendly, just enough, great architecture.
Barboursville has a forrest/park I visited and the nearby neighborhoods are spaced further apart with bigger lots than lewisburg. Come see for yourself.
I would encourage you to visit Retire in West Virginia
There are six communities in West Virginia which have received state certification as a Designated Retirement Community. They are worth checking out.
If you are looking for an area with low taxation, Check out Elkins or the surrounding areas in Randolph County. Very low taxation compared to WV average, which itself is already taxed very little. It has everything you could possibly need in your retirement years!!! Feel free to ask me any questions.
You will have plenty of company in your retirement as the state of WV has a very high percentage of elderly residents. I recommend the Berkeley Springs or Shepherdstown areas of the Eastern Panhandle. Both are beautiful and quaint historic communities yet right in the mountains and only 1.5-2 hours away from DC/Baltimore for culture, museums, pro sports, great dining/shopping, nightlife and entertainment, 3 huge airports, etc...
Shepherdstown and Berkeley Springs both have quaint main streets lined with great restaurants and cafes, coffee houses, funky boutiques, along with plenty of affordable living options. Shepherdstown tends to be the most pricey because its location only 75 miles from DC and Baltimore doesn't exactly make it an unknown locale.
Lewisburg/White Sulphur Springs is also a great area to check out. Good luck! WV is a beautiful state.
Buckhannon is a very nice little town, clean, and a very low crime rate. It's worth checking out. I lived there for a short while and have lots of family still there.
I am not of retirement age and I prefer the conveniences and activities of Charleston. However, I know several people who lived in the Buckhannon area, moved away years ago, but are now retired and moving back to Buckhannon.
The people are friendly. The location is good. It's close to the interstate, about 1 hour from Morgantown, 2 hours from Pittsburgh, 2 hours from Charleston. There's a Wal-Mart and couple other stores, a handful of restaurants. The closest mall is in Clarksburg - about half-hour away. Mountain playgrounds such as Canaan Valley are an hour away.
A LOT of Buckhannon people with major health problems go to the hospitals in Morgantown - so it is pretty convenient being an hour away. Don't mean to be morbid, but that may be something to consider for the years to come.
Flooding - years ago Buckhannon used to get flooding in certain areas. However, I believe Stonewall Lake & Dam (a flood control project) has controlled that. Even during the huge flood of 1985 that devasted many areas of WV in that region, Buckhannon had very little (if any) damage.
If you live in Tampa, Buckhannon may be a cultural shock for you. You're not going to find all the conveniences. However, the conveniences are just a half hour to 2 hours away.
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Re: Retiring in West Virginia
