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Depends on your idea of what "city" or "close to" is. I live about 5 miles from a hospital (not a level 1 trauma or anything...) but Beckley and Lewisburg are an easy drive down I-64. That's about as "big city" as I need. If you're hard into theater and the performing arts, this may not be the place to be. There is plenty of it around, but it's small scale, local stuff.
Bottom line: WV (or any rural lifestyle) isn't for everyone. I, for one, am willing to sacrifice proximity for peace.
I lived in the mountains of the Catskills in New York for quite a few years. The area was absolutely beautiful, but I found that I was constantly driving to big cities to have something to do. I had to drive to go shopping, see a movie, buy a car or go to the drugstore. Winters were impossible because of all of the cold weather and snow. I now live in the suburbs of Richmond Va. I have all of the services I need within 5 miles of where I live. I can drive a short distance to the city and see a play or visit a museum. I am much happier where I live now and could never ever return to the isolation of the mountains. I visit West Virginia frequently and am awed by the beauty and majesty of the mountains. For me, they are lovely to visit and even lovelier to leave. Different strokes for different folks. Nobody can tell you what is best for you. Just bear in mind that just because a place is great to visit, does not mean that you will be happy living there 24/7. Good luck in your quest.
Great story! Thanks for sharing with us! Those of us searching for new places to call 'home' constantly weigh these factors. As I got older I thought it would be an easy decision to make but now look at it as another transition in life that requires one to really know thyself.
Thanks again for the many replies. I love reading these stories and insights and experiences. I'm in the big city now (Norfolk, VA) and the plan is, to go to WV when we're able to stop working. In a perfect world, that'll be less than five years.
I understand that commuting to and fro would be tough. Heck, even making the trek "to the city" can be tough. In the early 1990s, I lived in the tiny village of Elsah, IL and it was 25 minutes to town to buy bananas or eggs or even a candy bar, so I know about living in a remote area.
Thanks again for the replies. They've very helpful.
Why did you live in the slums and ghettos of those big cities?
I think you brought your 'ghetto survivor attitude to Wv and it didn't mix.
Now that you have built a box of hatred around you, it's impossible to function.
Time for some counseling or this trend of being a victim will go on and on...
Give you priest/pastor an earfull and then listen intently to what he/she has to say.
I feel with some therapy, you could be a constructive, positive element in your community.
Main Entry: hick
Pronunciation: \ˈhik\
Function: noun
Etymology: Hick, nickname for Richard
Date: 1669 : an unsophisticated provincial person
-- Merriam-Webster Dictionary
As far as jealous, the biblical god decribed himself as such. Are you saying the people of West Virginia are god-like?
I think, after the second or third coat got stolen, that I wouldn't be taking my coat off again.
And are there alligators in the Ohio, guard shacks on the Interstates? I was under the impression that people could pretty much leave when they wanted to.
This thread has kind of taken on a life of its own. I still pine for the state of West Virginia and I still dream of moving there. However, money is an object and hubby is an object and my wonderful enthusiasm for a new chapter in my fifth decade of life is starting to wane. Sigh.
Move here, I did. WV. is where we wanted to be, in the mountains. Friendly people. Nice environment, and contrary to popular belief, the people are educated, intellectual.
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