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Looking To Possibly Relocate To The Area. How Are The Schools, Jobs, Shopping, Any Info On The Area Would Be Great. In-laws Just Moved To Rawlings, Md And I Believe Keyser, Wv Is Near There. Thanks!
Jobs - Hard to come by. The area is economically depressed and has been losing population for about 40 years now. Good jobs are scarce and most are "spoken for" before they ever get advertised.
Shopping - Their is a big Walmart in Keyser. For anything else, the closest place to shop would be Cumberland, MD about a half hour north. There is a mall there and a nice downtown area with some speciality, antique stores etc. Don't expect anything upscale. J.C. Pennies is about as fancy as it gets.
Other: The area is very beautiful. Keyser sits on the Potomac River in a deep valley with great views of the mountains. It has lots of affordable, cheap old houses. Crime is low, not absent, but the kind of place where you can leave your car unlocked and have it be there in the morning. If you can a find a job, I say go for it!
I agree with Westsideboy. Jobs are a little hard to come by as many people often "know someone" to get their foot in the door but don't let that stop you. Best to check out the area for more than a weekend, maybe go on a job interview or two, and then decide especially if you are used to more suburban or city life amenities. If you like rural atmosphere it might be the place for you. I have found the entire Mineral Co., WV and Allegany Co. MD areas to be worth the potential cut in the pay and cultural opportunties for what I perceive to be increased quality of life over more suburban areas. Not to say there is no cultural opportunities in the area...you will find things at local colleges, festivals, and community theaters and can always drive an hour or two for bigger city attractions. I moved back here from Gulf Coast Florida after being gone most of my 20's and have never regretted it.
Good Luck!
Forgot to add a blurb about schools....My initial reaction after seeing the physical condition of schools in the area after living in Florida was "oh no, I've made a big mistake!" Many schools are old. I'm talking 30-40-50 years and older. I have worked in various schools in WV and MD over the past 8 years and know first hand although resources are typically in short supply, the teachers and other staff are dedicated to providing the kids with the best education they can. If your child or children have special needs, you might want to look for a county school system that is a little wealthier than those surrounding Keyser and Cumberland. There you will likely find more programs and resources for special needs children.
I lived in the area for about 15 years and in Rawlings for 5 of those.There's not a whole lot of stores to shop at in the area.Keyser has a Super-Walmart on the South side of town and they have Martin's Food.The mall in La Vale,close to Cumberland,doesn't have a whole lot either and half of the mall is now another Super-Walmart.We did a lot of major shopping in Altoona,PA-Winchester,VA and Hagerstown,MD. However they are talking about building and developing more shopping areas around Cumberland.Rt 220 from Keyser to Cumberland is a two-lane road with a lot of traffic.American Woodmark cabinets has a plant in Rawlings to.
If you're looking at Mineral County Short Gap might be another option.It's right across the river from Rawlings and is a shorter drive to Cumberland and La Vale.
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