Anyone ever been to WV??

[Astara]

Has anyone ever been to or have family in West Virginia?? DH's company has won a contract there and if he is able to get a job there in the same (or better) position he is in now, we are thinking of possibly...maybe... relocating.

Please tell me your experiences.. good & bad.. is it boring? is it ugly? is it pretty? is it scary?

Hopefully I posted this in the right place..

TIA to everyone!

[kris97]

My brother went to WVU for a year, so I've only been there to pick him up from college, but I thought it was pretty out there - lots of mountains, trees, etc. Compared to NJ (where we're from) it's definitely less urban than what we were used to, but it reminded me of alot of other places we'd visited in the midwest (albeit with much more mountainous terrain!)

[boilermaker]

I have been to WV several times, though I have never lived there. Charleston is like any medium sized city, the mountains are beautiful, the coal mines are ugly and the people are generally like average Americans.

I have moved many times and I can tell you one thing from my experiences. The move, the place, the people...are all what you make of them. You can chose to have a wonderful experience, put out the effort and enjoy your time there. Or you can choose to focus on how it's not "home" and everything is different than you are used to to and such and I guarantee you'll have a miserable time. It is really all about your attitude and how willing you are to accept that a move is a change. It's not going to be the same thing you have now.

If you do choose to move, good luck with it!

[melmo]

I am originally from PA, but am now living in WV. Do you know what part of the state you might be relocating? The major cities (Charleston, Huntington) are just like "real" cities, but smaller. Pretty easy to navigate. The mountains are beautiful. There are some areas that are more of the stereotypes and what you see in the movies. These are very rural areas and it would be rare that you would ever have to be in those areas. There is an area (around Beckley) that is more of a snowbelt. The good points of WV - cost of living is lower than most of the country, you can travel to many different states in 4-5 hours time (OH,PA,KY,VA), it is building up and getting more "mainstream" stores and restuarants, there are lots of outdoor things to do (whitewater rafting, skiing, etc). Bad things - there is very little in the way of diversity or good ethnic restuarants, public transportation is lacking, some of the school districts are struggling, your friends make fun of you for living in WV ;)!
If you have any specific questions - I would happy to try to answer them for you. Good luck!

[udsweetpea]

I've only been white water rafting there, and that was in Goshen. It was absolutely beautiful... the mountains are amazing! That's my only experience with WV, but I loved it!

[Astara]

thank you everyone! hope to hear more experiences!!

BoilerMaker Thank you :) I have moved quite a bit myself from michigan to tennessee to new hampshire and have done lots of moving within those states as well.. I def. agree with everything you said!

Melmo Thank you~ I am not sure yet where.. I think that the lottery is probably going to be set up in charleston but we would probably live in a suburb kind of close. I was actually also wondering how the weather is? do they have lots of tornado's? coming from TN we would get severe weather almost everytime there was a thunderstorm and 95% of the time there would be a tornado associated with it. I am really freaked out by them bc I was in one once and it was a traumatic experiance and so now thats like my biggest phobia!

[JillyB]

I live in WV...work in Charleston and live half-way between Charleston and Huntington. My hubby and I both grew up (he's from the northern panhandle and I'm originally from the southern part of the state), attended college (Go 'Eers!), and now live/work here.

IMO, I'm sure we are all "accustom" to where we live. So, I guess it just depends on what you are "used to" or what you "want" as to whether or not you would like it here. You asked about the weather, and we do not have tornados (the mountains keep those away). We have 4 "real" seasons each year (fall is by far my favorite here, because with all of the trees, it is beautiful). Which area of the state are you looking to move to? There are certain areas that are prone to more snowfall each winter.

I'll try to quickly answer a couple of your specific questions...I don't think it's "boring" to live here. Sure, we don't have all of the "on-goings" that an urban area has, but we aren't an urban area. We love to attend concerts and sporting events. So, we do lots of weekend get-aways (easy drives) to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Columbus. I like being "close enough" to these bigger cities to enjoy what they have to offer, without having to deal with what I consider the downsides of bigger cities (traffic, higher real estate prices, higher crime rates, etc.)

WV is definitely not "ugly" as a whole (there are some horrible areas, but that's true of any state), and I think most people would say that the scenery is beautiful.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "scary". Are you talking about the people? In my experience, we have some of the nicest, most friendly people here...I mean, I live here! :D Ha! But just like there are "ugly" areas everywhere, there are also "scary" people everywhere. I know there's a horrible stigma that comes with saying you are from WV, but I assure you that I am wearing shoes, have indoor plumbing, and have a full set of teeth. :p I think one of the best things about living here is the ability to "get a lot of house for your money." We have a wonderful home on a little over an acre of land, and it is still located in a subdivision (not "out" by itself somewhere). I hope my "novel" that I have written helps you out! If you have any other questions, fire away!

[melmo]

Astara- Chances of tornadoes are highly unlikely. There are mountains all over. I am not real sure of how it works but, I think tornadoes need more a flat area to "build up" to being a tornado. My husband has lived here all of his life, 34 years, and there has never once been a tornado. The rest of the weather isn't bad. There are 4 distinct seasons. The winters are not too bad in Charleston. Some snow, but nothing bad. They are great about keeping main roads cleared. The summers are humid, but not too bad either. The only natural disaster that they worry about here is flooding. If the rains come down quickly it settles in the valleys. This isn't a real problem in the Charleston area. I have never seen it get really bad either. Usually just floods basements.

The Charleston area is nice. There are suburbs that have normal subdivisions like anywhere else. There are also some that each house may have 1/2 an acre. The traffic isn't bad at all. I laugh because I will hear people complain about a huge traffic jam because they had to sit for 5 minutes on the interstate. I don't really know anyone who lives in the city of Charleston, but all in the suburbs.

I know it seems scary because there are so many stereotypes, but once you give it a little time to adjust I think you might enjoy it. The pace of life is a little slower than other areas. People are pretty laid back. You can drive down a residential road and 5 people will wave hello to you like they know you. If you have any more questions - I will more than happy to try to answer them for you.

[Ali]

I have spent some time in the area visiting college friends in the past, and I disagree that the cities are like regular cities but smaller. They are only like regular cities if, to you, City = Macy's + Applebee's.

Also, IMO there are really no such things as "suburbs" in W. Va. Most of W. Va. is very rural. The cost of living is very low, but it is also a very economically depressed area.

There is also a lot of chemical pollution in W. Va. due to the factories.

I'm not trying to paint a bad picture for you, but I am trying to balance out what other's are saying.

Personally, I would never choose to live there.

More importantly, what happens if your husbands company does not do well there? Will he be relocated, or will he be without a job? In that area, when a company closes down, or has major layoffs, it greatly impacts the entire area and it is hard for individuals to get other jobs/back on their feet again.

[Annette]

My cousins lived near the panhandle for a few years and they didn't like it there. Their biggest complaint was mainly with the schools. There were no gifted programs available in their district. I don't know what it is like in the rest of the state though. She said she had also encountered prejudice and racism especially with her kid's other classmates.

[Astara]

JillyB by scary I ment is there a lot of violence, gangs, crime that kind of stuff :) The lower cost of living is what attracted us to WV. It seems like everyone is friendly which is great! :) Thanks for the novel!! ;) The more info the better~

Ali this is not a problem as my husband's company works by contract. They just won a 5-10 year contract with the state. If the contract is not renewed at the end of that time period, it will be very easy for my husband to relocate. If we move and decide we dont like it, it will be very easy for us to relocate as well~

[Katy]

I'll be moving this thread to the travel or the location section - let me know where you'd rather it be place.

[Astara]

location.. sorry!

[Katy]

no problem. The board activity has been quite low since the holidays, so it really looks like chitchat gets all the traffic (but really, it doesn't get all that much more)

[Astara]

;) thank you :)

[HEW?B]

Hey There
Just wanted to chime in and give you my 2 cents about WV. I live in Charleston and for the most part, I love it here. I have lived in lots of different places in the country (Maine, D.C., Boston, Rhode Island) and when I first moved here it took me a little time to get used to it. Even though Charleston is a "city," it is a very small city. There is a good amount to do, but it is not over-run with cultural diversity by any means. There are some good schools (public and private) in and around Charleston depending on your neighborhood and the housing market is great. You really can get a great house for very little money.

WV also has a lot of outdoor activity that I love. There is great white water rafting and kayaking, there is tons of hiking, mountain biking, trail running, skiing. The list could go on and on. It is also really close to lots of bigger cities so you can easily go away for fun weekends.

One of the best parts of WV is the people. They really have a great deal of pride in their state and REALLY look out for one another. When I first moved into my neighborhood (as a single young woman) I felt as though I had been adopted by all of my neighbors. Nosey yes, but also amazingly loving and protective of one another.

I could go on and on, but I will wait until you have more questions. I vote for the move. I am happy living here!!