OT Please help me move to WV
Feb 6th, 2007, 05:55 PM
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OT Please help me move to WV
Please help me. We are looking for a spot maybe somewhere around the eastern part of WV- as close to the Potomac as we can get and route 81. We are looking for great places to eat, culture, upscale shopping,progressive, etc. We want a home reasonable with property in a rual area yet convienances close by. Any suggestions? I'm open to other areas in WV if other parts would suit us better.
Feb 7th, 2007, 04:13 PM
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The eastern panhandle of WV, especially in the Charles Town area, is fastly becoming a "suburb of DC". Charles Town is a little over an hour from DC and a new road is in the making which will enhance travel. Property values in the area have skyrocketed in the last few years. However, in comparison to property values in other parts of the US, the cost may be considered a bargain to you.
Charles Town, Martinsburg, and Shepherdstown are the larger towns in the area. Sorry, but this area of WV is the part I am the least familiar with. Hope someone else can help you more than I.
Check out these towns and the area out at:
http://www.wvtourism.com/planner.aspx?pgID=57&rg=7&
You can access the WV Travel Guide at http://www.wvtourism.com/spec.aspx?pgID=18 (pages 138-157 focus on the Eastern Panhandle)
http://www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com/
http://www.martinsburg.com/
http://www.berkeleycountycomm.org/
http://www.jeffersoncounty.com/
http://www.charlestownwv.us/
Charles Town, Martinsburg, and Shepherdstown are the larger towns in the area. Sorry, but this area of WV is the part I am the least familiar with. Hope someone else can help you more than I.
Check out these towns and the area out at:
http://www.wvtourism.com/planner.aspx?pgID=57&rg=7&
You can access the WV Travel Guide at http://www.wvtourism.com/spec.aspx?pgID=18 (pages 138-157 focus on the Eastern Panhandle)
http://www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com/
http://www.martinsburg.com/
http://www.berkeleycountycomm.org/
http://www.jeffersoncounty.com/
http://www.charlestownwv.us/
Feb 8th, 2007, 08:01 AM
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The areas LvSun mentioned are the best choices based on your qualifications.
A friend of mine just moved to Charles Town and that area is growing rapidly. So much so that while you can still call it rural, there is a lot of property being bought and building going on.
For what it's worth, you note that you're open to other areas in WV so you might consider Morgantown. It's a college town but has everything you mentioned plus it's an hour to Pittsburgh.
A friend of mine just moved to Charles Town and that area is growing rapidly. So much so that while you can still call it rural, there is a lot of property being bought and building going on.
For what it's worth, you note that you're open to other areas in WV so you might consider Morgantown. It's a college town but has everything you mentioned plus it's an hour to Pittsburgh.
Feb 24th, 2007, 07:18 AM
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"places to eat, culture, upscale shopping,progressive" ... Are you sure you want WV? I'd move to Beckley area (New River Gorge Country), get a rural place near Grand View Park which is a beautiful area, go to the mall and Wally World as little as possible, enjoy the areas rock climbing, hiking, wild caving, rafting, visit the area's multiple and amazing state parks, and enjoy the "local" culture. This is WV at it's best. (If you're about to retire, head to Beckley and enjoy watching all the above!)
Steve
Steve
Feb 24th, 2007, 02:30 PM
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Apr 23rd, 2007, 06:07 PM
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Morgantown is quickly becoming what the Eastern Gateway has become - housing developments and traffic. Unless you are locked into the DC area, I would suggest going just a bit south of Morgantown into Marion, Harrison, Taylor, or Barbour Counties, Preaton County to the east of Morgantown - all are just a couple hours from Pittsburgh, but great medical facilities, arts, education, and culture are found in Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg - all in that Mountaineer Country Region. Also I would look toward the Northern Panhandle. It is still very rural and beautiful but near cities - Wheeling, WV, Pittsburgh is 1 hour, Columbus is a couple hours, Cleveland about 3 hours at most. You have arts, culture, education, and history there also.
If you want to be fairly near I-81, what I call the "elbow" of WV, Hardy or Pendleton Counties are places to check out. They are rural but not that far from what is called "civilization".
It is hard to find a place in West Virginia that is not nice. Your criteria is confusing - upscale means a lot of things to different people - WV is full of wonderful artisans making everything from jewelry to pottery to baskets or textiles. Great places to eat does not always mean "fine dining" - here it means the food is great. My small town has a community band that is very good and we have the best fireworks in the State every July 1 (try a solid 45 minutes). You will find museums all over the State. I hope you find what you are seeking.
If you want to be fairly near I-81, what I call the "elbow" of WV, Hardy or Pendleton Counties are places to check out. They are rural but not that far from what is called "civilization".
It is hard to find a place in West Virginia that is not nice. Your criteria is confusing - upscale means a lot of things to different people - WV is full of wonderful artisans making everything from jewelry to pottery to baskets or textiles. Great places to eat does not always mean "fine dining" - here it means the food is great. My small town has a community band that is very good and we have the best fireworks in the State every July 1 (try a solid 45 minutes). You will find museums all over the State. I hope you find what you are seeking.
Apr 24th, 2007, 06:03 AM
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I would look at Berkeley Springs and Shepherdstown. I believe that both are within 30 minutes or so of 81 in Hagerstown. Both towns are fairly small and have interesting botique type shops.
Berkeley Springs is a few miles south of Hancock, MD and the Potomac River on 522. Coolfont Resort and Cacapon State Park are near by. We've eaten at a couple of good restaurants there, including Tari's which we love. Weaver's Resaurant in Hancock is legendary for their homemade pies.
Shepherstown is the home of Shepherd Univeristy, a fairly small school. It has a lot of hisorical buidings and also has a lot of good restaurants. The Yellow Brick Bank and the Barvarian are both very good, and there are several others.
I also like Martinsburg a lot but it's pretty built up. I've never been a fan of Charlestown or Harpers Ferry. They both look like they would have benefitted from zoning restrictions.
I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that the real estate prices in both Berkeley Springs and Shepherdstown are high. You would probably have to look out of town a bit to get something more reasonably priced.
If you're looking for a place to stay in the area while you look around, I would recommend the Woods in Hedgesville. It has a golf course, tennis courts and lot of activities, and is reaonably priced. It's halfway between Berekley Springs and Martinsburg.
Some of the other suggestions on the board are nice areas but for the most part aren't convenient to 81 or the Potomac River. Personally, my favorite part of the state is the area aound Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley State Parks in Tucker County. It's not a good match in terms of some of your criteria, however, as it's somewhat isolated.
Berkeley Springs is a few miles south of Hancock, MD and the Potomac River on 522. Coolfont Resort and Cacapon State Park are near by. We've eaten at a couple of good restaurants there, including Tari's which we love. Weaver's Resaurant in Hancock is legendary for their homemade pies.
Shepherstown is the home of Shepherd Univeristy, a fairly small school. It has a lot of hisorical buidings and also has a lot of good restaurants. The Yellow Brick Bank and the Barvarian are both very good, and there are several others.
I also like Martinsburg a lot but it's pretty built up. I've never been a fan of Charlestown or Harpers Ferry. They both look like they would have benefitted from zoning restrictions.
I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that the real estate prices in both Berkeley Springs and Shepherdstown are high. You would probably have to look out of town a bit to get something more reasonably priced.
If you're looking for a place to stay in the area while you look around, I would recommend the Woods in Hedgesville. It has a golf course, tennis courts and lot of activities, and is reaonably priced. It's halfway between Berekley Springs and Martinsburg.
Some of the other suggestions on the board are nice areas but for the most part aren't convenient to 81 or the Potomac River. Personally, my favorite part of the state is the area aound Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley State Parks in Tucker County. It's not a good match in terms of some of your criteria, however, as it's somewhat isolated.
