Originally Posted by Don't Be That Guy (Post 9251161)

This is occurring in some West Virginia towns like Davis, Thomas, Buckhannon, Shepherdstown, Fayetteville, Lewisburg. But these are very small places with good bones that weren't decimated by the coal industry. They either have to more unspoiled scenery, easy access to the DC metro, or already had some money. But it's not enough of a mass to make a huge difference across the state. Those towns are quite nice and I could see enjoying a second home in any of them.

But no one with means is moving to Clarksburg, Weirton, or Welch just because they are cheap. And no knock on Morgantown, it's not a bad place, but I just don't see the incentive to live there beyond a job at WVU or hospital system, which is pretty good by the way. Morgantown has horrendous traffic for a city of its size and the infrastructure to handle the growth that they have experienced is garbage tier.

That said, I wonder what West Virginia would have been or could be if its politics were more like Colorado or Vermont?

Originally Posted by Centropolis (Post 9251197)

i think it would indeed make more sense as a state if it had pittsburgh as its metropolis. i mean even kentucky has louisville.

Originally Posted by iheartthed (Post 9251222)

Morgantown has gotta be the most expensive city in WV. I'm surprised by that median home price.

I've driven through WV a lot on I-77, but never actually visited. It looks like a very picturesque place from the interstate -- somewhat like New England from afar. But the few times I've actually stopped, it felt very much the hillbilly's elegy.

If WV really wants to get people and money in there, they should figure out how to expand their tourism industry.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan (Post 9251243)

yeah, WV is kinda like Mississippi in that it never developed its own anchor major metropolitan area, much to the economic detriment of the state overall.

Originally Posted by biguc (Post 9251142)

I was going to dump on this idea but then I actually looked at Morgantown. It looks kind of nice! I still wouldn't move there for ten grand, but it's not like they're throwing money away getting people to live somewhere they'll never want to stay. Hell, it has me aware of Morgantown WV for the first time in my life.

They have a real-live PRT system from 1975. That's some Logan's Run shit.

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 9251338)

I've been fascinated with Morgantown ever since I first heard about the PRT a couple years ago. Seems like an otherwise nice enough, healthy little college city.

Originally Posted by Crawford (Post 9251096)

West Virginia, in theory is quite beautiful, but there isn't really much in terms of pristine wilderness. A lot of lopped-off hillsides, poisoned rivers, bombed-out towns and the like.

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 9251412)

Wheeling, Morgantown, etc are not really comparable to the rest of WV. They might as well be part of Pennsylvania as they share a more common history with industry and ethnicities as Pittsburgh. WV doesnt start to feel like WV until you get down about 30 miles south of Morgantown and thats about where the accents start to change.

...


That is utterly false. The only part of WV that is destroyed by coal mining is the southwestern part of the state and unless you are in a plane, you cant see it from the roads. Most of WV is wilderness or at least hardly populated. I go to WV about twice a month, going down there this weekend to go camping. I would move to Wheeling. Its only an hour from Pittsburgh and the rent is about half of what it costs here.

Originally Posted by pj3000 (Post 9251223)

I’ve said it numerous times on here, but it bears repeating given the topic. WV is far from monolithic, in terms of terrain, environmental degradation, culture, affluence, etc.

Northern WV is rustbelt... no different than SW PA and SE OH. Central WV is largely rural with pristine wilderness, state parks, and small towns, often with colleges, and a rather liberal, artsy and outdoorsy recreation atmosphere. Southern WV is coal-ravaged hillbilly, ultra conservative decay. Eastern WV is much like outer DC “suburbs” of Maryland and Virginia.

Originally Posted by Cirrus (Post 9251255)

Interesting that this seems to be about Morgantown hoping to attract DC people. That's an... odd combo.

1. Morgantown is one of West Virginia's healthiest cities. It's a university town. Plenty going on. It's pretty nice. The PRT isn't really PRT, but more like an ultra-light elevated Metro. I have a few pictures, if anybody wants.

2. Morgantown is much more of a Pittsburgh satellite than DC satellite. It's not really on DC people's radar.

3. There are satellites of DC in West Virginia. Martinsburg and Charles Town are within the CSA if not MSA. Maybe they don't want the growth, IDK.

Originally Posted by eschaton (Post 9251469)

I'd also argue Parkersburg doesn't really feel part of "core WV" even though it's pretty far to the south. It's the furthest removed part of the "transitional rust belt zone."

Originally Posted by Centropolis (Post 9251197)

the west virginia northern panhandle is a bizarre artifact, but i guess no stranger than the fact that west virginia exists at all. it feels more like a vestigial limb of a state than a state in its own right.

i think it would indeed make more sense as a state if it had pittsburgh as its metropolis. i mean even kentucky has louisville.

Originally Posted by eschaton (Post 9251469)

I'd also argue Parkersburg doesn't really feel part of "core WV" even though it's pretty far to the south. It's the furthest removed part of the "transitional rust belt zone."

Originally Posted by pj3000 (Post 9251552)

Yeah, that whole Parkersburg-Marietta area along the Ohio... to me, it feels much more Ohio-Ohio Valley than it feels like WV. That area was a rather wealthy hub for transportation, and the oil industry wealth is evident. Looks a lot different than coal or steel towns of WV.