Know anything about west virginia?

[Drinkthekoolaid]

After returning from myrtle beach and driving through west Virginia I started thinking...


Its climate is more moderate than ours
It has some of the lowest population density on the east coast
Its still a reasonable drive back home to visit if desired
Seems like abundant resources of everything, from coal, gas, wood, fishing, game etc..
The people seem friendly?


Seems like a pretty decent place to live and avoid chaos and instability. And if you had to hunker down it seems like a pretty decent place to be.

Anyone know anything about the state? Good, bad or other?

I think the biggest issue to moving there would be finding employment.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Have made multiple trips to and through the states over the years. Vacations and business. Troopers are tough on speeders (ask my wife). Not too many level spots. Primary highways are in excellent shape. Climate is very tempered but the mountains will produce some serious wet snow but it melts off right after it levels your barn. If you went down with a skilled trade you'd probably find work or be able to start your own business. Tons of small towns, cities are much smaller than anything in NY. Cities are smaller too. Population is low density because of all the unbuildable hilly areas. If you were to build or buy a house find out of it was coal mined below first.

I see lots of raw logs (lumber) being moved down the highways, those drivers are crazy. On the west side, Ohio River, quite a few coal fired power plants close to the coal mines (dirty and dusty). Equipment and truck repair would be potential jobs. Well drillers. I'd do anything except for mining.

Lots of self sufficient artist move there because of low cost of living, fair climate. Some excellent woodworkers, potters, blacksmiths.

Beckley is my favorite city.



West Virginia - Wikipedia

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

Have made multiple trips to and through the states over the years. Vacations and business. Troopers are tough on speeders (ask my wife). Not too many level spots. Primary highways are in excellent shape. Climate is very tempered but the mountains will produce some serious wet snow but it melts off right after it levels your barn. If you went down with a skilled trade you'd probably find work or be able to start your own business. Tons of small towns, cities are much smaller than anything in NY. Cities are smaller too. Population is low density because of all the unbuildable hilly areas. If you were to build or buy a house find out of it was coal mined below first.

I see lots of raw logs (lumber) being moved down the highways, those drivers are crazy. On the west side, Ohio River, quite a few coal fired power plants close to the coal mines (dirty and dusty). Equipment and truck repair would be potential jobs. Well drillers. I'd do anything except for mining.

Lots of self sufficient artist move there because of low cost of living, fair climate. Some excellent woodworkers, potters, blacksmiths.

Beckley is my favorite city.



West Virginia - Wikipedia

Thanks this is great info


What's the deal if your property had mining below it? Is the land unstable? Contaminated?



So far I think I'm curious about morgantown, Clarksburg, Fairmont etc... Mostly the North central area. I will want to learn more about Beckley, charleston, parkersburg etc...

 

[Tinman]

I grew up in Charleston. My Mom , brother and sister still live there.

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

I grew up in Charleston. My Mom , brother and sister still live there.

Cliff notes on what it's all about?

 

[Podmonkey]

It's a bitch to drive a truck through.

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

It's a bitch to drive a truck through.

I totally believe that.

It's pretty crazy to think their interstates are 70mph, windy and hilly as shit and most don't even have guard rails lol

 

[Deplorable Me]

Thanks this is great info


What's the deal if your property had mining below it? Is the land unstable? Contaminated?



So far I think I'm curious about morgantown, Clarksburg, Fairmont etc... Mostly the North central area. I will want to learn more about Beckley, charleston, parkersburg etc...

Mines may create unstable ground conditions if they didnt do a retreat mine operation. Some mineral right contracts may allow a mine to burrow under you. The I79 south from Pittsburgh is a nice stretch of WV.

What type of work you looking for?

 

[GOPerfect]

I go to WV a few times per year to visit my mom and step dad. WV, is nice. The weather is much better than ours. Taxes are very, very reasonable.

My mom is about 45 minutes past Morgantown, takes me about 5-51/2 hours to get there.

On/under their land is a shit ton of mining. They had a large issue a few years back. The mines dug a huge air shaft under the land, ended up draining their creek, their well and messed up their house pretty bad. The mines took care of everything; dug a new well and built a brand new house. They get $ compensation every year for what the Mine companies use.

Over all, they are very happy.

 

[Greywood]

It's not bad there. I spent most of my time there in the mountains near the VA boarder. The people are nice,but it depends on where ya are. You will find areas with lots of pill poppers and meth heads. They aren't everywhere but some places have them in abundance.
The mountains are beautiful with lots of game. Watch your step there to! Besides old mines and sink holes there are natural cave systems that open up and get covered with sticks and leaves and you will fall in. Fishing is great especially in the Harpers Ferry area.
You also may want to check out Ashville NC! great!

 

[Phauxtoe]

before Camp David there was the GreenBrier!
read about it, it has a very cool Secret history!
The Greenbrier - America's Resort since 1778

 

[Podmonkey]

West Virgina has some of the most beautiful scenery in the nation. Maybe lacking the austerity and insane sense of scale of the Rockies out west but the verdant Appalachians with all its glittering blue river gorges and valley's snaking about have a great deal of charm as well.
West Virginians are a mixed bag. Some communities are aloof, even wary of outsiders, but just as many are warm and friendly, boisterous even, in a backslapping sort of way.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

John Denver sang about it. That's all I got.

 

[Podmonkey]

before Camp David there was the GreenBrier!
read about it, it has a very cool Secret history!
The Greenbrier - America's Resort since 1778

Very nice but not my kind of scene really.

 

[Phauxtoe]

Very nice but not my kind of scene really.

You might like this part of it...
The US Congress actually built itself a Fallout-style bunker in West Virginia

 

[RooftopKorean]

It's not bad there. I spent most of my time there in the mountains near the VA boarder. The people are nice,but it depends on where ya are. You will find areas with lots of pill poppers and meth heads. They aren't everywhere but some places have them in abundance.

There is also plenty of that in the five boroughs, especially Staten Island.

 

[Podmonkey]

West Virginia is a mostly rural state, situated entirely in the mountains the terrain is very hilly. The Climate is not dramatically different from what you would see in the southern parts of New York, it gets cold, it snows, winters can be very wet with lots of freezing rain at times, much like in Pennsylvania. The summers are hot and humid.
The roads are well maintained, better than in NY and there are some stunning vistas along the highways. It is not a wealthy state, infrastructure is not as robust as other states, other than the nice highways. Due to the mountainous terrain cell phone coverage can be problematic. The people by and large seem to be earnest and friendly, and keenly aware and a bit sensitive of the rest of the Nation's perception of them as backward hillbillies.
Government services are not particularly well funded, such as schools from what I gather fr9m the local radio stations, I remember listening to an exasperated tirade on the matter on the radio once.
Mostly it seems a similar place to south eastern Pennsylvania to me. If you like guns, the country and mountain vistas, and don't have a kid to send to school West Virginia seems like a decent place for you. I can't imagine the tax rates are very high either.

 

[E the massive]

You can drink alcohol in the strip clubs. IIRC you could BYOB.

 

[1075tech]

My only experience with WV, other than passing through on I-81, was several years ago. New Year's Eve. We were on our way home from Florida after visiting my wife's family. Lost a rear wheel bearing. Pulled into a gas station with the brakes on fire. After using my fire extinguisher, they gave me another in case I needed it as I jacked up the van and took the rear wheel off. They had a small shop there but not equipped to do what we needed. Owner (?) called around. He found a shop a few miles away that could take care of us. He towed the van there. While we were on the way over, the shop sent a guy to a salvage yard to get parts we needed (needed a new spindle). That shop took us right in. They had us back on the road in about 2 hours.

Now, it was New Year's Eve. We were from out of state. being from NY, I'm expecting them to take full advantage and financially rape us. I got the bill. It was less than what I would have expected to pay here.

The whole time there, they were kind and courteous. Made sure we were taken care of. The only other place I've been that has treated me with what should be just normal decency is Tennessee.

 

[vanderblack]

My wife and I were thinking of retiring to SC. After driving the coast and inland a bit, we decided its too flat. I really like the mountains in NY but obviously hate the taxes and crap out of Albany. We are taking a serious look at WV. It is a depressed state financially and the school system is considered a little behind par. Making a decent buck can prove to be difficult but as a retirement state, it is considered tax friendly in that they do not tax SS and while they do tax retirement income, they allow an $8,000 credit per person. They are a constitutional carry state, so open carry is allowed most places.

Subject/Law	Long Guns	Handguns	Relevant Statutes	Notes
State permit required to purchase?	No	No
Firearm registration?	No	No
Owner license required?	No	No
License required for concealed carry?	N/A	No	§61-7-4 §61-7-7	As of May 24, 2016,[3] West Virginia became a constitutional carry state. Any person 21 years or older who is legally able to own a handgun may carry the weapon concealed without the need of obtaining a permit. A permit is required for individuals 18-20 years old who wish to carry a handgun concealed. Carry permits are still issued on a "shall issue" basis to anyone who would like one for reciprocity purposes. As of October 2016, there are 37 states that recognize WV permits for those 21 years or older, and of those 35 states, 16 recognize WV permits issued to persons 18 years or older. Note: 2 of the 37 states don't officially recognize the WV permit, but are constitutional carry states, so no permit is required.[4][5]
License required for open carry?	No	No		Open carry is generally allowed without a permit.
State preemption of local restrictions?	Yes	Yes	§8-12-5a	Pursuant to The Enrolled Public Act of Senate Bill 317 by The West Virginia Legislature, as Signed into Law by Governor Tomblin, The Amended Provisions of West Virginia Code Section 8-12-5a(a) Preempt and Preclude Municipalities from Regulating: '...The Carry[ing] of any Revolver, Pistol, Rifle, or Shotgun'. As a Result, a Municipality may no longer Prohibit Open Carry of a Firearm within its Jurisdictional Limits.
Assault weapon law?	No	No
NFA weapons restricted?	No	No
Shall Certify?	Yes	Yes	§61-7-16	Shall certify within 30 days.
Background checks required for private sales?	No	No

 

[SmallGameAddict]

West Virginia was founded by the Counties of Virginia that wanted to stay loyal to the Union. Went thru the whole rigamarole and became a separate state.

 

[Plater1]

After returning from myrtle beach and driving through west Virginia I started thinking...


Its climate is more moderate than ours
It has some of the lowest population density on the east coast
Its still a reasonable drive back home to visit if desired
Seems like abundant resources of everything, from coal, gas, wood, fishing, game etc..
The people seem friendly?


Seems like a pretty decent place to live and avoid chaos and instability. And if you had to hunker down it seems like a pretty decent place to be.

Anyone know anything about the state? Good, bad or other?

I think the biggest issue to moving there would be finding employment.

There are lots of oil field jobs in the northern part of the state. I used to haul frac sand around Wheeling and Morgantown. The hills and rivers are awesome if you like that kind of stuff. Housing and taxes are much cheaper. If you like small towns you will like WV.

 

[Bananabandit]

Moonshine and weird kissing cousins routine. Maybe a few banjos here and there.

 

[Jackalope]

My wife and I considered WV as a possible retirement location before we ultimately settled in Tennessee. We looked at some real estate in the Ripley and Spencer areas. The homes were priced very low, and the taxes were quite reasonable. However, I don't think there were level areas on any of the properties we looked at. Overall impressions were that the people didn't seem happy, and there seemed to be a lot of poverty. I'm from the Adirondacks, so I'm well acquainted with poverty.

We were in WV in the early Fall, and the temperatures were actually comparable to the Adirondacks, it was quite cold. We were looking for a bit warmer climate. Tennessee has worked out well so far, we've had three snow falls thus far this winter with a total of maybe three inches. It's in the 50's as I type this, but by Monday we're suppose to get a couple of nights in the teens and then it's suppose to warm up again. Anyways, I certainly encourage folks to GTFO of NY.

 

[pjzwtl]

Went to a family reunion in Blue Stone state park a few years back. It was a scenic area basically Grand Canyon with thick tree cover. Some locals were cool some well not so cool.

 

[Catskillkid]

Spent about a week down in the Charleston area maybe about 12 years ago. Really beautiful scenery and the folks I met were all pretty friendly once they got to know you a bit better. Other than that I can't say much other than what I've heard that's been said already mainly that infrastructure isn't quite as good, public schools are not the greatest, problems with drugs/meth in some areas (but that's here too) and certain areas have pollution as a result of mining. If you're not concerns about those things/are in an area of the state where it isn't prevalent then it would probably be a nice place to settle down.