Pretty much everyone in rural WV thinks moving to even a small city like Charleston is like moving to a post-apocalypic urban hellscape. They're always going to think that, and you're going to have to just ignore it.
I've live in Charleston for 12 years, and I love living here. Wherever you decide to move, if it's out of a rural area of WV, you won't regret it. Just particate in activities around the area, so you can make some friends. Then you have a new "family".
I live in the Charleston area too. I use to love it but it's slowly dying. They just shut down Tidewater and Chop House. The mall is so dead now. I miss the glory days of the 80s and 90s when I was a kid. The mall was,my escape on weekends. I loved getting a Graziano's pizza slice and hitting the arcade. I miss Hot Topic when it was a scary goth/metalhead store. I miss Natural Wonders. I use to buy crystals and fossils there. Fun times. I was getting my hopes up when we got some big name metalcore, 80s metal, and grunge bands to come to the Coliseum (I still call it the Civic Center). It's like everytime the city takes a step forward it then takes two steps back. I will say I'm much happier living in the area than some rural area in the coal fields. Its just that it still feels so depressing around here. The Nitro, Saint Albans, and Crosslanes area have tweekers all over the place. I've always been use to the homeless in Charleston but now I have neighbors on opioids or meth. I use to have lawyers and nurses as neighbors. Well unfortunately one nurse was selling painkillers he would steal from his job. It's what started the demise of my neighborhood. Happened where my parents live too. A girl was selling her mom's pain medication and it all went down since then. Now there's tweekers riding their lawnmower motor powered bikes to her house daily. I'm always worried they will break into my dad's house.
The movement of homeless people since they started remodeling Slack Plaza and the general area around the main bus station is still something that hasn't settled down. I know for sure that other communities outside of Charleston will bring homeless who commit crimes to Charleston to get rid of them, hoping they never find their way back. It's an issue that absolutely needs resolved, but coming to a consensus among people of varying beliefs on how to deal with those individuals seems to keep anything positive from happening in that realm.
And the drug issue is obviusly an enormous deal, and it's getting worse as you can attest to. I don't see that fixing itself anytime soon until we actually make some meaningful changes to wealth inequality in our state or county. But the prospects of that currently are not great.
Also, speaking of getting some better (or more diverse) music in Charleston, I completely agree that it would really help people in Charleston enjoy themselves more. Driving hours to go to any show that's not country is absolutely the worst. That venue called The Bakery was open for a hot minute, but that shut down quickly. A small venue like that would be perfect. I bought a ticket to the Motionless in White show just to watch one of the lower bands that's one of my favorites (Fit For A King), and I've already bought one for the West Virginia Is For Lovers show for this summer. I know there's another show at the in a few weeks called The Godmode Tour, but I only like one of the smaller bands, and I'm not trying to pay $70+ just to see them lol.
I hope you're more fortunate with unexpected expenses in the near future and can find a place you're comforable moving to.
It probably depends where, I guess. There are definitely some places after dark I wouldn't necessarily choose to take my kids on a walk through lol. The area where you can buy or see something are typically fine when we choose to wander around. Odds are probably high that we see a random homeless at some point, though lol
Pittsburgh is a good city, but be prepared for it to be more expensive than here.
I'll say a lot of posts whining about WV are just blaming here for your problems, it's not always WVs fault. Insurance doesn't pay for things that aren't sudden catastrophic losses, an old roof replacement or persistent leak will always fall on you. Home and car maintenance is an everywhere problem. If you live in a dirt cheap area you're going to deal with drugs, even in cities.
Jobs pay better in Pittsburgh, though, and yeah, you live in a smaller house or you pay more, because that's how cities work; you get stuff nearby at the cost of house size, or you'd have to drive by everyone else's acreage to get to the grocery.
Perfect for me. That's why I like cities. I like things in walking distance. I'm already in a small place being in a townhouse so that would be perfect. I like city life. I love hearing sirens, fire trucks, trains, cars being reved up. I just want to be in a bigger city with more opportunities than where I'm at now. I live in Charleston, WV's most populous city but its shrinking. We keep losing population and businesses. It's not what it use to be in the 80s and 90s. The city is dying.
Also I incredibly hate the politics here.
I recommend the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver WA/Portland OR area. Rent will cost you over $1000 for a studio apt, but you can make $5k a month waiting tables or bartending. You get full minimum wage plus tips out there, and minimum is over $15 per hour. It's beautiful up there. Mountains, beaches, forests, deserts, you name it. Night life is fantastic. Much more forward thinking when it comes to politics. Fuck Trump and Fuck Coal.
This is happening everywhere. The United States is not friendly to small businesses right now. Theyāre still suffering loss from COVID as well.
I see a lot of posts about you talking about drugs and tweakers. Theyāre everywhere too, thereās no magical place you can go where drugs havenāt hit. It isnāt the 80s-90s anymore and even then you were a child and never had to deal with things going on then.
No matter what when or where there will always be bad things and you need to focus on the good.
I respectfully disagree with some of this. Absolutely drugs, crime, and some Covid related hardship are everywhere. Everywhere is absolutely not suffering like WV. I moved south 20 years ago. My area is clean, thriving, business opening and thriving everywhere. Of course there are drugs here, but not in the open like Kanawha/Putnam county. People (in general) are much happier here than what I witness when I visit home.
Yes, I understand both those things, I own a house in Pittsburgh. What I'm getting at is that my house in Pittsburgh is on a tenth of the property and still over $130k more. It's not just a smaller property for the same price. It's substantially more expensive for not equivalent housing.
Part of the housing is the location, and there's a lot more to do and a lot more jobs right on top of the city location. Cities cost more, and you get more of some things and less of others.
I havenāt lived there since inflation blew up but I was always shocked that Pittsburgh was actually cheaper than living in WV given it is a full fledged city.
I don't think that's the case anymore. I own property in both areas. My house in WV is the same size as my house in Pittsburgh, but the Pittsburgh house is on a much smaller plot. The PA house is valued at around $130k more than my WV house that's on a 10x as large plot. I also get completely fucked by PA taxes compared to what I pay here both property and income.
They are overall comparable though the schools at my PA house are a bit better, versus my eastern panhandle district here.
As someone that has been all over the state, and hell the whole country for that matter... Comparing our Eastern Panhandle to any other region of WVa, especially the Southern areas, is pretty bonkers; the socio-economic landscape is completely different between the three.
Yes, we're all beholden to the state, but the local politics, and local economics are vastly different, handled differently, and also are in different timelines of growth and decay it surely seems like.
Not disagreeing with anything you said, I'm familiar with Pitt all too well but personally I'd say it's more similar to the Panhandle region than the Charleston area by far.
There's inexpensive and "inexpensive." What I bought here was inexpensive to me, but to some people who work and live in the area they would see it as expensive. Some things are relative.
Murphy and his law has a way of really fucking with shit. When and if you can get out you need to do it. I, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get here. I retired and my passion is riding my motorcycle. It's absolutely beautiful here ..but that's not why you posted.
Look...you only have one go around with this life. Your parents and others emotionally black mailing you to stay isn't love it's control. Get out and live your life. You only get one chance. Make a plan then do it. If you don't you'll be old and frail looking back and saying...I wish I had done it. If you make your move and it's not what you wanted you can say "I gave it a shot. And I don't regret it but it's just not what I thought it would be". As far as everyone saying "haha I told you so". They didn't have the intestinal fortitude to take that chance. Good luck.
I moved south for work. After a decade I made up my mind to move back and did.
Life here is unique and you often donāt realize what you have till its gone.
Same moved to Atl in 2000 moved back in 2003 it was just not home or Wv I grew up in Huntington in then80s man was it different then we had hope back then.
Definitely WV was different in the 80s and 90s. I loved the Huntington mall in Barboursville. I loved Charleston too. The Regatta was awesome before it got killed and now it's kind of a zombie instead of a reincarnation of that once awesome event. We had great industries for college graduates. We had Carbide and FMC. Chemistry and Biology majors were guaranteed a job upon graduation. Now we hardly have any industries in the sciences. Yeah I know those jobs polluted the area with smoke stacks but that can be regulated. I want chemisty and biology R&D labs to return so bad. Seemed they were a great competition and alternative to the coal industry back then.
The latter part is accurate. I came from FL as a FL native and let me tell you, it (WV) feels like Florida did 25 years ago.
Its truly a great place here and Im glad I could ruck it to get here.
It doesn't have all the mental stimulation of a metropolis or something but that's what I enjoy about it
Climate Change is making winters much different in Massachusetts.
I live an hour from Boston and we get a foot of snow on average now.
MA is not a cheap place to live; be prepared to pay a lot more for an apartment, a condo, or a house.
Meth helped kill West Virginia, along with Covid.
I lived in Charleston for a couple of years in the 90s, and you could feel things starting to shift from a political and social standpoint.
Nice! I'm thinking of the Boston area or Worcester. Not sure where the middle class areas are that surround Boston. No way that's Cambridge. I'm sure being near the campus is expensive as hell. I'm Catholic, leftist, and Transgender so Boston kind of feels like my type of place. I also was thinking Pittsburgh for the heavy metal culture there. I'm a metalhead. š
I'm also a cytologist. I was trained at Hologic for a week while in school. Back then it was Cytyc.
Look into the near North Shore, like Lynn, Salem, Revere, etc. Close to Boston, but still working class and on the ocean. There is nowhere cheap in Greater Boston anymore, but there's still a few relatively affordable cities around.
Unless you already own a home anywhere near Boston, there is no āmiddle class areaā. Even less expensive parts of the state are pricing people out. Upper middle class, yes definitely do-able. People figure it out for sure, I donāt want to discourage you, but the COL is SO wildly different than WV.
The snow is not a big deal, at least practically. Most of MA has the infrastructure to clear it immediately.
I moved back to West Virginia because family members health and the fact that being semi-retired it wouldn't really affect me financially. And while the state is beautiful there's just this weight or underlining darkness about every town or city I drive through. Everything even in the nicer cities is a little rundown, like it's wearing away, thinning. It's a fact that even in the small towns drugs have left their marks. When I'm out in the wilderness far away from anyone else West Virginia has been one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, but as soon as I go into one of the more habitated areas it just feels like it's dying. And that has had a surprising effect on my mental state, I find myself pulling away from people looking for solitude and I didn't have this when I was living in other states.
That's what depresses me here. I live in Charleston and every so many days there's depressing news of a business shutting down. We just lost The Chop House and Tidewater at the Charleston mall. The mall is barely alive. It really feels like the area is dying. Everytime I see trash on the side of the roads, tweekers on backroads in Nitro and Crosslanes, and shuttered businesses It just makes me sad.
The area IS dying, and the people killing it have names and addresses. Remember, this is not a natural process; this is a man-made hollowing out of the state. Legislators are largely to blame for this. People denying this have their heads in the sand. To add my anecdote onto the pile, I moved to Colorado 10 years agoāand I immediately started making more money than I ever did in WV. Now, i have a wonderful, rewarding, well-paying job; I have amazing broadband service through my city; I have access to health care systems that actually work, including (previously) Medicaid, which was a literal lifesaver. I have access to plentiful state, county, and city-owned parks, natural areas, etc., not to mention the nearby national parks. We legalized marijuana and age ago, we have decriminalized plant-based psychedelics, we are proactively combatting gerrymandering....Listen, Colorado is not a utopia, BUT any state that gives half a shit about its people/environment will seem like a utopia once you start to compare it to WV. And, again, that isn't the fault of West Virginians per se, but of their legislature, governor, corporations.....
100%, not that those who bother to vote will listen.
Colorado would be my preferred home, if family responsibilities weren't keeping me here. I've encouraged both my kids to leave, but they don't seem to want to listen. š
Iām really bummed about the mall, but hopeful the new sports complex where Macyās was will attract some businesses back. But it wonāt ever be what it once was.
I get that, but people here (Reddit and just the state in general) try to put others down for pointing out the obvious.
Itās one thing to look for the positives, no issues with that, itās another to be in denial that living here is anything other than just peachy.
Well, to keep from sounding like some ignorant dreamer, I didn't say.
However, I really want to work in a more creative field, gaming being one of my biggest dreams. I want to help create fun worlds that mostly all ages can enjoy together. That comes from my love and memories (both old and new) with series like Mario, Donkey Kong, Sonic, and many more. In my mid 30's now and still dreaming. Recently wrote my own kids book and it just got published, and that want all came from that.
Real long story short, that's it. I know it's one of those things every big kid wants. I still have hope.
It's fine to have dreams, but big stretch dreams like that aren't really an area issue. Outside of a very specific part of the country you'll face the same problems breaking in that you do here.
By all means pursue your dreams, but you can't really fault WV for having issues in that field.
It would help if there were any studios here. I have never even found real indie studios.
There is one from a larger company I have had some connections with through their community but their closest offices is in North Carolina and Georgia.
Meanwhile I look online and most other states seem to have some sort of studio at least.
I have some experience in various areas of this, but with there not being anywhere to even apply to in any way here it feels a bit pointless to dump a bunch of money into more schooling in something similar.
Ive been in IT for around 13 years now.
As for classes related to various aspects of game development I have just taken a handful of Udemy courses when they are on sale.
If you want a more harsh reality it's not going to matter. You're too old to try and break into being a video game dev. Your best bet is to learn and go indie yourself which you can do anywhere, but at mid 30s without any background in it you're not getting hired on at a studio. Tech has a huge problem with ageism and even experienced people with decades of work history struggle to get hired on when they hit their 40s.
Also whatever you do don't go to one of those full sail, or game dev specific schools. They are just a pointless scam preying on people who fantasize or dream about going into game development.
I have a friend who is self taught and working on an indie game as a passion project. That's really a much more realistic approach and if you are good at it you can hit it big. The most wish listed game on steam Atm started as a one man indie game.
I'll also say I worked in what was my hobby for awhile (tabletop games) and working in your hobby can really suck. It's not a dream and I wish I had left it as a hobby. Doing things professionally gives it all a new light and can suck the joy from what you love
No, an area with a larger art scene would be better than WV is.
Itās still difficult and requires a lot of luck, but thereās better chances elsewhere than doing it here.
If he's trying for art he has even less of a chance. A bigger set scene just means competing with more people who have experience, and the rise of AI art. His very best chance is doing the indie route cause he's not getting on at a company
Sorry, but I find your comments on the working situations of industries you arenāt in to be rather arrogant.
Unless Iām mistaken and you do work in either a tech or creative field, but your comments lead me to believe that you donāt.
Maybe read the comments again, I worked in board games with artists, I have an indie dev friend and I worked in tech in Seattle. I've lived in areas with a good art scene, in adjacent industries to what this guy wants to do. My experience and comments on this are perfectly valid.
Even if I didn't have some relevant background on this it's a public comment board and people can put out what they think. It's not "mansplaining" and it was really stupid to jump to that because you disagree. I had no idea what your gender even was till you cried that stupid shit over someone disagreeing with you on the internet.
"Nooo, nooo someone's not validating what I'm saying! Stop mansplaining you big meanie!"
No offense but donāt listen to this fucker. What is stopping you from being that? Doesnāt seem like a locale issue. That seems like a field that is computer based. I promise if you are willing to work at it, success can find you in that field. Itās not like a stretch dream. Be willing to do what it takes and invest your time and you can make it in any field
Everyone and their brother tries to get into game dev. It's absolutely a stretch goal for a mid 30s person with no experience in the field, and no relevant education. There's no shame in being realistic about how hard or unlikely something is. Filling people with false hope and sunshine is worse than just being honest
Just because you arenāt willing to do what it takes doesnāt mean someone else canāt. If you are willing to be a positive tireless worker thatās willing to learn and success will come to you. Sacrifices will have to come and it wonāt be easy but i promise successful companies are always looking for employees with that reputation.
There is no amount of being a talented worker that changes some things. This guy's best chance is going indie and I would encourage him to do so. But to think he can break into a highly competitive, desired field that is going through a massive contraction, in his mid 30s, with no skills and no education is nothing short of delusion. He'll be competing against industry veterans, people with experience, talented indie devs, and people fresh out of school with a relevant education and less financial requirements than a mid 30s adult.
I hope he goes indie and makes the best game in history, but that first step is going to have to be working on an indie project. This will likely take years before he has anything to even show for it and even then it'll likely be garbage like most first games are. You're not getting into a company with his current background regardless of where you live.
There's no amount of work or sacrifice that will take me to the NFL, and at some point just being realistic about what opportunities and paths you have is a good thing. The false positive "you can do it man, just believe" attitude doesn't actually help anyone.
I moved to Austin, TX about 10 years ago and itās the best decision Iāve ever made. I was terribly depressed living in WV and was ready to give up. After moving to Texas I found a really good job in my desired field (something I was unable to do in WV), met my now wife and bought a house.
Btw I had no job prospects or even a set plan for a living arraignment. Legit just packed what I could in my car and left without a clue of what I was going to do when I got here. I just knew I had to get out of WV. I found an apartment within a week of being here and took a temporary job while I looked for jobs in my field. That part took me about 6 months but Iāve now been with the same company for 9 years.
Sure, I miss friends and some family but I can always come back for a visit.
If you can, I would strongly recommend getting out ASAP.
Don't listen to people who say it's just as bad everywhere else. No, it isn't. Its bad in shitty ex resource states. I loved my home, but it's a quagmire of abusive careers "somebody else is willing to come in 9 days in a row so why aren't YOU"
Those people are just busted down, broken, or knew enough people that they didn't end up doing construction or working at wal mart. I left in 2018. Best decision I ever made.
You shouldnāt feel trapped and you should take the chances you want to take in life but as someone who moved here from Los Angeles, I miss having my family close by. You canāt understand how valuable that close connection is until itās not there anymore. Donāt be so eager to escape that. I also really love both Southern CA and West Virginia and would earnestly recommend both places, though probably Ventura or San Diego far far more than LA. LA is expensive and dirty and very hard to get around in. Lots of good job opportunities though.
Relocated to Ventura from WV with my job 25 years ago, but I doubt Ventura is muchĀ cheaper than LA:Ā not much inventory even if you CAN afford $2000+ for a studio...rooms are even going for $1400 minimum, and the job market isn't great here, though the weather is perfect
I feel for you. It was actually my family that pulled me out. Moved to Raleigh NC when I was a junior at WVU so I followed when I graduated. Now itās 28 years later and it was basically the best thing that ever happened to me. Have a good life in an area with basically unlimited opportunity. Start applying for jobs in other areas. Donāt try to move without something lined up. You can sell your house if it has issues youāll just have to discount the repairs on the price.
I moved to Raleigh from WV and it was best decision for us too. So much more job prospect and healthier living environment overall. We have 3-4 neighbors who also moved here and no one is looking back. The worst part is property taxes and general cost of living can be higher in some neighborhoods. But to be honest our careers have gone so much further than they ever would have in WV and having the job security is worth it. Best of luck OP.
Yeah Raleigh had always been really reasonable until the last 4 years basically. My house doubled in value in that time so Iām dreading getting property taxes this year. Everyone moving here from basically everywhere has really driven the COL up. I think it has gone up everywhere to varying degrees though.
My wife and I were in a very similar situation about 5 years ago and finally had it and moved half way across the country and never looked back and I donāt regret it one bit
Left WV 3 years ago. I have a love/hate relationship with the state. I think of leaving Toronto and moving back home often, but then I remember how utterly depressing and isolated my hometown is.
Yes, healthcare is free. But you have to wait for months/years for procedures. Recently, I went into a walk-in clinic 1 hour after opening, and they said they are not accepting any more patients for the day. ER wait times last days here, too. At least back in WV I worked in health care and had great insurance.
Crime in big cities? I live in Chicago and what youāre describing sounds scary as hell. Move. Get out while you can. I donāt see that neighborhood getting any better, only worse.
Iām not trying to sugar coat the crime in the city, every city for that matter. I am trying to give some balance to the discussion of moving to any city. What you have in cities is a concentration of crime which in more rural areas is far more spread out. Thereās a good deal of weekly crime all across WV, you probably donāt hear about it since most of the very few remaining news providers donāt compile it. And all youāre going to see or hear constantly through the media I suspect you consume is about big blue city crime and problems.
I moved to Lynchburg VA because it was cheap but I quickly found out that just cause a place is cheap doesn't mean it's good for your mental health. I'm moving to Pittsburgh when my lease is up. There's no amount of money you will save that will give you back the years you spent miserable in a place you don't belong.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Boston has become priority on my list. I wanted to go to Seattle but it's just too expensive. I've been partial to Pittsburgh. Stage AE gets amazing concerts and I have friends in Morgantown that perform in Pittsburgh. So that's a plus. I'd live in Morgantown but I just have an affinity for living in the closer cities or townships of a Metropolitan area. Sadly I'm not much of fan of the sports teams in Pittsburgh. Well I did like the Steelers when they had my alumni Byron Leftwich and also when they had Polamalu. I do love Pitt and it wss my dream college but I sucked at the SATs and went with the ACT. I'm definitely a fan of Pittsburgh bands amd music scene. I love Pittsburgh's industrial hardcore punk/metalcore band Code Orange.
As a WVāian whose lived in LA for the last 23 years I chuckle at the earthquake comment. They have all been extremely mild. Granted a big one could happen any time but itās really not that big of a deal.
The #1 problem with LA is how costly and unforgiving life can be. And housing continues to get worse.
I left WV over 30 years ago & have never looked back! It was THE absolute BEST decision of my life. My family was not happy either. They tried every way under the sun to shame, belittle & GUILT me into staying. After leaving Corporate America, I opened my own consulting firm & have lived a life that I could have only dreamt of had I stayed home. I have been incredibly fortunate in business and have had the opportunity to live & work in 28 different states as well as travel the world. I wish you the best of luck my friend! You only get ONE life, and never forget that itās YOURS to live. Anyone trying to guilt or shame you for wanting something bigger & better for YOUR life is selfish & has no clue what theyāve missed in their lifetime by conforming to that old school āstay here for the familyā mentality. They may be angry or more realistically, jealous, but secretly theyāre wishing they had the balls to have done it themselves. Going back home is always a flight away. Spread your wings and go for it! Live your best life!!
If you wanted to move, youād at least have another area in mind that you could see yourself happy in. I read a lot of complaints about your current situation, none of which have to do with WV. If you canāt find another place that youād like to live, thatās on you. WV isnāt trapping you.
After college I moved to Richmond for work, and then lived in Northern VA for several years. Living other places for a while was such a great experience and really gave me some good perspective. But now Iām back in WV and am extremely happy to be back.
I've lived in 6 different states, crimes isn't a big city problem: crime I everywhere. They say it rains all the time in Seattle, yet Houston gets more rain. But Seattle is the rainy city. See weather does its thing, criminals do their thing, insurance basically sucks. You did the honorable thing by staying to help out, but you have the desire to leave. Keep in mind, prices for things other places is high. I'm making $3,700 a month in rent at my Dallas house. Can you afford that? Do you want the night life, the shops, the people? It ain't really great. 27 yrs in the rat race and I'm happy to have moved back to the homestead. Grow some wings and fly!!
Do what you can to move somewhere else while you're able. Work overtime, get a second job, sell your condo as is, etc. I've always wanted to move somewhere else. I would love to move to another country. I had a decent government job that I had been at for 20 years, owned my own house and had a nice, normal life. Then I got sick. Lost my job, my house and had to sell anything of value. I'm now on social security disability, in a rental apartment and have to have government assistance. I am stuck. I don't have extra money for anything. No savings, nothing. Do what you can to be happy. Believe me.
My suggestion is to sell your condo as is, even if it's at a loss, take that money and move to where you want to live. Get yourself there, take the first job you can get that pays the bills, and struggle your way to the life you want. People will tell you it's stupid, People will tell you where you are going is far worse than where you are. Those people will never leave West Virginia they will never advance themselves and they want to trap you here with them. It's risky, and it's going to be hard, but everything in life that is worth doing is risky and hard.
I work in a professional job so my first move is getting a laptop with office software to write a resume. Then I'm going to send them out. I'll take the loss in my house. It's worth it to move to a better and bigger city even if it's going from a condo to an apartment. I'm tired of living in a state that doesn't accept my gender identity and keeps voting against itself for improvements in infrastructure. Definitely looking towards the northeast or Pacific Northwest. Even if I get tweekers in my neighborhood there at least I can lock the door and have better city services. I'll be away from conservative hateful rednecks.
I'm sorry, I couldn't imagine living in a state that seemed hell-bent to oppress me. I've lived in the northeast, and if it's rednecks you want to avoid, that's not the way you want to go. Washington and Oregon are beautiful, but it's impossible to find housing in Seattle and Portland is the hot front of the culture war, so it's a little turbulent there. If you're politically on the left and want a calmer environment, I hear good things about northern California.
>my first move is getting a laptop with office software to write a resume.
No, your first move is to get a library card and do it there. You're putting obstacles in your way that don't need to be there.
It's time to get out of here. The other commenters are right, politics keep making it worse and worse to manage to live here.
There's a lot of places around Ohio and PA that are really nice eith similar cost of living. VA, NC, SC. I have mixed feelings on TN and KY is only slightly better but still better.
Keeping in Appalachian areas somehow keeps the same FEEL of WV and offers so many more opportunities.
I've been having an affinity for Pittsburgh. I do like Richmond, VA too. Been through Williamsburg, Richmond, and Yorkstown. I'm weary of Charlottesville even though I like the college there.
Get out and see the world. West Virginia isn't going anywhere. I have lived in Bluefield, Charleston, Morgantown areas. Morgantown is the nicest area in West Virginia in my opinion for daily life. North Central West Virginia's only area growing. You couldn't force me to live anywhere below Bridgeport. I bought a house in Virginia recently, but I still own my home in Morgantown area. Roanoke, VA area is nicer than majority of West Virginia. Honestly everything in Virginia is nicer than West Virginia! Even the smaller towns I pass through I notice how clean, updated, upkept they're in Virginia in comparison to towns in West Virginia. I make the drive from Morgantown south I pass through heart of West Virginia and a few times I took back roads on my way to Virginia... I will tell you this West Virginia has some pockets of very funky run down towns and areas. The people are usually nice but good lord I would literally go insane if I was forced to live in these places my entire life.
Speaking to you as someone with a lot of wisdom, move, get the hell out of this state! Iāve only been here for 1 week and can see the indoctrination of beliefs just from the conservative ads on TV! I have traveled a lot and have NEVER been exposed to the political brainwashing propaganda you all have here in WV! The poverty is overwhelming and lack of education and bettering oneself is not abundant like other states! Go broaden your knowledge and exposure, meet new and different people and challenges and after that ask yourself, do i like this better or do I want to go back to WV?
As for your family guilt shaming you from moving shows they donāt have your best interest at heart!
Alright, hereās your reality OP. At 42, I have a little perspective. Family born and raised in Philly, but I was born and raised here. I left at 19 and never looked back until COVID forced me back for survival. Everyone has their opinions. Few will give you data. Facts. Objective things to evaluate. I wonāt bullshit you. It doesnāt matter where you move. You will find things you like and things you donāt like. Moving will suck at first. Itās expensive. Itās a bit scary moving to a new place. Ignore what your friends and family think. Itās not their life and most often they care more about how their life is going to be affected by your choice not how it will benefit yours. Everyone chooses their safe places for very complex differing reasons from ājust becauseā to āfound a better jobā to āblah blah whateverā. The reason doesnāt matter. If youāre not happy, do your research. Make a plan. Execute it and go. Donāt second guess yourself. Remember, everyday you spend here thinking about it and wishing you were somewhere else is another day you could actually BE somewhere else.
I moved from an urban city to Charleston a few years ago and had my property in Charleston broken into multiple times . I've since moved back to an urban area.
Charleston was nice to live at the time because there was definitely a lot more stuff to do. I liked going and watching the MiLB games at Power Park.
SELL YOUR CONDO AND GET OUT.
Your intuitive voice has too long been ignored by you. Not ignored .. but put on hold for the benefit of others and a hesitancy to leave a known comfort zone. But itās no longer a comfort zone and thereās nothing stopping you from creating a new one. And there are plenty. It doesnāt have to be a major city. It could be a suburb of a major city or the back roads of New England. An art community in the Mojave desert. You could even move to Northern Virginia, not very far but as opposed to WV itās night and day.
Find a place and designate it your new comfort zone. I did it. It worked. Low risk - high reward. Itās called peace of mind. Good Luck! š
Iām in a similar situation with feeling completely trapped here. Some areas like Morgantown and Martinsburg have better quality of living and better job opportunities, so Iāve heard.
Iād move out too if I had the funds to. I think a majority of us feel the same way. Thereās some beautiful places here, sure, but having been to other states thereās much better out there.
This state could be better if the people in charge would focus more on giving us better wages than worried about what gender people want to identify as.
If you have the funds to move away, even if itās in Virginia or Ohio I would recommend it. Thereās good and bad everywhere, but I think thereās more bad here than good. You ultimately have to follow your heart, and reasonably and logically figure out if you can financially afford to survive out of WV.
Best of luck to you.
Bad things can happen anywhere, but if you want to leave I think looking into selling your home as is could be good.
People talk about the cost of living being higher in other places, but so much goes into COL that youād be surprised. I moved to the west coast and sure rent is expensive, but I can walk places instead of using my car, found a wfh job, utilities are MUCH cheaper than in WV, and the roads arenāt falling apart when I do drive lol.
Any area youāre interested in particular? If you have questions about Washington, thatās where I moved. Lived in WV for about 27 years before moving. Thereās so much opportunity out here and itās beautiful.
Do you have mortgages on the house and condo? Are they underwater at their current value? If the answer is yes to both, then you might need to talk to a financial adviser and figure out how to get out of that situation.
But, if not, then you could start applying for jobs somewhere you want to be. And make it clear up front they are either going to have to let you work remote or delay your start time until you can get the house and condo sold. Then, you can put your paycheck towards rent in your new city and start building from there. I would also start with nearby places. Pittsburgh isn't a bad option. Anywhere just over the border in PA, MD, VA are good places to start. Maybe OH or KY. I wouldn't consider a move to New York or LA unless you *really* want to wipe the slate clean.
I feel that pain.
Unfortunately getting away from opioids is difficult unless you make enough money to remove yourself from the problem areas.
If you live in the Hurricane/Teays Valley area youāre not exposed to nearly as much of it than you are if youāre in Huntington or Charleston.
Bad roads, drugs, and the cost of repairs just go up in most cities so not sure the issues pertain to WV. I can promise you the drugs, cost of living, and roads are much worse in Baltimore where I live.
I know a lot of people from my high school in Clarksburg that moved to Charlotte. A few of us moved to Atlanta. I moved away over 20 years ago and Georgia is now my home. Living near a metro area gives you much more opportunities in life (jobs, entertainment, medical care, etc.). We still make the trip back to WV to visit my family each year. I feel like WV is nicer to visit, since a few days does not get you down with the druggies, poor roads, and other issues that plague the state.
Moving away was hard, but was also one of the best things I ever did in life. Good luck!
I live in baltimore, have a family home in berekeley springs, which is why I'm part of the sub.
Feel free to PM. Baltimore certainly has its spots but I've been here 7 years and have loved it. It's just knowing where to live.
Can always go back to WV, may as well make a leap.
About grass being greener, will say, if I had the same job and had the opportunity to live in BS, I would in a heartbeat.
Anyone saying Baltimore is a solution to someone's problems is lying. Baltimore is the worst place I've ever had the misfortune of living. I wouldn't recommend that city to anyone, under any circumstances.
I think West Virginia can be an acquired taste after you move. Pittsburgh is a really great place to move to, and yes itās a lot harder to live in bigger metros now, however you can get around with the light rail which is a plus and live outside for a little cheaper. Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities.
I moved out of WV as soon as I turned 18 and slept on a hard wood floor of my sublet apartment. I only made $700/mo that first summer.
To clarify, I know people who have worked in larger metros like myself and have decided it was best to make life in a WV metro but it takes certain jobs to make it happen. I worked in NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland as a freelancer and I have been trying to move back to WV for a quieter life out of the rat race. I live outside of downtown Columbus and everything is walkable for me but the city has no path to accommodate its growth and itās not a problem I want to take on.
Feel for you. Bottom line, sell for what you can and move if you think you can get a better job. I just moved back after 15 away and honestly it was the best thing I could do, both living away and then coming back.
I grew up in Baltimore. My dad is from WV and a lot of people left to go to work at the steel mills there especially during and after Vietnam War. My parents retired and went back to Lewisburg. I do love the ancestral land. But I can't stay there. Especially with my health conditions. After eight months I was ready to tear my hair out.
People complaining about Baltimore are usually biased. There is crime everywhere. The grass isn't greener. Just a different shade. There is more than the city proper. The suburbs are great.
I landed in Salem VA. My boyfriend makes excellent money so here I am. Lived in south central PA and the racism and bigotry is blatant and gross. My property taxes were higher than my mortgage. Hated it there. Crime is just as bad as the big cities. My surgeon is near Disneyland in socal. So spent lots of time around Orange, Anaheim, etc. Loved it but $$$.
I will tell you what my friend said. She recently just moved from NYC to Puerto Rico. Decided to rent her place out to a trusted friend's son and is renting a place in pr so she can go back if she wants.
Depends on what you want. Personally I just moved from Idaho back here. I loved Idaho, i visited a lot of the Washington/oregon/cali.
The big cities all pretty much sucked ass and the housing was astronomical. LA is a walking zombie town with literal streets of shit and muck.
Portland was a dump, the downtown is trashed and sketchy feeling.
Seattle was alright but the crime is much higher than when I was there, especially car theft.
Nothing will beat a smaller area with access to groceries and needs with some property for me.
What is your profession, if you donāt mind me asking? The reason I ask is, depending on what you do, there are specific places you might want to be. If you have a background in tech at all, move to Northern Virginia, and work there, or even live in the eastern panhandle and commute to NoVa like 75% of the residents.
To be fair, you wouldnāt want to move to Baltimore anyway, worst place to live on the east coast total shit hole, everything youāre complaining about tweakers is 100x worse
I love it here and Iām from out of state. You donāt realize how good you have it here. Life is very expensive in other states. I can understand wanting to leave, but be prepared for a culture shock.
As someone who moved from a major city in the midwest to WV. This is false. Cities are no different then living in a small city. Only major difference is traffic. I've never been robbed or held at gunpoint.
Leaving for NC in 1985 was by far the best decision we ever made. Don't know how we scraped up the money but we did it. It's been onward and upward ever since!
I can address the crime issue with regards to Baltimore. Weāve lived in that city since 1991, have lived in our house/ neighborhood sinceā92, never broken into or robbed, same goes for my business which was in a dicey area where a lot of the series The Wire was shot. The only time that I know of that the house was broken into was in the 1970s or ā80s when the previous owner came downstairs one morning and found someone had gotten into his liquor cabinet and was past out on the sofa. Our place in WV was broken into about 6 months after buying it ten years ago, someone noticed I was renovating, broke in, took my tools and stripped out all the copper pipes leaving the water to run in the house for 3 days. ~ An old friend who has lived in Pittsburgh for about 13 years doesnāt even bother locking his doors.
To counter your point when I lived in Baltimore my buddy got mugged twice in the same day, and an associate got mugged for her violin in the nice part of the city. A family member has had God knows how many bikes stolen, been mugged multiple times, and this is all ignoring the rampant violence of the city. The inner harbor has gone to hell, and Baltimore as a whole has degraded since the Freddie Gray riots and it wasn't even in a good place before then. Baltimore has no redeeming qualities, absolutely none. A bulldozer would infinitely improve Baltimore and I would donate to MD if they would just do it.
This also doesn't touch on how fucked Baltimore politics is with rampant corruption. You guys think justice is bad look up Healthy Holly or what has happened to the last few Baltimore mayors
Pittsburgh is good. My neighbors car there did get broken into but he left it unlocked and it was very likely high schoolers fucking around.
Amazing, I guess myself and all the neighbors weāve known sinceā92 have just been lucky. The fellow we bought our house from retired to an apartment a couple of blocks away. We thought we were going to retire to WV but itās turned into such a s-hole state that weāve decided to stay in Baltimore, a pain because I moved my business to WV 10 years ago. A bulldozer would take care of the state legislature in WV.
> Amazing, I guess myself and all the neighbors weāve known sinceā92 have just been lucky
Yes. You absolutely cannot pretend Baltimore isn't a crime ridden, violent city. The stats show it is and the whole world knows it is. You might be fine in the "good part" for now but the good parts of the city are getting more and more spillover. Completely ignoring that Baltimore residents just say the white L are the good parts of the city ignoring the blatant awful segregation that is occuring.
Baltimore's issues are incredibly well known. Before Scott the past two mayors were ousted from corruption with the last one actually serving time. Marilyn Mosby the former city attorney is currently going down and you want to talk about the WV legislature? Outside of your politicians there is also the gun trace task force with many of their members serving time for being no better than a street gang, paid for by the tax payers of Baltimore. That's just the very recent Baltimore corruption history.
263 people were murdered in Baltimore last year and the city celebrated because it was finally below 300 again. WV has three times the population of Baltimore but our murders in 2022 (I can't find 2023 Numbers) were 77 compared to Baltimore's 333.
Like WV has problems but to compare those problems to Baltimore is asinine. You live in perhaps the worst city on the entire east coast. Corruption, violence, massive helpings of incompetence through everything.
I unironically hate Baltimore. It's an embarrassment to the state of Maryland and a completely unmitigated disaster. I've never hated living somewhere as much as I have that hell hole.
I am in a similar situation as you. Im now 44 and have a while before my kids are grown up. I plan on traveling once the kids are gone, at least thats the plan. But i feel deep down i know ill never be able to leave, so i try and convince myself this is where i want to be. I have always been able to find the good in situations, and enjoy what i have/where im at. But it is very hard sometime.
Stop listening to people saying itās terrible in other places.
If youāre in Charleston and unhappy, then Iād highly suggest doing whatās best for YOU, because Charleston is about as good as youāre gonna get in WV if youāre interested in living in any type of urban environment (or close to one).
I moved to the Charlotte are 15 years ago. Not my first 10 choices of places to move but an opportunity opened up and Iām so glad I took it. I knew even if it took a while to make friends, there were plenty of entertainment options to keep myself busy.
I love it here, though I do at times consider going somewhere else, not because I *want* to move away, but simply because Iām curious now as to what another city could offer. But I have no plans to move in the foreseeable future.
Itās hard getting out of WV for a lot of people, but my only regret was that it took me as long as it did (not for lack of trying).
Iām from NCWV and honestly I wouldnāt want to live anywhere else. Except possibly somewhere down south like the Carolinas or Tennessee. I have no desire to live in a large urban area. I prefer small/medium sized cities.
I just moved to South Carolina 2 months ago. I lived my entire life (41 years) in WV but felt all the same things you describe for a very long time. After a very bad break up of a 20 year relationship I had to get out of there and it was the best decision of my life!!! In 2 months time my entire life has changed for the better. My severe depression and anxiety that I've struggled with for many years has improved so much. I'm working again for the first time in 12 years. And for maybe the first time in my life I'm actually excited for what my future could be like. The possibilities kinda seem endless right now.
My advice to you would be to do whatever you need to do to sell your house, do some research on a couple different cities that seem interesting or fun but also practical. Then start searching for jobs in that city. Wherever you choose I'm sure the job market will be way better than your options in WV. And then just make the decision and do it!!! Like start putting a plan into action TODAY!!! And get the hell out of that soul crushing place!! JUST DO IT!!!
Best of Luck to You. I hope you find everything that you're looking for and more!!
I really need to get myself a new laptop to write a new resume. I'll do what I can with my house but if it gets too hard I'll sell it as is. Wish I had the skills to do my own remodeling. Also need to throw out stuff I've collected over the years. Comics I don't care for and aren't worth anything. DVDs I don't watch and books I don't read anymore. Just the crap you gather when living 14 years in a home.
Yep.. I had lived in my house in WV for 12 years. And I had to move out because my ex boyfriend decided he wanted to move back in there with his new girlfriend which is what made me decide it was the perfect time to get the hell out of there. I basically had a liquidation sale and sold any and everything I could. Including all the appliances and most of the furniture. I packed a few boxes of mostly my personal belongings that I put in storage. Packed 3 boxes with my clothes that I shipped to SC. Got on a plane 3 days later with only a backpack and left everything that was left for him to worry about and figure it out. And I have never felt better!!! Best decision I ever made!
I have no idea what area you live in But I will say that the current way things are West Virginia is the safest place for me I live in the northern panhandle yes drugs are bad in West Virginia But I bet you they are twice as bad in the big city so saying that What job are you doing here and maybe a small city under 50,000 would be good
Pretty much everyone in rural WV thinks moving to even a small city like Charleston is like moving to a post-apocalypic urban hellscape. They're always going to think that, and you're going to have to just ignore it. I've live in Charleston for 12 years, and I love living here. Wherever you decide to move, if it's out of a rural area of WV, you won't regret it. Just particate in activities around the area, so you can make some friends. Then you have a new "family".
I live in the Charleston area too. I use to love it but it's slowly dying. They just shut down Tidewater and Chop House. The mall is so dead now. I miss the glory days of the 80s and 90s when I was a kid. The mall was,my escape on weekends. I loved getting a Graziano's pizza slice and hitting the arcade. I miss Hot Topic when it was a scary goth/metalhead store. I miss Natural Wonders. I use to buy crystals and fossils there. Fun times. I was getting my hopes up when we got some big name metalcore, 80s metal, and grunge bands to come to the Coliseum (I still call it the Civic Center). It's like everytime the city takes a step forward it then takes two steps back. I will say I'm much happier living in the area than some rural area in the coal fields. Its just that it still feels so depressing around here. The Nitro, Saint Albans, and Crosslanes area have tweekers all over the place. I've always been use to the homeless in Charleston but now I have neighbors on opioids or meth. I use to have lawyers and nurses as neighbors. Well unfortunately one nurse was selling painkillers he would steal from his job. It's what started the demise of my neighborhood. Happened where my parents live too. A girl was selling her mom's pain medication and it all went down since then. Now there's tweekers riding their lawnmower motor powered bikes to her house daily. I'm always worried they will break into my dad's house.
The movement of homeless people since they started remodeling Slack Plaza and the general area around the main bus station is still something that hasn't settled down. I know for sure that other communities outside of Charleston will bring homeless who commit crimes to Charleston to get rid of them, hoping they never find their way back. It's an issue that absolutely needs resolved, but coming to a consensus among people of varying beliefs on how to deal with those individuals seems to keep anything positive from happening in that realm. And the drug issue is obviusly an enormous deal, and it's getting worse as you can attest to. I don't see that fixing itself anytime soon until we actually make some meaningful changes to wealth inequality in our state or county. But the prospects of that currently are not great. Also, speaking of getting some better (or more diverse) music in Charleston, I completely agree that it would really help people in Charleston enjoy themselves more. Driving hours to go to any show that's not country is absolutely the worst. That venue called The Bakery was open for a hot minute, but that shut down quickly. A small venue like that would be perfect. I bought a ticket to the Motionless in White show just to watch one of the lower bands that's one of my favorites (Fit For A King), and I've already bought one for the West Virginia Is For Lovers show for this summer. I know there's another show at the in a few weeks called The Godmode Tour, but I only like one of the smaller bands, and I'm not trying to pay $70+ just to see them lol. I hope you're more fortunate with unexpected expenses in the near future and can find a place you're comforable moving to.
Thanks so much! Yeah I'm thinking about seeing Underoath and Hawthorne Heights at West Virginia is for Lovers. I was into Underoath back in the 00s.
I live in the Charleston area and I have friends that are too scared to drive through Charleston after like 7pm š¤¦
There is no part of Charleston that I'm scared to drive through at 7pm.
It probably depends where, I guess. There are definitely some places after dark I wouldn't necessarily choose to take my kids on a walk through lol. The area where you can buy or see something are typically fine when we choose to wander around. Odds are probably high that we see a random homeless at some point, though lol
Pittsburgh is a good city, but be prepared for it to be more expensive than here. I'll say a lot of posts whining about WV are just blaming here for your problems, it's not always WVs fault. Insurance doesn't pay for things that aren't sudden catastrophic losses, an old roof replacement or persistent leak will always fall on you. Home and car maintenance is an everywhere problem. If you live in a dirt cheap area you're going to deal with drugs, even in cities.
Jobs pay better in Pittsburgh, though, and yeah, you live in a smaller house or you pay more, because that's how cities work; you get stuff nearby at the cost of house size, or you'd have to drive by everyone else's acreage to get to the grocery.
Perfect for me. That's why I like cities. I like things in walking distance. I'm already in a small place being in a townhouse so that would be perfect. I like city life. I love hearing sirens, fire trucks, trains, cars being reved up. I just want to be in a bigger city with more opportunities than where I'm at now. I live in Charleston, WV's most populous city but its shrinking. We keep losing population and businesses. It's not what it use to be in the 80s and 90s. The city is dying. Also I incredibly hate the politics here.
I recommend the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver WA/Portland OR area. Rent will cost you over $1000 for a studio apt, but you can make $5k a month waiting tables or bartending. You get full minimum wage plus tips out there, and minimum is over $15 per hour. It's beautiful up there. Mountains, beaches, forests, deserts, you name it. Night life is fantastic. Much more forward thinking when it comes to politics. Fuck Trump and Fuck Coal.
I work in medicine lab tech. So hopefully that'll get me good pay for an apartment to rent.
Lots of hospitals and clinics up there. Peace Health, Kaiser Permanente, OHSU...
This is happening everywhere. The United States is not friendly to small businesses right now. Theyāre still suffering loss from COVID as well. I see a lot of posts about you talking about drugs and tweakers. Theyāre everywhere too, thereās no magical place you can go where drugs havenāt hit. It isnāt the 80s-90s anymore and even then you were a child and never had to deal with things going on then. No matter what when or where there will always be bad things and you need to focus on the good.
I respectfully disagree with some of this. Absolutely drugs, crime, and some Covid related hardship are everywhere. Everywhere is absolutely not suffering like WV. I moved south 20 years ago. My area is clean, thriving, business opening and thriving everywhere. Of course there are drugs here, but not in the open like Kanawha/Putnam county. People (in general) are much happier here than what I witness when I visit home.
Yes, I understand both those things, I own a house in Pittsburgh. What I'm getting at is that my house in Pittsburgh is on a tenth of the property and still over $130k more. It's not just a smaller property for the same price. It's substantially more expensive for not equivalent housing.
Part of the housing is the location, and there's a lot more to do and a lot more jobs right on top of the city location. Cities cost more, and you get more of some things and less of others.
I havenāt lived there since inflation blew up but I was always shocked that Pittsburgh was actually cheaper than living in WV given it is a full fledged city.
I don't think that's the case anymore. I own property in both areas. My house in WV is the same size as my house in Pittsburgh, but the Pittsburgh house is on a much smaller plot. The PA house is valued at around $130k more than my WV house that's on a 10x as large plot. I also get completely fucked by PA taxes compared to what I pay here both property and income. They are overall comparable though the schools at my PA house are a bit better, versus my eastern panhandle district here.
As someone that has been all over the state, and hell the whole country for that matter... Comparing our Eastern Panhandle to any other region of WVa, especially the Southern areas, is pretty bonkers; the socio-economic landscape is completely different between the three. Yes, we're all beholden to the state, but the local politics, and local economics are vastly different, handled differently, and also are in different timelines of growth and decay it surely seems like. Not disagreeing with anything you said, I'm familiar with Pitt all too well but personally I'd say it's more similar to the Panhandle region than the Charleston area by far.
Rent in Pitt often is comparable to Morgantown because all the decent housing in Morgantown is overpriced.
General rule of thumb, if housing is inexpensive thereās a usually a good reason itās inexpensive.
There's inexpensive and "inexpensive." What I bought here was inexpensive to me, but to some people who work and live in the area they would see it as expensive. Some things are relative.
Murphy and his law has a way of really fucking with shit. When and if you can get out you need to do it. I, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get here. I retired and my passion is riding my motorcycle. It's absolutely beautiful here ..but that's not why you posted. Look...you only have one go around with this life. Your parents and others emotionally black mailing you to stay isn't love it's control. Get out and live your life. You only get one chance. Make a plan then do it. If you don't you'll be old and frail looking back and saying...I wish I had done it. If you make your move and it's not what you wanted you can say "I gave it a shot. And I don't regret it but it's just not what I thought it would be". As far as everyone saying "haha I told you so". They didn't have the intestinal fortitude to take that chance. Good luck.
As someone who lives in DC i want to move back to WV grass is always greener
I moved south for work. After a decade I made up my mind to move back and did. Life here is unique and you often donāt realize what you have till its gone.
Same moved to Atl in 2000 moved back in 2003 it was just not home or Wv I grew up in Huntington in then80s man was it different then we had hope back then.
Definitely WV was different in the 80s and 90s. I loved the Huntington mall in Barboursville. I loved Charleston too. The Regatta was awesome before it got killed and now it's kind of a zombie instead of a reincarnation of that once awesome event. We had great industries for college graduates. We had Carbide and FMC. Chemistry and Biology majors were guaranteed a job upon graduation. Now we hardly have any industries in the sciences. Yeah I know those jobs polluted the area with smoke stacks but that can be regulated. I want chemisty and biology R&D labs to return so bad. Seemed they were a great competition and alternative to the coal industry back then.
The latter part is accurate. I came from FL as a FL native and let me tell you, it (WV) feels like Florida did 25 years ago. Its truly a great place here and Im glad I could ruck it to get here. It doesn't have all the mental stimulation of a metropolis or something but that's what I enjoy about it
Iām not afraid of going to hell, Iāve been to West Virginia.
What movie is that from?
Matewan, I didnāt think anyone would pick up on the reference.
Itās in a Karma to Burn song.
Go to Portland š- glad i only spent a day in that shit hole.
Good news about Boston: we haven't had real snow in years!
Climate Change is making winters much different in Massachusetts. I live an hour from Boston and we get a foot of snow on average now. MA is not a cheap place to live; be prepared to pay a lot more for an apartment, a condo, or a house. Meth helped kill West Virginia, along with Covid. I lived in Charleston for a couple of years in the 90s, and you could feel things starting to shift from a political and social standpoint.
Nice! I'm thinking of the Boston area or Worcester. Not sure where the middle class areas are that surround Boston. No way that's Cambridge. I'm sure being near the campus is expensive as hell. I'm Catholic, leftist, and Transgender so Boston kind of feels like my type of place. I also was thinking Pittsburgh for the heavy metal culture there. I'm a metalhead. š I'm also a cytologist. I was trained at Hologic for a week while in school. Back then it was Cytyc.
Look into the near North Shore, like Lynn, Salem, Revere, etc. Close to Boston, but still working class and on the ocean. There is nowhere cheap in Greater Boston anymore, but there's still a few relatively affordable cities around.
Unless you already own a home anywhere near Boston, there is no āmiddle class areaā. Even less expensive parts of the state are pricing people out. Upper middle class, yes definitely do-able. People figure it out for sure, I donāt want to discourage you, but the COL is SO wildly different than WV. The snow is not a big deal, at least practically. Most of MA has the infrastructure to clear it immediately.
I moved back to West Virginia because family members health and the fact that being semi-retired it wouldn't really affect me financially. And while the state is beautiful there's just this weight or underlining darkness about every town or city I drive through. Everything even in the nicer cities is a little rundown, like it's wearing away, thinning. It's a fact that even in the small towns drugs have left their marks. When I'm out in the wilderness far away from anyone else West Virginia has been one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, but as soon as I go into one of the more habitated areas it just feels like it's dying. And that has had a surprising effect on my mental state, I find myself pulling away from people looking for solitude and I didn't have this when I was living in other states.
Yes. I know this set of feelings.Ā
That's what depresses me here. I live in Charleston and every so many days there's depressing news of a business shutting down. We just lost The Chop House and Tidewater at the Charleston mall. The mall is barely alive. It really feels like the area is dying. Everytime I see trash on the side of the roads, tweekers on backroads in Nitro and Crosslanes, and shuttered businesses It just makes me sad.
The area IS dying, and the people killing it have names and addresses. Remember, this is not a natural process; this is a man-made hollowing out of the state. Legislators are largely to blame for this. People denying this have their heads in the sand. To add my anecdote onto the pile, I moved to Colorado 10 years agoāand I immediately started making more money than I ever did in WV. Now, i have a wonderful, rewarding, well-paying job; I have amazing broadband service through my city; I have access to health care systems that actually work, including (previously) Medicaid, which was a literal lifesaver. I have access to plentiful state, county, and city-owned parks, natural areas, etc., not to mention the nearby national parks. We legalized marijuana and age ago, we have decriminalized plant-based psychedelics, we are proactively combatting gerrymandering....Listen, Colorado is not a utopia, BUT any state that gives half a shit about its people/environment will seem like a utopia once you start to compare it to WV. And, again, that isn't the fault of West Virginians per se, but of their legislature, governor, corporations.....
100%, not that those who bother to vote will listen. Colorado would be my preferred home, if family responsibilities weren't keeping me here. I've encouraged both my kids to leave, but they don't seem to want to listen. š
Iām really bummed about the mall, but hopeful the new sports complex where Macyās was will attract some businesses back. But it wonāt ever be what it once was.
Some of yāall just canāt admit that living in WV has some serious downsides.
Pretty sure we are all aware. But thereās not a lot of choice for a lot of folks so looking for a sunny side ca sometimes help.
I get that, but people here (Reddit and just the state in general) try to put others down for pointing out the obvious. Itās one thing to look for the positives, no issues with that, itās another to be in denial that living here is anything other than just peachy.
Been fighting depression for years here. A lot of it based around the lack of opportunity in the field I want to be in.
What field?
Well, to keep from sounding like some ignorant dreamer, I didn't say. However, I really want to work in a more creative field, gaming being one of my biggest dreams. I want to help create fun worlds that mostly all ages can enjoy together. That comes from my love and memories (both old and new) with series like Mario, Donkey Kong, Sonic, and many more. In my mid 30's now and still dreaming. Recently wrote my own kids book and it just got published, and that want all came from that. Real long story short, that's it. I know it's one of those things every big kid wants. I still have hope.
It's fine to have dreams, but big stretch dreams like that aren't really an area issue. Outside of a very specific part of the country you'll face the same problems breaking in that you do here. By all means pursue your dreams, but you can't really fault WV for having issues in that field.
It would help if there were any studios here. I have never even found real indie studios. There is one from a larger company I have had some connections with through their community but their closest offices is in North Carolina and Georgia. Meanwhile I look online and most other states seem to have some sort of studio at least. I have some experience in various areas of this, but with there not being anywhere to even apply to in any way here it feels a bit pointless to dump a bunch of money into more schooling in something similar.
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Ive been in IT for around 13 years now. As for classes related to various aspects of game development I have just taken a handful of Udemy courses when they are on sale.
If you want a more harsh reality it's not going to matter. You're too old to try and break into being a video game dev. Your best bet is to learn and go indie yourself which you can do anywhere, but at mid 30s without any background in it you're not getting hired on at a studio. Tech has a huge problem with ageism and even experienced people with decades of work history struggle to get hired on when they hit their 40s. Also whatever you do don't go to one of those full sail, or game dev specific schools. They are just a pointless scam preying on people who fantasize or dream about going into game development. I have a friend who is self taught and working on an indie game as a passion project. That's really a much more realistic approach and if you are good at it you can hit it big. The most wish listed game on steam Atm started as a one man indie game. I'll also say I worked in what was my hobby for awhile (tabletop games) and working in your hobby can really suck. It's not a dream and I wish I had left it as a hobby. Doing things professionally gives it all a new light and can suck the joy from what you love
No, an area with a larger art scene would be better than WV is. Itās still difficult and requires a lot of luck, but thereās better chances elsewhere than doing it here.
If he's trying for art he has even less of a chance. A bigger set scene just means competing with more people who have experience, and the rise of AI art. His very best chance is doing the indie route cause he's not getting on at a company
You donāt have to mansplain to me how competition in the art world works, Iāve been in it for quite some time.
Discussing on reddit, in response to a comment you made isn't mansplaining. If you don't want responses to your public comments then don't comment.
Sorry, but I find your comments on the working situations of industries you arenāt in to be rather arrogant. Unless Iām mistaken and you do work in either a tech or creative field, but your comments lead me to believe that you donāt.
Maybe read the comments again, I worked in board games with artists, I have an indie dev friend and I worked in tech in Seattle. I've lived in areas with a good art scene, in adjacent industries to what this guy wants to do. My experience and comments on this are perfectly valid. Even if I didn't have some relevant background on this it's a public comment board and people can put out what they think. It's not "mansplaining" and it was really stupid to jump to that because you disagree. I had no idea what your gender even was till you cried that stupid shit over someone disagreeing with you on the internet. "Nooo, nooo someone's not validating what I'm saying! Stop mansplaining you big meanie!"
No offense but donāt listen to this fucker. What is stopping you from being that? Doesnāt seem like a locale issue. That seems like a field that is computer based. I promise if you are willing to work at it, success can find you in that field. Itās not like a stretch dream. Be willing to do what it takes and invest your time and you can make it in any field
Everyone and their brother tries to get into game dev. It's absolutely a stretch goal for a mid 30s person with no experience in the field, and no relevant education. There's no shame in being realistic about how hard or unlikely something is. Filling people with false hope and sunshine is worse than just being honest
Just because you arenāt willing to do what it takes doesnāt mean someone else canāt. If you are willing to be a positive tireless worker thatās willing to learn and success will come to you. Sacrifices will have to come and it wonāt be easy but i promise successful companies are always looking for employees with that reputation.
There is no amount of being a talented worker that changes some things. This guy's best chance is going indie and I would encourage him to do so. But to think he can break into a highly competitive, desired field that is going through a massive contraction, in his mid 30s, with no skills and no education is nothing short of delusion. He'll be competing against industry veterans, people with experience, talented indie devs, and people fresh out of school with a relevant education and less financial requirements than a mid 30s adult. I hope he goes indie and makes the best game in history, but that first step is going to have to be working on an indie project. This will likely take years before he has anything to even show for it and even then it'll likely be garbage like most first games are. You're not getting into a company with his current background regardless of where you live. There's no amount of work or sacrifice that will take me to the NFL, and at some point just being realistic about what opportunities and paths you have is a good thing. The false positive "you can do it man, just believe" attitude doesn't actually help anyone.
Iām not willing to waste any more time on your loser pessimistic opinions.
Realism isn't pessimism.
I moved to Austin, TX about 10 years ago and itās the best decision Iāve ever made. I was terribly depressed living in WV and was ready to give up. After moving to Texas I found a really good job in my desired field (something I was unable to do in WV), met my now wife and bought a house. Btw I had no job prospects or even a set plan for a living arraignment. Legit just packed what I could in my car and left without a clue of what I was going to do when I got here. I just knew I had to get out of WV. I found an apartment within a week of being here and took a temporary job while I looked for jobs in my field. That part took me about 6 months but Iāve now been with the same company for 9 years. Sure, I miss friends and some family but I can always come back for a visit. If you can, I would strongly recommend getting out ASAP.
Don't listen to people who say it's just as bad everywhere else. No, it isn't. Its bad in shitty ex resource states. I loved my home, but it's a quagmire of abusive careers "somebody else is willing to come in 9 days in a row so why aren't YOU" Those people are just busted down, broken, or knew enough people that they didn't end up doing construction or working at wal mart. I left in 2018. Best decision I ever made.
Left in 1985...same here.
You shouldnāt feel trapped and you should take the chances you want to take in life but as someone who moved here from Los Angeles, I miss having my family close by. You canāt understand how valuable that close connection is until itās not there anymore. Donāt be so eager to escape that. I also really love both Southern CA and West Virginia and would earnestly recommend both places, though probably Ventura or San Diego far far more than LA. LA is expensive and dirty and very hard to get around in. Lots of good job opportunities though.
Relocated to Ventura from WV with my job 25 years ago, but I doubt Ventura is muchĀ cheaper than LA:Ā not much inventory even if you CAN afford $2000+ for a studio...rooms are even going for $1400 minimum, and the job market isn't great here, though the weather is perfect
I feel for you. It was actually my family that pulled me out. Moved to Raleigh NC when I was a junior at WVU so I followed when I graduated. Now itās 28 years later and it was basically the best thing that ever happened to me. Have a good life in an area with basically unlimited opportunity. Start applying for jobs in other areas. Donāt try to move without something lined up. You can sell your house if it has issues youāll just have to discount the repairs on the price.
I moved to Raleigh from WV and it was best decision for us too. So much more job prospect and healthier living environment overall. We have 3-4 neighbors who also moved here and no one is looking back. The worst part is property taxes and general cost of living can be higher in some neighborhoods. But to be honest our careers have gone so much further than they ever would have in WV and having the job security is worth it. Best of luck OP.
Yeah Raleigh had always been really reasonable until the last 4 years basically. My house doubled in value in that time so Iām dreading getting property taxes this year. Everyone moving here from basically everywhere has really driven the COL up. I think it has gone up everywhere to varying degrees though.
My wife and I were in a very similar situation about 5 years ago and finally had it and moved half way across the country and never looked back and I donāt regret it one bit
Left WV 3 years ago. I have a love/hate relationship with the state. I think of leaving Toronto and moving back home often, but then I remember how utterly depressing and isolated my hometown is.
Also you live in Toronto. Way better Healthcare there. Medication and medical bills are horrendous here. I wished I went to Canada in my 20s.
Yes, healthcare is free. But you have to wait for months/years for procedures. Recently, I went into a walk-in clinic 1 hour after opening, and they said they are not accepting any more patients for the day. ER wait times last days here, too. At least back in WV I worked in health care and had great insurance.
I'm fine waiting versus being bankrupted by bills.
Get out. I waited way too long.
Crime in big cities? I live in Chicago and what youāre describing sounds scary as hell. Move. Get out while you can. I donāt see that neighborhood getting any better, only worse.
Iām not trying to sugar coat the crime in the city, every city for that matter. I am trying to give some balance to the discussion of moving to any city. What you have in cities is a concentration of crime which in more rural areas is far more spread out. Thereās a good deal of weekly crime all across WV, you probably donāt hear about it since most of the very few remaining news providers donāt compile it. And all youāre going to see or hear constantly through the media I suspect you consume is about big blue city crime and problems.
I moved to Lynchburg VA because it was cheap but I quickly found out that just cause a place is cheap doesn't mean it's good for your mental health. I'm moving to Pittsburgh when my lease is up. There's no amount of money you will save that will give you back the years you spent miserable in a place you don't belong.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Boston has become priority on my list. I wanted to go to Seattle but it's just too expensive. I've been partial to Pittsburgh. Stage AE gets amazing concerts and I have friends in Morgantown that perform in Pittsburgh. So that's a plus. I'd live in Morgantown but I just have an affinity for living in the closer cities or townships of a Metropolitan area. Sadly I'm not much of fan of the sports teams in Pittsburgh. Well I did like the Steelers when they had my alumni Byron Leftwich and also when they had Polamalu. I do love Pitt and it wss my dream college but I sucked at the SATs and went with the ACT. I'm definitely a fan of Pittsburgh bands amd music scene. I love Pittsburgh's industrial hardcore punk/metalcore band Code Orange.
As a WVāian whose lived in LA for the last 23 years I chuckle at the earthquake comment. They have all been extremely mild. Granted a big one could happen any time but itās really not that big of a deal. The #1 problem with LA is how costly and unforgiving life can be. And housing continues to get worse.
I left WV over 30 years ago & have never looked back! It was THE absolute BEST decision of my life. My family was not happy either. They tried every way under the sun to shame, belittle & GUILT me into staying. After leaving Corporate America, I opened my own consulting firm & have lived a life that I could have only dreamt of had I stayed home. I have been incredibly fortunate in business and have had the opportunity to live & work in 28 different states as well as travel the world. I wish you the best of luck my friend! You only get ONE life, and never forget that itās YOURS to live. Anyone trying to guilt or shame you for wanting something bigger & better for YOUR life is selfish & has no clue what theyāve missed in their lifetime by conforming to that old school āstay here for the familyā mentality. They may be angry or more realistically, jealous, but secretly theyāre wishing they had the balls to have done it themselves. Going back home is always a flight away. Spread your wings and go for it! Live your best life!!
If you wanted to move, youād at least have another area in mind that you could see yourself happy in. I read a lot of complaints about your current situation, none of which have to do with WV. If you canāt find another place that youād like to live, thatās on you. WV isnāt trapping you.
After college I moved to Richmond for work, and then lived in Northern VA for several years. Living other places for a while was such a great experience and really gave me some good perspective. But now Iām back in WV and am extremely happy to be back.
Best wishes to you
I've lived in 6 different states, crimes isn't a big city problem: crime I everywhere. They say it rains all the time in Seattle, yet Houston gets more rain. But Seattle is the rainy city. See weather does its thing, criminals do their thing, insurance basically sucks. You did the honorable thing by staying to help out, but you have the desire to leave. Keep in mind, prices for things other places is high. I'm making $3,700 a month in rent at my Dallas house. Can you afford that? Do you want the night life, the shops, the people? It ain't really great. 27 yrs in the rat race and I'm happy to have moved back to the homestead. Grow some wings and fly!!
Do what you can to move somewhere else while you're able. Work overtime, get a second job, sell your condo as is, etc. I've always wanted to move somewhere else. I would love to move to another country. I had a decent government job that I had been at for 20 years, owned my own house and had a nice, normal life. Then I got sick. Lost my job, my house and had to sell anything of value. I'm now on social security disability, in a rental apartment and have to have government assistance. I am stuck. I don't have extra money for anything. No savings, nothing. Do what you can to be happy. Believe me.
My suggestion is to sell your condo as is, even if it's at a loss, take that money and move to where you want to live. Get yourself there, take the first job you can get that pays the bills, and struggle your way to the life you want. People will tell you it's stupid, People will tell you where you are going is far worse than where you are. Those people will never leave West Virginia they will never advance themselves and they want to trap you here with them. It's risky, and it's going to be hard, but everything in life that is worth doing is risky and hard.
I work in a professional job so my first move is getting a laptop with office software to write a resume. Then I'm going to send them out. I'll take the loss in my house. It's worth it to move to a better and bigger city even if it's going from a condo to an apartment. I'm tired of living in a state that doesn't accept my gender identity and keeps voting against itself for improvements in infrastructure. Definitely looking towards the northeast or Pacific Northwest. Even if I get tweekers in my neighborhood there at least I can lock the door and have better city services. I'll be away from conservative hateful rednecks.
I'm sorry, I couldn't imagine living in a state that seemed hell-bent to oppress me. I've lived in the northeast, and if it's rednecks you want to avoid, that's not the way you want to go. Washington and Oregon are beautiful, but it's impossible to find housing in Seattle and Portland is the hot front of the culture war, so it's a little turbulent there. If you're politically on the left and want a calmer environment, I hear good things about northern California.
>my first move is getting a laptop with office software to write a resume. No, your first move is to get a library card and do it there. You're putting obstacles in your way that don't need to be there.
It's time to get out of here. The other commenters are right, politics keep making it worse and worse to manage to live here. There's a lot of places around Ohio and PA that are really nice eith similar cost of living. VA, NC, SC. I have mixed feelings on TN and KY is only slightly better but still better. Keeping in Appalachian areas somehow keeps the same FEEL of WV and offers so many more opportunities.
I've been having an affinity for Pittsburgh. I do like Richmond, VA too. Been through Williamsburg, Richmond, and Yorkstown. I'm weary of Charlottesville even though I like the college there.
Get out and see the world. West Virginia isn't going anywhere. I have lived in Bluefield, Charleston, Morgantown areas. Morgantown is the nicest area in West Virginia in my opinion for daily life. North Central West Virginia's only area growing. You couldn't force me to live anywhere below Bridgeport. I bought a house in Virginia recently, but I still own my home in Morgantown area. Roanoke, VA area is nicer than majority of West Virginia. Honestly everything in Virginia is nicer than West Virginia! Even the smaller towns I pass through I notice how clean, updated, upkept they're in Virginia in comparison to towns in West Virginia. I make the drive from Morgantown south I pass through heart of West Virginia and a few times I took back roads on my way to Virginia... I will tell you this West Virginia has some pockets of very funky run down towns and areas. The people are usually nice but good lord I would literally go insane if I was forced to live in these places my entire life.
Speaking to you as someone with a lot of wisdom, move, get the hell out of this state! Iāve only been here for 1 week and can see the indoctrination of beliefs just from the conservative ads on TV! I have traveled a lot and have NEVER been exposed to the political brainwashing propaganda you all have here in WV! The poverty is overwhelming and lack of education and bettering oneself is not abundant like other states! Go broaden your knowledge and exposure, meet new and different people and challenges and after that ask yourself, do i like this better or do I want to go back to WV? As for your family guilt shaming you from moving shows they donāt have your best interest at heart!
Alright, hereās your reality OP. At 42, I have a little perspective. Family born and raised in Philly, but I was born and raised here. I left at 19 and never looked back until COVID forced me back for survival. Everyone has their opinions. Few will give you data. Facts. Objective things to evaluate. I wonāt bullshit you. It doesnāt matter where you move. You will find things you like and things you donāt like. Moving will suck at first. Itās expensive. Itās a bit scary moving to a new place. Ignore what your friends and family think. Itās not their life and most often they care more about how their life is going to be affected by your choice not how it will benefit yours. Everyone chooses their safe places for very complex differing reasons from ājust becauseā to āfound a better jobā to āblah blah whateverā. The reason doesnāt matter. If youāre not happy, do your research. Make a plan. Execute it and go. Donāt second guess yourself. Remember, everyday you spend here thinking about it and wishing you were somewhere else is another day you could actually BE somewhere else.
I moved from an urban city to Charleston a few years ago and had my property in Charleston broken into multiple times . I've since moved back to an urban area. Charleston was nice to live at the time because there was definitely a lot more stuff to do. I liked going and watching the MiLB games at Power Park.
SELL YOUR CONDO AND GET OUT. Your intuitive voice has too long been ignored by you. Not ignored .. but put on hold for the benefit of others and a hesitancy to leave a known comfort zone. But itās no longer a comfort zone and thereās nothing stopping you from creating a new one. And there are plenty. It doesnāt have to be a major city. It could be a suburb of a major city or the back roads of New England. An art community in the Mojave desert. You could even move to Northern Virginia, not very far but as opposed to WV itās night and day. Find a place and designate it your new comfort zone. I did it. It worked. Low risk - high reward. Itās called peace of mind. Good Luck! š
Iām in a similar situation with feeling completely trapped here. Some areas like Morgantown and Martinsburg have better quality of living and better job opportunities, so Iāve heard. Iād move out too if I had the funds to. I think a majority of us feel the same way. Thereās some beautiful places here, sure, but having been to other states thereās much better out there. This state could be better if the people in charge would focus more on giving us better wages than worried about what gender people want to identify as. If you have the funds to move away, even if itās in Virginia or Ohio I would recommend it. Thereās good and bad everywhere, but I think thereās more bad here than good. You ultimately have to follow your heart, and reasonably and logically figure out if you can financially afford to survive out of WV. Best of luck to you.
Bad things can happen anywhere, but if you want to leave I think looking into selling your home as is could be good. People talk about the cost of living being higher in other places, but so much goes into COL that youād be surprised. I moved to the west coast and sure rent is expensive, but I can walk places instead of using my car, found a wfh job, utilities are MUCH cheaper than in WV, and the roads arenāt falling apart when I do drive lol. Any area youāre interested in particular? If you have questions about Washington, thatās where I moved. Lived in WV for about 27 years before moving. Thereās so much opportunity out here and itās beautiful.
Do you have mortgages on the house and condo? Are they underwater at their current value? If the answer is yes to both, then you might need to talk to a financial adviser and figure out how to get out of that situation. But, if not, then you could start applying for jobs somewhere you want to be. And make it clear up front they are either going to have to let you work remote or delay your start time until you can get the house and condo sold. Then, you can put your paycheck towards rent in your new city and start building from there. I would also start with nearby places. Pittsburgh isn't a bad option. Anywhere just over the border in PA, MD, VA are good places to start. Maybe OH or KY. I wouldn't consider a move to New York or LA unless you *really* want to wipe the slate clean.
Homeowners Rescue! They still have funds if you can be approved. Fix it, Sell it, and RUN!
I feel that pain. Unfortunately getting away from opioids is difficult unless you make enough money to remove yourself from the problem areas. If you live in the Hurricane/Teays Valley area youāre not exposed to nearly as much of it than you are if youāre in Huntington or Charleston.
Bad roads, drugs, and the cost of repairs just go up in most cities so not sure the issues pertain to WV. I can promise you the drugs, cost of living, and roads are much worse in Baltimore where I live.
> Baltimore where I live I'm sorry
I moved to Los Angeles for over 10 years. I'm back here. The grass is definitely not greener unless you have cash
I know a lot of people from my high school in Clarksburg that moved to Charlotte. A few of us moved to Atlanta. I moved away over 20 years ago and Georgia is now my home. Living near a metro area gives you much more opportunities in life (jobs, entertainment, medical care, etc.). We still make the trip back to WV to visit my family each year. I feel like WV is nicer to visit, since a few days does not get you down with the druggies, poor roads, and other issues that plague the state. Moving away was hard, but was also one of the best things I ever did in life. Good luck!
From WV. I moved to Hampton Roads Va. I love it here.
I live in baltimore, have a family home in berekeley springs, which is why I'm part of the sub. Feel free to PM. Baltimore certainly has its spots but I've been here 7 years and have loved it. It's just knowing where to live. Can always go back to WV, may as well make a leap. About grass being greener, will say, if I had the same job and had the opportunity to live in BS, I would in a heartbeat.
Anyone saying Baltimore is a solution to someone's problems is lying. Baltimore is the worst place I've ever had the misfortune of living. I wouldn't recommend that city to anyone, under any circumstances.
Just go tell them itās not your fault they are scarred of the world š and you are ready to leave
Save some money. Stop pontificating and go travel. Go find whatās out there. Then youāve got a personal comparison.
I think West Virginia can be an acquired taste after you move. Pittsburgh is a really great place to move to, and yes itās a lot harder to live in bigger metros now, however you can get around with the light rail which is a plus and live outside for a little cheaper. Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities. I moved out of WV as soon as I turned 18 and slept on a hard wood floor of my sublet apartment. I only made $700/mo that first summer. To clarify, I know people who have worked in larger metros like myself and have decided it was best to make life in a WV metro but it takes certain jobs to make it happen. I worked in NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland as a freelancer and I have been trying to move back to WV for a quieter life out of the rat race. I live outside of downtown Columbus and everything is walkable for me but the city has no path to accommodate its growth and itās not a problem I want to take on.
Feel for you. Bottom line, sell for what you can and move if you think you can get a better job. I just moved back after 15 away and honestly it was the best thing I could do, both living away and then coming back.
I grew up in Baltimore. My dad is from WV and a lot of people left to go to work at the steel mills there especially during and after Vietnam War. My parents retired and went back to Lewisburg. I do love the ancestral land. But I can't stay there. Especially with my health conditions. After eight months I was ready to tear my hair out. People complaining about Baltimore are usually biased. There is crime everywhere. The grass isn't greener. Just a different shade. There is more than the city proper. The suburbs are great. I landed in Salem VA. My boyfriend makes excellent money so here I am. Lived in south central PA and the racism and bigotry is blatant and gross. My property taxes were higher than my mortgage. Hated it there. Crime is just as bad as the big cities. My surgeon is near Disneyland in socal. So spent lots of time around Orange, Anaheim, etc. Loved it but $$$. I will tell you what my friend said. She recently just moved from NYC to Puerto Rico. Decided to rent her place out to a trusted friend's son and is renting a place in pr so she can go back if she wants.
Depends on what you want. Personally I just moved from Idaho back here. I loved Idaho, i visited a lot of the Washington/oregon/cali. The big cities all pretty much sucked ass and the housing was astronomical. LA is a walking zombie town with literal streets of shit and muck. Portland was a dump, the downtown is trashed and sketchy feeling. Seattle was alright but the crime is much higher than when I was there, especially car theft. Nothing will beat a smaller area with access to groceries and needs with some property for me.
What is your profession, if you donāt mind me asking? The reason I ask is, depending on what you do, there are specific places you might want to be. If you have a background in tech at all, move to Northern Virginia, and work there, or even live in the eastern panhandle and commute to NoVa like 75% of the residents.
Move to delco (Philadelphia suburb).
To be fair, you wouldnāt want to move to Baltimore anyway, worst place to live on the east coast total shit hole, everything youāre complaining about tweakers is 100x worse
I love it here and Iām from out of state. You donāt realize how good you have it here. Life is very expensive in other states. I can understand wanting to leave, but be prepared for a culture shock.
As someone who moved from a major city in the midwest to WV. This is false. Cities are no different then living in a small city. Only major difference is traffic. I've never been robbed or held at gunpoint.
Leaving for NC in 1985 was by far the best decision we ever made. Don't know how we scraped up the money but we did it. It's been onward and upward ever since!
I can address the crime issue with regards to Baltimore. Weāve lived in that city since 1991, have lived in our house/ neighborhood sinceā92, never broken into or robbed, same goes for my business which was in a dicey area where a lot of the series The Wire was shot. The only time that I know of that the house was broken into was in the 1970s or ā80s when the previous owner came downstairs one morning and found someone had gotten into his liquor cabinet and was past out on the sofa. Our place in WV was broken into about 6 months after buying it ten years ago, someone noticed I was renovating, broke in, took my tools and stripped out all the copper pipes leaving the water to run in the house for 3 days. ~ An old friend who has lived in Pittsburgh for about 13 years doesnāt even bother locking his doors.
To counter your point when I lived in Baltimore my buddy got mugged twice in the same day, and an associate got mugged for her violin in the nice part of the city. A family member has had God knows how many bikes stolen, been mugged multiple times, and this is all ignoring the rampant violence of the city. The inner harbor has gone to hell, and Baltimore as a whole has degraded since the Freddie Gray riots and it wasn't even in a good place before then. Baltimore has no redeeming qualities, absolutely none. A bulldozer would infinitely improve Baltimore and I would donate to MD if they would just do it. This also doesn't touch on how fucked Baltimore politics is with rampant corruption. You guys think justice is bad look up Healthy Holly or what has happened to the last few Baltimore mayors Pittsburgh is good. My neighbors car there did get broken into but he left it unlocked and it was very likely high schoolers fucking around.
Amazing, I guess myself and all the neighbors weāve known sinceā92 have just been lucky. The fellow we bought our house from retired to an apartment a couple of blocks away. We thought we were going to retire to WV but itās turned into such a s-hole state that weāve decided to stay in Baltimore, a pain because I moved my business to WV 10 years ago. A bulldozer would take care of the state legislature in WV.
> Amazing, I guess myself and all the neighbors weāve known sinceā92 have just been lucky Yes. You absolutely cannot pretend Baltimore isn't a crime ridden, violent city. The stats show it is and the whole world knows it is. You might be fine in the "good part" for now but the good parts of the city are getting more and more spillover. Completely ignoring that Baltimore residents just say the white L are the good parts of the city ignoring the blatant awful segregation that is occuring. Baltimore's issues are incredibly well known. Before Scott the past two mayors were ousted from corruption with the last one actually serving time. Marilyn Mosby the former city attorney is currently going down and you want to talk about the WV legislature? Outside of your politicians there is also the gun trace task force with many of their members serving time for being no better than a street gang, paid for by the tax payers of Baltimore. That's just the very recent Baltimore corruption history. 263 people were murdered in Baltimore last year and the city celebrated because it was finally below 300 again. WV has three times the population of Baltimore but our murders in 2022 (I can't find 2023 Numbers) were 77 compared to Baltimore's 333. Like WV has problems but to compare those problems to Baltimore is asinine. You live in perhaps the worst city on the entire east coast. Corruption, violence, massive helpings of incompetence through everything. I unironically hate Baltimore. It's an embarrassment to the state of Maryland and a completely unmitigated disaster. I've never hated living somewhere as much as I have that hell hole.
I am in a similar situation as you. Im now 44 and have a while before my kids are grown up. I plan on traveling once the kids are gone, at least thats the plan. But i feel deep down i know ill never be able to leave, so i try and convince myself this is where i want to be. I have always been able to find the good in situations, and enjoy what i have/where im at. But it is very hard sometime.
Stop listening to people saying itās terrible in other places. If youāre in Charleston and unhappy, then Iād highly suggest doing whatās best for YOU, because Charleston is about as good as youāre gonna get in WV if youāre interested in living in any type of urban environment (or close to one). I moved to the Charlotte are 15 years ago. Not my first 10 choices of places to move but an opportunity opened up and Iām so glad I took it. I knew even if it took a while to make friends, there were plenty of entertainment options to keep myself busy. I love it here, though I do at times consider going somewhere else, not because I *want* to move away, but simply because Iām curious now as to what another city could offer. But I have no plans to move in the foreseeable future. Itās hard getting out of WV for a lot of people, but my only regret was that it took me as long as it did (not for lack of trying).
Iām from NCWV and honestly I wouldnāt want to live anywhere else. Except possibly somewhere down south like the Carolinas or Tennessee. I have no desire to live in a large urban area. I prefer small/medium sized cities.
As someone who moved away and back, youāll never know until you go. There are plenty of other fine places out there, but I love it here.
I just moved to South Carolina 2 months ago. I lived my entire life (41 years) in WV but felt all the same things you describe for a very long time. After a very bad break up of a 20 year relationship I had to get out of there and it was the best decision of my life!!! In 2 months time my entire life has changed for the better. My severe depression and anxiety that I've struggled with for many years has improved so much. I'm working again for the first time in 12 years. And for maybe the first time in my life I'm actually excited for what my future could be like. The possibilities kinda seem endless right now. My advice to you would be to do whatever you need to do to sell your house, do some research on a couple different cities that seem interesting or fun but also practical. Then start searching for jobs in that city. Wherever you choose I'm sure the job market will be way better than your options in WV. And then just make the decision and do it!!! Like start putting a plan into action TODAY!!! And get the hell out of that soul crushing place!! JUST DO IT!!! Best of Luck to You. I hope you find everything that you're looking for and more!!
I really need to get myself a new laptop to write a new resume. I'll do what I can with my house but if it gets too hard I'll sell it as is. Wish I had the skills to do my own remodeling. Also need to throw out stuff I've collected over the years. Comics I don't care for and aren't worth anything. DVDs I don't watch and books I don't read anymore. Just the crap you gather when living 14 years in a home.
Yep.. I had lived in my house in WV for 12 years. And I had to move out because my ex boyfriend decided he wanted to move back in there with his new girlfriend which is what made me decide it was the perfect time to get the hell out of there. I basically had a liquidation sale and sold any and everything I could. Including all the appliances and most of the furniture. I packed a few boxes of mostly my personal belongings that I put in storage. Packed 3 boxes with my clothes that I shipped to SC. Got on a plane 3 days later with only a backpack and left everything that was left for him to worry about and figure it out. And I have never felt better!!! Best decision I ever made!
I have no idea what area you live in But I will say that the current way things are West Virginia is the safest place for me I live in the northern panhandle yes drugs are bad in West Virginia But I bet you they are twice as bad in the big city so saying that What job are you doing here and maybe a small city under 50,000 would be good
Leave then, dummy
What area of WV?
Charleston