Another Relocation to Charelston (Charleston, Huntington: safety, things to do, best)
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So do most people that live in the Charleston Metro live in the city or more of the outskirts? How come downtown is dead after work hours? I understand it is only a city of about 52,000, it it mostly older, younger, or a good mix? As far as the economy, does charleston have room to grow as far as jobs and population or is it on the decline?
More in the metro areas. There are people in the downtown area, but not many. The city itself also has people, but it doesnt feel like a big city. The metro area is HUGE, and it brings in people from long distances.
It is probably younger for a WV. Keep in mind that Charleston is the 2nd oldest state after Florida, or maybe the oldest. So for WV you wont find a city so young without going to Morgantown. Still I cant say overall. Probably mixed. It isnt a young city. The median age is 41.7.
Charleston stabilized in population loss over the past year or two. It even had small growth, less than 1%. Some people see this as the end of population loss. Hard to tell though. The recession and government money from the Obama admin have a lot to do with this. Things like the sequester are going to hurt Charleston. However, due to shale in Northern WV, and the huge growth of NCWV and the EP Charleston is getting more revenue which is letting the government grow. The state jobs in Charleston arent bad.
Several of the above posters are correct in that there aren't that many people living right in downtown Charleston..it is mostly offices, the mall and some hotels. A decent number of younger people (far more than when I lived there) are starting to move into some of the more rejuvenated parts of the East End, especially in apartment buildings along Kanawha Blvd and on Virginia and Quarrier Streets. This tends to be somewhat mirroring a national trend of people moving back into more urban areas. You still do see a high amount of younger people in the Kanawha Valley living in more suburban locations such as South Charleston, Cross Lanes and Teays Valley.
Regarding nightlife...I have two younger siblings that live in Columbus so I can attest that you certainly won't find anything close to that level of nightlife in Charleston. It is a much larger city/ metro area and with that comes far more options. Of course for the most part that tends to be a resonating theme across the board..I live in the Washington DC area and I think Columbus is lacking in nightlife compared to here. Morgantown tends to probably have the highest concentration of bars/nightlife in the state but then again they are a college town so that is to be expected.
Charleston does have some decent bar options downtown and from what I can tell they are continuing to work on improving the scene on Capitol Street to include some brew pubs, etc. but it still needs a little more work. This section of downtown was home to a decent amount of nightlife in the 1980s, fizzled in the 90s due to increasing population loss and suburbanization and is now in somewhat of a comeback.
Downtown Charleston isn't Vegas after work hours, but it isn't dead either. Most of the yonger crowd hangs out on Capitol St. I'd recommend the East End for sure because it is close enough to downtown, but is more of a community with a mix between apartments and houses. There you can also walk to some of the better restaurants in the city. Jobs are becoming more abundant with an increase in energy related businesses moving into the area. Healthcare will always be hiring here, and most of your typical office type jobs are here. Some industry is picking back up to with everything from chemical related jobs to car parts.
Several of the above posters are correct in that there aren't that many people living right in downtown Charleston..it is mostly offices, the mall and some hotels. A decent number of younger people (far more than when I lived there) are starting to move into some of the more rejuvenated parts of the East End, especially in apartment buildings along Kanawha Blvd and on Virginia and Quarrier Streets. This tends to be somewhat mirroring a national trend of people moving back into more urban areas. You still do see a high amount of younger people in the Kanawha Valley living in more suburban locations such as South Charleston, Cross Lanes and Teays Valley.
Regarding nightlife...I have two younger siblings that live in Columbus so I can attest that you certainly won't find anything close to that level of nightlife in Charleston. It is a much larger city/ metro area and with that comes far more options. Of course for the most part that tends to be a resonating theme across the board..I live in the Washington DC area and I think Columbus is lacking in nightlife compared to here. Morgantown tends to probably have the highest concentration of bars/nightlife in the state but then again they are a college town so that is to be expected.
Charleston does have some decent bar options downtown and from what I can tell they are continuing to work on improving the scene on Capitol Street to include some brew pubs, etc. but it still needs a little more work. This section of downtown was home to a decent amount of nightlife in the 1980s, fizzled in the 90s due to increasing population loss and suburbanization and is now in somewhat of a comeback.
Yeah I wasn't expecting night life to be the same as Columbus. In fact I know Columbus has a huge city/Metro area so I wasn't expecting it to even compare. If I moved it would be for a job opportunity and just wanted a feel for how charleston was. I've never visited, just drove through the area. I just wasnt sure if it was a city where people were coming or more people were going. I don't want to accept a job and have the city decline then I'm screwed.
Jobs are coming into the area and the city is most likely accending. The story would have been different 10 years ago but not today. People are moving in and things are being built. It is a business town for sure, as it has over 150,000 workers (triple it's population). The economic development is there and certainly increasing, not very fast at the moment, but it is increasing. If you move there I believe that you will be okay but it very much depends on your occupation.
My occupation would be working for the city in public safety if I make it through all hoops. Like I said I know jobs are scarce and I wouldn't want to worry about potentially losing my job in 2 years. I like what I am hearing tho. Sounds like the east side of the city is the way to go then?
East End is an older neighborhood near the state Capitol complex, and it is seeing a rebirth with an infusion of wealthier people moving back into the neighborhood and improving the quality of life there.
Also, closer to downtown is a development still in planning stage between Quarrior St and Lee St. But that could be a few years off.
Yeah that will be considered a more stable occupation and I am confident in saying that you will be okay. Just perform well
I am beginning to think that since you live 3 hours away, it might be a good option for you to contact a local realtor or realtor agencies in Charleston. They would honestly know the most about this entire subject.
Jobs are coming into the area and the city is most likely accending. The story would have been different 10 years ago but not today. People are moving in and things are being built. It is a business town for sure, as it has over 150,000 workers (triple it's population). The economic development is there and certainly increasing, not very fast at the moment, but it is increasing. If you move there I believe that you will be okay but it very much depends on your occupation.
Too early to say that.
Charleston had 2 years of growth that was less than 1% after decades of job loss.
I am rooting for Charleston, but you cant use 2 years of very small growth to say things are turning around.
To OP I know people who moved to Charleston from places like DC. Some of them like it. Like other people have said it is not the most exciting place in the world, but there are things to do, and friends to be had. With the right people you could have a great life.
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