Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our family is moving from Hickory, NC to the Charleston, WV area. My husband will be attending Charleston Area Medical Center's School of Nurse Anesthesia for the next three years. I am also a Registered Nurse, and will be looking for employment in the area. We have two sons, ages 4 and 5. We also have two very well behaved wienie dogs, Isabelle and Macy, that will be making the move with us.
We know nothing about the Charleston, WV area. Could you please give us some advice on the following subjects:
What neighborhoods/areas of Charleston are considered safe and family-friendly?
Do you know of any pet-friendly apartments/condos/rental homes available in the Charleston area?
What places do you recommend to dine, shop, and play?
What are the best elementary schools in the Charleston area?
What preschool would you recommend for our 4 year old?
Which hospital is considered to be the best hospital in Chaleston?
Anything else important we should know about the Charleston area?
Thank you so much for any information you provide!
What neighborhoods/areas of Charleston are considered safe and family-friendly?
I read a joke somewhere, if you own a security system but leave your doors unlocked, you might just be from West Virginia.
There's spotty areas but most of Charleston is safe. Just because people are average or poor doesn't necessarily equate to being a bad neighborhood, and you'll find a lot of that driving around West Virginia anyway; average, poor, and very poor. There are middle-class, upper-middle-class, wealthy, and dynasty families that live in Charleston too . . they're not my neighbors, but I don't hold that against them.
I did a lot of research before moving here, but it took being on the ground to find "just right" for me.
Have gleaned from posts that quite a few of us live on the West Side in Charleston, and for some reason, people who don't, seem to worry we live in a bad neighborhood <<shrug>> I know my neighbors, they know me, some take a year before they say hello, others don't, but together we know who, and who doesn't belong in the neighborhood, and for me that's a definition of "safe".
You might budget for a hotel in the short-run before committing to an apartment lease and that will give you an opportunity to do what the other Kennedy said, drive around once you get here and find "just right" for you, whether that's Charleston, or the surrounding area.
Some of those other questions you can find online with a little research.
On that site they have listed 90 places for rent.
This place (Shady Pines) is in Cross Lanes (good place to live). I have not been in them but do know they were older apartments and for the last several months they have gutted them and redone them.
Quote:
Cross Lanes, Shady Pines, newly renovated 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments, All utilities paid on 1 bedroom, small pets permitted. Coming soon 2-3 bedroom luxury townhouses with garages. 304-204-0077. http://wvrealestategallery.com/renta...d=yes&start=60
The same ad has these listed - know nothing about them.
Quote:
Cross Lanes - Edview Circle - 3 bedroom 1-1/2 bath townhouses, small pets permitted, $875/mo. Call 304-550-6305.Scott Depot, The Gardens, 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment, no pets, $625. 304-545-5537. http://wvrealestategallery.com/renta...d=yes&start=60
Last edited by vec101; 03-20-2009 at 01:28 PM..
Reason: Addi info
Go directly to Sissonsville...compare every place you see to that community..you will return and live there...wait and see....good luck cousin.
Are you really sure about Sissonville?
I lived in Charleston for 22 years (well sans 4 in Morgantown for college) before moving to the DC area and I'm hear to tell you Sissonville was never highly regarded as a place to live in Kanawha County. It was always known as the place where all the rednecks lived and from what I understand the schools aren't exactly great there. If you like living in a rural area I guess it couldn't hurt but I honestly can't recommend living there.
If moving to the Charleston area I would recommend living right in city limits. Charleston is more like a large town with many urban conveniences that are best enjoyed from living nearby. Although city taxes are obviously going to make the living costs higher than if you moved to a place like Cross Lanes or in Putnam County, the conveniences of living in town are well worth it.
West Virginia schools operate by county (as in many other states) but they tend to vary in quality among particular neighborhoods. In case you are wondering, Charleston schools are part of the Kanawha County Schools district. The best neighborhood in Charleston with regard to schools is the South Hills section of town. There are several elementary schools that feed into highly regarded John Adams Middle and George Washington High School. Home prices are higher in South Hills than other Charleston neighborhoods but if you are moving from a more expensive area they will seem like a bargain. Kanawha City is another great family part of town to reside in but the schools (Horace Mann Middle and Capital High) aren't as nice as those in South Hills.
I'm not sure which CAMC hospital your husband's school is located (Memorial or General) but if you live right in town you will be able to make it to either one in ten minutes or so. Traffic in the Charleston area is a breeze so you can make it across town easily.
Shopping pretty much centers around two places: The Charleston Town Center Mall which is downtown and the Southridge area just past South Hills. Those two should cover any basic shopping and dining needs with Southridge being where all of the big box stores are located. The downtown section of Charleston has some good restaurants that I enjoy when visiting town.
If you have any other questions or need more specifics just ask.
I forget the OP's "givens and druthers", but Sissonville might have been recommended because its semi-rural, lower housing prices, larger lots, etc. than Chas.
also out of the loop from city limit taxes, but of course, some prefer the given of city services while others are fine without. The price difference really isn't all that much when averaged out.
Our family is moving from Hickory, NC to the Charleston, WV area. My husband will be attending Charleston Area Medical Center's School of Nurse Anesthesia for the next three years. I am also a Registered Nurse, and will be looking for employment in the area. We have two sons, ages 4 and 5. We also have two very well behaved wienie dogs, Isabelle and Macy, that will be making the move with us.
We know nothing about the Charleston, WV area. Could you please give us some advice on the following subjects:
What neighborhoods/areas of Charleston are considered safe and family-friendly?
Do you know of any pet-friendly apartments/condos/rental homes available in the Charleston area?
What places do you recommend to dine, shop, and play?
What are the best elementary schools in the Charleston area?
What preschool would you recommend for our 4 year old?
Which hospital is considered to be the best hospital in Chaleston?
Anything else important we should know about the Charleston area?
Thank you so much for any information you provide!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
