Quote:
Originally Posted by FrenchToast
I'm a retired single man thinking about various retirement locations. Been reading a lot of the threads here and have an interest in exploring further the Morgantown area. Housing budget, however, is a consideration. After looking at Morgantown real estate, I believe I might be more comfortable in Fairmont with lower costs yet close enough to Morgantown for its benefits.
What say you Mountaineers about Fairmont for a single guy whose main interests are the outdoors, hunting, shooting, hiking, flatwater canoeing. I'm no loner hermit and would not want to move there if the place has substantial social barriers against newcomers. Have visited that situation earlier in life and do not want to repeat. Does Fairmont have enough "outsiders" living there to offer the flexibility and ease in meeting people that one typically finds in a college town?
I don't want to go too far south because I have northern veins and and hate to give up snow completely. At the same time I'm not interested in the far-off boonies.
Looking forward to your remarks.
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Fairmont is a nice town, and one of the three that comprise the more urban part of North Central West Virginia. It all depends on what you are looking for. Since you will be retired (I'm retired and can relate to this), I would say Morgantown has more of what you're looking for in that they have a lot of organized activities for retirees. I believe both towns have "senior centers", but Morgantown has the Osher Institute that offers classes on a wide variety of topics virtually free to seniors, something you can only find in major university cities. It also has next to no social barriers for newcomers since, as a University city, there is a large transient population. Since Fairmont has NASA and other Government organizations, there are transients there too but not to the same degree. I don't believe either town has significant barriers to outsiders.
You would have ample opportunities for outdoor pursuits in either location, including hunting, shooting, and canoeing, but Morgantown is located just minutes from Cheat Lake and the thousands of acres of public land of the Coopers Rock State Forest, and Chestnut Ridge Park.
Since you mentioned that rental prices are a consideration, Fairmont does have less expensive rents because demand is high in Morgantown now, but there are some fairly reasonibly priced rentals here on a long term basis. I would suggest you take the time to visit both locations before making up your mind. You really couldn't go wrong either way, depending on your personal preferences.
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