A Classic College Town with Big City Amenities
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6/22/2022
Morgantown is a vibrant classic American college town with a laid-back vibe. While the city and surrounding area are relatively small at about $150,000 people, residents and visitors will find a thriving restaurant and bar scene of much larger cities. In addition, being the home of West Virginia University provides the town with major college sports and cultural events as well as the occasional large concert.
A rail-trail winds its way along the Monongahela River and beyond. You will find an outdoor amphitheater along the way. The downtown area also features a weekly farmers' market. If all of this is not enough culture and entertainment for you, the major city of Pittsburgh, PA, is just 70 miles north.
Morgantown and the surrounding area offer a variety of neighborhoods and housing options. The city is surrounded by forests, rolling hills, farms, and ranches.
Coal mining and natural gas fracking are part of the overall equation as well, unfortunately. The transportation infrastructure has become inadequate for the population and commercial growth of the past two decades, and some areas of the city have become prone to occasional flash flooding. These concerns are often discussed by the city council, but no good solutions have been found or implemented.
Morgantown is dominated by WVU culturally, socially, and financially, so you need to want to live in that kind of environment, with all of its traffic, excitement, wild campus parties, and trash. But, the university boasts outstanding health care facilities and every sort of medical and dental specialist can be found there.
The local economy has taken a recent hit when the locally-own pharmaceutical company was acquired by a larger corporation, resulting in the closing of the local production plant.
Morgantown is a great place to attend college as well as graduate and professional school. Most faculty members and administrators seem to arrive and stay for the long term. The university provides thousands of additional staff and professional positions of all types. The city is a great place to raise a family.
Mark | Tanque Verde, AZ