Not great, but not the worst. You decide
-
8/9/2020
I have lived in the area since 2001. This is an honest review:
The Good and Bad:
1. At least there are no ridiculous riots going on. People here have some sense. But I imagine no one would dare try to destroy property, etc around here, as most every native WV'er here is armed to the teeth. You won't find any scary clowns, either, lol. Weird clowns (or other terrorists of any kind) would likely get shot by a local if they tried anything, and that's a positive IMO. And these people know how to respect and use their guns.
2. Murder is rare here, and usually involves people from out-of-state. Crime here is typically drugs-related and Martinsburg has had it's share of it. To their credit, local law enforcement have made some headway on cleaning up the area. However, the battle is ongoing, since highway 81 is a major trafficking route and runs through Martinsburg. Also, there are bars on every corner. There is no zoning, so you will find a bar next to an elementary school. Bars attract criminal activity..and drug activity.
3. Finally...finally...manufacturing businesses have come into the area, needed for this predominately blue collar area. However, the cost of living and taxes are growing faster than salaries, forcing the poor further in state and the newly-employed into cheaply thrown-up townhouses (future dumps), because that is all they can afford. There is a shortage of affordable single family homes, and sellers are gouging on prices. Appraisals are well below asking prices, for example. Coronavirus is the reason for much of this, as city folk flee to rural areas such as Martinsburg. I predict these same urbanites will flee back to the cities in 5 years, dumping their purchases and tanking the housing market, when they figure out that there is nothing here and the locals like it that way. If they try to turn the area into the socialist enclave they left, they won't succeed....trust me.
4. As others have stated, there are few white- collar jobs unless you are in Medicine, or a chemist working in the factories, or a school principle, etc. There are *some* technical jobs at the IRS and National Guard, and possibly some aviation jobs at the air base, but not many.
5. Politics, et al: The state is mostly conservative and religious, but can lean Democrat because of all the (growing number of) poor people. The state is aging faster than the national avg, and the infrastructure (highways, Internet) is below avg to poor. Martinsburg is better than the rest of the state but is still about 10 years behind, say, MD . Big Jim Justice turned Republican and is a Trump supporter.
6. Trust me, every local WV'er here is related in some way, and families go back about 150 years. The elderly folk, in general, have all kinds of money but you wouldn't know it looking at them. Acerage and thousands in the bank going way back. It is the younger folk who struggle in current economic conditions. The WV hive mentality is good and bad. Mostly WV good 'ole boys get elected to office around here, and there are rumors of corruption. However, the people are friendly and go out of their way to help people in need.
7. I order what I need online, usually, because the stores here usually don't have what I want. Or I drive half hr into MD or 45 minutes to Winchester, VA. The doctors here are avg to poor. People are still going mostly to Winchester or MD for treatment, inspite of improvements in the med system. Frankly, tho, I am not impressed with the out-of-state docs, either.
That's it.
Kim | Hedgesville, WV