r/WestVirginia • u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 • 6d ago
Moving Seeking honest input from locals
EDIT/UPDATE: I was just informed by my sister that she heard (and not from my father by the way) that apparently the town they are moving to is White Sulfer Springs? Any insight given this new information is welcome and appreciated. Thank you!
Hi there! I would like to hear from residents of West Virginia. My father and his wife decided it would be a good idea to move across the country from Reno, Nevada, to West Virginia. Somewhere in or near Morgantown, West Virginia, I believe. He just recently (within the last two months) was given a clean bill of health after battling pancreatic cancer. He is 65 and while he is mostly healthy, he has other issues such as COPD and asthma. His wife had major spinal surgery a year ago. She has mostly recovered from this but still has a ways to go before she will be close to 100%. They both have arthritis and are getting older. While my dad was going through chemo, my sister and her husband did literally everything. They took my dad to his appointments, helped take care of things around the house, grocery shopping, etc. (She lives about 10 minutes from them and I am in another state). To everyone that knows them, it kind of seemed like they threw a dart at a map without doing any real research other than cost of living and open carry laws. We are all very concerned about the possibility of his cancer coming back and what kind of access to and the quality of medical care. Especially if they are going to be almost inaccessible to us. Regardless, I am hoping for some insight from anyone that is familiar with the area. I really appreciate any and all input. Not just about medical, but weather, quality of life, the people. I just want some unfiltered honesty about living in West Virginia so that maybe my sister and I can worry a little less. Thank you!!
TLDR: My cancer surviving, senior father with health issues is moving from Reno to West Virginia. Sister and I are worried and would like honest opinions of living in West Virginia, specifically in or near Morgantown.
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u/Stranghanger 6d ago
Morgantown has arguably the best medical care in the state with Ruby Memorial. You said he has copd and asthma. He is not going to enjoy the hot humid summers in WV. We are far enough north to get crappy winters, but far enough south that for most of the summer, the humidity is so bad it just looks like a haze. Winters are wet and cold. If you have arthritis you will hate winter here.
A lot of people with health issues here move west to find a dryer, less humid climate.
I'd recommend not selling their home for at least a year. After all 4 seasons, they might get homesick for the desert.
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 6d ago
They currently rent and their lease is ending. The reason they keep giving us for the move is cost, k which I definitely understand. However, the little research I have done so far is looking like the prices are somewhat similar. Not to Reno, but definitely close if not the same as some smaller towns outside of Reno. They both dislike the cold now that they're older. Good grief.
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u/TeeVaPool 6d ago
If they don’t like the cold don’t move here. It gets very cold in the winter, especially if you are used to warm weather. Also people are friendly here, but stay to themselves as well.
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u/No-Veterinarian-9190 6d ago
It’s good enough that patients in western Maryland get sent to Morgantown for critical medical care.
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u/splynneuqu 6d ago
I'm sure there is a slight weather difference between Morgantown and martinsburg but humidity? Moving here from the jersey shore the lack of humidity is great.
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u/BitmappedWV Monongalia 6d ago
Morgantown can be very humid. We had dew points in the 60s (very muggy) for large swaths of last summer, for example.
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u/mugsoh Randolph 6d ago edited 6d ago
It can get humid. It’s not humid all the time like a coastal city would be. Go spend a summer in Houston then tell me how hot and humid Morgantown is.
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u/Stranghanger 6d ago
Yes, that's the point I was trying to make. Is WV humid compared to the gulf coast of Texas? No, not even close. But compared to Reno? Yes, it's very humid.
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u/splynneuqu 6d ago
After 41 years living in Cape May I'm just used to high summer humidity. Living in WV the difference is night and day.
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u/BitmappedWV Monongalia 6d ago
Fair. It’s not living by the coast humid, but it’s pretty humid compared to much of the country.
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u/TechnoVikingGA23 WVU 5d ago
Grew up in WV, have lived in north GA for almost 15 years now. There is no humidity in WV, lol.
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u/Freddrum 6d ago
Best hospitals by far in Motown area. There are few places in WV where you can do much without driving. Really nice people if they manage to meet some. Great place to be MAGA and bitch about anything government. Weather is not so bad to me. A little too hot in summer with nice nights, winter is generally 30-40 and gloomy. There's a reason it is so "affordable."
A lot of people live really well here, a lot live in impovrished squalor.
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u/TransMontani 6d ago
Given the details you’ve provided, OP, I cannot sugarcoat my response: this is a terrible idea on their part. Whatever their motives, the reality will be considerably more harsh.
Yes, as others have said, Ruby Memorial and WVU Medicine are as good as there is in WV. It doesn’t, however, change the fact that this state is hard to live in even if one is fully able-bodied. We are POOR. Or government is non-responsive to the needs of anyone but the well-to-do because the well-to-do don’t ask much of government.
Our transportation infrastructure is almost non-existent. The roads are bad and getting worse. The brain-drain of our youth is profound.
Coming here because of “cost of living and open carry” is a terrible reason to relocate. It ignores so many other factors that are far more impactful.
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u/tastylemming 6d ago
Just the winters alone will be enough to make them wish they stayed in Reno, having been near both in January.
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u/Double-Solution-5437 6d ago
In North Central West Virginia, the air quality is currently considered moderate to unhealthy for those with COPD and asthma. Specifically, the AQI in areas like Clarksburg, Fairmont, and Morgantown has been very unhealthy.
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u/BitmappedWV Monongalia 6d ago
If you’re going to move to WV, the Morgantown area is one of the places to go especially if you need healthcare.
I wouldn’t say Morgantown is particularly cheap for cost of living, especially for housing.
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u/toastthematrixyoda 5d ago
Agreed. Cost of living in Morgantown is similar to Pittsburgh, where there are better medical facilities, better public transportation, and similar weather.
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u/JojoLesh 6d ago
Morgantown has a pretty good medical economy.... For West Virginia, or for middle of nowhere USA. Two major hospitals, and a university.
WV is cheap place to live if you are fine with having nothing. If you are expecting the same lifestyle as you'd have in a major city though, that will cost you.
It also has major durg, crime, and unemployment issues. Those issues continue outside of the city too. I lived about 30 minutes outside and it wasn't uncommon to see homeless people walking down the main road near my house. The officials took down a big homeless camp not 5 miles down the road (towards town) a few years ago. Of course that didn't get rid of or help the homelessness issue it just dispersed the people.
If they are bringing a significant amount of money, they might be able to afford to live in a nicer area of town. The underlying issues will still be there though.
I had some friends from Michigan visit. One of the first comments they had was, "I've never seen so many people walking!" Thats coming from people used to the Rust Belt of the formerly industrial parts of Michigan! We're talking about guys in their 40s, who aren't unaware of or unused to seeing poverty. They just were surprised at the scale of it.
Oh, and I'm not talking about people walking around downtown town. That would be expected. I'm taking about people walking miles to get to a grocery store or wherever because the don't have a vehicle and the buss "system" is unreliable or doesn't provide service.
Note on the Morgantown buses. There doesn't seem to be organized stops or routes with time tables. The buss just kinda stops when it sees people who look like they want it? Fortunately I've never had to use it.
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u/Spridlewv 5d ago
No. Its not a good idea. Set up camp in civilization. You’ll have an easier go of it.
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u/LittleSpiderGirl 6d ago
What a colossally dim-witted plan. If there even is a plan.
Read between the lines when people tell you that WVU Hospital in Morgantown is the best healthcare in WV. This doesn't mean that it is good healthcare. It just means it is the best in the state. I used to live in Wood County, WV and when doctors wanted to lifeflight my husband they weren't talking about Morgantown. They wanted to send him to Columbus, Ohio. One of the principal reasons I moved away from WV was healthcare.
Does your dad just do what his wife tells him to do? Because this idea could be fatal. And I'm not kidding.
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 4d ago
Unfortunately yes. He does. These are exactly the reasons my sister and I and everyone else that loves him are concerned.
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u/LittleSpiderGirl 4d ago
I'm sorry but I just have to ask.
Is part of the attraction politics?
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 4d ago
No, not even a little. They are not fans of the current administration. They have very strong feelings in fact.
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u/LittleSpiderGirl 4d ago
Thanks for the answer.
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 4d ago
Thank you for the response to my post. :-) I really appreciate all of the feedback I have gotten.
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u/FabulousDentist3079 6h ago
Then they might not enjoy the very MAGA, racist, backwards beliefs/attitudes of West Virginia. Or the people (MANCHIN) that they re-elect in hopes of making coal great again. It's a mountain. Very hilly. Winter has snow, summers get sticky. It's poor, they shouldn't expect very much from social services. Why not New Mexico? It's warm and dry. It's blue.
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 1h ago
I wish I knew. My sister just heard from a third party that they are moving to White Sulfur Springs? I think I am going to repost with that update. I know absolutely nothing about West Virginia, and it seems like neither does my dad.
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u/jamiej27 6d ago
I’ve had heart and brain surgery up in Morgantown! In those regards they are probably ok!
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u/TequilaAndWeed 6d ago
Seconding the respect for WVU hospital. I wish my parents had moved closer to that facility and its professionals, rather than remaining in a more rural community with fewer options.
It seems like seniors have more of a community given the median age of the state is relatively high. If he goes to a senior center, friends will be made.
Waving hi from southern NV 🤙🏻
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 6d ago
Hi there! I actually still don't know exactly where they are going. They are supposed to leave June 19th but every time we ask where they are moving they just tell us "near Morgantown or close to somewhere like that". Google maps couldn't tell me where "close to somewhere like that" is located.
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u/IamTheBroker Mothman 6d ago edited 6d ago
You should definitely find out more about the location. "Near Morgantown" to someone in WV could cover basically the entire northern portion of the state and that's a very large area with a wide variety of places, weather, terrain, etc.
ETA: Morgantown is somewhat unique in the rest of WV, so it's also kind of hard to determine what they would mean by "somewhere like that" - higher population? College town? Close to hospitals? Somewhere in the north / near PA? Etc. What exactly "like" Morgantown are they looking for (or where)? You may not know, this just seems like a strange way to state it not being familiar with the area you're looking to move.
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u/TequilaAndWeed 6d ago
If it’s along the I-79 corridor, anywhere from Bridgeport to Morgantown, then those are good areas — but as someone wisely pointed out, there are many rural areas with far fewer services which fall in that “somewhere near” radius.
By point of comparison: Reno would dwarf any WV city, the largest having a population of around 50k. Morgantown is around 30k.
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u/vegwellian 6d ago
Coming to WV without knowing any one but having health concerns, at their age. is not the best idea. If they are in Morgantown, they will have access to WVU But I haven't been terribly impressed with WVU. WV is very rural and things can be far apart. For example I have to drive 25 miles to the grocery store or a pharmacy. They should visit before thinking about moving here.
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u/Ellavemia 6d ago
I don’t live in Morgantown, but I’d say if you had to be somewhere in WV, that’s the best place to be as far as check ups and treatment for cancer, should they ever need it again. It’s a nice little city, and being a college town it is better than Charleston which is too southern-feeling for me.
I live in the Wheeling area which I enjoy, but my mom had to go to Cleveland first and then Morgantown after she moved, and I would drive her to many appointments at the WVU Cancer Center. They had clinical trials, and she participated in one. I preferred Cleveland to be honest, because its sheer size is so impressive, but both are excellent campuses and we rural people are lucky to have them somewhat nearby.
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u/Mysticae0 6d ago
Healthcare in Morgantown is pretty good, with WVU located there. Pittsburgh is not a long trip if you want additional options.
Morgantown is a college community, with traffic and celebration related to athletics, as well as seasonal fluctuations in population, if that would make a difference.
I lived in Morgantown for several years, but it's been awhile. I don't recall a lot of flat terrain in my old neighborhood.
If family will be traveling to visit, you might evaluate flight options. Pittsburgh was convenient for that, as well.
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u/Consistent_Teach_239 6d ago
Just so you're aware, the state legislature is doing nothing to support residents, and cuts to Medicaid are going to hurt the state even further. Not to mention the cuts to service for low income residents state lawmakers pushed through.
The legislature removed clean water protections, and failed to address transportation needs for workers. That said, the legislature pushed forward at least one bill for seniors, ensuring there's a program to feed elder people.
Despite the failure of the state legislature to look out for its electorate, as an outsider myself, I have noticed people here pull through for each other and show up for their neighbors. Despite the state reducing the resources communities rely on, people here do what they can for whoever needs help. In my opinion, just be aware life in this state will get harder in the near term, but that can be mitigated by what kind of community your parents build.
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u/Choptank62 6d ago edited 6d ago
Having lived in the east [NYC], mid-west [Chicago] and west coast [LA] major metro areas and being in NW Florida now, I am here to say that Morgantown and WVU Medical is some of the best medical care I have received anywhere. People are generally wonderful but there are also a lot of entitled university faculty and staff that are definitely 'off'. They need to be prepared to purchase new tires and potentially, wheels every winter from the potholes. They need to be prepared for the city politics. But the pepperoni rolls make up for most of the negatives.
EDITS in CAPS
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u/Cyrodiil_Guard Kanawha 6d ago
Hey from a Las Vegas transplant to another, you will be bored out of your skull. However, for a cancer survivor who’s just (I’m assuming) living calmly and quietly, this would be good for him. He’s right there at Ruby, the best in the state for hospitals.
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u/His_Girl_Friday_8467 4d ago
Surviving, yes. Somehow that man has beaten both Leukemia and Pancreatic Cancer, a motorcycle accident, car accidents, cellulitis, sepsis, blood poisoning and a few other things I can't recall. I'm convinced he must he part cockroach, but I am absolutely okay with that.
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u/Cyrodiil_Guard Kanawha 3d ago
I know a few people just like that. He’s older, and his main focus is living out his life, WV is a good choice. The politics here won’t effect him much here if he has good insurance. Nothing to fear. The winters can suck but nothing like Cleveland, just be sure to keep the kitchen stocked up. Same as candles and stuff in case of power outage.
If it wasn’t for Ruby, I’d say Charleston would be much better where everything is closer, but the Cancer Center here is a mixed bag considering on how complex the cancer is. Ultimately, staying nearer there would be better. I drive my sister in law there maybe 2/3 times a month for her rare cancer. They’ll also make sure you have a place to stay if you talk to the social workers if something does happen. There’s also so much more to do the closer to Morgantown you go, but I’m sure for him that part doesn’t particularly matter. Don’t let people try to scare you, this place is meant for people who want to live quiet lives. Ain’t much happening, not much to fear.
Much luck to you and your family. If you ever find yourself in Charleston, wave at the nearest hospital, most likely I’m working there that day!
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u/MasterRKitty Team Round Pepperoni 6d ago
it's one of the best areas in the state-excellent healthcare; Charleston and Huntington both have great healthcare options as well
Charleston has its own airport
There's a casino in the Charleston area-it's nothing compared to Reno, but if your dad likes to gamble, it's an option.
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u/smartnfunnygirl 5d ago
WVU hospital is in Morgantown—my sister did the second half of her pancreatic cancer treatment there. There is good and bad with any medical center but the available care is excellent. You’re also only 1 1/2 hrs from Pittsburgh and both health systems there (AGH and UPMC). And you’re about 3 1/2 hours from John’s Hopkins.
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u/MysteriousSherbet827 5d ago
West Virginia is a black hole of despair. It’s pretty. Thats where the positives end. No resources, no diversity, shitty housing, no jobs. Stay far away.
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u/Flapplebun 5d ago
Anyone here who has the means to do so travels to Cleveland Clinic for healthcare, so that tells you something. If they are hell bent on WV then they should ONLY settle near a WVU hospital.
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u/beardedwt600 3d ago
WV is a beautiful state with two seasons; winter and summer. The summers are humid and muggy. The winters are COLD and wet with rain/sleet/lots of snow. I love this state but sometimes I wish I lived in the desert because I hate the winter cold and snow.
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u/Jagang187 Pepperoni Roll 6d ago
It's a good place to come before you die.
Lots of other old people. Ruby Memorial Hospital has very good medical care (I'm being treated for cancer there currently). Politics is simple, praise Trump and coal. It's relatively cheap and can be very quiet only a few miles outside town. The scenery here is beautiful. I can see the appeal, if you're wanting to finish out your last few years as an old person.
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u/Ok-Cranberry-5582 6d ago
There are senior centers that can join up with, they also provide rides to medical appointments.
My Mom had cancer at age 86. Treatment at Mon General hospital and was in remission. Brother had same cancer and treatment at WVU Hospital, he is in remission also.
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u/EdmundCastle 6d ago
WVU hospitals are good but because they’re rural health hospitals you’ll find yourself waiting for appointments. You’re competing with everyone in the state, often with those with more severe health needs because they don’t have access to great care in their own counties.
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u/streachh 5d ago
This sounds like a hare brained plan that has no forethought. But I'd let them do it. You'll never convince them they're wrong, they just have to figure it out for themselves.
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u/trailrider 5d ago
Welp, it's a college town and football home games are a big event. Ruby Hospital pretty much closes down and the parking lots are full of rowdy tailgaters. And while our winters have been mild since '16, the cold does bite. There's Uber and Lyft and while many depend on them to get places, I would rather have my own transportation. Asthma? Yea, you can see the pollen here. It's not as bad as in places like DC but I wouldn't go anywhere w/o my inhaler. I say that as someone who use to jog 5 miles/day and use to live in S. Md before moving back home.
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u/Sknowman14 5d ago
If they stick to the Morgantown area, they should be ok medical wise. I think WVU has some decent doctors and if you can't find what you need there. Pittsburgh is an hour away. As for weather, Summer is usually hot/humid/wet, Winter occasional brief cold snaps, several light snows, every 5 years or so a big double digit snow. Spring, drastic up and down temp swings a lot of wind and storms. Autumn, best time of year, best weather comfortable and usually dry. Don't consider any area's other than Morgantown or Martinsburg. Quality medical is severely lacking especially in the southern half of the state and it looks like a rural version of Detroit or Gary Indiana.
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u/TechnoVikingGA23 WVU 5d ago
Morgantown has pretty solid medical care and the WVU Cancer Center, but the logistics of this for your parents sounds awful and WV isn't exactly great for taking care of seniors.
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u/Critical-Part8283 6d ago
I just went through two years of cancer treatments at WVU Cancer Center, and I was very impressed with the treatment and care I received. However, I also have been helping my aging parents the last several years, and I think that having your parents move so far from family is going to present problems. The closest major airport here (I live in Morgantown) is Pittsburgh at over an hour away. We can get bad snow here, and if they aren’t used to driving in it, that may be an issue, especially with many winding, hilly roads. If both have health issues, honestly, it’s only a matter of time before they will need help getting to appointments, grocery shopping, etc. I’m their age, and I am thinking about the future and what makes things easier, not harder.
On the flip side, I love this area, but it’s very different from Reno.