Why West Virginia?

By Samantha Cart

In the wake of a global pandemic, many people are taking a hard look at what is most important. As some decide to move to less populated, rural areas, West Virginia Executive is here to answer the question, “Why West Virginia?”

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“Country roads take me home to the place I belong—West Virginia.”

People from around the world love these popular words written and recorded by John Denver, but many of them have absolutely no idea what West Virginia is like.

The Mountain State’s narrative is one of overcoming challenges. Born in rebellion and forged on the backs of hardworking coal miners, West Virginians have a long history of exceeding outsiders’ expectations and fighting against negative stereotypes. Today, it is best-known for its mountainous terrain, beautiful overlooks, rural communities and kind, welcoming people.

There are many advantages to living in this small but mighty state, including low costs, room to roam and grow, proximity to major cities, tight-knit communities and access to top-notch outdoor recreation. So, to quote another song commonly sung by West Virginia 4-H members, we invite you to come home to West Virginia.

A Good Place to Live

According to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS, the housing market surprised industry leaders in 2020 with soaring sales and record high home prices after the economy reopened due to record low mortgage rates. Yun believes this momentum will continue into 2021 as interest rates remain favorable.

“The Federal Reserve System has indicated the desire to keep a loose monetary policy for a couple of years,” he says. “In addition, jobs will steadily recover thanks to the recently passed stimulus package and, more importantly, as the vaccine gets distributed.”

Yun also says home prices in West Virginia are some of the most affordable in the country.

“Those with secure employment will have a decent chance of becoming homeowners,” he says. “This is very unlikely in, say, San Francisco, where even a six-figure income is insufficient. The median home price in Charleston, for example, was $153,700 in the third quarter of 2020, which is only half the national median home price. In regard to home sales, like most parts of the country, West Virginia sales were running around 10% higher in the second half of 2020 compared to the prior year.”

Yun believes West Virginia is likely to benefit from the remote work trend, as areas outside Washington, D.C., and Baltimore—such as Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry—have already witnessed a significant boost in housing demand as workers gain remote work flexibility, which may become the new normal even after the vaccine is more widely dispersed.

“This means commuting cost is less of a factor in purchasing a home,” he says. “Moreover, a homebuyer can get a larger home at a more affordable price surrounded by cleaner air in West Virginia.”

Remote worker Alexis Grant moved to the Harpers Ferry area in 2019 from Florida. She and her husband had both been working toward the goal of running their own businesses, and once that goal was met, they were free to move anywhere in the world. As they started a list of potential homesteads to visit, their criterion was simple: they wanted to be able to hike from their front door. After several trips, they narrowed their list to two places: Boulder, CO, and Harpers Ferry, WV.

“We love the mountains,” says Grant. “We loved Boulder, but it is super expensive. Cost of living was huge to us. When I left my job, we wanted to have a bit of a slower life. We have two younger kids, and I didn’t want demands on my time that were outside my control and I didn’t want to feel as stressed out. We felt moving to a place that had a high cost of living wouldn’t help us achieve that because there would be pressure to earn a lot of money. In a place like West Virginia, our money would go a lot further, which is one of the reasons we chose Harpers Ferry.”

While the family had visited Harpers Ferry to hike in the past, they had never considered it as a place to live.

“We love this town, and I feel so lucky we moved here,” says Grant. “We thought it was going to feel like the middle of nowhere, but it hasn’t at all. Harpers Ferry is small in terms of size, but there is always something happening here. I also underestimated how cool it would be to have Shepherdstown, Charles Town and even Brunswick, MD, all pretty close to us, because we use those amenities as well.”

Grant is originally from upstate New York, and she loves the familiar terrain West Virginia provides.

“The mountains are the best part to us,” she says. “The hiking here is so amazing and having it right outside our door has been life-changing for us. The way we think about it is, we used to live in the city and drive out of the city whenever we could to go hiking. Now we’ve flipped that and optimized for what we’d rather be doing. Now we can hike a few times a week, and if we want to drive to a restaurant or to do something cultural, we can do that occasionally.”

The favorable housing market combined with a cost of living 16% below the national average and a cost of doing business amongst the lowest in the country is a recipe for success. Throw in easy access to river, rail and highway transportation, proximity to various major cities and seven commercial airports, and West Virginia is a remote worker’s dream.

A Good Place to Play

In 2020, Business Insider named Beckley, WV, the cheapest place to live in the U.S. However, as the Grant family well knows, the Mountain State’s biggest draw is its natural beauty, and Beckley’s neighboring Fayette County is now home to the nation’s newest national park.

The New River Gorge became a national park in late 2020 as part of Congress’ COVID-19 stimulus package. A mecca for rock climbers and whitewater rafters, the area is best known for the New River Gorge Bridge, the longest steel span bridge in the western hemisphere and one of the most photographed places in the state.

Christopher Fussell, president of McChrystal Group, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., and his wife, Holly, moved to Fayetteville in 2020. The couple has had a home there since the early 2000s, so they were already familiar with what the Mountain State had to offer when they made the decision to relocate.

“We started climbing in the New River Gorge in the 1990s and bought a house to use for weekend getaways,” says Fussell. “Over the years, we established really good friends and relationships in the area. We came up to our home in Fayetteville on Mother’s Day last year to get out of D.C. for a bit and just decided that we wanted to make it our permanent home. So, we sold our house in D.C. and bought another house in Wild Rock, right on the other side of the New River Gorge. We found last year that where you are is less important. I can reach all my goals working in West Virginia, and we can be closer to what we love—the outdoors. You don’t find the outdoor outlets like you have in West Virginia anywhere else.”

While natives and visitors marvel at the grandeur of the state’s mountains and rivers, it is the people and the communities they create that make people fall in love with Almost Heaven.

“The types of friendships you develop in a place like Fayetteville are different,” says Fussell. “It is much more focused on what you enjoy when you’re not working, rather than in D.C., which has more work-oriented relationships. We want to raise our kids with an understanding of community that you don’t find anywhere else than, in my opinion, West Virginia.”

Many find that once West Virginia becomes a part of them, the mountains call to them when they leave. Hampton Cokeley, a sales enablement marketing manager for Dell, moved home to Charleston, WV, last year after attending business school at the University of Texas and living and working in Austin. From his home in Charleston, Cokeley is able to work with his global sales team in places like China, Singapore, India and Europe.

“I wanted to come back and be part of making something happen, and the time just seemed right,” he says. “Austin was a lot of fun but coming back was an opportunity to be closer to family and be a part of a solution for West Virginia.”

Cokeley believes West Virginia offers a sense of community and the opportunity for growth that can be found in few other places.

“If you’re talking about setting up a life somewhere, younger generations are interested in being very present and active in their surroundings,” he says. “In a lot of the places young people seem to gravitate to—whether that is Charlotte, NC, or Los Angeles, CA—it’s hard to show up and make a difference. West Virginia is a great community of people, and if you’re willing to put in the work from day one, you can show up and be somebody and make a difference.”

For those considering living, working and dreaming in Almost Heaven, the possibilities are endless.

Angela Maxwell, who is currently a Baltimore resident, will be moving to Huntington, WV, in April to work as an architect for Edward Tucker Architects. While her move is focused on her new career opportunity, she is also driven by a passion for the outdoors.

“I love being close to nature, and I am looking forward to joining a friendly community,” she says. “Outdoor activities are so much more accessible in West Virginia, and it will be easier for me to enjoy a work-life balance. West Virginia is full of possibilities, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store.”

So, our response to the question, “Why West Virginia?”

…. Why not?