Ok,

Finally sold the wife on idea of moving to the panhandle vs silver Springs or bethesda maryland and taking the marc in to dc 3 days a week for work.

We will be coming from the Baltimore/aberdeen.

She works for the government in DC. I am staying overseas for a bit.

So we have been through the area alot on the way to the cabin that we go to in Elkins. Unfortunately we have never really spent time there.

So what's martinsburg like, we have 2 young boys age 1.5 and 3.5 and are considering an older federal style townhouse in the city/town.

Will probably buy a good bit of land a few years down the road. Just want to get a quick rundown of the area.

how are the schools and crime and all that other kind of stuff

Thanks guys

Go outside of the city limits for housing, it's cheaper, schools are better, less likelihood of the neighbor running a meth house.  Martinsburg can also be picky about renovations/repairs with the "historic" buildings, the city has an additional 1% sales tax and property taxes, police levies, etc. in addition to the county taxes you'd be paying.

Don't buy a home built by Ryan, they're the WalMart of the construction world and a lot of crappy places went up during the boom.

You can find subdivisions without HOA's if you look.

I know a couple of good realtors and a ton of crappy ones.

Place next to me is going up for sale soon, and one down the street is in foreclosure (elderly owner died, kids let it go back to the bank b/c it was upside down) that apparently is decent inside, just needs a lot of yard work.  We're about 15 minutes south of Martinsburg.

Good info, one of the reasons we are looking at city is because my wife's parents will be staying with us for the foreseeable future and we need to find a place that has a physical barrier/converted apartment  or in law suit.

It's tough to find that in a modern house but we are keeping an eye open

We found one historic house about 15 mins south of the city built in 1750 for 350k but it's totally redone and was set up as an in at one point

7226 Queen St, MIDDLEWAY, WV 25430

Is the house in question

Also it looks like downtown is starting to get trendy. Any chance on the methbillies being pushed out by the DC commuters?

When it gets a little closer I'll shoot you an im for contact info for a realtor

Thanks

Middleway isn't bad, it's a one stop sign town.  You'll have to go to Charles Town or Inwood to grocery shop.

If you're on Facebook you can follow these to get a feel for what is going on (like OD's) and where:
Berkeley County, West Virginia Events/ Incidents
Eastern Panhandle Working Fires

Have you actually been to the address in your post?  I wouldn't buy anything on Queen Street, your front door is two or three paces from the edge of the road.  Seriously, those houses have zilch for a front yard and that's the main drag through town; it carries a ton of commuter traffic.  Do a Google street view on that address if you haven't already.

Haven't been to the area yet, and we are not committed to any one specific house at the time.

More of looking at what could work.

How many OD's does the area average? Just curious as there is ano opiod problem outside of aberdeen. And alot of other places really.

I went by that house on Queen Street in Middleway yesterday, and it looks like an interesting historic house, but it did look a little rougher than the picture I found on Google maps.  If you are good with house upkeep and repairs, it could be a neat house to live in.  The house is large, much longer than it is wide.  The road in front of it is a 30mph speed limit.  That area in the heart of Middleway has a lot of historic houses that seems to be owned by people that take pride in owning such an older building.  Just south of that area on Leetown road it gets a little rougher looking, with a trailer park.

Keep asking questions, we're here to help.  I've commuted for many years from the eastern panhandle to northern Virginia and near Baltimore, MD, so I can answer a lot of your commuting questions.

Drug use is mostly localized in certain areas just as it would be in a lot of communities.

So I have briefly looked at some of the schools in the area, is there any one specific district that stands out against the others, we have two boys, they will be 4 and 2 in late Oct/early Nov.

I live just a couple miles North of Shepherdstown in Jefferson County.  There's a lot of nice houses in the area and from what I'm told, the schools are pretty good and the area is safe.

Email me or send a message if you have any questions and I'll answer them the best I can.

Good luck on your move.

You can get crime stats for Jefferson County on this FB page. It’s not too bad...

https://www.facebook.com/Jefferson-County-Sheriffs-Office-WV-184225564971878/?hc_ref=ARRYUMnQgR2qmR_TN13U4rBGBMGsLLp7OvEd-eRA90yoNUI3isW6LP4C5pw4ieBI6D4&fref=nf

I live in Martinsburg, but outside of city limits. Everyone has stated valid points. Here are my takes...

Berkeley vs. Jefferson County
- Berkeley is cheaper both for living and property. My wife is from Jefferson County and I am from Berkeley. When we were house shopping, we noticed a dramatic difference in what you can get for your money in Berkeley County vs Jefferson. Dollar seems to go farther in Berkeley.
- Berkeley County offers more. Yes, Jefferson has the race track, but no bowling alley or movie theaters. Both of which Berkeley offers.
- Taxes. It's been a few years since I compared, but Berkeley County had a lot fewer taxes and rates.

Schools Systems
- In the latest WV School System Rankings, Jefferson County came in 9th while Berkeley County came in 13th
- 2017-2018 High School Test Score Rankings

- Washington (Jefferson) - 15th

- Musselman (Berkeley) - 19th

- Jefferson (Jefferson) - 22nd

- Martinsburg (Berkeley) - 26th

- Spring Mills (Berkeley) - 59th

- Hedgesville (Berkeley) - 63rd

- Overall all Berkeley County Schools are more crowded  than Jefferson County. Jefferson County schools are not as crowded and are more "rural" but as more metro people move in, they are seeing a declining rural population.
- While drugs are a growing concern throughout the panhandle, Berkeley is seeing it worst in the school systems and talking to teachers and law enforcement friends, they all agree that Martinsburg is probably the worst for drugs in the school, but they have good academics and a great football program so its a weird one to figure out.
- I graduated from Hedgesville, and my Wife graduated from Jefferson and we both still support those schools and would send our kids to either of them.

Depending on what your kids are into (baseball, football, band, ffa, etc.) would help pinpoint a school that has a stronger program in that specialty as each school in the area seems to have their own "thing" they are known for.

Honestly, you won't be disappointed in either county. The area is beautiful and has great people. The WVCDL is prominant in both counties but Berkeley tends to vote politically more conservative on their politicians. There is quite a few different shooting ranges in the area as well hiking trails and water access.

In a few years we will be moving to a location with more land and having a knowledge of both counties and school systems, we have basically decided we will be moving somewhere in South Berkeley County and in Musselman School district. For us it puts us between our families in a great school district and still in a part of the county that is "rural" as opposed to "city" and if we go to the west side of 81 towards Glengary, land really opens up.

Like I stated, you will be happy with whatever you decide. I suggest trying to find a place outside of Martinsburg City limits though. Just gives you more freedoms and a bit less fees.

Feel free to pm me directly with any questions, and welcome to the Eastern Panhandle!

Expect this to change in the next 5-10 years.  We work with two realtors and both expect south Berkeley and the I-81 corridor to take off, much like Loudoun County did 20 years ago.

Good that just means my home value will double again. Then i can sell it and go buy more acreage.

I live close to Glengary in South Berk.  Its not a bad area to live just not much to do.  and you have to drive for everything since nothing will deliver. haha

Doing a little research, I agree that I81 Corridor is going gain value, my question is do any of you guys think Jefferson County will experience similar growth?  I ask my wife really likes the CW shipley elementary school, and its one stop closer for the Marc so that knocks off 30 mins from here commute

Jefferson County will as well, and parts of it are already seeing this. Their location coupled with easy access to Leesburg, Dulles, Frederick, etc. is seeing a lot of people moving in the county and commuting to work. Yes, 81 is accelerating the growth for Berkeley, but Jefferson is not too far behind.

Awesome, So i guess the Question is buy a nice house or a fixer upper.

will probably start looking seriously around the holidays.

With the requirement for a separate apartment or in-law suite you may have to take what you can get, unless you purchase a plot and build a custom home.

Well.  Over the past couple weeks that has changed a little bit,  We are looking at some cheaper house in the area, maybe in Martinsburg that we would purchase for her parents with the possibility of renting it out once they move on.

That kind of works for me for a few reasons, it gives us more space, it can bring in rental income later, and there is not really a shortage of simple homes for under 75k.

I am looking in the same area as i will be moving for a job just outside the beltway in the next few months.  Coming from Connecticut, W.V. looks like the holy land of freedom.

WV is good to go, I am sure it's going to be cultural school kn a good way.

Nice to have a choice of open or concealed carry

Get the permit anyway since it's also good in VA and PA, plus it lets you bypass NICS when you purchase a firearm from a dealer.

Great info all!  I am coming to WV as well.  Looking around the Inwood area as well.   Look forward to meeting some of you.

Cool!  There are a lot of folks in that area.  Give a shout when you'll be in town.

Certainly will do sir!   See on youtube looks like a good range nearby gerrardstown.  Will have to scope that out!

Psst I'm not a sir...

My apologies Ma'am!  

Does the Panhandle try to get together for any shoots? Getting people out to shoot in MD is a painful.   We have a place to shoot out to 1000 in Elkins that we try to get to a few times a year. Might try to get out there in november