I’m going to be going to the University of Charleston in pursuit of my 2nd bachelors degree, in radiologic technology and since the only other time I was in West Virginia was back in 1996 for Lollapalooza, I have little or no info about the area.
I do know that Dave Attell did an Insomniac episode about Charleston, but I only caught the very end of it and it hasn’t been repeated.:mad:
So, any Dopers out there from WV or anyone who has lived or does live in Charleston or thereabouts, I’d love any info you could give me.
As far as specifics, I’m wondering how much a 1 bedroom apartment would cost, whether there are some good restaurants and book/music stores there. I’m not that interested in bars, 'cause thanks to my car accident I get a migraine whenever I have any alcohol.:rolleyes:
But hey, I’m rambling.
Any info on the above topics or anything else you feel like sharing is most appreciated.
Charleston is … ehh. I only go there about once a year. I’d never ever live there unless I absolutely had to. (I hate the attitude of Charlestonians: “We are the only city in West Virginia, no other city matters, no other city should have a chance at anything that would bring them good jobs, we should get it all.”) Some parts of Charleston are gorgeous and some parts are really junky looking/dangerous. The view of the Kanawha River is quite nice, though, and West Virginia is known for her beautiful autumn foliage. If you’re into politics Charleston is a nice place to be, we have it all: Democrats and Republicans fighting, a scandal with the governor, etc.
That said, WV in some ways is a pretty cheap place to live. You can get an idea of how much an apartment would be by checking out:
These sites also have the skinny on stuff to do, along with:
It’s a nice small city (around 60,000). SnoopyFan already gave you some sites for the local newspapers so you can check out the classifieds for yourself. I lived in apartments until a few months ago and and I think you’ll find a one bedroom goes anywhere from $400-$700 a month, depending on the part of town. UC is in a nicer part of town, just a couple of miles from Kanawha City where a lot of the wealthier live. There are a lot of river related activities. We have a huge Regatta over Labor Day weekend with concerts, cook-offs, funeral parade, boat races, etc. There are a couple of active theater groups that put on great productions several times a year. We have a nationally recognized ballet troupe that also performs several times a year. Bunches of state parks, white water rafting (my favorite thing to do), several ski resorts. I could go on and on. There are a lot of things to do. If you have specific questions, I’d love to answer them. I love my city and state!
I hope you love it here. UC is a really nice school.
Forgot to add: there are several books stores. There’s a huge Books-A-Million just a few miles away. Smaller Waldenbooks and one other book store in the mall, which will be close to you. Downtown there’s a really fabulous little bookstore called Taylor Books that’s very homey. They have poetry readings and different activities for the artistically inclined and those who are interested IN those who are artistically inclined.
