Morgantown, WV

[ritu.dhungana]

I will be moving to WV for my Phd. program. I have been looking for housing options, but haven't found any yet. I am little apprehensive about Downtown as WVU has a reputation for party school and my assumption is that apartments in downtopwn would not best suit Grad Students. Please post some info. on WVU graduate student housing options. I would love to hear from the student of WVU.

[jstephe8]

Hi there,

I just finished my undergrad at WVU May 09. Yes, Morgantown certainly has a lot of parties, but you can avoid them if you want to. While there are party's everywhere, the downtown area is where most of the clubs/bars are located. The Sunnyside area (Grant st, Beverly St.) has a ton of house parties, the weekend comes around and it seems every house is doing something, so that might not be the best place to live. Downtown is really convenient, I lived there on Willey Street for a couple years which was like a 4 minute walk to my classes. Unfortunately, most of those houses are pretty old. If I were you, I might try looking in South Park, certain blocks and houses can be pretty nice, a little calmer. You might have to drive a few minutes if you go back farther but it's really not that bad. I wouldn't suggest living on the Evansdale campus unless you have classes there or unless you really can't find anything closer, only because it snows a lot and it can be a pain to drive downtown. Let me know if you have any other questions, good luck!

[M2K]

Thanks jstephe8. Would you please let me know if there may be any chance being able to find a convenient/inexpensive room near the engineering campus (Evansdale) to rent in case I arrive in Morgantown in late August? I am an international student and have no perspective on it. I also appreciate it if you could mention the most quiet places of the city near the campus.

Thanks in advance.

[bignatewvu]

I grew up in WV and went to WVU for undergrad and grad. Finished my M.A. in 06. If you have any specific questions, I might be able to help you. Still know some people who live around there, and I go back at least once every football season.

[blon19]

I realize that this is too late to really help the original poster, but I went here for my undergraduate education and I would probably recommend living in South Park. Very close walk to downtown and relatively quiet compared to other areas. If you have a car it's no problem getting to the engineering and medical campuses, but if you don't have a car then it could take about 20-25 minutes with a short walk and a PRT ride.

[phdaspiration]

Anyone out there attending WVU as a graduate student? I was accepted into a PhD program in the health sciences with a very generous stipend, but I'm not sure about the school's reputation. Does anyone out there know if graduates of WVU have good luck getting jobs in other states? How is a graduate degree from WVU viewed by employers (academic or otherwise). Also, any information on living in Morgantown would be helpful...likes, dislikes, etc. Thanks in advance for your help!

[asleepawake]

Any updated thoughts on Morgantown?

[ImaGirl]

What questions do you have?  You can PM me.   I can tell you anything you want to know about it, i lived there 20+ years and went to WVU for undergrad.  

[jpower5]

I am heading to Morgantown for my PhD. I am older and have a wife and three kids. I am more concerned about the public school system for my children. Does anyone have any input on the best areas in Morgantown for raising a family?

[nm0511]

anyone know where the best place for grad students to live is?

[jd1990]

Any general thoughts about Morgantown and the WVU campus? Social life? Cost of living? 

[Teotihuacan1]

Hi, there. I grew up in Morgantown and went to WVU for my undergraduate. It's a nice small city with lots of activities for WVU students. But if you're used to living in a really large city, it might be a culture shock. There are lots of opportunities for outdoor activities if you're into that sort of thing -- hiking, whitewater, skiing. The night-club scene is practically famous. There's an amazing student recreation center.

 

One of the more unique aspects of campus is that it is divided into three separate campuses. There is a light-rail system called the PRT that will get you from one side of town to the other. The campus is very hilly, so you will get a workout going from class to class.

 

Morgantown is "officially" said to have 30,000 inhabitants, but it's actually closer to 90,000 when you include the WVU students who live here and those residents who live just outside of city limits.

 

Cost of living is excellent. Morgantown is expensive compared to the rest of WV, and rent is a bit inflated where students like to live, but even that is dirt cheap compared to nearby cities such as Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

[drfuzz]

Teotihuacan has nailed a lot of the finer points. I grew up in Morgantown but I currently live outside the country. I will say that having a car makes life much easier. I suppose one could make it between Suncrest and downtown thanks to the rail-to-trail (a public works project that converted old railroads into a walking/biking trail) but you are going to be quite limited. 

I only say this because I live with just a bike now and every time I go home I go crazy having to sit in traffic in car (the traffic has gotten much worse over the years and I don't see an end in sight to that). The city is growing fast, pretty much any large brand store is now within a 30 minute drive from the campus. The city is overwhelmingly white (though that is the norm for WV) but WVU - specifically the grad school - has a more international flavor. 

 

Let's see, football runs the town during the Fall, if you don't like it then you can ignore it (well, sort of, Morgantown becomes the biggest city in the state on game days), but if you do like it then you are in luck. 

Do you have anymore specific questions? I'd be happy to give more details.

[drfuzz]

lunarem, I would recommend looking into the South Park area for living. It is close to downtown, but separated from all the big party areas. It is a nice, old part of town, and doesn't feel like everything was pulled out of a pre-fab factory and thrown together last year. You can get to classes without a car which will be nice. 

 

As far as places to hang out for your boyfriend. Will he have a car? If not, where are you staying? I would check out downtown for sure. Blue Moose cafe is a fixture, also Black Bear has some real yummy food. If you want to see a different part of town ZenClay is a nice cafe over in Suncrest. Great tea selection. 

As far as Valentine's day goes...someone who has lived there more recently may be better served at fielding this, but Madeleine's was always a hit. 

Let me know if you've anything more specific. I haven't lived in Morgantown since 2005 (and have been in Japan for the last 5 years) but things don't change all that much. I go back every year or two and I find myself liking the place more and more as I think about it now. I only left because doesn't every 18 year old want to get out of their hometown?

[jd1990]

Thanks everyone- and yes, I will be there this weekend! I have just never been to WV (haven't been many places in the East) so just really know nothing about the area. I don't have any more specific questions about it right now, but I am sure I will have even more after the weekend .

 

Thanks all. 

[SportPsych30]

Looking forward to my Interview Weekend coming up at the end of the month! If anyone has a specific question to ask about WVU, I can search for an answer while I am in that neck of the woods! PM me.

[iammaffyou]

I've just been accepted to the behavioral neuroscience program. Looking forward to knowing more about Morganstown. Is it a pretty liberal town? What is rent usually?

[av2010]

Recently accepted to WVU and am starting to look into housing options.  Given that WVU has the reputation of a party school I am trying to avoid areas in which I'll be surrounded by drunk undergrads all the time?  Are there specific neighborhoods to look into?  Is traffic bad that living a little bit further out and driving in isn't that feasible?

[mrbmrbmrb]

It depends on your program and which campus your classes would be on. If you are downtown I would live in south park, it's an under a mile walk to campus through town. 

[av2010]

16 hours ago, mrbmrbmrb said:

It depends on your program and which campus your classes would be on. If you are downtown I would live in south park, it's an under a mile walk to campus through town. 

I have a minor disability so I'll be driving so walking distance isn't essential.  I'm more concerned about finding somewhere quiet, affordable, etc.

[Amanda87]

22 hours ago, av2010 said:

I have a minor disability so I'll be driving so walking distance isn't essential.  I'm more concerned about finding somewhere quiet, affordable, etc.

I live here now and have both as a student and as a professional. Please ask me any questions. I have to be honest though, I hate living here and I can't wait to leave. 

I second the advice about living in South Park, though there is a lot of partying that can go on there too. In general I'd avoid any big apartment complexes, as most of those landlords truly are "scumlords" and normally don't return any of your security deposit, even if the place is left better than when you moved in (this has happened to me). Metro Property is a big rental company in town and maybe when you get here they will treat their tenants better, as they are currently in a lawsuit over not refunding security deposits. As far as getting around town goes, the streets have not been designed to accommodate for the ever-increasing student population, and tend to get really backed up at peak commuting hours. It's not unheard of to take 45 minutes to drive from the Suncrest area of town to South Park at 5pm. I'd say if your classes are going to be limited to one campus (Evansdale vs Downtown), then live somewhere closer to that campus. 

[owenslaura2]

Hi there!

I will be attending WVU audiology program in Fall of 2017, I am currently in the middle of apartment searching and am looking for advice on where a graduate student should live, keeping in mind being close to Evansdale campus. Also am interested in getting a roommate, if anyone is looking for a roommate or someone to find an apartment with in that area.