Full time work finally

[Edward Lea.]

All right after almost 4 years of contracting after my job was out-sourced to brazil I have a full time job. The thing is, it is in NE West Virginia. So I have secured a small apt for myself out here. The rest of the family will join me this summer after my son graduates from High School back in Iowa. Yep Fatrap I had to go east and leave fly over country. I have never seen so many curves in the road. I feel like a rally car driver every morning on my way to work. Takes almost an hour to drive 30 miles here, back in Iowa you could cover 60 miles(maybe 70) in that same time. I stagger across the parking lot while my equalibrium returns. Need a lttle sports car instead of a big truck for these roads.



So how many states did they try and jam into this area WV,PA,VA,MD they could not get a fifth in there. I have to figure out which one to live in. They are all well with in work distance. You folks that live out here have any pros and cons about which is better. Don't want to start a interstate bro-ha but I need to sort this out before mid to late summer.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

I'm very happy you have a new job Ed! I learned about the twist and turns in West Virginia I used to drive a heavy truck from the middle of Maryland to West Virginia quite often. It was the fist time I ever saw a sign saying " Stay off the Berms".. Hell, I didn't even know what a berm was?? Then I would be going down a mountain side and signs would say something like "minimum speed 45 m.p.h."... There was NO WAY I was going down those hills at 45mph!!!All of my air would have been gone before we got to the bottom...

Take it easy and you'll be fine. But get to Maryland or Virginia to be a little safer!



Uncle Billy

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Wait until you get behind a coal truck and that hour drive turns into 2.5~~~ Did some time in By-God West Virginia and it was brutal. No cell phone coverage, no GPS would work. Pretty country though. If I were you, I would research the taxes and the cost of living. I have a house in VA and it ain't cheap. I would assume MD is the same way, it was when I was looking.



TOXIC

 

[Scott Allen]

Ed,



Congrats on the new job. Where are you located? There are a couple of us here in the 4 state area. I live just over the line in Maryland from the Martinsburg/Shepherdstown area and Elteewon lives just over from Falling Waters. WV or PA are the best for low taxes. Housing costs go up the further east towards DC and Baltimore that you go. Let us know what you decide and when you get settled, I'll take ya fishin'.



Scott

 

[Dan J.]

Congrats and God Bless your new endeavor!

 

[Teri C.]

Congrats on the new job!

 

[Texas Transplant]

Congratulations on the 'full time employment'. I'm doing the contracting thing once again, and will likely do it till I'm done in a few years.



Far too many people do not take into consideration the taxes required when choosing where to live. It can add a tremendous amount onto a regular monthly payment, if buying. I was looking at some homes that I was interested in several months ago (long term planning) and with the down payment that I was going to put up, the montly note would have been in the range of $600-700 a month. However, in the area the homes were in, the taxes & insurance would have likey added another $500-600 a month the the payment. UGH.



As others have said, the area you are in has some beautiful country but when we visited - experienced some of the same things that Toxic stated. Cell phone coverage; gps coverage and in some cases having to drive too many miles to get gas/groceries/pharmacy items.



We have now instituted the '15 minute' rule when we are looking. It I can't buy gas/groceries/pharmacy items within a 15 minutes drive, we're looking elsewhere.



Tex

 

[Bruce Freeman]

WV will be the most cost effective. PA would be 2nd. MD and VA kill us with taxes.



BF

 

[Edward Lea.]

Thanks for the tax tip everyone. Right now I am in Berkeley Springs and have to drive around this big freakin rock every day to get to work in Kerneysville. Didn't think about these kind of obstacles when I rented the apt. We did the rental before I left Iowa and there aren't too many of these kind of road diverters back there. You live and learn hey. We will definately get over on the other side of the rock this summer sometime when we setup full time housekeeping. Not that this isn't a nice little town, I just am not sure what that back road drive is like in a full blown winter.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Congrats...

 

[Scott Allen]

Ed,



Route 9 is a nice straight drive in WV! Wait till you get into the mountains sometime and can read your own license plate when you go into a turn! My father-in-law used to say that some of those turns were so tight you could reach out the front window of the car, into the back window and get your mailpouch outta your back pocket!



Scott