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Why I live in Huntington

BY: Adam Kuhr 16 February 2009 2,185 views 27 Comments

I came here back in 2006 for my junior year of college to play baseball under Rick Reed.  I’m from Cincinnati, OH so I’m from a bigger city and lived there my whole life.  Living here was a huge transition for me from fast paced life to the slower moving world that is Huntington.

First things first.  Huntington is an amazing place to be when you are in college.  This town adores Marshall University!  Down on 4th is a row of bars that any college student would be happy with.  There are so many places around here to hang out with your friends and watch the games.  Rivals is a newer establishment across from the football field where I usually go to watch the game.  They have around 18 TV’s, all with their own satellite and cable line so you can have 18 separate things on at once.  It’s pretty impressive.

On a side note, for all of you who haven’t been to the Union, go check it out.  Herb owns the place and has been here for about forever.  The guy is awesome and he has the best place in town!  I spent the majority of my 2 years of college there.  This place has amazing food for a tiny place and priced very reasonable.

So back to the story… Huntington offers something you can’t find everywhere else.  Houses here are very inexpensive.  My fiance and I decided rather than renting, we would see if we could afford to buy a house.  Long story short, we found an amazing house down on Washington Blvd 3 houses from the park!  This lady was remodeling it and in the middle decided she was done with it and put it on the market.  So in a moment of insanity, we decided to take on the project and remodel the entire house.  To us, the idea of being able to live on Ritter Park was worth the pain of remodeling.  This town offers people who have the skills to remodel houses a huge opportunity with most houses being older and needing work.  If you can find a place for sale around Ritter Park, I reccommend buying it.  It’s definitely the nicest part of the whole town.  Amazing place to go running!  When they were filming “We Are Marshall” here, I ran into Matthew Mc Conaughey.

My fiance and I both have jobs here, mine being a very interesting company for the Huntington area.  Technology doesnt really seem like Huntington’s thing, but Strictly Business Computer Systems seems to do it very very well.  Huntington offers us a place where we can relax and take a walk around the park with our dogs.  Sure, it’s not a perfect town but every place his its flaws, but if you can look past 8th and 9th, you’ll find that Huntington is a very nice place to live.

– Adam Kuhr

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  • Jessica

    Hello. I have just moved to Huntington and was wondering if any bars/restaurants had “trivia nights”?

    Thank you!

  • http://rawlinson.us/bill/ Bill

    I don’t know about trivia nights but BW3 on fourth avenue always has the computerized trivia game on the screens.

  • Adam

    For a good trivia night check out the Union on Wednesdays. I believe the trivia starts at 10 but people get there pretty early to find a seat. It’s a lot of fun and they run a $5 deal on drinks.

  • Lisa

    St. Marks on 4th avenue has interactive trivia every day….good local hang out:)

  • Christine

    Hi. I am considering moving to Huntington for a job opportunity. Where is the best and safest place to live and raise children? Are there any areas to avoid? Also, which area is considered to be in the best school district? Thanks so much!

  • Thomas McChesney

    Christine,
    Glad to hear that you’re looking at Huntington. There are many great neighborhoods and options depending on what you’re looking for.

    I live in the Highlawn, a downtown neighborhood on the Ohio River, near St. Mary’s Hospital. We have 2 lovely parks, many old homes, tree-lined streets, and great neighbors. Home prices range from the $80′s to $300+. For information, go to: http://www.highlawnneighbors.org or email me and I’ll be happy to help (tmcchesney@huddlestonbolen.com).

    I suggest you also look at the Southeast Hills, which includes Washington Blvd., Wiltshire Blvd., etc. It’s a very lovely neighborhood with lots of families. Home prices are generally a little higher in that area.

    Huntington’s southside, especially around Ritter Park and in the hills north of Four Pole Creek are very nice.

    Thomas

  • Christine

    Thomas,

    Thank you so much for your response. Looks like there are many great options available in the housing market there. If the position at Marshall works out then we will be heading there sometime this summer!

    Thanks again,
    Christine

  • Camille

    Christine.. you should also look in the Spring Valley area. It’s a Huntington Postal address, but right outside city limits… which means NO CITY TAXES but all the perks. It’s about ten minutes from the hospital, is part of a wonderful state of the art school system that is affiliated and partially funded through Marshall University (Kellogg Elemetnary June Harless Center) and is beautiful. Home prices are so much more affordable than around the park (not all but some are just as nice) and it keeps you out of the crime of downtown. I can honestly drive anywhere downtown within a max of 10 minutes but when I go home at the end of the day I am out of the way of all the B.S. and can get some peace and quiet without being right on top of my neighbors. Near Ritter Park is really beautiful but you are no more than a stone’s throw (seriously like two-three blocks) from 16th street (the worst worst worst part of town) and a lot of places around the park flood. I would say that up in the hills behind the park (near the museum) would give a similar feeling of Spring Valley… just more expensive and upscale. If you’re searching for houses in the Spring Valley area you want to look in the 25704 zip code and look for “Spring Valley or Northern Wayne County” listings. There are several really nice listings right now!

  • crissy

    I have just moved to the Huntington area. My lil’ sis and I are looking for a good place to go for new years eve. Somewhere that we can let loose and have fun!!! Any sugestions??????

  • http://rawlinson.us/blog Bill

    Hrm.. That's a tough question. I haven't gone out and partied on New Years for a while. I know the Pullman Plaza hotel has a bash+room package so you can really let loose and not have to worry about driving home afterwords. I'll have to ask around and see what else I can find out.

    Oh, and welcome to Huntington!

  • http://rawlinson.us/blog Bill

    So far I have received one confirmation that the Pullman Plaza hotel does a nice job of throwing a bash – the bartender there says its a good time.

  • Christine

    Thank you Camille for responding to my posting! We ended up buying a home in Stamford Park and have been in Huntington for about 4 months now and everyone here have been absolutely wonderful! The landscape is very similar to Washington. Take care!!!

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  • op

    I am physician looking to relocate to Huntington, WV/Ashland area for a new job. I am a bit ambivolent about the quality of life/entertainment to be had in this part of the nation. I'd like to hear from some of the locals in regards to living in Huntington and being a to fly to/from there.

  • RLewis

    MY wife and I live in Charlotte, but are considering a home in Huntington. I understand from friends that the condos being built in the downtown area are really nice and that the architecture of the converted structures is beautiful. I would like a view of the Ohio River and will be looking for that as well. The pace is not quite as hectic and though there may be growing pains with the downtown area I think it may well be worth condsidering.

  • http://rawlinson.us/blog Bill

    I haven't been in any of the condo's downtown but the photos make them look pretty nice. One set of condos I've heard about are the St. James Building : http://www.stjamescondominiums.com – though I believe there are others in the same area of town. I would bet that some of the condos at the St James have a river view though i don't know if they are available or not.

    Good luck!

  • Countfrapula3rd

    Huntington is only good if you're upper-middle class, and downright brutal if you're lower class. 'Tis a shame really, It would be a great town if the economy didn't kill it's citizens.

  • Jaclyn

    If you are looking for a home in a great location, we are selling a historic home on Ritter Park. Please take a look at owners.com listing JGP4775. The price is negotiable to the right buyer.

  • Christine

    Dear OP,rnrnI have been in Huntington for 1 year and the people here are very friendly. Huntington has a large medical community so you will fit in here perfectly.

  • Hesson12

    ITs definitely a good place for people in medicine with many state of the art, and from what I understand top ranked and several areas of medicine, in the commuting area, 2 of which are actually in the city itself. The entertainment is amazing, check out the Marshall Artist Serious, it brings national and foreign films, musicals, artists, etc. to the area every year. There is a regional airport about 20 minutes out of downtown, in Kenova, WV, called Huntington-Tri-State Airport (HTS). Definitely worth checking out for a visit, and if you fall in love like many people do, a move.

  • Jessie

    Hi. My husband and I may be relocating there for medical school. You guys have mentioned some of the good places to look for houses, but which areas of town should we avoid? Thanks.

  • http://rawlinson.us/blog Bill

    Huntington is kind of tricky; Each “good” neighborhood also has some rough elements. The hills near Cabell Huntington hospital are nice and are close to the medical school. Highlawn, which is closer to St. Mary’s has both some very nice parts along with some great rentals along with some parts that are pretty rough. Southside, which is closer to ritter park and not far from Cabell also has some great properties but I’m not sure if there is much available for rent (if that is what you’re looking for). nnYou’ll definitely want to work with a realtor and have them show you around; I think they will naturally help you avoid the roughest parts of town.

  • Jessie

    Thanks!

  • http://twitter.com/JPNWV Gary Austin

    This maybe late, but here is where I would look at, Ceredo, Kenova, Westmoreland, Spring Valley, Rt. 75, Barboursville

  • Jessie

    No, not too late. We should hear from Marshall sometime next week. Thank you!

  • http://twitter.com/JPNWV Gary Austin

    Huntington VA Medical Center located on Spring Valley, Medical School use to be up there, now they are going to put a Pharmacy School there I believe.