West Virginia is a lot of things. It’s the southernmost northern state and the northernmost southern state. It’s the place where Mother’s Day first began, the home of the first electric railroad, the birthplace of none other than Steve Harvey, and even the first state to have a luxury spa.
More than all that, West Virginia is exciting, and here at the
Movoto Real Estate Blog we’ve put on our Saturday Night Science caps to find out just which places in the state are the most exciting of them all.
Without further ado, here are the 10 most exciting places in West Virginia, starting with our winner, Morgantown:
1. City of Morgantown
2. City of Martinsburg
3. City of Wheeling
4. City of Huntington
5. City of Fairmont
6. City of Moundsville
7. City of Charleston
8. City of Elkins
9. City of Clarksburg
10. City of Parkersburg
If you’re wondering how exactly we came up with this thrilling list, keep reading. We’ll go over the method behind the madness and then take a closer look at each of our top 10.
And if you simply can’t handle the anticipation, feel free to hop down to the bottom of the post where there is a table including all 25 places we looked at.
Our Methodology
We started this most exciting of lists by gathering up the 25 largest places in West Virginia, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Then, using business listings and the Census data, we researched each place in the following criteria:
- Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
- Live music venues per capita
- Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
- Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)
- Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
- Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)
- Population density (the higher the better)
We ranked each of these places with a score from one to 25, with the lowest score being the best. We averaged these rankings into one overall
Big Deal Score, again, where the lowest score was the best and all around most exciting place, Morgantown.
So let’s take a look at what makes it so exciting, shall we?
1. Morgantown
Out of all of the places we looked at, Morgantown ranked the best, not just for its nightlife and music scene, but for its arts as well.
With bars like Bartini, pubs like McClafferty’s, and huge venues like the Morgantown Events Center, if you like the nightlife, baby, this place has you covered.
And if that’s not your thing, there are tons of galleries, art studios, and art stores per capita as well.
The nightlife and art scene (not to mention some pretty decent options when it comes to an active lifestyle and the restaurant scene) probably have a little something to do with the fact that this city is a total college town, home to West Virginia University. Nearly 65 percent of its population are between the ages of 18 and 34.
2. Martinsburg
While Martinsburg may not have the staggering amount of young people running around that Morgantown does, with 23.76 percent of its population between 18 and 34, it was still the fifth youngest in the state.
Where things get really exciting here, though, is with the active lifestyle options. Out of all of the places we looked at, Martinsburg had the most per capita. Plus, it had the second most nightlife options per capita.
So whether you’re spinning your buns off at Extreme Family Fitness or perhaps drinking your dinner at Dirty Dawg Saloon, this city has something for all (so long as you like exciting things of course. Boring people, you can go to Cross Lanes.).
3. Wheeling
When it comes to the excitement in Wheeling, it can best be described in one word: food. Not only did this city have the second most restaurants per capita, it also had the sixth fewest fast-food joints.
And it’s not just quantity, what with the Cilantro Latin Grill, Later Alligator, Ye Olde Alpha, and countless other restaurants, the food here is clearly quality as well. Especially in regards to burgers.
4. Huntington
While there is no other place in the state that can really match the young population in Morgantown, with 31.5 percent of its residents between the ages of 18 and 34, Huntington comes in second. That’s because this city is home to Marshall University.
And what do university students like to do? Well apparently in Huntington, they like to eat, and with the eighth most restaurants per capita in the state, they certainly have some good options. (Of course residents know that all you really need is Black Sheep Burritos & Brews.)
Plus, as the third most densely-populated city in the state, after dinner walks are probably a whole lot more exciting.
5. Fairmount
Home to Fairmont State University, this Marion County city has the third highest percent of young folks in the state.
And while it doesn’t have the nightlife to go along with it that Morgantown or Martinsburg does, it does have a bustling active life scene, including the oh-so-awesome Prickett’s Fort State Park.
It also ranked better than most for its arts per capita and population density. Of course, compared to the dense population in our next city, this place is practically barren.
6. Moundsville
This city may be named for Grave Creek Mound, but as the most densely populated place in the state, you could also think of it for its mounds of people (3,206 per square mile to be exact).
The other things this city seems to have more than enough of are nightlife venues and restaurants—and good ones at that.
There’s Acapulco Mexican, Bob’s Lunch, Varsity Pizzeria, Alpine Lounge…in fact, the only food that Moundsville doesn’t seem to have mounds of are fast-food restaurants, where it had the fifth least per capita.
7. Charleston
Ah, Charleston: the capital and largest city in West Virginia. Clearly, it has tons of restaurants, nightlife, music venues, and arts total—but remember, we counted our numbers per capita, which is why Charleston didn’t blow the other cities out of the water.
In fact, per capita, Charleston only ranked fifth for its nightlife and arts, ninth for its active life options, and 11th for its percentage of young people (21.97 percent).
Where it did beat the competition, though, was in the music department. With places like Mountain Stage, The Empty Glass, and The Boulevard Tavern, Charleston had the second most music venues per capita.
8. Elkins
Home to Davis and Elkins College, this city ranked No. 4 when it came to its high percentage of people between 18 and 34 (23.92 percent). And what do young folks love to do? Party?
Well, if so, their choices in Elkins may be a bit limited—it only ranked 16th for its number of nightlife options per capita. Where it did rank well, though, was for its number of music venues (ranked third) and for its active life options (fourth).
Plus, it’s home to the Mountain State Forest Festival, which is kind of reason enough to move here, don’t you think?
9. Clarksburg
When it comes to art, Clarksburg is hard to beat. Okay, it can be beat, and it was beat by seven other cities; but still, out of the 25 places we looked at, it had the eighth most arts listings per capita.
Clarksburg also has an impressive number of music venues per capita, and don’t even get us started on the food. Okay, do.
There’s The Wonder Bar Steak House (appropriately named), Minard’s Spaghetti Inn, Julio’s Cafe, and of course some of the best hot dogs in West Virginia at Ritzy Lunch. All told, it had the sixth most restaurants per capita in the state.
10. Parkersburg
Parkersburg may not have the youngest of populations (though ranking 14th in this category, it certainly didn’t have the oldest, either), but that certainly hasn’t stopped it from having a hopping nightlife.
There’s Bank Shot, Polo Club, Sixpence Pub and Eatery, and of course, the Other Side. But even if the bar scene isn’t your scene, with 2,664 people per square mile, you’re bound to run into somebody while you’re out and about. Hopefully somebody exciting.
A Whole Lot Of Excitement
West Virginia sure does seem to have a lot going on—it’s beautiful, it’s historically significant—and, without it, we wouldn’t have Mother’s Day (true story!). But more than anything, it is exciting, particularly in these 10 places.
And if you’re considering moving somewhere a bit more exciting; somewhere with more young people, more arts, and more action—maybe somewhere like Morgantown, even—well, we can help you there. After all, it’s what we do here at Movoto Real Estate (aside from exciting posts like these).
