There is "Charleston" West Virginia, and there is "Charles Town" West Virginia.

"Charles Town" is about 1 hour from Washington, DC. It is a quaint town with nice shops and restaurants (and of course the race track and casino). It is a somewhat rural area that has low crime and is a nice place to live. Total residence in this area is less than 10,000.

"Charleston" is the capital city in West Virginia and is about 6 hours from Washington, DC. It is the largest city in the state, with a metro area of around 200,000. Charleston is a very nice southern city with great culture and plenty of things to do. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Cincinnati, a 4 hour drive from Charlotte, and a 4 hour drive from Pittsburgh.

Please ignore this post. I wish I could delete it. I meant Charleston WV. I've reposted in the Charleston WV forum. Thanks.

Not sure what your idea of vibrant is. Compared to Northern VA it is probably pretty tame. Maybe closest comparison would be Richmond but even then I see Richmond as being larger.

With Charleston you have several smaller cities nearby. South Charleston, St Albans, Nitro, Dunbar etc......that makes Charleston seem bigger than it is.

I like the area. You can be from one end of the county to the other in a matter of minutes. Nothing like DC. Born and raised here. Can't go to store without running into somebody I know. Chances are I can go into show or restaurant 20 miles away and see somebody I worked with or went to school with.

Are you talking retirement or going to work?

Economy and employment is so-so. Chemical plants that really built the area are all downsizing if not closing. Mining is still going big. Little mining in immediate area but a lot of area businesses rely on it. Stores. Large chains and small Mom and Pop places are doing OK.

They're trying to legalize gambling as we speak. supposed to bring in jobs and tourists. I really don't see it but........Vote last week seperated by 33 votes with some still left to count and contested.