Posted: 2/11/2026 7:24:32 AM EDT
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After years of talking it over with the wife, we've finally made the decision to move to WV and recently went on contract on a house near Martinsburg. Thanks to posters in other threads on the carry permit info, and I'll be looking through other posts as well for general info. We moved to VA about 15 years ago from PA, but enough has been enough here, and while we fear VA may never bounce back in our lifetimes, we hope to bolster freedom lovers and small government supporters in WV! Does anyone know if there's a state wide gun forum for WV like VAGunTrader is for Virginia or PAFOA is for Pennsylvania? |
West Virginia born and bred
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
9770
EE: 100% (2)
WV, USA
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Try WVSportsman.net Also MetroNews has a Outdoors link that might give more info. ETA: Welcome! |
Montani Semper Liberi
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
| Welcome. I’ve only been here about 5 months and am much happier. I’m about 25 minutes away on the mountain in Shannondale. |
I equate GD as the Westboro Baptist Church of arfcom: fun to mess with on occasion, full of ignorant bastards, and they always try to turn a good thing into something bad.
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Slight high jack... Since you probably know VA is going full retard (potentially) with the new governor and a (D) strong hold in both houses, there is a VERY strong possibility the wife and I will be moving to WV later this year or next. I will say we’re hopefully optimistic it won’t be as bad as people are saying it will be, but if the redistricting vote goes towards the dems, we are going…no question. With that said, we’re currently looking at houses from Berkeley Springs to Charles Town, what are the areas we should avoid…looking single family homes with no more than 2 acres, unless the price is right, although would like to say out of “tight” sub-divisions, by that I mean houses that are on top of each other. Our plan is to sell our house in Winchester and pay cash for the “new” one, hopefully pocket a little, as from looking we can get into a slightly larger house than we currently have for about 50k less. Also, is there a site where I could do some research of WV…gun laws, vehicle registration/inspections, same for motorcycles, taxes, both home and property…you know all the boring but important stuff…thanks. |
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Originally Posted By GE-Mini-Gun: Slight high jack... Since you probably know VA is going full retard (potentially) with the new governor and a (D) strong hold in both houses, there is a VERY strong possibility the wife and I will be moving to WV later this year or next. I will say we’re hopefully optimistic it won’t be as bad as people are saying it will be, but if the redistricting vote goes towards the dems, we are going…no question. With that said, we’re currently looking at houses from Berkeley Springs to Charles Town, what are the areas we should avoid…looking single family homes with no more than 2 acres, unless the price is right, although would like to say out of “tight” sub-divisions, by that I mean houses that are on top of each other. Our plan is to sell our house in Winchester and pay cash for the “new” one, hopefully pocket a little, as from looking we can get into a slightly larger house than we currently have for about 50k less. Also, is there a site where I could do some research of WV…gun laws, vehicle registration/inspections, same for motorcycles, taxes, both home and property…you know all the boring but important stuff…thanks. I’m over in Shannondale/Harpers Ferry. There’s a lot of new construction going up in Charles Town/Ranson, but it’s the standard footprint you’ve seen since the 2000s: maybe 3-5 yards between homes/townhouses, minimal outdoor space, mainly a house with a short driveway and a backyard big enough for a small dog. I didn’t look at new builds when we moved, so I can’t say much beyond that anecdote. If you’re looking for 1/2-2 acres, you’re likely going to need to look for a used house. We’re on an acre up on the mountain, and even though we only have about 10-15 yards between us and the neighbors on each side, I rarely see or hear them, and don’t have to deal with anyone at all once I get home. There’s likely a decent amount of similar stuff outside of town that would fit your size and price range. The biggest thing you’d need to look at is commute. Since you’re in Winchester, I’ll assume you’re working near there, so traffic shouldn’t be horrendous once you get onto 7. 340 is being widened on the WV side so it should be pretty easy once that’s completed. If you’re going east into VA like me, 9 is really the only way in and out besides 7, and it’s all 1 lane. You can hop onto 9 at various points but you’re still going to get stopped by the jam up at the 7/9 interchange. Even if you go the longer way to 340, you’re still going sit on 9. Id assume traffic isn’t as bad going towards Winchester in the morning, so that might make a difference. If you’re further out towards Martinsburg, you’ve got 81. |
I equate GD as the Westboro Baptist Church of arfcom: fun to mess with on occasion, full of ignorant bastards, and they always try to turn a good thing into something bad.
| Thanks. You are not lying about the construction…we passed through there couple weeks back after not being through there in a year…incredible the number of houses going in…we knew about the road expansion. Currently on ½ acre and my commute is 2 miles. One thing I noticed while getting an idea on housing costs…Hedgesville and Charlestown seem to be more expensive than Martinsburg…which surprised me, Inwood, Berkeley Springs seem to be in the price range, but all that can change in a year, so. One thing we would really like to have is natural gas vs. electric, but that may be something we will forgo depending upon location, price, etc. I am not interested in heating with wood, have a friend that uses it and while it does an amazing job, he’s pretty much cutting and splitting 6 months out of the year…he’s gone through 10 cords since he started burning last year…huge house, 4,000+ sqft. Again, thanks for the information. |
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Anything up in the mountain area is going to be electric and propane. Just can’t get natural gas pipes up there. We have a propane stove and a heat pump, but when it gets real cold I fire up the wood stove downstairs which helps. I’m not sure of the “offerings” in town, but I’d guess most of the new builds are all electric. There are some decent homes I saw in Kearneysville and around Summit Point, but it’s a lot more rural and farther from any real town infrastructure. A few had a decent sized creek they butted up against. One even had a small lake with a large 2-bay garage and a hidden gun room. You’ll definitely find a lot of “custom” work on a lot of the older houses since they weren’t built as a development. That can be a plus and a minus depending on how you look at it. |
I equate GD as the Westboro Baptist Church of arfcom: fun to mess with on occasion, full of ignorant bastards, and they always try to turn a good thing into something bad.
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We've been moved in for about 3 weeks now. The commute to NOVA sucks, but it's worth it. We also definitely have all the problems with new construction and piss poor contractors/subs that were probably brought in from afar (aside from the electric and HVAC which appear pretty well done). For anyone moving into new construction, even with (especially with!) home warranties, get everything in writing. Do all correspondence in writing or email. Don't trust handshakes, verbal, or anything else that doesn't have a durable record. We've had a ton of problems but so far the builder is working with us. Now if the painters and drywall people could actually fix things without making it worse, we might have this place livable in another 6 months! All that said, the area is great. Just outside Martinsburg. Close enough for convenience, far enough to be out of the way of in and around traffic. We got almost 2 acres near a bunch of orchards. Looking forward to being a good West Virginian and leave any traces of NOVA FAR behind! Luckily, we're originally from PA so I'm not THAT much of a carpetbagger! |
| Well, it looks like it’s a done deal, we’ll be in WV by the end of the year or first of next. Found a house in Bunker Hill, new development all lots are 2-acre min, with some VERY reasonable covenants…VERY reasonable. Looking for ranges to join, I shoot mostly pistol and skeet, 5-stand and sporting clays, I know about Leetown Izaak Walton are there others? Also, need an FFL for transfers, I know Valley Guns in Inwood and have gone past a few pawn shops, so whom and where? Thanks |
West Virginia born and bred
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
10736
EE: 100% (2)
WV, USA
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Originally Posted By GE-Mini-Gun: Well, it looks like it’s a done deal, we’ll be in WV by the end of the year or first of next. Found a house in Bunker Hill, new development all lots are 2-acre min, with some VERY reasonable covenants…VERY reasonable. Looking for ranges to join, I shoot mostly pistol and skeet, 5-stand and sporting clays, I know about Leetown Izaak Walton are there others? Also, need an FFL for transfers, I know Valley Guns in Inwood and have gone past a few pawn shops, so whom and where? Thanks Welcome to the state. You are way north of me so I can’t offer any advice on FFL’s or ranges. |
Montani Semper Liberi
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
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Originally Posted By GE-Mini-Gun: Well, it looks like it’s a done deal, we’ll be in WV by the end of the year or first of next. Found a house in Bunker Hill, new development all lots are 2-acre min, with some VERY reasonable covenants…VERY reasonable. Looking for ranges to join, I shoot mostly pistol and skeet, 5-stand and sporting clays, I know about Leetown Izaak Walton are there others? Also, need an FFL for transfers, I know Valley Guns in Inwood and have gone past a few pawn shops, so whom and where? Thanks I'm also in Bunker Hill. I like 340 Defense for ranges, but I haven't tried all the ones in the area. I have heard that Peacemaker is good but I haven't made it out there for anything yet. 2A Guns and Ammo in Martinsburg has treated me fairly on a couple of transfers. |