The Moment We Knew
You know those moments in life when you just know you’ve made the right decision? That’s exactly what happened when Aaron and I first arrived at our new home in West Virginia, just outside of Wheeling. After four days of driving across the country, I settled into a chair on our front porch, glass of wine in hand, and listened to the gentle babble of our “crick.” In that moment, everything just felt right.
Dreams Come True
When Aaron and I first got married, I had this simple dream – all I wanted was a little house in the woods with a creek running through it. Aaron’s dreams were equally straightforward – he just wanted a truck and a dog. Sometimes the simplest dreams take the longest to come true, but here we are, years later, and we’ve finally found it all. Every morning when I hear that creek bubbling by, or watch Aaron heading out in his truck with our dog beside him, I think about how life has a funny way of bringing you exactly where you need to be.
The Journey Here
Let me back up a bit and tell you how we ended up here. Four years ago, we were living in Washington State, watching our dreams of a future with a peaceful retirement and a proper homestead slowly slip away. The hard truth was that we weren’t wealthy, and the way things were going in Washington, we knew we’d be working well into our golden years just to keep our heads above water. The property taxes alone were enough to make your head spin!
But here’s the thing – this move wasn’t just about finances. Sure, being able to sell our Washington house and buy our dream property outright was amazing. But what we found here in West Virginia, particularly in the Wheeling area, was something money can’t buy.
You see, back in Washington, we had this tiny plot of land – less than half an acre in town. We dreamed of having a real homestead, a place where we could grow our own food, maybe raise some animals, and just live more connected to the land. In Washington, every little thing required a permit, a variance, or came with a list of restrictions longer than my arm. Here in West Virginia? Well, let’s just say we finally got to breathe.
The Heart of West Virginia
Now, I have to tell you about the people here, because this is where my heart really swells. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, we were used to what I’d call a “polite distance” – people are nice enough, but there’s always this invisible wall. Here? That wall doesn’t exist. I remember our first week in our new home, our neighbors invited us to a family get-together. Not a formal welcome-to-the-neighborhood thing, but a real, honest-to-goodness family gathering. Who does that? West Virginians, that’s who.
There’s this beautiful thing that happens here that still catches me off guard sometimes. People help each other, just because. No ulterior motives, no expectation of payback. I actually had to learn to stop trying to repay every kind gesture because my neighbor genuinely couldn’t understand why I kept bringing her baked goods or little gifts every time she did something nice for us. “That’s just what neighbors do,” she’d say.
True Community Spirit
You know what really gets me? Walking into any store in Wheeling and hearing that warm “How y’all doing?” It’s not just words – people actually wait for your answer! They want to know how you’re doing, how your family is, whether your garden survived that late frost. It’s real, and it’s beautiful.
I’ll never forget my first gun bash fundraiser. There I was, standing in this crowd of people I barely knew, beer in hand, listening to CCR and waiting to see if I’d won anything. One of Aaron’s co-workers walked up and introduced himself and proceeded to introduce me to everybody else there he knew. Everyone was so kind and welcoming! That’s when it hit me – this is what community really means. This is Americana at its finest.
One of my favorite things about living here is our Saturday routine with our amazing neighbor Pat. There’s something special about those warm days when we’re all out mowing our lawns, knowing that afterward, we’ll gather on the porch for a cold beer and good conversation. It’s these simple moments that make this place feel so right, so much like home.
Family Follows Joy
The magic of this place must be contagious because my brother and his family ended up moving here too! In a wonderful twist of fate, they found a home right up the hill from us. It’s been amazing watching them experience the same warm welcome we did, making fast friends and discovering for themselves just how genuinely friendly everyone is here. They agree – there’s something special about this community that you just can’t find anywhere else.
Coming Home to Stay
We recently had a moment of truth when we visited Washington for our daughter’s birthday. With my parents aging and facing some health issues, we briefly considered moving back. But you know what? After just a week there, we both knew – we couldn’t leave West Virginia. We actually didn’t tell each other how we felt at first, each worried the other might want to go back. But when we returned home and had our morning coffee on the porch, listening to our creek and the birds, we just looked at each other and said, “This is home.”
The Wheeling area has given us more than just a place to live – it’s given us a community, a sense of belonging, and a way of life we never knew we were missing. Sure, we might technically live outside the city limits, but Wheeling is our home. We work here, worship here, shop here, and most importantly, we’ve found our people here.
Our Forever Home
Four years later, I can say with absolute certainty that moving to West Virginia was the best decision we ever made. This place, these people, this way of life – it’s not just about living somewhere beautiful or affordable (though it is both of those things). It’s about being part of something genuine, something real. It’s about finding your place in the world and knowing, deep in your bones, that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
They call Wheeling the Friendly City, and unlike most city mottos, this one rings absolutely true. But it’s more than friendly – it’s home. Our home. And we couldn’t be more grateful for the warm welcome and continued embrace of this amazing community.
Now if we can just convince our daughter and her boyfriend to move here…
