Huntington, West Virginia

Life in Huntington, West Virginia, explained by people who’ve lived in Huntington:

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Huntington)

Huntington Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Huntington?

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Huntington?

Crime & drugs, blight. (Kara, 2 years)
The special treatment that addicts receive. (April, 7 years)
Lazy, thieving druggies!! (Mark, 10+ years)
The law & the court system is a joke here! (Lisa, 11 years)
Sad to say there is nothing fun. I don’t feel safe to go out any more. (Rita, 18 years)
Drugs. (Al, 25 years)
Drug epidemic right now. (Kim, 30 years)
Drug addiction & the help they need to get clean. Plus the lack of good paying jobs. (Lisa, 32 years)
Drugs and crime. (Candy, 35 years)
Crime. (Roger, 35 years)
Drugs. (Anonymous, 43 years)
Prostitutes and drugs. (Debby, 43 years)
It gets a bad rap for being in West Virginia. (Danny, 45 years)

What are fun things to do in Huntington?

Festivals, fairs, parades. (Kara, 2 years)
Nothing is safe anymore. There are either shootings, robberies, or some sort of disturbing violence. (April, 7 years)
Museum, the parks. (Mark, 10+ years)
Video lottery & concerts they have in the summertime. (Lisa, 11 years)
Not much. (Al, 25 years)
Pottery Place, the parks, the pub and Billy Bobs. (Kim, 30 years)
Walking in Ritter Park along the pathway trails and around the rose garden. (Lisa, 32 years)
There isn’t much fun to do, especially for young people. (Candy, 35 years)
Nothing that I know of at all. (Debby, 43 years)
Camden Park and Ritter Park. (Danny, 45 years)

What’s Huntington known for?

Sadly, opioid epidemic. 🙁 Kara, 2 years)
Heroin. (April, 7 years)
Heroin. Oh and Marshall. (Mark, 10+ years)
Drugs & more drugs. (Lisa, 11 years)
Drugs, dirty needles everywhere, plus roads are bad here, potholes everywhere. (Rita, 18 years)
Drugs these days. (Al, 25 years)
Marshall University & athletics. (Lisa, 32 years)
Right now, dope and crime. (Candy, 35 years)
Food. (Anonymous, 43 years)
Marshall. (Debby, 43 years)
One of the highest heroin overdose. (Danny, 45 years)

What’s the crime like in Huntington? (hot spot areas, etc.)

Bad. Seems like more scary places than good. (Kara, 2 years)
It is outrageous. It is not a safe, friendly city anymore. (April, 7 years)
So bad can’t walk around without a gun. Drug dealers on Baer St. and Davis St. gotta go, those buildings should be torn down and dealers strung up with a rope. That’s harsh but will send a message. (Mark, 10+ years)
We are the worst in the country w/the drugs, mostly coming in from the big cities like Detroit, Chicago & Columbus. Druggies pay a lot more here for them! (Lisa, 11 years)
Don’t even feel safe going to the store. (Rita, 18 years)
It is awful. (Al, 25 years)
Right now it is pretty bad. (Kim, 30 years)
Everywhere. Robbery and drug related crimes like shootings can & do happen anywhere. (Lisa, 32 years)
Terrible. (Candy, 35 years)
Very bad all over. (Roger, 35 years)
Hood is bad, Highlawn area bad, West End bad. Basically anywhere inside city limits is bad. (Anonymous, 43 years)
Overrun by druggies and prostitutes. I lived in the West end for years before moving to the Fairfield West area, then on to the Highlawn area (the Highlawn area used to be a safe and clean neighborhood, but now it is also overrun with drugs and crime. (Debby, 43 years)
Hal Greer blvd. (Danny, 45 years)

Any advice for people moving to Huntington?

Choose where you live wisely. Google it before you decide to make sure it’s safe. (Kara, 2 years)
Yeah. Don’t. (April, 7 years)
Get street smart fast. Protect yourself at all costs. (Mark, 10+ years)
Don’t do it, people are moving out because of drugs, crime & lack of jobs! I am moving hopefully back up to Chicago in two years! (Lisa, 11 years)
Stay away, don’t come. (Rita, 18 years)
Be careful. (Al, 25 years)
Get a camera system and make sure you check out where you will be living first. Talk to the neighbors and workers in the area. Most people are friendly and will tell you what the area is like. (Kim, 30 years)
I’m going to assume that they already have a job lined up. Buy a house or apartment/ condo – the mortgage payment will be cheaper than renting. (Lisa, 32 years)
Keep your doors locked and your eyes open. (Candy, 35 years)
Better not. (Roger, 35 years)
Don’t. (Anonymous, 43 years)
DON’T. (Debby, 43 years)

Share an experience you’ve had in Huntington (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

Really like the art fests, parades, etc. not too fond of getting approached by addicts in other parts of town. (Kara, 2 years)
Family reunions on home place. (Mark. 10+ years)
It use to be safe here years ago. (Rita, 18 years)
Parades are almost always fun. (Candy, 35 years)
Marshall years. (Anonymous, 43 years)
Seeing two people shot dead three houses away from me. (Debby, 43 years)

How do you think Huntington will change over the next 10 years?

I think if nothing changes drugs and crime will get worse as well as diseases from drugs. (Kara, 2 years)
We need big industry bad, or Huntington will be a ghost town. (Mark, 10+ years)
It will just continue to get worse. Too much money to be made is more important than people’s lives. Sad but true. It is crazy to me that my pastor, his wife and several others are taking shooting lessons and some are in their 80’s! (Lisa, 11 years)
I pray it will be safer my daughter and her husband moved with my grandson from here to a safer home. I hope there are more jobs that come, I really wish the needle program would stop. I understand they are trying to help control the spread of disease. But for people like me and my family that don’t do drugs were at high risk now being stuck by all the dirty needles lying around. Sad very sad is how I feel. (Rita, 18 years)
I don’t know; I hope our drug addiction issues become less. (Lisa 32 years)
No idea but we are in trouble if things don’t change soon. (Candy, 35 years)
I doubt it will change. (Anonymous, 43 years)
It will continue to get worse. (Debby, 43 years)

Any other interesting facts about Huntington?

Memorial Blvd is safe to live. Most of Harvey town is safe. Violent personal crime isn’t too high here but property crime is because people are desperate for money. Keep all your doors/windows locked. Be careful in parking lots. Be aware. (Kara, 2 years)
There are things to do here just not safe even during the day. (Lisa, 11 years)
All I can say is it’s sad when I don’t feel safe taking my purse to any stores. Afraid of being robbed is not a good feeling. (Rita, 18 years)
History of how Huntington began. (Lisa, 32 years)
It used to be a nice quiet place to live and raise your children. (Debby, 43 years)