Hurricane, West Virginia isn't the only local place named after a weather phenomenon. The town gets its name from nearby Hurricane Creek, which was so-named by surveyors commissioned by George Washington when they noticed that a group of trees near the mouth of the river were all bent in one direction. They thought it looked like a hurricane had struck the area. What's more, about 15 minutes southeast of Hurricane is a small community known as Tornado.
Located near the West Virginian capital of Charleston, Hurricane is in Putnam County. With 6,359 residents, according to 2012 population numbers, the town is part of the metropolitan area that encompasses Huntington, WV, Ashland, KY, and parts of Ohio. Watch how you say the town name when you move to Hurricane! While you might be tempted to pronounce it like meteorologists do when they're talking about the weather formation of the same name, this Hurricane is pronounced HURR-i-CUNN. Don't worry, locals will correct you when you get it wrong. Every time.
Moving to Hurricane
The rental market is stronger here than in the state as a whole, with a quarter of people renting in Hurricane as opposed to 15% of residents in the whole of West Virginia. Hurricane's cost of living is less than the average, although you may find yourself paying more in rent since Hurricane has some of the highest real estate prices in the state. Luckily, West Virginia is comparatively cheaper than the U.S. average. When you start your search for apartments in Hurricane, don't dismiss rental houses, as detached homes far outnumber apartment complexes. Roughly 82% of residential properties are single-family attached homes, 11.34% are apartment homes of some type, and the rest are other property types such as mobile homes.
Hurricane Weather
Winters do happen. Couple snowy, icy conditions with the state's notoriously winding roads, and it becomes apparent that winter isn't the best time to drive a moving truck around and through the mountains of the "Wild and Wonderful" state. The average January low is a nippy 23.3 degrees Fahrenheit, and the area sees approximately 14 inches of snowfall a year. Choosing to wait unit the spring or fall would be your best bet to avoid any extreme weather. And summer isn't bad here, with average July highs of less than 90 degrees.
Neighborhoods in Hurricane
Pliny: Also known as Frazier's Bottom, this neighborhood north of Interstate 64 takes up most of northern Hurricane. It's a rural area where the properties are limited to rental homes, although vacancies do tend to be high here. Just north of the interstate, Liberty Square shopping center has popular restaurants such as The Wine Valley, a grocery store, and plenty of retail stores.
Teays: This sliver of a neighborhood is in the center of town just north of downtown. Most of the apartment complexes are located here, including Sable Point, which has 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, but not a 1 bedroom apartment floor plan. Other area apartment complexes include Maury Village and Colonial Garden. Waves of Fun and Sleepy Hollow Golf Club are popular spots here.
Downtown and East Hurricane: : Sigler Townhouses, located just east of downtown, is the only complex in this neighborhood. In addition to this, dwellings can be found along Main Street, although these typically are rental apartments handled directly between the owner and renter: it can be a friendly deal between neighbors. Mayberry's, Giovanni's and Creekside Cafe are all popular downtown restaurants.
Eggleton: Also known as Nye, the southern part of town is largely rural. No apartments exist here, but a few isolated rental homes may be found here if you crave wide, open spaces and enjoy listening to the radio, since you'll be driving to reach pretty much everything.
Living in Hurricane
Since Hurricane traces its history back to 1873, there are plenty of old buildings to check out along Main Street and the surrounding downtown blocks. What's impressive, however, is that three businesses have each been operating in the town continuously since the early 1900s. Walk by the building that houses the Hurricane Breeze, the town's weekly newspaper which began printing the news in 1900, or get a haircut and a shave at Rappold's Barber Shop, which opened their doors in 1906. You can learn about the history of the city's growth at the Caboose Museum along History Row in downtown Hurricane. Railroad memorabilia and historic artifacts are on display, including a few non-railroad finds such as a Native American Petroglyph.
Not quite as old, but maybe more popular with residents, is the Hurricane City Park. Located next to the water reservoir on State Route 34, the park has places to play basketball, softball, tennis, or walk or jog the paths through the park. But ask any local where is the best place to cool off in the summer, and they'll quickly tell you to head to Waves of Fun. The water park just north of downtown has slides, a wave pool, a beach area, sand volleyball, and even a mini golf course. The water park is near enough to the city's greenway that you can enjoy a scenic walk along the trail to dry off before heading home.
