Morgantown

Just outside the Morgantown limits, Brookhaven stretches out over creeks, dense forest and an eclectic housing landscape, pushing east until it meets the mountains. “Even though it’s a short distance to our downtown, it’s still very much out of downtown,” says Jennifer Romeo, who has sold extensively here as the principal salesperson of White Diamond Realty. Interstate 68 separates homes here from city life, offering a tranquil suburban-rural mix with its own restaurants, top-rated schools and access to recreation. Brookhaven’s housing stock serves varied budgets and desires. “It’s typically more affordable than Cheat Lake or in town,” Romeo says. “There are areas with more land, and there’s a fair amount of new construction, but it’s a wide range.” Construction here has continued from the 1950s to the present, with older fixer-uppers starting as low as $50,000. Turnkey properties with three or four bedrooms can sell between $220,000 and $475,000, with brand-new construction, fully renovated builds and homes on 1- or 2-acre plots occupying the higher end. This mix of ages and price points creates an eclectic architectural landscape, from ranch-style homes and Colonial Revivals to split-levels and New Traditionals. Pockets of townhouses also populate the neighborhood, priced between $200,000 and $350,000. Buyers looking to build can find a quarter acre around 40,000. Nature surrounds Brookhaven, offering a wealth of opportunities for hiking, wildlife spotting and watersports like swimming and kayaking. About a mile up Earl L Core Road is Deckers Creek Nature Trail and Park, an entry point to forested, creekside hiking. The Friends of Deckers Creek preservation organization operates an outdoor classroom there, hosting free educational events like Save The Frogs Day, featuring crafts, games and lessons centering amphibians. Dramatic, mountaintop vistas are a few miles east at the Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area. Hiking trails lead to views of Cheat Lake, cutting through a dense forest floor populated with ferns and colorful wildflowers in the spring. Further hiking and rock climbing at Coopers Rock State Forest is about 13 miles away. Brookhaven residents have a handful of local restaurants along Earl L Core Road, including Homegrown Pizza, a popular stop known for inventive pies with toppings like crab Rangoon and barbecue chicken. Diners top off their meal with a cannoli or slice of cheesecake. Down the street, Morgantown Magazine voters named China City the best Chinese restaurant in the city in both 2023 and 2024. In Brookhaven, summer days often include a trip to Dari Delite, a family-owned ice cream shop with a drive-through window. A short drive up Earl L Core Road also leads to Kroger and Aldi, fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s and small businesses like Fawley Music, Morgantown's go-to music store opened in 1931. Students here attend highly rated public schools, starting at Brookhaven Elementary, which gets an A-minus from Niche. The school is within walking distance of many Brookhaven homes. Kids continue on to South Middle, which also gets an A-minus, then Morgantown High, an A-rated school. Morgantown High encourages a highly active student population, awarding graduation medallions for community service and supporting a diverse array of student extracurriculars. The school’s marching band has performed in Hawaii, Washington D.C. and at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students preparing for college can enroll in the school’s ACT and SAT prep classes or seek college essay assistance from the peer writing center. Private options are also nearby, including Trinity Christian School, rated a B-plus. Buyers should keep traffic in mind, Romeo says, especially when considering daily commutes. “Brookhaven can be 20 minutes to downtown, even though technically it’s probably less than 3 miles from town.” Anyone who prefers not to drive can catch the RT 8 bus line, which stops along Earl L Core Road. People here have quick access to Interstate 68, the first step on the route to Pittsburgh about 70 miles away. Morgantown Municipal Airport is less than 5 miles away, which has flights to Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. Within the neighborhood, the West Virginia Botanic Garden has shaded walking paths, a children’s play area and sculptures tucked into the wooded landscape. Admission is free, though the garden charges a small sum for their summer concert series, which runs between June and September. According to Risk Factor, homes throughout Brookhaven may have an elevated flood risk, given that Deckers Creek runs through the neighborhood. The Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Department responds to local storm-related emergencies, as well as brush and wildfires, which have occasionally affected the area.

Downtown Morgantown blends the hallmarks of an urban core — shops, restaurants, apartments — with the city’s outdoor-loving spirit. Locals can see outdoor concerts overlooking the Monongahela River, or hop on waterfront cycling trails through the urban landscape. The city’s cultural attractions are here, as is the downtown campus of West Virginia University, drawing consistent foot traffic from students, faculty and staff. Downtown has an eclectic dining scene, from sit-down Thai to neighborhood pubs. Oliverio’s Ristorante is particularly beloved for its breadsticks, pasta and patio overlooking the river. Next door, Mountain State Brewing Company has similarly scenic views, as well as wood-fired pizzas, craft beer and margarita flights. Iron House Tavern is another downtown favorite for brunch, lunch or dinner, currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Gift shops like River Fair Trade and other small businesses line High Street. Grocery options are limited within downtown, save for Von Son Asian Market, a specialty grocer stocking a wide array of pan-Asian goods. Between May and November, locals can also find fresh produce at the Morgantown Farmers Market, open on Saturdays on Spruce Street. Otherwise, the Sabraton Aldi or the Kroger at Suncrest Towne Centre are within a 2.5-mile drive. Morgantown’s outdoorsy culture is present even in its most urban setting. Here, Deckers Creek bends around the High Street shopping district and merges with the Monongahela River, a scenic union just south of Hazel Ruby McQuain Park, a green space with an amphitheater. “Deckers Creek has seen a remarkable turnaround,” says Brian Hurley, executive director Friends of Deckers Creek. “In the early 2000s, the entire creek was red and no life could live in the creek because of acid pollutants.” He says a brand-new acid mine drainage facility has already improved water quality in just a few months. “A day or two ago was the first time I saw people swimming in there. People are talking about how much clearer the water is.” Locals can also cycle along the Deckers Creek Trail or the paved Caperton Rail-Trail, which offers river views. “If it’s a nice day you’ll see dozens of people. If it’s a rainy, cold day, you’ll still see a few people,” Hurley says. The area’s dog owners can head to Stanley’s Spot Dog Park, a grassy, fenced-in park with separate sections for large and small pets. When the weather warms up, the waterfront Ruby Amphitheater draws crowds from across the city for the Ruby Summer Concert Series. The 12 shows are free, and often feature big names in music; The 2024 lineup includes an ABBA tribute act, the Steep Canyon Rangers and the Plain White T’s. Downtown hosts Morgantown’s major cultural attractions. The 1920s-era Metropolitan Theatre hosts film screenings and touring acts, and the Monongalia Arts Center features exhibitions of local arts and classes in visual and performing arts. The Morgantown History Museum next door tells the city’s story through a rich collection of diverse artifacts. Morgantown Public Library offers fun programming for all ages, from adult glow-in-the-dark painting to the “Tween Chocolate Olympics,” featuring challenges such as Oreo stacking and M&M sorting. “There are mostly apartments downtown,” says Melissa Hornbeck, associate broker with Old Colony Realtors and the 2023 West Virginia Association Realtor of the Year. “We are in general a fairly transient community with the university and two hospital systems. We have quite a bit of people coming from outside the area.” Buyers can find pockets of single-family homes in the foothills surrounding campus and the downtown core. These homes are a mix investment and turnkey properties, and range from 1920s Foursquares to 1970s split-level builds. Prices typically fall between $90,000 and $250,000, depending on updates made to the home. Some condos are clustered around McQuain Park, selling between $160,000 and $225,000. WVU’s downtown campus draws thousands of students and employees into the area each day. The campus comprises the northern end of downtown, and includes residence halls, a library and a network of stately academic and administrative buildings with brick and stone facades. Young children attend Eastwood Elementary, which has an A-minus from Niche. Mountaineer Middle has an A. Niche ranks University High the No. 1 STEM school in the state and gives the school an overall A-minus. Students can participate in Project Lead the Way, a hands-on engineering curriculum, or sign up for the environmental sustainability club. Route 119 and 19 intersect within the neighborhood, connecting residents with employers and recreation throughout the city. Ruby Memorial Hospital is about 2 miles away. Several bus lines operate within the neighborhood, with stops concentrated around campus and High Street.

Jerome Park maintains its working-class roots just 2 miles from downtown Morgantown. Homes here are generally below the city median price, and major employers like West Virginia University, both major hospitals and manufacturing companies in the southern part of town are a quick drive away. Neighbors here advocate for improved livability, recently securing upgrades to their pocket park. The city’s sprawling Marilla Park is just beyond the neighborhood, another family-friendly amenity residents enjoy. Jerome Park has a layered history that continues to shape the neighborhood. “There used to be a real Jerome Park, with a small Ferris wheel and picnic tables,” says Monica Andis, president of the Jerome Park Neighborhood Association. The theme park was established along Morgantown’s historic trolley line to encourage weekend ridership. “All that came down a long time ago, but the name stuck.” Jerome Park evolved as coal miners and Sabraton factory workers moved their families into the area, often out of necessity. “Historically, Jerome Park was a segregated, Black neighborhood on the outskirts of Morgantown,” Andis says. Generations later, she says Jerome Park is still a “quiet, working-class neighborhood,” though it is well-connected to Morgantown’s urban core. Homes here typically sell between $125,000 and $275,000, below the Morgantown median price. “The houses are on the modest side in general,” Andis says, contrasting the Jerome Park market to newer and pricier areas like Suncrest. Buyers here will find homes from 1900 through 1970, with the occasional mid 2000s build sprinkled in. The neighborhood has standard and raised ranch-style homes, American Foursquares and minimal traditionals closely arranged on grid-like, but hilly streets. Some parts of the neighborhood have a history of flooding, including around Hartman Run and the Subterranean Bridge by Marilla Park. The neighborhood has a 3-acre recreational space on the corner of Darst Street and Mineral Avenue named Paul Preserve Park. “The neighborhood association has been focused on getting certain improvements made to our pocket park, and we're pleased with the result,” Andis says. “We have a new walking trail and a renovated basketball court.” Residents can also head to Marilla Park, which has hiking trails, tennis and basketball courts, a playground and a skate park. The city plans to unveil a new public pool in 2025, which will feature a water slide and a lazy river. The existing pool is still open during summer 2024. Deckers Creek Trail runs along the park, a 19-mile cycling and hiking trail spanning urban, suburban and forested landscapes and eventually leading downtown. Neighbors often meet up at Mario’s Fishbowl a mile west of the neighborhood. Opened in 1950, the bar and restaurant has long been known for its large, fishbowl-shaped beer glasses and down-to-earth, nostalgic atmosphere. Sabraton’s strip of restaurants and small businesses are within a half mile of Jerome Park. Locals can sit down for Mexican food at Rio Verde or pick up the dinner plate from Sweet Southern Smoke BBQ, which comes with brisket, macaroni and cheese, baked beans and cornbread. Sabraton Station is another hotspot along Earl Core Road, a bar and grill hosting live music each Saturday. The family-owned restaurant opened in 2015, reviving the former site of Archie’s, a longtime local favorite. The new establishment incorporates beloved Archie’s menu items, including the Corona Chicken Wings smothered in garlic sauce. For dinners at home, residents can stock up at Aldi, conveniently located across the street from Jerome Park homes. More retailers and chain restaurants like Pies & Pints are 2.5 miles north at the Suncrest Towne Centre. Residents can choose between Willey Street and Richwood Avenue to reach the city center. Bus stops are generally limited within the neighborhood, though the RT 12 line runs downtown, picking up at Richwood and Putnam Streets. Morgantown Municipal Airport is less than 2 miles away, though locals say the small airport doesn’t generate enough noise to be a nuisance. Kids here attend Eastwood Elementary just north of the neighborhood, which has an A-minus from Niche. Mountaineer Middle has an A, and Univesity High gets an A-minus. Niche ranks the high school the No. 1 STEM school in the state. Students can participate in Project Lead the Way, a hands-on engineering curriculum, or sign up for the environmental sustainability club. The downtown campus of West Virginia University is less than 2 miles away. Jerome Park’s proximity to the airport grants close-up views of Balloons Over Morgantown, an annual event marking the start of fall. Over the course of several days, more than a dozen hot air balloons take off from the airport, each with a unique design and charismatic name: highlights include Mountain Momma, SnapDazzle and Pig Headed, an aptly named balloon complete with ears and a snout.

Situated between downtown Morgantown and Cheat Lake, Mileground has new construction and quick access to shopping and dining. Locals refer to the neighborhood’s commercial zone as The Mileground, a busy road that leads to the Morgantown Municipal Airport. Major employers, restaurants and daily necessities are all within a 3-mile radius. Though parks and other community spaces sit outside the neighborhood, residents are closer to fishing, boating and swimming in Cheat Lake than most of the city. “The Mileground itself is a commercial strip, though there are neighborhoods surrounding it,” says Melissa Hornbeck, associate broker with Old Colony Realtors and the 2023 West Virginia Association Realtor of the Year. “There is new development — it’s a growing area.” Mileground has a wealth of new construction, with most clustered near Suncrest Towne Centre. These single-family, New Traditional builds often have four or five bedrooms, with the home itself occupying the majority of the lot. Buyers can expect to pay between $415,000 and $640,000. Townhouses are also abundant, arranged in rows that seem to extend out to the horizon. Two- and three-bedroom units typically selling from $200,000 to $265,000. Most have small driveways or parking spots out front. The Mileground has a hub of car dealerships, small businesses and a handful of restaurants like Asian Bistro. The local favorite serves artfully presented pan-Asian cuisine, often with colorful florals adorning the plate. Residents here can also easily reach retailers and chain restaurants within Suncrest Towne Centre 2 miles west. The outdoor shopping plaza has a Kroger and an often-bustling Pies & Pints location, known for craft beer and inventive pizza toppings. On the other side of the airport, Pierpont Centre hosts a Lowe’s, Michaels craft store and an IHOP. According to Hornbeck, Mileground attracts “anyone who is needing to commute, especially if you’re commuting east — it’s close to I-68 — and anyone who prefers to be close to the lake but doesn’t want to be in Cheat Lake.” Residents here are only about 2 miles from the city center, accessible via Route 119, also known as Mileground Road. Route 705 connects to major employers like Ruby Memorial Hospital and Mon Health Medical Center. People here drive to get around, as walkability and public transit is limited. Mileground encompasses the Morgantown Municipal Airport, which operates three round-trip flights each day between Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh. “It’s not very loud, there are some commercial flights and commuter flights, but it’s smaller,” Hornbeck says. Occasional noise may come up as the airport completes a runway extension project, expected to be completed between 2026 and 2027. Park space is limited in Mileground, though residents are a short drive to hiking trails and playgrounds closer to the city center. Some of the neighborhood’s homes are only 1.5 miles from Marilla Park, an expansive recreational area with tennis and basketball courts, forested trails, a skate park and a playground. The city is currently implementing a new public pool, set to open in 2025 with water slides and a lazy river. The existing pool is still open during the summer 2024 season. The mixed-use Deckers Creek trail runs along the park’s border, a 19-mile stretch that eventually leads downtown. Golf enthusiasts can tee off at The Pines Country Club, a membership-based course and pool 2 miles north of Mileground. Next door, Morgantown Miniature Golf & Chip-N-Putt offers imaginative obstacles and family-friendly fun between April and November. Cheat Lake is just over a 5-mile drive from Mileground. The lakefront community can feel like a vacation destination, with water recreation and lively restaurants and bars. Most children here attend Eastwood Elementary, which has an A-minus from Niche, then head to Mountaineer Middle, which gets an A. Niche ranks University High the No. 1 STEM school in the state and gives the school an overall A-minus. Students can participate in Project Lead the Way, a hands-on engineering curriculum, or sign up for the environmental sustainability club. Mileground’s proximity to the airport grants residents a front-row seat to Balloons Over Morgantown, an annual, multi-day affair featuring dozens of hot air balloons. The balloons take off from Morgantown Municipal Airport, filling the October skies with colorful, rotund figures with names like SnapDazzle or Mountain Momma. A bright pink balloon named Pig Headed even has ears and a snout.

Once an independent town, Sabraton has transformed from a cluster of industry along the banks of Deckers Creek into a hub of local businesses just beyond the heart of Morgantown. The neighborhood’s diverse housing stock offers varied entry points into the Sabraton hills, and nearby parks and schools provide a family-friendly experience. People here take pride in their community, just as in their city. “Being pretty much the only music store in town, when people drive through, we get a lot of new people who just stop in and look at stuff,” says Alex Rhodes, manager of O.B. Fawley Music in Sabraton. “One comment I hear consistently from everybody is, ‘People in Morgantown are always so nice.’ So it’s a cool thing to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I’m from Morgantown.’” Sabraton has a main strip of businesses along Earl Core Road, also known as Route 7. Locals here can sample diverse offerings, from Pizza Al’s, a Morgantown staple, to barbecue restaurant Sweet Southern Smoke. Fast-food options include Dunkin’, Popeyes and Wendy’s. Rio Verde offers dine-in and takeout for Mexican favorites, or La Tapatia has Mexican ingredients and a taco food truck out front. In 2015, a pair of brothers-in-law re-opened the long-running Archie’s restaurant as Sabraton Station, reviving popular menu items and welcoming back Archie’s regulars. The new restaurant and bar embraces a military theme, a nod to its veteran-owned status, and hosts trivia nights and karaoke. Each Saturday, people pour into Sabraton Station for local live music acts. “There’s a pretty good music scene around here for local gigging — guitar, rock bands, country music,” Rhodes says. For groceries, residents here reliably head to the Kroger on Earl Core Road. “I’ve always joked with a couple of Sabraton people that that is the Sabraton Kroger. If you live in Sabraton, you go to this one, even though the other Kroger’s really not too far,” Rhodes says. He can’t quite put his finger on what makes it stand apart, but he speaks of the store fondly. “It’s a whole different vibe in this Kroger. I don’t know. You just go to the Sabraton Kroger, and it feels like Sabraton.” Sabraton’s small business scene includes a Morgantown institution: O.B. Fawley Music. It opened downtown in 1931, and the store eventually moved to Sabraton in 1998. “It’s an old-standing, family music store,” Rhodes says, though its “family-owned” status is a story of its own. After years under O.B. Fawley, the store was sold to a retired band director named Dusty Rhodes. By chance, Dusty Rhodes’ son married O.B. Fawley’s great niece, current manager Alex Rhodes’ mother. “The Fawley Music Company is back in the Fawley Music blood,” Rhodes says. “I’m technically the convergence of the bloodline of the Rhodes and the Fawleys.” The store has a familial atmosphere that extends beyond its leadership. Generations of Morgantown residents have visited the store to rent or purchase instruments or take music lessons. “We’ve seen kids take lessons for 4, 5, 6 years — they grow up through here and stay with the same teacher the whole time,” Rhodes says. Many Sabraton homes sit hillside, offering a front-row seat to the changing seasonal hues of the surrounding mountainscape. Investment properties start around $85,000, while turnkey homes from the 1940s through the 1980s typically fall between $150,000 and $300,000. Styles include Foursquare, Craftsman builds, minimal traditional and ranch — often raised to accommodate the sloped landscape. Access to Deckers Creek is behind Kroger, a starting point for forested hiking trails following the water. The environmental organization Friends of Deckers Creek operates an outdoor learning park here, hosting free educational events like Save The Frogs Day, which features crafts, games and lessons centering the amphibious animal. Nearby Marilla Park is a recreational hub with tennis and basketball courts, hiking trails, a playground and a skate park. A new public pool with a splash zone, water slides and a lazy river will open in 2025, though the existing pool will remain open during summer 2024. Students here begin at Brookhaven Elementary and then head to South Middle. Both schools receive an A-minus from Niche. At A-rated Morgantown High, teens can prepare for college through the school’s ACT and SAT courses or by working on admission essays at the peer writing center. Students here are highly active in extracurriculars, including the school’s marching band, which has performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Nearby private options include Trinity Christian School and Morgantown Christian Academy, which both receive a B-plus. Earl Core Road runs through the neighborhood and into the heart of Morgantown. Sabraton is only about a 2-mile drive from the city center. The area has a history of flooding during intense storms, particularly on the Subterranean Bridge near Marilla Park. Morgantown Municipal Airport sits directly to the north, operating three round-trip flights daily between Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh. Sabraton residents may hear noise during the airport’s ongoing runway extension project, which is expected to be completed between 2026 and 2027. Balloons Over Morgantown marks the start of fall when more than a dozen hot air balloons take to cool October skies. Each balloon has a unique design and even a name. Highlights include SnapDazzle, Mountain Momma and Pig Headed, an aptly named balloon complete with ears and a snout. The balloons take off from Morgantown Municipal Airport. However, locals can get a closer look during Night Glow, when the balloons spend an evening stationed in the parking lot of Morgantown Mall, their fire illuminating each colorful design.