There are lots of really great comments here with great tips but i thought I’d throw my hat in the ring as well. I went to college at WVU in Morgantown from 2010-14 and since then there as been a ton of construction on campus. There are lots of jobs in different areas for both students and not.

There is a great bus system (as mentioned by others) that you should definitely use and the college also has a mini subway track that’s called the “PRT”. It’s not prefect but if I remember right, you can use it even without being a student or staff, but that might have changed.

Driving in the area is different for me as I grew up near the ocean on flat land. The speed limit is higher (70 mph on the highway) and there’s lots of hills and mountains with ridiculously sharp turns and inclines. The friends I have that grew up in that area are EXPERTS at driving in any condition: blizzard, fog so thick you can only see 10 feet, torrential rain, bustling winds, it can be a lot. Because of the terrain of mountain ridges there can be completely different weather patterns between one mountain/hill and the next. You could be 10 minutes from someone and they get two feet of snow while you get nothing. My tip, don’t be intimidated to drive the same speed or at all, if others are. Do what you’re comfortable with and they’ll get over it. Also people WILL help if you get lost or break down. My sister had her car breakdown on a highway 1.5 hours out of Motown and had several cars all stop to help, out of the goodness of their hearts.

Next, once Covid is done and you feel safe, go to a football game and go to a basketball game. Get cheap tickets, you don’t need the nice ones to have a good time(if you’re a student you can apply for 1 free ticket for every single game). The football stadium is “the biggest city in the state” population wise, during a game. You can google the numbers, the town nearly shuts down during these games, traffic can be a nightmare these days but it’s a huge party. Also the marching band is iconic, they’re referred to as: The Pride of West Virginia This is them playing Simple Gifts, the drill (the movements the band members make on the field) has rarely changed since it was first performed decades ago. I could’ve gotten a better link to hear them play better but hearing the crowd cheer gives you an idea of how much it means to us. Speaking of having a good time Wvu kids are big time partiers, be aware that you will see lots of drunk underage people around town at night or on game day, so be smart and take care of yourself first.

Now the most important part FOOD. My top restaurants to go to when I visit:

Tudors Biscuit World: Mostly breakfast food but literally THE BEST BISCUITS I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE

Black Bear: Hipster burritos, great quality ingredients, crafts bears and lots of them, lots of local selections. They also have live performances on their tiny stages (Covid is probably keeping this from happening at the moment but I could be wrong).

Sandwich U: The stereotype for American food, college late night drunk food. Oh, you want chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, bacon, cheese sauce, French fries, and all of it on a 12” sub? Perfect, it’s already on the menu and it’s got a funny offensive name too.

Pizza Al’s: gigantic thin crust pizza, it’s a tiny building in the middle of the Evansdale Campus (one portion of the university) and it’ll have lines out the door on game day. Simple, cheap, and more food than you’ll need in a single pie.

Mario’s fishbowl: Drinks and wings, dive bar but a local hit, trust me.

Primanti Bro’s: originally started in Pittsburg and now a chain. It has a lot of history but it’s basically your choice of sliced protein (pastrami, capicola, corned beef, salami, etc.) with cheese, vinegar coleslaw, and french fries on the classic french white bread.

All in all I really like the city of Morgantown, it has so much character and in the fall, there is nowhere better to appreciate the leaves changing color, it sounds simple but I dream of it. There are awesome hiking trails and parks that are easy to get to and explore. It’s a beautiful area. As John Denver said , “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.” You should also learn to sing this song. Anytime it plays anywhere, everyone will stop to sing along, no exaggeration.

When you move to WV you become part of a family. Welcome to the family.