Where Is Your Perfect West Virginia Mountain Home?

Elkins is the perfect home for the outdoor enthusiast--or nature lover of any kind. Located smack-dab next to the Monongahela National Forest, with waterfalls, rafting, fishing, and even cave exploring, it's rife with stuff to do. There's also skiing. When the day is done and you're ready for some entertainment, head to one of Elkins' cultural venues for theater or live music! Elkins is also remote. So if you want to be away from the hordes you encounter in city life and don't mind living out of the way, Elkins is for you.

America's first spa resort, Berkeley Springs is home to healing waters, four pleasant seasons, and a thriving arts community. If you're into holistic health, peace, serenity, and exploring your creative side, well then welcome home. You'll find dozens of galleries, antique stores, health and wellness shops, and more. Get into nature by exploring hiking trails, rivers, springs, and swimming beaches. According to residents, the local dining is top-notch too. Best of all? There are public, always accessible, outdoor mineral spring baths in town in a park. Enjoy.

Let's put it this way: If most of the presidents of the twentieth century were good with spending a nuclear winter here, it must be okay, right? But seriously, White Sulphur Springs is home to the Greenbrier Resort, underneath which is a nuclear bunker where past presidents were supposed to hide away during a nuclear war. Above ground, the area is fantastically beautiful. It's also historic. One of the nation's first golf courses is here, as are Civil War sites. You're also right in the heart of Appalachia's best outdoor activities.

While it's not a major city, Charleston has a population of 50,000-plus, making it West Virginia's largest city. And what's better than a city in the mountains, especially one without the traffic and tension of a major metropolis? Living and playing here take on just as much weight as working, and that's a good thing. If you wish you'd gotten to the good stuff in Austin or Portland before they went mainstream, you have your chance with Charleston. Even better, Charleston is much prettier and has nicer summers for outdoor fun. There's live music on the river every Friday, plenty of festivals, arts, theater, dining, and on and on.

Do you want to live in a small mountain town but in a progressive atmosphere? Fayetteville's your place. There is a community of fun-loving people awaiting your arrival. An event is always around the corner, like the Fur Ball (a dance that benefits the local animal hospital), a Groundhog Day party, or a seminar about mountain medicinal plants overlaid with live music. Get into rock climbing, hiking, or enjoying the New River on your water vessel of choice.

When you want to live in Scotland but don't want to move so far away from home, give Glen Ferris a go. This small village lies on the shores of what you will swear is a Scottish loch but is really a large bend in the Kanawha River banked by untouched mountains. It's quiet and peaceful, and has its own low-but-wide waterfall in the river. There's not a lot going on in town, so you won't be bothered if you're an introvert. When you do decide you want some excitement, you'll be less than 10 miles away from hotbeds of fun, like Fayetteville and Lansing, where you can take in live music, yoga classes, art galleries, and tons of touristy amusements.