As you might expect from the name, Moundsville is named after a mound: specifically, the Grave Creek Mound, an impressive burial mound that's more than 2,000 years old, and -- standing at 69 feet high and 295 feet in circumference--is the largest of its kind!
The city of Moundsville is located in Marshall County, West Virginia
As you might expect from the name, Moundsville is named after a mound: specifically, the Grave Creek Mound, an impressive burial mound that's more than 2,000 years old, and -- standing at 69 feet high and 295 feet in circumference--is the largest of its kind!
The city of Moundsville is located in Marshall County, West Virginia. As of the 2010 census there were 9,318 people living here, alongside the Ohio River. The city covers an area of 3.36 square miles, including around half a square mile of water. Moundsville is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area, which has a total population of over 150,000. If you enjoy the kind of weather that provides you with four distinct seasons, along with a bit of rain, snow, and delicious cold in the winter, you'll love the climate here. With an average of 20 inches of snow annually and around twice that in rainfall, it's a great place for ducks and wet-weather-loving humans. Temperatures typically peak at a little less than 90 degrees in July.
There are more than 4,400 households in Moundsville, and around a third of them are rentals. Most are in apartment and townhouse complexes, but if you're patient you can find rental houses too. Fully serviced apartments are unfortunately thin on the ground so you will have to be pretty lucky to snatch one of those up. And if you do manage to make such a score, hold it in your arms and don't ever let it go! Ordinarily there is not a large number of rental properties available in Moundsville at any one time, so if you're looking to move to this city, it's better to start your search for places to live in sooner rather than later. You may find you need several weeks to locate a rental place, and anyway, the sooner you start looking the better the chance you'll have to get a place that you really love.
The houses in Moundsville vary quite widely in terms of their age. A big chunk of the houses in the city -- nearly half -- were built before 1940, and building has continued throughout all the decades since, so it may be a good place to find a heritage-style rental if that's your preference. Even if you prefer a more modern place you still have options, as much of the apartment housing is of more recent construction than many of the detached homes. The older construction tends to be located nearer the center of the city, with newer homes towards the outskirts (but remember, the city is geographically quite small, so the outskirts aren't that far away from the inskirts anyway).
As in many other small towns and cities, there are no officially designated neighborhoods in Moundsville, although there are a number of unincorporated communities outside the city limits. The city center could unofficially be considered its own neighborhood, but that might depend on who you ask -- and the term "center" city doesn't exactly apply in this case, as the busiest shopping areas are actually on Lafayette Avenue and Jefferson Avenue in the western area of the city. However, although the city's three main shopping centers are all located closer to the river side of the area, rather than being in the middle, the city is small enough that it's no hardship if you happen to live in the region located further inland; in most parts of the city the walk score is around 60 to 70. Most people commute to work by car, and most have a commute time of less than 30 minutes!
Moundsville Apartment Communities
There are several apartment complexes in Moundsville, including some that have townhome-style accommodation, so there are a good variety of rental property types in the city.
Hill View Apartments: Centrally located on 3rd Street and have a good mix of accommodation types, with two and three bedroom apartment homes, and two bedroom townhouses.
Hill View II Apartments: Also located on 3rd Street, there are townhouses with two and three bedrooms with some duplexes for rent included in the mix.
Woodland Knolls Apartments: Just about in the geographical middle of the city on Woodland Road, so it's convenient to pretty much all locations.
Moundsville is a small city surrounded by a lot of undeveloped land, but there's more to the area than natural landscapes. The city hosts a bunch of fun events throughout the year in its public parks, including live music on summer afternoons and evenings. One of the most popular outdoor locations for nature fun is Grand Vue Park, which includes several miles of hiking trails, an aquatic center, and an outdoor amphitheater. Moundsville is also home to the West Virginia Penitentiary. This attraction is no longer in use as a prison, so if you do decide to pay a visit, rest assured that you'll be allowed to leave once you're done!
The closest big city is Wheeling, which is around 11 miles away, a drive of approximately 15 minutes along the Ohio River. With a population of 150,000, Wheeling is big enough to supply plenty of entertainment, and close enough that the drive isn't much of a deterrent. There are many small cities and towns within a few miles of Moundsville, too, so there's always plenty to explore if you should happen to feel adventurous Furthermore, Pittsburgh is just on 54 miles away, a decent distance for day or weekend trips, or if you just need some steel.
