By Megan Patrick
I have to be honest—as much as I like law school and the great people there, I never get too excited about returning to Morgantown at the end of the summer or any break. The traffic congestion, and other issues that come with squeezing tens-of-thousands of people on the top of a few hills, are not always fun to deal with, and although there are some beautiful areas and views, they don’t seem to make it into my everyday, drab commute. Yes, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the negative but, with all due thanks to the internet, I’ll return to school in a couple of weeks thinking good thoughts about Morgantown.
As many of you may have already heard, Morgantown has, yet again, earned a spot on a top-ten cities list (and it has nothing to do with the number of pepperoni rolls consumed per capita). Morgantown was recently rated as one of the “10 Great Places to Live” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (September 2013). The editors chose the ten small to mid-size cities based on the availability of good jobs, affordable housing, and variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Morgantown was praised for its plethora of outdoor recreation options, including the Mon River Rail-Trail and Coopers Rock, and its proximity to several major cities, including Pittsburgh and D.C. These are praises I can definitely endorse.
In the last two years, I have enjoyed trips to Pittsburgh, where I explored downtown and surrounding neighborhoods (see the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich supra); visited museums; attended Pirates games; and shopped in great (or at least better than West Virginia’s) malls. I’ve also visited other attractions in Pennsylvania, including the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house, “Falling Water,” a giant pumpkin farm, and even a bakery specializing in the dying art of salt-rising bread. But the editors are also right in highlighting Morgantown’s own outdoor offerings. Visiting Cooper’s Rock in the fall is amazing, and there is nothing like a long, I-think-we’re-lost, hike to relieve the stresses of law school. The Rail-Trail is super convenient, as it can be accessed from downtown, Star City, or Sabraton, and offers a relaxing, woodsy, atmosphere for your morning jog or evening stroll. I also appreciate the many restaurants offering outdoor seating along the Rail-Trail; it’s a great place to relax with classmates at the end of a busy week, or even meet your study group for a change of scenery.
