Natives Come Home: For Some, Ohio Valley Has It All
By SHELLEY HANSON Staff WriterWHEELING - Shadyside native Travis Jarrett came back to the Ohio Valley not by choice - but he might stay for a long time if the conditions are right.
After living and working in Columbus, Ohio, for eight years, Jarrett, 32, lost his job. The once plentiful employment market in Ohio's capital city had fizzled, leaving him, wife Terri and new baby Samantha scrambling for months to stay ahead of the bills.
They made the decision to move back to Shadyside, back into the house where Jarrett was raised. To his surprise, he was contacted locally for job interviews more quickly than in Columbus. Now after a year of being unemployed, Jarrett soon will start working as the human resources director for a local company.
It's been a rough road, but he's learned something.
"What it comes down to is: where are you the most happy living?" Jarrett said. "If I can sustain employment here and support my family, I can see myself being happy here."
According to the latest Census estimates, 21,822 people have left the Ohio Valley since 2000. Some, like Jarrett, are coming back for a variety of reasons and circumstances.
James Tiu, a Wheeling city councilman and local entrepreneur, moved back to Wheeling in 2002 after working as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., where he later also ran a burrito cart two blocks from the White House.
He decided Wheeling would be a better place to open a full-scale eatery, the Salsa Cafe, and also to raise his daughter, Ciali, with wife Patti.
"I ran for council and now I represent the neighborhood that raised me," Tiu noted.
Tiu was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Wheeling. He attended St. Michael Parish School, The Linsly School and graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School in 1983.
"This is a fantastic place to raise a family. It's a good place for entrepreneurs. ... I believe that even more now than six years ago when I started this business," Tiu said.
Tiu's parents and brothers also live in the Friendly City.
Shane Thompson, 39, moved back to the Ohio Valley in 2005 with wife Amber from Washington, D.C.
A native of Loomis, which is a small town near Barkcamp State Park, Thompson and his wife now live in St. Clairsville and have a new baby, 8-month-old Alex.
They enjoyed living in Georgetown, but it was a pricey neighborhood, he said. And though the local culture is different compared to Washington, Thompson's quality of life is better because he has more expendable income.
For example, he takes some business trips, but his main office is his home. He uses the Internet and conference calls while working as vice president of business development and strategies for Kinsbursky.com, a company that owns Toxco battery recycling plants in Lancaster, Ohio, and Baltimore, Ohio.
"I bought a home here for less than what I was paying for rent in Georgetown," he noted.
Re-adjusting to smaller-town life was a little tough for Thompson, as the selection of restaurants, culture and the arts is less varied than in Washington, he said.
"It's been stagnant here for such a period of time. ... People don't realize how vibrant other places are. We had a long run when we were blessed with manufacturing," he said.
Thompson, who ran unsuccessfully for a state representative seat in 2006, said his company is looking to possibly open a new lithium battery plant in Lancaster if federal stimulus money comes through.
"Batteries are the new mining," Thompson said, noting batteries contain a variety of metals.
He hopes his company can create more new jobs in the state of Ohio.
"I hope I can help in some small way," he said.
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cory1978
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05-26-09 2:50 PM
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Moved away to go to school when I turned 18. Lived all over the country and rented and rented and rented and rented......Who and the he ll would want to do that the rest of your life? Moved back 5 years ago and never looked back. Happy with my decision. I own now and don't rent. Mine is mine. Would rather raise a family here than anywhere else I have previously lived. Anyone wanting culture other than country should not live here. This is not the big city. This is a area with down home roots. This is proudly my home.
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uwishuknewme
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05-25-09 7:06 PM
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What i'd like to know is how many people would come back to the Valley if they were able to do the job they currently have in another state & what type of job they have as well as their spouse. Maybe Shelley Hanson could write about that to give us an idea of what jobs would attract people here.
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uwishuknewme
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05-25-09 6:55 PM
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the whole coal to liquids plant that was going into Benwood then went to China would have really helped this area. If coal is doomed forever then the Ohio Valley needs to start attracting other types of businesses. Clean up downtown Wheeling, South Wheeling & Wheeling Island b/c it is an eye sore. If it looks like trash then people will treat it like trash. We have to start getting investors in here & diversify. Revitalize!!
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wvhoopie
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05-25-09 5:32 PM
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Ellis, you are wrong again. The Gov't statistics show union workers earn more money, have better benefits, are more likely to have a pension plan than non union. The right to work for less states have lower workers comp payments to workers, lower unemployment benefits, and more wage and hour violations than non right to work states. You are smoking too much weed again Ellis.
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uwishuknewme
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05-25-09 5:29 PM
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Drutsohg, I know what u mean about the curse. When I would drive into town from CBus it hits you right when u enter St Clairsville. It stays with u the whole time ur here, especially b/c u know that life is differnt & not so difficult in other places. I'd say most of the people in the Valley are depressed b/c they have struggled for so long and are fed up. U feel like u can never catch a break or get a leg up. One of the reasons i left was b/c i was tired of waiting for someone to die so i could move up the corporate ladder and pay my student loans off. It really did help me to move away right out of college to be able to move from job to job to better my skills & work experience. You know what else ***** is "seniority"....i dont give a rats *** if you've been with the company for 10-20yrs, if you are not performing then your bring the company down, move aside so someone else can fill your position. Companies need to know how to attact & retain Generation X&Y
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PCGS70
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05-25-09 4:50 PM
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Thank you for your service drutsohg. Good luck in the future. Get out of the Ohio Valley and you will see new things and a great new way of life. When the union says strike for higher wages or more benefits and you are off work for 2 months it takes you 4 or 5 years to make up that money in the little raise that results in striking. Unions have long outlived their purpose. The sweat shops are in China. China needs unions. The poor people in USA have 2 or 3 TVs, most have 2 cars. All eat well and live a good standard of living.
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wolflord99
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05-25-09 3:34 PM
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The ohio valley home of the union thug where the welfare check is king.Where have all the unions gotten this place take a look areound and you will see. Boarded up buildings and closed plants. and the morons keep voting the same people back in you are all insane.
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EllisWyatt
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05-25-09 10:56 AM
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Hoopie Your statements regarding workers earning less in Right To Work states is completely false. That is union propaganda designed to scare people. The fact is, Nucor is a non-union steel company and NOT A SINGLE WORKER HAS BEEN LAID OFF. The avg. Nucor worker gets good benefits, lump sump pensions, annual bonuses and earned about $67,000 last year. Auto workers at Hyundai, Nissan, Honda and Toyota are earning great money. New plants are opening in Right to Work states all the time. How many new steel or auto plants have opened in West Virginia in the last 10 years? You can spread all the lies you want, stating that Right To Work state workers live in poverty but the fact is, they are working right now, earning good money. Isn't a $60,000 per year job with good benefits better than a permanent lay off such as we are seeing in the Ohio Valley? What good are higher wages when you have no job next month? You, sir, are a fool.
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wvhoopie
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05-25-09 8:55 AM
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Ellis is an idiot. Every single time he blames the entire economic woes on free association, free assembly labor unions. Labor unions are made up of people who democratically vote for the direction of the union. That scares Ellis when people democratically vote on their jobs and the direction of the union. 22 states have right to work for less laws and statistics show people who work in those states make less money, have less health coverage and in most cases have no pensions. Yea, that's what these radical righties want, they want you to work for less and less. Just like the communists in China, work for less and compete for crap jobs. Ellis you s u c k.
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formerohvalleyresident
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05-25-09 12:10 AM
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Well Uwish, good luck with that! It gives me no pleasure to bad-mouth the economy and health there! So many of my teachers and friends back there died of cancer or drank their liver into oblivion from depression. I am ANGRY that with the energy shortages in the US, this would have been a prime time for coal to step up and shine. But the current TelePrompter in Chief (aka the village idiot from Kenya) and his administration are diametrically opposed to everything that made the OV great, such as coal/steel/chemical and other non-green big industries such that I don’t think it is going to be ALLOWED the opportunity to recover this time around. And of course the narrow-minded crooked politicos never help.
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drutsohg
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05-25-09 12:10 AM
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"the curse" hangs over the valley like a curtain. it only takes a few weeks or a month of being here and you can feel it grab ahold of you. it is so thick i am surprised you can't see it hanging in the air. this place has nothing, and is going nowhere. i would much rather work anywhere in dallas than to work for burger king here. so basically if i stay here i can plan to pay my student loans on a burger king minimum wage job. why did i even go to school? i'll tell you why: I have never, ever, been anywhere as sick as this place. i've been all over the east coast of this great country, and no place ver felt like this place. no place has ever been so full of negative energy. the longer i live here, the sicker i feel. can you all feel it too? i don't care if i have to fill up my backpack and jog outta here, i am going to escape this hellhole
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drutsohg
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05-25-09 12:05 AM
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imoved back here in 2000, when i retired from the military early due to an injury. i attended west liberty state college. i graduated in 2003. for the past six years i have been applying for jobs in the area and all over the world. west liberty has no placement services. living here is horrible. i haven't had a job in 6 years, and i even did a week or two woroking at burger king. i had a hard tiem working at burger king making sandwiches when i had graduated from west liberty with my bachelor's degree with a 3.89 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. there is nothing here. i aced every class i took except 3 i got B's in, and my big reward at the end was to make sandwiches at burger king? as soon as i can i am outta here, and i will NEVER, EVER return for any reason. if any of you havbe lived other places, then when you came back to visit you mat have felt what i call "the curse". it is real and it is here in the ohio valley. when i used to come home on leave i could feel it.
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PCGS70
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05-24-09 11:51 PM
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Woohoo 3 people moved in this year and 3,000 moved out. People passing by from out of town, drive through and look at all the buildings with windows broken out and must think a bomb hit. Shock and Awe. They must see all the abandoned houses that have plywood over the doors and windows and see the hobos and bagladies walking around downtown. They come to the Island and get flagged down by the crackho and the dopeboys then they go gamble and head for home. I knew it was coming with gambling. Wheeling is number one! One of the best places in the country to live. I just shake my head in disbelief. Sad. Very sad.
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uwishuknewme
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05-24-09 11:16 PM
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Former...its easy to leave, anyone can do that, yeah i even did. But its harder to come back and fight the good fight....I'm just getting started, I'm here for the duration. Hmm...maybe I'll start my own website about this issue. I'll keep u all posted. BTW, yes i was homesick, no i do not want to re-live my past.
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uwishuknewme
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05-24-09 10:56 PM
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Ellis, I agree, there needs to be reform of all kind. I havent been back long enough to be up to speed on local officals past & present but it does seem that they dont know how to turn the Valley around. And it seems that with all the taxes(WV annual tax on your car, and your dog????) They are just nickel and diming everyone. Most employers dont pay enough to keep up with cost of living increases. People wouldnt leave so quickly if they got paid enough. But people get fed up with barely survivng. Its those people who are fed up that can change the Valley. Elect the right people to get the job done and hold them accountable by raising your voice. I too would love to see the Valley vibrant, profitable (for all to benefit not just a few).
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formerohvalleyresident
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05-24-09 10:52 PM
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Well it is a warm human-interest story, but since two of the three people are either in politics or wanna-be, sorry if I am a little jaded. I note none of the people said either they or their spouse found a good-paying job at a local manufacturer, because, well there aren’t any, DOH! Uwish, you have a better story than what was in the article! Sacrifice a husband for the one of the fastest shrinking, highest cancer rate, worst air quality (Pits #2 Weirton #16), and unhealthy areas in the country? Dr Laura would not be pleased. These stories seem to be about homesick people who will sacrifice anything or anybody to get back to the OV and relive their childhood. My wife thinks it is green in the summer and the people are really nice (mostly), but the she has made it clear that no way in h*** would she put up the lousy weather, poor air quality, limited McJobs, limited entertainment and culture, etc. to live there just for cheap housing.
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EllisWyatt
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05-24-09 9:31 PM
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I wish the Valley would come back but I don't see it happening. The lack of good jobs has necessitated a brain drain. The only good jobs are doctors and lawyers. Manufacturing and tech jobs are nowhere to be found. Without good jobs, you can't keep working age people in the Valley. With fewer people, you have fewer taxpayers. This means a cut in services, higher taxes for the remaining people, or some combination of both. This Valley could be saved. But the powers that be have no interest in other people pulling themselves up. The Valley needs to get rid of the union mentality and the Closed Shop. It needs tort reform, tax reform, education reform and government reform. None of this will ever happen. Why not, you ask? For the same reason that certain people spend $250,000 to get themselves elected to low paying public positions. A small cabal are lining their pockets at taxpayers' expense. The rest of you are just sheep.
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uwishuknewme
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05-24-09 6:57 PM
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It took 5 months to find a job here!! I am so thankful for the opportunity that came my way. It has been 1 1/2 years now and i gotta say, I made the right decision! Unfortunately my husband did not agree with me and we got divorced but you have to do what makes you happy. Ohio Valley is my home and always will be. It takes some getting use to, I had to learn how to slow down again, thrift shop, and make financial lifestyle adjustments but its all worth it to be able to spend time with my family and start over. I actually feel like I make a difference in the Valley, not just a number like in Cbus. Car insurance, TAXES!, gas, electric, water, healthcare (if your lucky enough to have it)...alot of things are more expensive here. When people say the cost of living here is lower than other places, i dont know what they are talking about. The only possible thing lower here is rent or a mortage, depending on your personal taste, you could actually be paying the same as in a large city.
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uwishuknewme
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05-24-09 5:55 PM
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I got the*****out of here in 1999 after graduating for West Liberty. I was eager to make money, gain experience and explore something different. I had some of the best times in Columbus where I worked, played, experienced different arts & cultures, bought a house and got married. But after 8 years my Ohio Valley upbringing was calling me back. I was yearning to be closer to family, I was ready to have kids and I didnt want to raise a family in Columbus. Big city lifestyle of crime, drugs, over populated schools, etc was not what i had in mind. I have learned so much about myself trying to make the decision to come back to the Valley or stay in Cbus. Travis Jarrett is right....it does come down to where you will be the most happy (comfortable) living. But that was a hard question for myself to answer. I wasnt happy in Cbus but i wasnt sure if i could survive in Ohio Valley's economy. At this point i was well educated, plenty of experience under my belt and making great money.
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GoochStephens
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05-24-09 3:47 PM
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EllisWyatt..As much I wish you were wrong you are not. I left Wheeling in 1980, when I was young enough to do so. It worked out well for me. The story speaks of coming back because of a loss of employment...Would people come back otherwise...NO. It is and was a great place to grow up as a kid..then reality hits and you must simply grow up. Maybe the valley needs new blood that can see the future instead of those that live in the past. Your honesty in your comment is sobering..but true.
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EllisWyatt
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05-24-09 12:12 PM
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Nice stories but they don't jibe with the facts. The local economy is in shambles. Manufacturing jobs are disappearing and never coming back. People are moving away. Tax revenues are declining. A few feel good stories do not change the statistics.
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