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Morgantown, WV

Morgantown is situated among the Appalachian Mountains. The layout of the city reflects the rugged landscape – roads in Morgantown follow the contours of the terrain and do not follow a grid-like system that most other American cities utilize.

Visit the following links for more information about West Virginia and the city of Morgantown itself:

Neighborhoods

There are many neighborhoods in Morgantown and the names of which could be useful for you to know when navigating around the city:

  • Downtown – Formerly all that Morgantown used to be before the growth of the surrounding areas mentioned below. Here you’ll find the WVU Mountainlair, Woodburn Circle, as well as High Street, which contains a wide variety of restaurants and shopping centers.

  • South Park – An easy walk to the Downtown campus, you’ll find both homes and apartments for rent in this area.

  • Westover – Located across the Monongahela River but is still within walking distance from the Downtown campus. You’ll find apartments for rent here as well.

  • Sunnyside – This area is predominantly student housing and is a short distance from the Downtown campus.

  • Evansdale – Refers to the campus that houses the Medical Center, School of Engineering, and Law School. It also includes places for shopping, restaurants, and residential areas.

  • Mileground – One of the few flat areas in Morgantown and is the location of the Morgantown Municipal Airport.

  • Suncrest – Owes its acceleration in growth to the development of the Evansdale campus during the 1950’s. Now you’ll find shopping centers, restaurants, as well as residential areas.

Location

Morgantown is within close proximity to some of the major cities in the U.S. Below you’ll find a list of some of these cities with each of their distances from Morgantown.

  • Pittsburgh – 75.4 miles (121 km) / ~ 1.5 hours – Pittsburgh is the closest city to Morgantown, located to the north in the state of Pennsylvania.

  • Washington, D.C. – 209 miles (336 km) / ~ 4 hours – Washington, D.C. is also within driving distance, allowing you to visit and see the nation’s capital firsthand.

  • New York City – 377.4 miles (607 km) / ~ 7 hours – Visit one of the biggest entertainment and cultural hubs in the world.

Climate

Morgantown has a temperate continental climate with four distinct seasons. Temperature extremes can range from below 0°F (-18°C) to as much as 100°F (38°C). Morgantown has no predictable season for rain although Spring and Fall tend to be wetter than other times of the year.

  • Spring begins in late March and continues until the end of May. The average temperature is 60°F. However, daytime may be much warmer and occasionally even hot, while nighttime may fall close to freezing.

  • Summer is usually from June to August or early September and can be very hot and humid. Daytime temperatures can be around 90°F and nighttime around 60°F.

  • Fall (Autumn) lasts from September to the end of November and has similar temperatures to those of Spring. Daylight hours become shorter.

  • Winter lasts from December to mid-March and can be quite unpredictable. Nights are often below freezing while daytime highs may vary from less than 10°F to relatively mild mid-forties.

Living in Morgantown

Housing

There are various types of housing available in Morgantown. You may choose from houses, apartments, or even University owned and operated apartments for families.

The International HomeStart Closet provides items you may need when moving to Morgantown. The availability of items may vary, so please feel free to check their website to see what is available.

The Office of Campus & Community Life provides information about housing that you may also find useful:

It’s important to keep these things in mind when searching for a home:

  • Living Expenses: be sure of what things you need to buy for your new residency. Some houses or apartments do not come fully furnished, and those that do will still not contain items such as cooking utensils. It’s also important to be aware of what utilities are included with your lease – you may need to pay for cable, electricity, or water separately.

  • Transportation Access: keep in mind how close a potential home is from your workplace. If you prefer to use public transportation to commute to and from work, look into the PRT as well as bus stop locations to reduce commute times.

Schools and Family Services

Those with children may be interested in learning about the schools and family services here in Morgantown.

Get Involved in the Community

Transportation

Airports

Morgantown Municipal Airport connects you from Dulles International in Washington, D.C. Flying into Morgantown is an option if you don’t wish to drive from airports in the surrounding major cities.

Pittsburgh International Airport is the closest major airport and is roughly 1.5 hours away from Morgantown.

Buses

Mountain Line Transit Authority – The local bus service that has routes all around Morgantown. All students, faculty and staff can ride the bus on any local route free with a valid WVU ID. You just swipe your ID upon boarding the bus. The Mountain Line also has a route that connects Morgantown to Pittsburgh.

Greyhound – Bus service that also connects Morgantown to Pittsburgh as well as other locations such as Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Megabus – Another bus service that connects you to Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. from Morgantown.

PRT

Personal Rapid Transit – Morgantown is home to the very unique Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) which connects you to the various parts of Morgantown. It is owned and operated by WVU and runs every day except for Sundays and holidays.

Zipcars

The Zipcar program allows students, faculty and staff to have access all day, every day to Zipcars parked on campus. There is a modest registration fee.

Local Cuisine and Marketplaces

Shopping

Morgantown offers a wide variety of foods and shops to choose from. If you’re in the mood to try something new, you’ll find there are plenty of options available.

Many grocery stores contain sections with international food choices, but for more complete selections, feel free to check out the food markets around Morgantown. Below are a few of what’s available.

Dining and Restaurants

Visit Mountaineer Country provides a list of restaurants and local food venues.

Events and Activities

The West Virginia Division of Tourism provides a lot of information about what our state has to offer. Their website will show you the types of things you can do here, which includes information about:

  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Places to Stay
  • Dining
  • Entertainment

The Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau will provide you with information about activities located in Morgantown itself. Their website lets you search the various parts of Morgantown for things you can do, such as:

  • Shopping Centers
  • Dining
  • Forms of Entertainment
  • Indoor and Outdoor Recreation

The WVU Calendar of Events keeps track of all events that occur throughout the year, including:

  • Sports
  • Seminars
  • Art Presentations

Make a Suggestion

We’re very interested in receiving feedback from you about what you think of this page. If there is something you would like to see included, please feel free to contact us by email (iss-students@mail.wvu.edu or isss-scholars@mail.wvu.edu) so that we can make this page more informative for our international scholars.