The City of Morgantown

Morgantown Area Economic Development Authority

Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitor's Bureau

Welcome Newcomers

Growth and Development Continue in 2005

With a wide range of new businesses and more then $1 billion in development coming online next year, the Morgantown area business sector continues to grow and provide a model for the rest of the state.

Morgantown Chamber of Commerce President Scott Rotruck said national companies have recognized Morgantown’s potential as a city on the move.

“These are very sophisticated international companies that do a lot of marketing before they locate anywhere,” Rotruck said. “They think that Morgantown is the place to be.”

Aside from the big retail stores opening in various locations around the city, Rotruck said Morgantown has become an attractive location for new high-tech companies.

Rotruck mentioned the biotechnology firm Protea Biosciences and real estate software company Threewide as examples of startup companies that have thrived in the area. And the WVU Research Park off W.Va. 705 and WVU’s business incubator will provide the environment for new companies to thrive.

Morgantown is also attractive to companies because of West Virginia University, said George Hammond, director of the West Virginia Economic outlook project at WVU.

The university provides a high concentration of educated people, which is a key work force for high-tech companies. The university also provides a wide range of cultural opportunities, such as arts and sporting events that can convince workers to locate here.

“The city has some of the major components that we look for in terms of generating long-term growth,” Hammond said. “The combination of those can be an engine of economic growth for Morgantown.”

Morgantown’s downtown is often an incubator for new small businesses, said Terri Cutright, executive director of Main Street Morgantown.

Business space is usually more affordable downtown because there are smaller spaces and lower cost per square foot, Cutright said. And foot traffic in downtown provides a built-in customer base.

Downtown has been the starting location for several businesses in recent months, Cutright said. Bead Monster Boutique, a bead and necklace shop; River Run Books, a used-book store; Crescent Frame, a framing store, have all opened their doors this fall.

“Three stores have announced openings in the first part of this year. Cold Stone Creamery and Pita Pit open in January, followed by Carvel Ice Cream in March or April.”

The majority of new businesses in downtown are small operations owned by local people or recent transplants, Cutright said. The new activity has kept the downtown shop faces full, Cutright said, and potential business owners continue to ask about open spaces downtown.

Through workshops with the small business development center, Main Street Morgantown has helped business owners start new businesses. New projects, like the High Street beautification, have generated a lot of excitement for the downtown, and business owners see opportunities there.

“It is the heart of our community,” Cutright said. “If you visit somewhere or you are relocating somewhere, a downtown is always a destination for you.”

New large stores, like Target and Best Buy on the outskirts of the city, will create some competition for downtown stores. But Cutright said that the downtown offers a wide range of products and services that can’t be matched anywhere else in the city.

She said she advises store owners to concentrate on what makes their shops unique. Main Street Morgantown has also tried to generate excitement in downtown with a walking tour of Morgantown’s historic buildings.

Big stores and new businesses also add potential customer, Cutright said, by bringing in new employees to the area. She said downtowns can capitalize on economic growth by encouraging newcomers to shop locally.

“These are potential customers for the downtown, and downtown businesses,” Cutright said. “We look at other businesses coming in and try to see how we can turn it into opportunities for the downtown.”

Demographics

Population

Monongalia County (2003 estimate)....…84,370

Morgantown………………………............26,809

Seven-county region (2000)**…….........387,400

Median household income

Monongalia County………………..........$61,537

Per capita income

Monongalia County……………...........…$26,953

Climate

Median average temperature (F)…...........…...52°

January mean temperatures (F) High 37° Low 21°

July mean temperatures (F) High 83° Low 63°

Average annual precipitation…………..…...41.2”

Area

Monongalia County………...…..369 square miles

Morgantown elevation……………….....….....960’

Religious Institutions

More than 70 congregations represent over 30 different religious affiliations in Monongalia County.

Financial Institutions

Monongalia County residents are served by 10 financial institutions.

Crime Rate Index (1998)

Monongalia County………………………..27.1

U.S………………………………...……..…49.2

Monongalia County’s Ten Largest Employers (2003)

Employer Total employees

West Virginia University……………………...5,951

West Virginia University Hospital………......3,014

Monongalia Board of Education……….....…1,456

Mylan Pharmaceuticals……………….….....1,650

Monongalia Health System Inc………...…..1,162

University Health Associates……….......….…940

Teletech……………………………….…..….....851

Consolidation Coal Company………….....…...500

National Energy Technology Laboratory….…..383

Valley Health Care………………………....……212

Communications

Radio…………………….......……….4 FM, 2 AM stations

Television…………1 PBS station; Adelphia cable service

Newspapers……………….......The Dominion Post (daily)

The Daily Athenaeum (WVU)

Telephone…………………….....…………………Verizon

West Side Telephone Company

Transportation

Highways: I-79 and I-68; U.S. 19 and 119; WV 7, 100 and 218

Transit: Greyhound Bus Lines; Mountain Line (city/county transit); WVU Personal Rapid Transit

Railroads: Norfolk-Southern Railroad offers daily freight service.

Air: Morgantown Municipal Airport (Hart Field) offers daily commuter service to Pittsburgh via US Air Express. Pittsburgh International Airport is a 75- minute drive north of Morgantown.

Water: The Monongahela River is a navigable waterway with a nine-foot channel depth.

Education

Type of School	Public	Private
Elementary Schools (PK-6)	15	4
Middle Schools (5-9)	4	4
High Schools (10-12)	3	2
Technical Center	1	-
Alternative Education	2	-

Higher Education

West Virginia University

West Virginia Junior College

Utilities

Electric Allegheny Power

Natural Gas Dominion Hope

Water & sewage Morgantown Utility Board

Highway Distances from Morgantown (Miles)

Pittsburgh, PA .........................................77

Charleston, WV ......................................155

Columbus, OH........................................ 205

Cleveland, OH......................................... 208

Washington, DC ......................................218

Baltimore, MD......................................... 225

Richmond, VA .........................................315

Charlotte, NC ..........................................385

New York, NY......................................... 393

Chicago, IL.............................................. 528

*Information provided by the Morgantown Area Economic Partnership. For additional demographic information visit MAEP online at www.morgantown.org.

** Represents the seven contiguous counties of: Fayette (PA); Greene (PA); Marion; Preston; Taylor; Wetzel; Monongalia.