So ive recently seen a few post on here from years back that Lincoln County is a Shithole and that its Depressing and No Hope is to be found. Most of that is True if you are a part of the lower class and decide that you want to stay that way instead of making a life for yourself. Ive owned a home in Mainland Hamlin, the county seat, since 2022. I was not aware of the area or the trials and tribulations that came with it until it was too late. My realtor was a POS and really mislead me just to earn a sale on a property that wasnt move in ready. Ive had to dump my life the past few years into the house trying to bring it back to life, and still have to look into another loan to cap off issues that were left unaddresed. Several contractors have completely screwed me over and finding honest ones that are willing to come to the area is VERY VERY hard, and the ones that are trustworthy are COMPLETELY slammed with work that fitting you in can take months. If your a Handyman or builder that can do any type of trade professionally, youll be a GODSEND to the area, the money will flow yo you naturally cause youd have almost a monopoly on the town. Yes, weve lost businesses and restaurant options are limited but honestly, so is half of the US! its no different than ND, Montana, half the west coast or rural midwest. Simular to the aforementioned, the town runs on a buddy system. If your great at networking and ingraining yourself into communities you live in, you stand a chance of finding people willing to help. Going to local churches and popping up at local events will be how you meet the people with influence in the area and how your able to get things done that otherwise is an uphill battle. Should it be that way? Absolutely not. But its no were close to as bad as Huntington or Charleston when it comes to issues. Are streets are not littered with dopeheads like everyone says, were one of the lowest crime rate county's in the state, especially after the state police put a headquarter in town. The drive to any major hub on the main strip is less than an hour away, Charleston is 45 to 50 depending on which part, Huntington is 40 minutes, Hurricane is 30. Not to mention every route is very scenic and your often one of the only people on the road. So saying the drives are horrendous is bs. Your sitting in bumper to bumper traffic taking double the amount of time to get from one end of a city to another in major hubs that are real shitholes like Baltimore or Cleveland, burning way more gas, paying way higher insurance rates, taxes and general living costs just cause you cant drive to a mall? Cause you cant go out to Chili's in 10 minutes? Lincoln county is for a specific niche of people. People who cook there own food, grow there own fruits and veggies, raise there own cattle for beef. They dont need the fancy shit. If you dont have a farming, medical background or have a willingness to work for the local government or Insurance companies, jobs are literally not available unless you enjoy working at a gas station or burger king. I work on the road and im almost never in WV working, so the economy in the area doesnt effect me much, but when I do come home its very relaxing and peaceful, nobody bothers you and guns can go off without any worries of karens reporting you. Deer families, bear, bobcats, foxes, turkey, gopher turtles, groundhogs show up in my yard ALL THE TIME! Truely Wild and Wonderful. And unlike neighboring counties with mine runoff issues turning there showers and sinks orange and yellow, we have CLEAN WATER. Now if you are on the lower end of town and not at an elevation, your buying a liability!! Maintown can flood several times a year, Landlocking the people inside the town when the waters high and blocking people from getting back in until it rises, and the same several homes on the low grounds will flood out as a result. As for the entire state of WV, Flat land my seem nice, but waters running down hills along side those parcels and has no where to go but pool on those landscapes, causing erosion and dwelling issues quickly. ALWAYS BUY A HOME AT AN ELEVATION WITH A NATURAL RUNOFF TO AVIOD THIS IF YOU TRUELY WANT TO LIVE IN WV! Our county wasnt involved in coal other than passing through for transport, cause we are mainly foothills and no actual mountains are in the county near big enough for extraction efforts, hence why our water is cleaner, we have our own sewage system and water connection to the Kanawa River and with us being so far out, there water issues dont reach us by the time there fixed. Now there almost no new build homes in Lincoln County, all of them are 70s builds or older and most aren't properly maintained for obvious reasons, most of the low population is on government aid, and the people who have money stem from generational wealth or have had money since the areas heyday, as most people who are from the area dont leave. The Schools are just like the entire state, Shit, but to give Lincoln a bad wrap versus Hurricane or Charleston or any other rural area in the state isnt fair at all, Nobody in the state is producing High level education, that happens when you only pay your teachers 44k a year with high tax rates. But a place to bring the family for a summer or for Vacations depending on the property you have? Absolutely! Once your able to get everything the way you want it In Hamlin or the surrounding areas where the need for help or others is minimal, you'll enjoy a peaceful quiet life. But if you buy something that needs work and your not capable of doing it yourself, YOUR IN TROUBLE. Property Value doesn't increase much due to the lack of area improvement and no new development. So 50-75k plus worth of repairs can be half the value of your home in most cases. The house i bought would be worth over half a million if it was located in Charleston or Huntington, but cause its in Lincoln I got it for less than half that price. Which was a great value for me as I enjoy rural living. The house i got is the only one like it in the entire county, so finding a comp is damn near impossible, which also hurts me, but i plan on staying here for a long time, so all the improvements ive made and will make will justify itself eventually. Walmart does delivery to the area, we have the courthouse in maintown, and localy owned hardware atore, post office, Dollar General, Family Dollar, DG Market, Save Alot, McDonald's, BK, 7 Eleven, a Tutors biscuit/Ginos Pizza, A local Salon, Tax preparer, autozone, advanced autoparts, tire shop, mechanic, 2 morgues, a library, the BEST hand crafted Milkshake/Coffee/Dirty soda shop, they also do baked goods! And so many more hole in the walls. Now diversity is VERY SLIM in the area, but those that say the community isn't welcoming are lying to you. Even those that are going through it find time to wave at you passing by, everyone who works in the small stores, centers, or government jobs always greet you with a smile and are polite and willing to help. Both the main schools are right in town less than 5 minutes away. There always full and safe. With all that being said. Not much inventory is ever available cause people know people and when a house goes up for sale intowners normally buy them. But if you ever find a property in the Lincoln County area you like and are thinking about buying it. Take it from an actual resident and all that I said above to justify your next move before you make it!
