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Morgantown - city in and county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States

Walnut PRT Station and part of downtown

For other places with the same name, see Morgantown (disambiguation).

Morgantown is in Monongalia County, West Virginia and is the county seat. It is home to the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The city has almost 31,000 residents (2019). There are another 100,000 residents who live in the small towns around Morgantown.

Get in

By plane

By car

Major routes in and out of Morgantown include:

  • I-79, which runs in a north-south fashion through the western side of Morgantown
  • I-68, which runs in an east-west fashion through the southern side of Morgantown
  • WV 43, a section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway connecting the Morgantown area to Fayette County, Pennsylvania
  • US 119, which runs in a north-south fashion through downtown
  • US 19, which runs through downtown
  • WV 7
  • WV 705

Morgantown is:

  • 77 miles (120 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
  • 385 miles (615 km) north of Charlotte, North Carolina;
  • 528 miles (845 km) east of Chicago, Illinois;
  • 218 miles (350 km) west of Washington, D.C.

By bus

Get around

Downtown Morgantown has a lot of things to do, and it is definitely possible to see it by walking around. Other areas around Morgantown are similarly dense with fun activities and are easy to walk around. Certain places are further away from the center of town and will likely require a bicycle or a car to visit them.

There is plenty of parking all around Morgantown. There are four parking garages with a total of 1,600 parking spots in Morgantown. They are at University Avenue and Chestnut Street, Pleasant Street, Spruce Street and Wharf Street. It is possible to rent a car for several days from Hertz in Morgantown Municipal Airport, or to rent a car for several hours from Zipcar. Alternatively, just call a taxi through Uber or Lyft.

  • West Virginia University PRT (Personal Rapid Transit), +1 304-293-5502. M-F 6:30AM-10:15PM, Sa 9:30AM-5PM; closed on university holidays and during semester breaks. One of Morgantown's more oddball claims to fame, relatively speaking, is its one-of-a-kind rapid transit system that Atlas Obscura describes succinctly as a "1970s vision of the future". Conceived in 1972—a time when the rapid expansion of West Virginia University onto three campuses several miles apart was choking Morgantown's streets with traffic—and opened three years later, the PRT carries 16,000 commuters a day along an 8.7-mile (14-km), five-stop dedicated travel way between the West Virginia University campus and downtown Morgantown in small pod-like vehicles that only hold a few people at a time. After entering the station and paying your fare, you press a button corresponding to your destination station, and the completely computerized and automated system whisks you there directly without needing to stop at any of the intervening stations along the way. Transit wonks of today tend to see it as little more than a curiosity but, at the time in opened, the PRT was state-of-the-art and widely considered the future of mass transit. Fare 50¢ per trip 2020-04-05
  • Mountain Line, +1 304-296-3680, office@busride.org. is a public transit bus system providing service in and around the city of Morgantown. The service is free to students, with nominal fares for everyone else. The city of Morgantown subsidizes the bus system, making the fares very affordable. $0.75–$1.00

See

  • Core Arboretum, Monongahela Blvd., 39.646906°, -79.977351°, +1 304-293-5201. Daily dawn to dusk. 91 acres (37 ha) of old-growth forest sandwiched onto the hillside between Monongahela Boulevard and the river, the Core Arboretum dates back to 1948, when the esteemed Professor Earl Lemley Core, head of the university's Biology Department, convinced his employer to buy the land and set it aside for the study of local trees, shrubs, and plants. The three and a half miles (5.5 km) of trails that crisscross the arboretum are best for avid hikers — the slope down to the riverbank is quite steep indeed — but your reward might be a taste of the elusive pawpaw (a fruit that's native to the area, but not easy to find in stores owing to its quick spoilage), or, in the springtime, a colorful carpet of wildflowers to enjoy.
  • Dorsey's Knob, 39.597778°, -79.959167°. An excellent view of the Rolling Hills of West Virginia at no cost.

Museums

Do

Spectator sports

West Virginia University Mountaineers

West Virginia University's sports teams are undoubtedly Morgantown's highest-profile attraction and loved by almost everyone in the state. The Mountaineers have teams in seven men's sports, ten women's sports, and one coeducational sport (rifle shooting), mostly as members of the Big 12 Conference. As at most other big schools, the football and men's basketball teams have the most attendees at games. Notably, when Milan Puskar Stadium is filled for football games, the stadium becomes the largest "city" in the state by a large amount. While a small number of WVU fans aren't totally friendly to opposing fans, violence is essentially nonexistent, and neutral visitors should have no trouble. For fun, try to wear dark blue and golden yellow. Different sports are played at different venues.

Other sports

  • West Virginia Black Bears, Monongalia County Ballpark (University Town Centre, Granville), 39.64473°, -79.995838°, +1 304-293-7910, wvblackbears@gmail.com. After the 2021 reorganization of Minor League Baseball, Morgantown lost its affiliated minor-league team. The Black Bears identity has now been taken up by a team in the MLB Draft League, a collegiate summer baseball league in which top college prospects play using the same wood bats used in professional baseball.

Movie theaters

Arts and entertainment

Outdoors

  • Boparc Recreation Center, 287 Eureka Drive, 39.643215°, -79.951720°, +1 304-296-7002. Recreational activities. Includes parks, swimming, summer camps, trips, and other special events.
  • Dorsey's Knob Park, Fawley Lane (near Grafton Road), 39.596304°, -79.958798°. An excellent view of the rolling hills of West Virginia, at no cost. free
  • Caperton Trail, 39.628260°, -79.960836°. 48 miles (80 km) of trail for biking, walking, jogging. Used to be railroad tracks. free
  • Mountaineer Golf and Country Club, 212 Brand Road, Maidsville (near Route 11), 39.698115°, -80.033933°, +1 304-454-5936. 72-par, 18-hole golf course. Open seven days a week, weather permitting. Price varies.
  • Big Bear Lake, I-68 exit 29, near Bruceton Mills, +1 304-379-4382. A 35-acre lake for swimming, fishing or sunbathing on the beach. 24 miles of mountain bike and hiking trails, lakeside waterslide, 18-hole miniature golf, game room, tennis courts, volleyball courts, baseball field, country-western dances. Cabins available. Coopers Rock State Forest Overlooks the Cheat River Gorge
  • Coopers Rock State Forest. This a forest overseen and maintained by the state of West Virginia since 1936 offers nearly 50 miles of hiking trails and an easily-accessed overlook that offers some of the most iconic views in West Virginia. Overlooking a gorge, the observation area is a short walk from the visitor center parking lot, past an Instagram-worthy swing and reminder that this is almost heaven.

Buy

  • Appalachian Gallery, 44 High Street, 39.628975°, -79.954732°, +1 304-296-0163. Handcrafted works by artists and artisans in West Virginia and neighboring regions, including baskets, books, fabric art, folk toys, framed art, glass, jewellery, metal works, mosaics, music, pottery, thumb pianos, wildlife portraits and wooden items.

Glass

The Morgantown area has been home to over 30 glass factories over the past 100 years, including Seneca Glass, Monongahela Valley Cut Glass, Mississippi Glass, Pressed Prism Glass, Beaumont Glass, and others. There are only two glass factories left in the area:

  • Davis-Lynch Glass, Boyers Avenue, Star City, 39.659590°, -79.988829°, +1 304 599-2244. Most of their output is sold to lamp distributors, but some is offered for sale to the public at the L & G Lamp Shop.

Malls

  • University Town Centre, at Granville, 5001 University Towne Center Drive (take I-79 to the Star City exit), 39.647600°, -80.001251°. Stores include Dick's Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Lane Bryant, T.J. Maxx, Game Stop, and Target. Restaurants include Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Chili's Grill & Bar, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Cracker Barrel. It is next to Monongalia County Ballpark, home field of two baseball teams, namely the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the West Virginia Black Bears minor league team.

Eat

  • Black Bear Burritos, 3119 University Ave, +1 304-777-4867. M-Sa 11:00AM-10PM. Burritos of all ethnic cuisines, served in a unique Appalachian atmosphere.
  • Boston Beanery Restaurant, 321 High Street, 39.630151°, -79.955874°, +1 304-292-0165. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-1AM. Catch the spirit of Old Boston! Salads, entrées, clam chowder and more available. 2016-10-10
  • Oliverio's Ristorante, 52 Clay Street, 39.627399°, -79.961297°, +1 304-296-2565. M-Tu 4PM-10PM, W-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 3PM-10PM, Su 4PM-9PM. Tuscan-inspired cuisine Pasta dishes $13-15, mains $17-45 2017-03-01
  • Ali Baba (formerly Voyagers), Morgantown Airport (Hart Field), 110 Hart Field Road (inside the airport terminal building), 39.643842°, -79.920200°, +1 304-292-4701. M-Th 11AM-8PM; F Sa 11AM-9PM; closed Su. Mediterranean and American menu, lunch buffet. Quiet atmosphere, ample free parking.
  • Yama Japanese Restaurant, 387½ High Street, 39.630958°, -79.955440°, +1 304-291-2456. M-F 11:30AM-3PM, 5PM-8PM; Sa noon-3PM, 5PM-8PM. Authentic Japanese cuisine, including sushi. Noodles, bowls $8; mains $12.50 2017-03-01
  • Blue Moose Cafe, 248 Walnut Street, 39.629403°, -79.955301°, +1 304-292-8999. M-Th 7AM-10PM, F 7AM-11PM, Sa 8AM-11PM, Su 8AM-10PM. Breakfast, lunch, and live entertainment.
  • Mountainlair Student Union (Lair), 1550 University Avenue, 39.634671°, -79.953729°, +1 304-293-2702. M-Th 7AM-midnight, F 7AM-2AM, Sa 9AM-2AM, Su 2PM-midnight. The Mountainlair, or "Lair", houses a convenience store and more than 10 eateries, some of which include: Burger King, Freshens, Quizno's, Hatfields, and Sbarro. The Mountainlair also has a bowling alley and billiard tables on the ground floor.

Drink

Because Morgantown is home to a major university, downtown Morgantown nightlife thrives for those in their twenties to early thirties. High Street is the main center for bar activity. Similar student activity can be found adjacent to the main West Virginia University campus in the Sunnyside area. The summer months are much quieter because many of the students leave town. State law does not allow anyone less than 21 years old to purchase alcohol.

Bars and pubs

Clubs

Sleep

  • Alpine Lake Resort, 700 W Alpine Drive, Terra Alta (1 hour from Morgantown on I-68), +1 304-789-2481. 35 rooms. Indoor heated pool, fitness center. 150-acre lake with beach, 8-hole golf course, restaurant, lounge, pro shop, miniature golf, tennis, basketball, cross-country skiing, fishing and hiking.
  • Maple Leaf Motel, corner of Morgantown Street and Main Street off I-68, Bruceton Mills, 33 km east of MorganTtown on I-68. +1 304-379-4075 . 12 rooms. Country decor with quilts on each bed.

Learn

  • West Virginia University is home to more than 30,000 students. The annual tuition for residential students is about $5,500 versus an out-of-state student whose tuition is approximately $17,000. WVU has 13 colleges and schools offering over 190 degrees. There are three campuses within WVU: Downtown, Evansdale, and the Health Sciences. They also offer a study abroad program for students who are interested. The football and basketball teams promote a lot of school spirit to their fellow "mountaineers" when they are playing.

Go next

  • Prickett's Fort State Park — State park in Fairmont, West Virginia, 15 miles (24 km) south of Morgantown on I-79.
  • Cooper's Rock State Forest — A West Virginia State Forest Managed cooperatively by West Virginia State Parks and the West Virginia Division of Forestry. Located 12 miles (19 km) east of Morgantown on I-68.

Morgantown

morgantown.com
Postal code:26501–26508265012650426506Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:America/New_YorkPopulation:30,347Coordinates:39.63, -79.95

Monongalia County

2nd-order administrative division

West Virginia

Primary administrative division

United States

usa.gov
Population:327.2 MDial code:+1Currency:Dollar (USD)Voltage:120 V, 240 V, 60 Hz
NEMA 14-30NEMA 14-50