DESCRIPTION

Shockley Branch Forest is a mixture of mature and emerging forest with plenty of mature trees throughout the property. The property is well suited for hunting as there are several creeks and springs scattered throughout the forest. Couple this with a bountiful harvest of acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnuts produced by hardwoods in the area, and you have the perfect wildlife habitat. Whitetail deer, wild turkey, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and ruffled grouse call the Shockley Branch Forest home. There have been many trophy bucks taken off of this property in the past but there has been little hunting pressure in recent years. This property is also well suited for long-term timber investment. There is timber value available at the present time, but it would be beneficial to harvest the timber in the future.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.732784°(N), -81.273525°(W)
Address: No 911 address is assigned to a property without structures.
Elevation Range: 2302 ft. to 2525 ft. +/-

WATER

A dashed blue line stream that supports Shockley Branch flows through this property for about ¼ mile. This portion of the stream should flow during rain events and periods of snow melt.

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia is one of the states in the US that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted. All rights the owner has will convey with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney at the same time when the surface title search is being conducted.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property was surveyed in May 2006. Further, some boundaries are evidenced by fences. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water: A well will need to be drilled
Sewer: A septic system will need to be installed
Electricity: On site
Telephone: Nearby
Internet: Nearby
Cellphone Coverage: Good

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

An access road reaches to the interior of the property. Then, there are several older trails that reach to many other parts of the property.

ZONING

Raleigh County has some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the County Government and also the Health Department for regulations regarding zoning, building codes, and installation of water wells and septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

This property appears to be used entirely as forestland.
(This is an estimation of current property use as determined from aerial photography. It is made subject to the estimation of property boundaries and any errors in the interpretation of land use type from the aerial photography utilized.)

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: DB 5067 Pg. 1988 and DB 5059 Pg. 1697
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Acreage: 68.573 total acres +/- by the survey information

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Raleigh County (41), West Virginia
Town District (11)
Tax Map 32 Parcel 6; SUR 3 ACS SHOCKLEY CRK; Class 3; 2019 Real Estate Taxes $72.52
Tax Map 32 Parcel 9; SUR 67.45 AC SHOCKLEY & SOAK CRKS; Class 3; 2019 Real Estate Taxes $704.86

Total 2019 Real Estate Taxes: $777.38

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Raleigh County School District
(A listing of the many Raleigh County schools and colleges is available on the internet.)

Public Elementary Schools:
Coal City Elementary School
Daniels Elementary School
Hollywood Elementary School
Ridgeview Elementary School
Shady Spring Elementary School

Public Middle School:
Independence Middle School
Shady Spring Middle School

Public High School:
Independence High School
Shady Spring High School

SURROUNDING AREA

The surrounding area offers unlimited soft recreational activities including white water rafting, golfing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching and rock climbing. Snow skiing at the Winterplace Ski Resort is 20 minutes away. In 45 minutes, you can catch the Amtrak train in Hinton or in 80 minutes at the Greenbrier Resort and travel to Chicago or New York City. The Beckley Airport is just 20 minutes away.

Charleston is West Virginia’s state capitol and is an easy one-hour drive. Charleston is West Virginia’s largest city with a population of some 50,000 and a metro area of 225,000. It is the center of government, commerce, culture and industry. There is a commercial airport with daily flights to most major hubs.

Beckley is a 10-minute drive, has a population of 34,000, and is the county seat of Raleigh County. All amenities are available in Beckley. Beckley is located at the intersection of I-77, I-64 and US 19 so easy access to Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Charleston and Cincinnati is just around the corner.

Beckley is a regional business and shopping hub with three hospitals, a host of national stores including Sam’s Club, Lowes, Rural King, Tractor Supply, JC Penny, Staples, PetSmart, Belk, Walmart, Kroger, Rite Aid, CVS, Harbor Freight, just to name a few. Food chains include, Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel, Outback, Cheddars, Olive Garden, Bob Evans, Shoney’s, McDonald’s, Chic Filet, Texas Roadhouse, Wendy’s, Burger King, Subway, Cook Out, Arby’s, IHOP, Bojangles, Campestre, Dairy Queen, Hardees, Long John Silvers, KFC, Panera Bread and other chains. Hometown and regional dining choices include Tamarack, Rio Grande, Foster’s Main Street Tavern, Kimono Kin Japanese, Young Chow’s, Wasabi Fusion, The Char (famous for its steaks), Calacino’s Pizzeria, Pasquale’s and for generations King Tut Drive is always a favorite.

Hospitals located in Beckley include the VA Hospital, Beckley General and Appalachian Regional. Numerous other clinics and specialists are nearby.

AIRPORTS

The Raleigh County Airport is a 20-minute drive, nearby Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg has daily flights featuring Delta. Yeager Airport in Charleston is the largest and busiest service in the area and is about an hour drive on the WV Turnpike I-77.

PARKS AND ATTRACTIONS

The Beckley area has so much to offer in recreational events and parks, Little Beaver State Park, Grandview, The New River Gorge National River, Plum Orchard Lake, Lake Stephens, Twin Falls State Park, The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, Wineries, Tamarack the best of West Virginia artisans, white water rafting, climbing, zip lines, the BSA Summit Bechtel Reserve, historic Thurmond, Winterplace skiing and tubing, plus much more. Beckley has a rails to trails that extends for several miles.

The 80,000-acre New River National River Park, Bluestone State Park, Pipestem State Park Resort and 17,000-acre Bluestone Wildlife Management Area are recreational cornerstones in the area. The new 10,000-acre Boy Scout high adventure camp is a 30-minute drive. Hospital, grocery shopping, pharmacy, hardware/farm supply and dining are available.

GOLF COURSES

The Beckley area is blessed to have several golf courses including Glade Springs Resort offering multiple courses; Stonehaven, The Cobb Course, Woodhaven. Other local courses include the Black Knight Country Club, Briar Patch, Woodhaven, Grandview Country Club, and others in the nearby area.

The Resort at Glade Springs is a relaxed resort offering many lodging, dining, and recreational options, including a spa, golf courses & pools, and is a 35-minute drive.

Hinton, the county seat of Summers County is a 50-minute drive. Hinton, founded in 1871, grew rapidly as the hub of a growing railroad industry serving the New River coal fields, passenger travel and coast to coast freight lines. Today, Hinton serves the growing tourist and technology industries. Situate at the confluence of the New River, Bluestone River and Greenbrier River, adjoining the 2000-acre Bluestone Lake, Hinton is truly a gateway to water recreation.

Lewisburg is an hour drive and is the county seat of Greenbrier County and home to the WV Osteopathic Medical School (800 students) and the New River Community and Technical College. The area is a strong economic generator with a solid workforce employed in county/state government, tourism, hospitality, education, retail, construction, wood products, mining and agriculture. The Greenbrier Valley and surrounding area is richly blessed with a wide array of cultural events that keep life in the valley interesting and satisfying. A year-round live theatre, Carnegie Hall (one of four in the USA), fine dining, art galleries and boutiques make up the thriving downtown historic district in Lewisburg.

In 2011, Lewisburg was named Coolest Small Town in America and is just an hour drive to complete shopping, churches, schools, medical-dental facilities, fine dining, and a modern hospital. The airport, with the longest runway in the state is just 1 hr. 20 minutes away and has daily flights to Atlanta and Washington DC.

The world renowned 4-Star Greenbrier Resort, home of the PGA tour, is a 90-minute drive. Several other area golf courses are available in the area. Rock climbing, ziplining, horseback riding and the 100 + mile long Hatfield-McCoy ATV trail makes for a very active recreation area.

WINTERPLACE SKI AND RESORT

Winterplace, a 25-minute drive, located in Ghent, West Virginia, offers nine lifts, 27 trails, night skiing and a snowtubing park. There are over 90 acres of skiable terrain for varying ability levels, as well as a summit elevation of 3,600 feet. Beginners can learn to ski or snowboard thanks to a top-notch ski school.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

The New River Gorge was a vast and largely unsettled wilderness until the C&O railroad was built on the eastern side of the river in the 1880’s. The railroad opened up the rich coalfields and virgin timber stands of the region. Early “mountaineers” settled the area and soon were carving out mountain farms and raising families.

The property is located in the heart of the recreational mecca area encompassing the New River and 2000-acre Bluestone Lake at Hinton. The New River is the second oldest river in the world, preceded only by the Nile; it is the oldest river in North America. The New River is unique because it begins in Blowing Rock, N.C. and flows north through Virginia into West Virginia. The Nile and Amazon are the only other major rivers that also flow north. Year after year, it produces more citation fish than any other warm water river in WV. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, hybrid striped bass, and muskie are all common species of fish found in the New River and Bluestone Lake.

Bluestone Lake is an hour’s drive with over 2000 acres at summer pool and is the state’s third largest body of water. Great hunting and fishing opportunities abound at the 17,632-acre Bluestone Wildlife Area adjacent to the park and nearby Camp Creek State Forest.

THE GREENBRIER RIVER

At 162 miles long, the Greenbrier is the longest untamed and unblocked river left in the Eastern United States. It is primarily used for recreational pursuits and well known for its fishing, canoeing, kayaking and floating opportunities. Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest, and it is paralleled for 77 miles by the Greenbrier River Trail, a rail trail which runs between the communities of Cass and North Caldwell.

It has always been a valuable water route, with the majority of the important cities in the watershed being established river ports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is an extensive karstic (cavern system), which supports fine trout fishing, cave exploration and recreation. Many important festivals and public events are held along the river throughout the watershed.

The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River, both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County. From Durbin the Greenbrier flows generally south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Summers Counties, past several communities including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton, where it flows into the New River.

Along most of its course, the Greenbrier accommodated the celebrated Indian warpath known as the Seneca Trail (Great Indian Warpath). From the vicinity of present-day White Sulphur Springs, the Trail followed Anthony’s Creek down to the Greenbrier near the present Pocahontas-Greenbrier County line. It then ascended the River to the vicinity of Hillsboro and Droop Mountain and made its way through present Pocahontas County by way of future Marlinton, Indian Draft Run, and Edray.