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I have a new job in Streetsboro, although I don't need to live in Streetsboro - I want to live somewhere that has good schools, is safe, and has stuff to do close by like parks, and shopping etc. It would also be good to live in a place that gets a lot of snow in the winter time.
I would very much appreciate any advice anyone can give.
I have a new job in Streetsboro, although I don't need to live in Streetsboro - I want to live somewhere that has good schools, is safe, and has stuff to do close by like parks, and shopping etc. It would also be good to live in a place that gets a lot of snow in the winter time.
I would very much appreciate any advice anyone can give.
Thanks.
Do you have any preferences beyond that? City, inner ring suburbs, outer suburbs, exurbs, rural? Does it need to be walkable or are you ok driving everywhere? Close to expressway or no? Public transit or no? How far from Streetsboro is acceptable? Does economic, ethnic, or racial diversity matter to you? Do you want to live in a house, condo, or apartment? And how much snow is a lot of snow? There is snow all over Ohio in the winter, but there are areas that get more than others.
Thanks for your response. Ill try to narrow it down for you. We would prefer to live in either the inner ring or outer ring suburbs, although if the neighborhood was right, then we would consider any - apart from rural.
Walkability - we do drive, but it would be nice to live somewhere where we could take a walk with the kids, and not need to worry about gangs etc.
Expressway - no we don't need to live beside an expressway.
Public Transport - this is not needed, but we could take it or leave it.
I could handle a drive of up to an hour to and from Streetsboro for work - as long as the neighborhood where would be staying was worth it. My wife would prefer to live within walking distance to maybe a mall area that has places like Wal-Mart etc.
Ethnic and racial diversity is somewhat important - we are white, and would not want to live somewhere that would be dangerous for us because of this. But we have no issues with anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity etc.
We can live in a house, condo or apartment, as long as it fits our needs in terms of the above.
In terms of snow, somewhere that has snow on the ground for a lot of the winter with some good heavy blizzard like storms. As much snow as possible for us, so as we can take the kids sledding, and go for picturesque winter walks. Also, it would be very cool to live somewhere or near somewhere that has a real Christmas feel to it at that time of year, with lights and trees etc.
I hope this helps you to answer my original question, much appreciated.
Just for proximity's sake, I would try looking at Kent. Nice walkable downtown, good schools, a large University, safe, some diversity, public transportation if you want to use it, and not far from I-76. It's not too far from Streetsboro either, and of course it is in Ohio so you will get your share of snow.
Beyond that, an hour from Streetsboro will get you probably 30 or more neighborhoods and communities that in one way or another fit what you are looking for.
I have a new job in Streetsboro, although I don't need to live in Streetsboro - I want to live somewhere that has good schools, is safe, and has stuff to do close by like parks, and shopping etc. It would also be good to live in a place that gets a lot of snow in the winter time.
I would very much appreciate any advice anyone can give.
Thanks.
How much are you willing to pay for a house? How much are you willing to pay for rent? Are you moving from Scotland to the U.S.? How does this impact your ability to get a mortgage? Will your employer provide any assistance in finding and financing housing?
As discussed in your earlier thread, the further north you go, the more snow you will experience. Aurora, Solon, Twinsburg, and Chagrin Falls remain places to consider.
If taxes matter to you, familiarize yourself with Ohio's unusual local income tax situation. Ohio cities have income taxes. Ohio townships do not (but have larger real estate taxes and/or lower levels of service).
Given your requirements for walkability, you likely will want to live in a city. Here's the rub, most cities in northeast Ohio have a 2 percent income tax. Here's the info for Streetsboro.
You can do a search for any city, e.g., "Streetsboro income tax."
So, if you actually work inside Streetsboro, you'll pay a 2 percent income tax.
Additionally, if you live in a city with an income tax, you'll be subject to an additional residential income tax of 2 percent. Most cities provide a residential credit for taxes paid to a work city that will offset the residential tax. This residential credit is subject to change, as is the local income tax rate, and sometimes results in an additional income tax payable to the residential city. Many cities, but again not all, have a residential credit sufficiently high to result in no additional tax payable to the residential city above the amount already paid in the work city.
Thanks for your response. Ill try to narrow it down for you. We would prefer to live in either the inner ring or outer ring suburbs, although if the neighborhood was right, then we would consider any - apart from rural.
Walkability - we do drive, but it would be nice to live somewhere where we could take a walk with the kids, and not need to worry about gangs etc.
Expressway - no we don't need to live beside an expressway.
Public Transport - this is not needed, but we could take it or leave it.
I could handle a drive of up to an hour to and from Streetsboro for work - as long as the neighborhood where would be staying was worth it. My wife would prefer to live within walking distance to maybe a mall area that has places like Wal-Mart etc.
Ethnic and racial diversity is somewhat important - we are white, and would not want to live somewhere that would be dangerous for us because of this. But we have no issues with anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity etc.
We can live in a house, condo or apartment, as long as it fits our needs in terms of the above.
In terms of snow, somewhere that has snow on the ground for a lot of the winter with some good heavy blizzard like storms. As much snow as possible for us, so as we can take the kids sledding, and go for picturesque winter walks. Also, it would be very cool to live somewhere or near somewhere that has a real Christmas feel to it at that time of year, with lights and trees etc.
I hope this helps you to answer my original question, much appreciated.
Living within walking distance of a mall, as opposed to a strip shopping center is problematic, partially because there aren't many malls, and partially because the traffic around mall areas actually may make walking somewhat precarious, even if the mall is surrounded by sidewalks. Most malls are surrounded by large parking lots.
A one hour commute implies two hours/day commuting. Most Clevelanders hate commutes and would desire to limit commutes to half an hour each way.
So perhaps check out surrounding cities such as Aurora, Hudson, Solon, Twinsburg, Beachwood, and Chagrin Falls. Beachwood has by far the most robust retail environment on this list. I didn't list cities south of Streetsboro given your interest in more snow.
Check local recreation departments (recreational services, parks and programs vary greatly by community) and proximity to larger nature parks, such as Tinker's Creek State Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and the South Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.
Note that most elementary schools in northeast Ohio offer local playgrounds, sometimes, but not always, supplemented by neighborhood city parks. Availability of swimming pools vary greatly by community, sometimes only offered at the local YMCA. Some communities have public ice rinks, some don't. Search recreation departments for any community that you are considering.
Check out Cleveland Magazine's "Rating the Suburbs." E.g., note that Twinsburg and Solon are much more walkable than Streetsboro and Aurora, and that Beachwood is even more walkable.
We had a good snow storm over the last few days. After December, many storms are not "lake effect" storms because Lake Erie is frozen, at least partially, and the temperature differential between any open water and the atmosphere is much smaller than in November.
The snow belt northeast and east of Cleveland typically gets more snow before January. Later in the winter season, big storms typically involve both moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cold fronts from Alberta. That was the case with this storm, which distributed snow more widely across the metropolitan area, even though there is some open water on Lake Erie and therefore lake effect snow. In these types of storms, higher altitudes get more snow. Here are the snow totals.
Thank you for your replies. Good information for me. I am unaware of the tax issues. Im not coming to Ohio from Scotland, as I currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, I need to choose a place that my wife and kids, aged 8 and 12, will really enjoy iving in. My wife and kids are still in Scotland, and are not coming to the US until I get sprted with a house or apartment in Ohio. Im hoping to pay no more than $1000 per month on either a rented house or apartment. Im only going to get one chance at this, so I need to make sure that the place I choose to live, my wife and kids will love, because if they dont and they are unhappy, I dont want that to then make them feel miserable, and possibly want to return to Scotland, so its very important that I get this right first time. In your opinion, where would be best for me to live with my wife and kids forget the snow thing, because although it would be good to be battered with snow, I know that most of Ohio does get its fair share of snow anyway. And we will be renting for the first year, as to save for a deposit for to buy a house next year.
Thank you for your replies. Good information for me. I am unaware of the tax issues. Im not coming to Ohio from Scotland, as I currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, I need to choose a place that my wife and kids, aged 8 and 12, will really enjoy iving in. My wife and kids are still in Scotland, and are not coming to the US until I get sprted with a house or apartment in Ohio. Im hoping to pay no more than $1000 per month on either a rented house or apartment. Im only going to get one chance at this, so I need to make sure that the place I choose to live, my wife and kids will love, because if they dont and they are unhappy, I dont want that to then make them feel miserable, and possibly want to return to Scotland, so its very important that I get this right first time. In your opinion, where would be best for me to live with my wife and kids forget the snow thing, because although it would be good to be battered with snow, I know that most of Ohio does get its fair share of snow anyway. And we will be renting for the first year, as to save for a deposit for to buy a house next year.
Does your $1,000 include utilities? If not, that might be another $200 per month on average.
Perhaps check out craigslist.com for Streetsboro and surrounding communities. Check condo and housing rentals in addition to apartments.
Perhaps check Stow, Ravenna, Kent (university town), Mantua, and Hiram (college town). These areas may have lower rents than other nearby communities. You might find some low rents in the Brady Lake area, from memory.
Personally, I'm not familiar with rental costs in that area, nor am I especially familiar currently with those towns.
Check the quality of schools at greatschools.org.
E.g., this school district serves Mantua, Hiram and surrounding townships.
Keeping your commute short should save money for your subsequent house purchase.
Check with your Streetsboro employer/fellow future employees for suggestions.
Perhaps attempt to rent in a community where you would like to buy a house so the kids maybe could keep some friends and stay in the same school district if not school. So perhaps consider housing prices.
Small Ohio villages, especially a college town like Hiram, can be a great place to raise a family. Typically they are walkable, good for biking, and have acceptable parks and amenities. Townships, by comparison, may be relatively lacking, although they do typically have township parks which requiring driving by most residents. Kids that want to ride bikes have to do so on relatively dangerous secondary roads. Check bike paths in the area under consideration (e.g., Portage Park District).
Consider joining AAA and ordering an excellent Northeast Ohio map. A local AAA also would have a detailed Portage County map, and you may be able to order one of these as well from Las Vegas. The Portage County engineer's office also might send you a county map for free or a small charge.
Last edited by WRnative; 02-05-2015 at 11:06 AM..
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Snow
