Leaving the WILD WILD WEST....Great RURAL areas to live around Akron/Canton??? (Cleveland: for sale, crime rates)

[Donna7]

I copied and pasted the Wooster thread - it's in a previous post. It contains posts regarding Wooster from a lady that was inquiring about moving from Roanoake, VA to Wooster a while back. The responses will probably be helpful to you.

As far as lake effect snow, this applies to cities that lie along Lake Erie. You can look at a map and determine which those are. I don't think that Wooster is part of that lake effect snow; we are 15 minutes from Wooster, and we do not get much lake effect snow. We live in the same county as Wooster.

There won't be much sitting on the porch once the grayness, winds, rain, and forthcoming snow and ice come, and chilly weather comes. I hope that you don't mind my saying so, but it sounds like you have an idealized view of Northeast Ohio, not the true reality of living here year from year. There are a great number of excellent B & B's all over this country and they're all beautiful depending on what season you visit them. Vacationing in beautiful weather is one thing; trudging through snow, ice, grayness, slush, sleet, etc., and dealing with that for months is the reality of living in OH. You mentioned that you husband is a desert rat; this is not desert rat territory for someone that might be used to dryness, desert, sunshine. I don't mean to rain on your parade, and you are certainly welcome to live wherever your heart takes you; but just by reading your posts, it sounds like you are ready for a break from where you are living currently, but please be sure that you AND your husband can handle the NE OH winters, because there is no way of getting around them. I realize many people move back here or move here due to family and friends living here, grew up here, etc., but OH is not where I would move with my family if I was entrepreneurial-minded, wanted to invest in real estate, wanted to be in sun, etc. Please accept my apology if I'm being too blunt; again, you are certainly welcome to live wherever you want. Wishing you the best for the future.

[htlong]

i wouldn't worry too much about the winters in Ohio ,they really get bad about 1 out of 5 years...usually,. but the lack of sunshine is what made me move, every day is overcast and when a sunny day would come along i would call off of work just so i wouldn't miss it, for god only knows when another will happen.
maybe i exaggerated a little,... but after AZ. be prepared.
the people of n.e. Ohio are the salt of the earth and that should bring some sunshine into your life, i miss the people not the weather!

[Groovymommy]

Thanks for the input on the weather. It really is going to be a big change, I do know that. We normally visit for family in ohio there in Dec and then in the summer. I grew up in Ohio, and my hubby in PA when he was real young, so it wont be a total suprise...but after being in AZ for so long we forget what the weather really is like there all year around. Like I mentioned before we are considering staying in AZ for 3-4 months a year to be with family etc , and probably it will be around the coldest/ winter months ideally! I am prepared for the fact that we wont totally miss every rainy/ dark/ dreary day Ohio has though...

[Groovymommy]

it costs about $450k to $600k to get that, but it won't include a basement and the back yard MAY be 20 feet from your door to your fence.

Yep! exactly...thats AZ too!! Cant wait to "downsize" my budget to about half and "upsize" the house and land we will get!!

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by TKO1068

I'm originally from the great state of Michigan, but now find myself stuck in Portland, OR. This may be the worst city in the US as far as I and my family are concerned.

We too are looking to move out and quick. I have an interview with a company in Akron soon and sure hope I get the job! My wife is a nurse, so all she has to do is show up.

I've been to Ohio many places and many times, but never Cleveland or Akron. I even have family in Parma and other places that I've never met.

What we're looking for is a place not too far of a drive from downtown, but still "rural" enough to be able to buy a house with a back yard. In Portland, it costs about $450k to $600k to get that, but it won't include a basement and the back yard MAY be 20 feet from your door to your fence.

As for snow, I love it and maybe your husband can grow to love it. I lived in Traverse City, MI and we could easily get 10' per year there. I never owned a 4x4 and got by just fine in my front wheel drive Accord.

Although it may be difficult to live in the "Buckeye" state, being a Wolverine by birth, but I can't wait to get there!

Akron/Cleveland has stuff, and it's only 3 hours from say metro Detroit, but it is its own little world. I was happy to move out of Ohio after 10 months.

[sheilaann72]

I am one who went west from Akron/Canton and now live in the San Francisco Bay area. I will put in a plug for the community I came from, which is Jackson Township in Stark County. The homes are nice and the schools are very good as well. If you want to live in an area that also has things to do, Jackson also has a lot of the nice shopping areas in Stark County as well. Other areas to consider in Stark County would be North Canton, Canal Fulton, and in Summit County, Green, Lake Township, and Uniontown. These are all nice communities with decent real estate and good schools.

Good Luck!

[snwatson]

We live in the snowbelt on Lake Erie, but travel often to Holmes County area. We find that they are 3-4 weeks ahead of us in the spring for nice weather, have stunning beauty in the fall & nowhere near the snow in winter. Temps get cold - but don't last forever.

Wish you the best!

[Andover]

Originally Posted by Groovymommy

I really need some reassurance that giving up everything out west in Arizona , and heading for the country is a great thing! We are tired of crappy scools, really high crime, real estate getting as high as CA and being stacked on top of our neighbor I cant wait to breath fresh air, feel safe again and watch the cows come home and let the kids play for hours in the corn fileds..seriously!! Please tell me of a great rural community around the Akron/Canton area that has great schools and low crime. My kids just fell in love with the Amish when we visit every year and I would love them to experience life around the Amish, as there is so much to learn . OK, and the weather worries me a bit as my hubby is a desert rat , how harsh are the winters really? Do areas around Akron/ Canton have more "lake affect" than others? Thanks in advance..you guys rock!!!!

Hello !!! Sounds like you should look into the town of ANDOVER OHIO. It is located 1 mile from Lake Pymatuning for 4 season recreation, has a brand new state of the art school that opened in dec. 2006. Crime rate is NONE and that country feeling is always present. The town still has one of the countries last operating DRIVE-IN movie theatres, which in the summer months is also used as a huge swap meet. FREE concerts in the park on Friday nights after the Friday night fish fry. Amish neighbors with all their charm. Just the nicest sfest place to raise a family. Ask about the NO PROPERTY TAX for new construction and look at a place called WINDSWEPT MEADOWS SUBDIVISION. Oh yeah, about Arizona - I moved here after 20 years in Las Vegas ! Best bet I ever made ...

[Andover]

I forgot to mention that you can have a new 1600 sqt ft home built with a full basement, a 2 car garage , on a lot between 1/2 acre and 3/4 acre, one mile from the lake and beaches, about a 1/4 mile to the town square for under $170,000 ! Prices in the area are certainly going to go up when people visiting for the summer decide they want to come back and stay.

[ChucKie D]

man u must be groovy to try to live in a rural area where people are standoffish, and nothing to do, that suprises me...