Leaving the WILD WILD WEST....Great RURAL areas to live around Akron/Canton??? (Columbus: real estate, low crime)

[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!!!!

[MABCle]

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!!!!

Truthfully Medina County or southern stark counties get less harsh winters than areas just 10 miles north. The day after Easter I drove from my parents house on the Northeast side of the Cleveland area where there was 12" of snow. I got to Strongsville and the southwest side of Cleveland and there was not a flake to be seen. That's an example of how crazy lake effect rain/snow can be.

In the picture below of the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area the areas north of the red line gets hit the most with lake effect snow. For example the areas north of the red line may get 6", while south east may get 2" or less and the west side only gets a dusting. Of course occasionally when the wind changes and blows directly south areas like Canton can get hit harder than ususal.

As far as good rural areas around Canton and Akron I can't help too much there. I think the fastest growing county in the area in Medina county, to the west of Stark(Canton) and Summit(Akron) Counties, meaning areas near there may not be rural for too long.

[yagisenin]

Amazing! Someone actually WANTING to COME HERE to Ohio from Arizona! And to the Cleveland/NEO region at that! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around these days?

But seriously, if you are looking for safe, quiet and peaceful rural area in Northeast Ohio that is unlikely to become a developer's suburban project at any point in the near future, and far enough from the city lights that you can still view the stars at night, probably the best place I would advise you to look would be in the counties of Wooster, Ashland and Holmes, which are also pretty much the heart of Amish Country.

Avoid at all cost Medina and Portage counties on either side of Akron/Summit County, as their rural areas are quickly becoming home to a glut of McMansions and Big Box store developments, particularly in Medina.

Also as MABCle said, the "lake effect" means little outside of the counties that border the lake, so you should have little worry about excessive snowfall if you don't plan on living too close to Lake Erie, though it is unlikely that you will make it through the winter without experiencing some snow on the ground. Just tell your husband that it's called "white sand".

[Groovymommy]

Originally Posted by yagisenin

Amazing! Someone actually WANTING to COME HERE to Ohio from Arizona!

You betcha when I cant find a nice home for under $500,000 on an acre lot and still in one of the worst school districts/crime rates in the nation and illegals crossing through your backyard practically by the minute, and did I mention the lovely change of seasons here..HOT , HOTTER, HOTTER THAN HELL AND STILL HOT ..IT IS JUST PARADISE HERE

Originally Posted by yagisenin

though it is unlikely that you will make it through the winter without experiencing some snow on the ground. Just tell your husband that it's called "white sand".

OK white sand..just wet and a bit chilly he'll buy that Im sure

[Groovymommy]

Originally Posted by Groovymommy

We are tired of crappy scools

Oops, sorry for type-o ,I guess point in case...cant you tell I went to a "scool" in AZ ???

[karoga]

We are stuck in Georgia but originally from Ohio. I agree you should check out Wooster, Ashland and Holmes County but also try the Dover/New Philadelphia area of Tuscarawas County. It's right next to Holmes County & offers a lot more conviencies (sp). Easy access to I-77 to shoot up to Canton or Cleveland or Columbus etc. Housing is less expensive than Canton & northward and less snow. There is also a KSU branch in N Philly. Stay out of Strasburg, VERY clickish if you aren't from there, but both Dover & N Philly are welcoming to newcomers. If your really interested in rural & don't want the snow we are selling our house in Wayne Co., Ga!!! Good luck in your adventure!

[htlong]

i would also agree on dover /new Philly area, check out Louisville,alliance, to the east and work your way up the west side of canton through sugar creek, millers burg to Wooster. you will have to watch out for the Amish buggies in these areas.
its very pretty has an occasional rough winter.
i was planning on retiring in the dover area but i moved out of state!...still thinking about it though!!!

[Groovymommy]

thanks for all the great info. We have our eye on HARTVILLE, ORRVILLE, and a few places in Amish Country itself, I think a realtor is probably the best thing to help us look around for homes... Sadly us city folks ( hoping to go "country") need to be within 10-15 minutes from the good ole' HOME DEPOT and definitely A TARGET:-)

[Orwelleaut]

if you wnat the cities close and a large town with shopping sort of close but want a rural atmosphere, Portage County is nice. The whole county is not filling up with tacky developments like a previous poster suggested. I think they were thinking of the Twinsburg/Streetsboro area, which is on the edge of the county and represents a spiling over of the Cleveland suburbs. Much of Portage County is pretty nice and rural, and no part is very far from Ravenna or Kent. The two towns together probably comprise about 50,000 people.

Look at Rootstown, but especially at the area just West of Lake Milton. I have a buddy who bought a reallly large lot near Diamond, a little crossroads just West of Lake Milton, for a bargain price.

If you want big city shopping nearby, Portage County is much better than places too far South of Canton. These areas are more rural, but lack the Home Depot stuff you want.

[htlong]

groovymom,
i live 25 miles from a target,home depot etc. and its the best thing i could have done! the money i save being to far for the wife out of boredom cant just hop in the car and binge spend, we must plan our shopping outings and coordinate each trek on a weekly basis. and we enjoy the quiet country living!