You can take the girl out of the country and you all know the rest (Cleveland: buyer, movie theater)

[BelieveInCleve]

I think Ohio is a pretty nice place. I grew up here too and have lived here most my life but Ive visited many places. I would pick Ohio over any of them anyday and Ohio isnt as bad as most people say. The weather is a lot better than people make it out to be and the snow really isnt bad compared to a lot of places to the North, NW, and NE. The summer is pretty nice even though there are sometimes where its really hot and with the humidity the heat index can sometimes be around 110 degrees, but it doesnt happen that often. We have pretty nice swimming weather for 4 or 5 months straight with most days in the 80s-90s.

[Ohiosinmyblood]

Thats exactly how I remember it to be and I have reminded myself over and over that the snow doesn't last forever and no matter where you live there is 'sacrifice" in some form or fashion. IN vegas its the heat of the summer we must endure for the beautiful weather in the spring and fall. In ohio its the snow one must endure for the beauty in the spring summer and fall. My favorite time of the year in ohio is the summer and fall and when i think of the snow of course i imagine myself being inside looking out. we have a cabin in Utah that is in the snow 5 months out of the year. Its beautiful and the whole reason we bought the cabin was it was as close to Midwest weather as we could find out here. Big trees, Ohio like temeratures and very distinct seasons. Its weird but my body still, after 30 years in a place that has two seasons expects 4 seasons.

[steamer]

Bath is still Bath, and beautiful +high taxes but very decent schools. I think it is all about home town stuff. My kids are all out of the house now, I am divorced, lived here 3 different times (tires), stayed here till the kids finished HS. I want to go home...Jersey shore, I can't help it, and doubt I can afford it, but I want to! :0)

[Ohiosinmyblood]

Do you think about going back to New JErsey often? I think about going back to Ohio several times a day. Some days I"m on the internet looking at houses for sale for two hours at a time. I think what keeps me from doingi t is the fear that it won't work out and then what.
Where do you live in Bath? Did your kids go to High School there?

[steamer]

I think about it quite abit, as my folks are still there & not well. Shade Road & no my kids went to Walsh, we all loved it. But Bath as very good public schools anyway. Lebron is building a palace here, it the talk of the town!

[cleveburg]

Ohioisinmyblood:

Being born and raised (currently living) in Cleveland, I hear you. I lived out-of-state for four years, and after awhile, I truly missed Ohio. However, now that my family has been back for 9 years, I can *honestly* tell you that the grass is always greener on the other side.

Cleveland **IS** wonderful for the fresh water, great fresh smells, the metroparks, and healthcare. Everything else has drastically changes. The city *and* cuyahoga county are falling apart, the city is crime-ridden, taxed to death, and companies are leaving by droves. My fear is that we will become another Youngstown.

We travel all over the country, and I will say that Cleveland is severely lagging. You can't turn on a radio program without them making fun of the Cleveland leadership and how our city is dying.

Snow is the least of issues. I don't particularly care for it, but it wouldn't be my reason for leaving. No . . it is deeper than that. My great childhood and all that security is gone. "The Christmas Story" type of neighborhood, schools, childhood is no longer existent. You must live in a suburb to experience that. However, if you are looking for a place with a change of seasons, nice old-town people, and low cost of living, you may want to look toward Greenville / Spartanburg, SC or Asheville, NC. That's where A LOT of Ohioans are going.

Hate to be negative. I am a Cleveland Native. But, I am thoroughly disheartened and sad as to what our city has become.

Good luck.

[jaguar77]

I grew up in Ohio (Cleveland Heights) and moved to Fl 30 yrs ago. I still miss Ohio from time to time. Use to visit often before I got married. I had a wonderful childhood there as well. Still keep in touch with many of my childhood friends and friends I made in my 20's. It's a funny thing, the people I've met over the years down here don't hold a candle to the friendships I made back in Ohio. People are too transient down here. They honestly don't know how to maintain friendships! I know if I ever won the lottery, I would have a second home in Ohio! I miss the change of the seasons, the *clubbing* downtown, the fairs and festivals.... I get real nostolgic for Ohio in the fall. However, I really enjoy the short drive to the white sandy beaches, the tropical breezes, and the fact that I have my own family now keeps me settled here in SW Fl. With you being married too, why not take a two or three week vacation to Ohio. Even go by yourself. ( One has to indulge ones self every once in awhile!) It will help to satisfy that craving to "go home again", if only for a little while. And, it may give you better insight to your future path in life.
Good luck and happy travels!

[BelieveInCleve]

Yeah the snow is the least of most peoples worries in Cleveland. It is sad to see what happened to the area. Cleveland is doing real bad, and Lorain, Akron, Canton, and Elyria arent doing too good either. I would say the worst thing for me growing up in the area in the early 90s is that a lot of my friends were moving away to get out of the area. I grew up on the Southside of Elyria in the early 90s and by that time everyone with money was moving out of the neighborhood or the area altogether. I went back there recently and it was like a ghost town. No sense of community at all and everyone is trying to get out. There was a lot more empty houses and most the stores closed down and hardly anyone outside.

Its a lot worse for people who grew up in the city of Cleveland though where their whole neighborhood is abandoned now. My grandpa actually grew up in Cleveland while it was kind of nice and he never ever goes back there. He said his neighborhood is not there anymore and he can hardly even recognize it and its become so bad. Thats all he said about it but Im not sure what neighborhood it was.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by Cle440

Yeah the snow is the least of most peoples worries in Cleveland. It is sad to see what happened to the area. Cleveland is doing real bad, and Lorain, Akron, Canton, and Elyria arent doing too good either. I would say the worst thing for me growing up in the area in the early 90s is that a lot of my friends were moving away to get out of the area. I grew up on the Southside of Elyria in the early 90s and by that time everyone with money was moving out of the neighborhood or the area altogether. I went back there recently and it was like a ghost town. No sense of community at all and everyone is trying to get out. There was a lot more empty houses and most the stores closed down and hardly anyone outside.

Its a lot worse for people who grew up in the city of Cleveland though where their whole neighborhood is abandoned now. My grandpa actually grew up in Cleveland while it was kind of nice and he never ever goes back there. He said his neighborhood is not there anymore and he can hardly even recognize it and its become so bad. Thats all he said about it but Im not sure what neighborhood it was.

Agreed. I had a long post typed up for the OP, but deleted it. As htlong already said, the real problem with NE OH is the economy, lack of jobs. Granted, as someone else already pointed out is that NE OH is going through a transition. Ohio has been transitioning from a manufacturing to service sector since the mid to late 70's. Companies have been leaving the area for years. The fact is that many people are leaving the area for greener pastures; one of the main reasons due to lack of sustainable jobs, not jobs wearing a paper hat or a job as a greeter at Mega-lo-mart.

For those that want to come live here, I say, come and try it and see how it feels on you.

To the original poster: There are no guarantees in life and there's no way that one can figure out whether or not to do it, or whether or not "it will work out" unless one steps outside their comfort zone in Vegas and comes out here to try it on for size. Maybe it will be all you hoped and dreamed for, and maybe it won't. One has to go out on a limb to get the fruit. No internet forum board can offer guarantees on whether or not things will work out. A lot sounds like memories from the past that represent a time in one's life when things were simple and uncomplicated. Wanting to go to a place that represents that seems natural. Wishing you the best.

[cchoi108]

It seems like due to global warming, the snow here in Ohio is not that bad. It seriously doesn't seem as cold and snowy as when I was growing up. It was 53 here today, and at the exact same time, it was 53 in San Diego! I moved back east from the San Francisco Bay Area and I found that after the first couple years I adjusted just fine and the snow is not an issue at all.

I am also very much done with living in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was simply fantastic for a good long while, but now I yearn for a simple life. I've dramatically scaled back my expectations and am 1000% happier for it and looking forward to when I can move back to Ohio. I live in Albany, NY now where it's at least 10 degrees colder than Ohio. My mom lives in Wadsworth where I spend at least 1 month of each year. Wadsworth is very safe. Though my friend who has lived in Lakewood for the past 20 years is thinking of moving out due to the crime.