Pensacola, FL to Zanesville, OH (Columbus, Cleveland: insurance, house, find a job)

[Flexbaud]

Yes. I know Zanesville, OH isn't exactly Columbus, but it's close enough :-)

I am a 22 year old male with no college education but have a lot of job experience in IT/NOC. My parents were divorsed when I was 2 and my mom and I moved to Pensacola which is where I have lived my entire life. I lost contact with my dad and about a year ago got back in contact with him and went to visit my dad, my brother, and step mom. I fell in love with the area and the people seem very friendly and I am very amazed at the amount of jobs in my field in Columbus and the low cost of living.

Pensacola has really been going downhill and the population has actually been dropping since Hurricane Ivan. My home's insurance is sky high, my dad's house is 1/3 of the price and his house is apprised at 3x the value of mine!

I am really considering moving to Zanesville and living with my dad for a couple years and attending Zane State to get a AS in IT then moving to Columbus. It seems Columbus is the city when it comes to IT related jobs.

I'm really excited but yet scared as I never made a move like this. However, I honestly feel like I am at a dead end here and the jobs are just getting worse. I was laid off when my company downsized 25% but was lucky enough to be called back... however, I still consider the company unstable. I drive 30 miles one way to my job because I have been unable to find a job in Pensacola.

What do you guys think? Do you think it would be worthwhile to move?

Thanks.

[turtlebabe]

Hello,
I was actually born about an hour south of Zanesville, and have drove through there alot. I am currently living in Pensacola, Fl. now and feel ya about the job situation. I know there are plenty of jobs in Columbus, and if you have family there I would strongly consider it. I have family in Columbus, and all throughout Ohio, so I am visiting different parts of Ohio all the time. It's not a bad place if you can stand really cold weather and snow.

[Flexbaud]

Thanks.

I was up there this past Thanksgiving and Christmas and got to see some snow... First time in my life and actually got to play in it and it was a blast. I just wasn't able to stay out in it very long as I'm not used to the cold.

I really miss it up there. I miss being around that side of the family and I liked the people up there... Everyone just seems so much more happier and nicer up there. The cities are also more "historic", but I guess that could be due to them not being torn down by hurricanes every couple of years.

[Traveler87]

I have family that is from West Palm, the moved to Columbus about a year ago. They really like it there. They were glad to escape the many problems of Florida, that a lot of people do not see.

Columbus is historic, but not like Cincinnati and Cleveland. Columbus is a much newer city. It is seen as one of the most progressive cities in the northern half of the country. The Downtown is very modern, the suburbs have all the huge shopping malls, but there are spots downtown that are very historic, like German Village, which btw, is awesome. But the new and up and coming Arena District is very modern and home to one of the best NHL Venues in the nation, and home to Nationwide Insurance.

I think you will like the Columbus area, and the scenery around Zanesville/Columbus.

Some of the best waterfalls east of the Mississippi:

http://database.hockinghills.com/dbh...otogallery.asp

Hocking Hills Region of Ohio - hockinghills.com - "HOCKING HILLS INTERNET GUIDE"

[Flexbaud]

Thanks. I actually went to Hocking Hills Park back in December and got to see old mans cave, the devils bathtub, etc. It was a blast. :-) Beautiful park. It was very cold though. We also went over to Wheeling to Oble's By Park for the Christmas Lights. It was beautiful.

I really liked Columbus a lot. To me, the traffic wasn't as bad as some larger cities like Atlanta, Houston, etc. It was actually "driveable" The only time I seen the traffic really bad was during a storming day during rush hour... it was stop and go. Columbus Zoo was fun as well.

Honestly, I just want to pack my car full of stuff and just go... and over the next few months work on moving the rest of my items. However, I want to file bankrupcy before I leave so I can get on my feet because I believe if I go now, I'll have to wait 6 months before I can file.