Please give advice to an Arizonan moving to Ohio! (Columbus: amusement park, how much)

[GoingMobile]

My wife and I have been here seven months now. We live between Dublin and Marysville. We have very mixed feelings about the community.

Here are some somewhat critical observations:

Marysville / Plain City is a very small, parochial community. The old boy network is very strong here, and you always have to watch what you say and to whom. As an outsider you'll be greeted with open friendliness, but you will always be an outsider and a curiosity to the locals. People talk. A LOT! Buy something in a store in Dublin and a week later somebody down the road will ask you about it. Privacy is hard to come by.

Marysville is on a high, flat plain. Most of the land around here is farmed and therefore the interesting geography begins south/east of Columbus or west of East Liberty. With the lack of significant trees and flat land the winds outside of town HOWL whenever the weather changes. Drifting over the roads is common in the winter, new trees will need to be staked, and you may need to perform periodic repairs to roof shingles. In the summer these winds will provide some relief from the heat, but the rest of the year it is WINDY outside of town. The winters can be fairly brutal here, but its not as bad as most of the Great Lakes states. Its cloudier here that Chicago, but often 5-10 F milder. The lack of regular heavy snow means they communities are unprepared for clearing the roads. The schools regularly have 1-2 hour snow delays, rains delays, fog delays (!).

The Buckeyes. Either learn to love them, or tune them out. You will hear about them at least every day of the year. People who are sick of the Bucks wear Michigan fan gear as a protest to all the hoopla.

Drivers are 'woefully unskilled' here. Its not that they are aggressive as in Phoenix or Chicago. Its that they think/drive like they are in a small town even when doing 75mph on I270 or I33. Sitting in the left lane for miles. Coming to a stop on interstate cloverleaves, waiting for someone to "let them in". Changing four lanes at once because they are about to miss their turnoff. Backing up on four lane boulevards.

TAXES: Ohio loves its taxes. Marysville has a local income tax. Dublin has a local income tax just for working there. There is little tax reciprocity either. The county has its taxes. And the state. How are the schools paid for? Property tax? NO! SCHOOL TAXES - another 1%. We moved from DuPage county, IL to Union County OH and our local/state tax rate went up 30%. Our house was cheaper, but the taxes are roughly the same.

Oh well... at least they have the Bucks. GO BUCKS!

[drb85650]

good info for a fellow "Zonie" contemplating a move. Coming in October for a looksee. Probably a good time, not much humidity?

[newnurse111]

When I was in Phoenix people were confused about what a basement was. I love that you know what a basement is. You will find that most people turn basements into livable space (rec rooms and tv rooms) now. It is not like the old cellar in the wizard of OZ. As far as bugs go, Columbus has less dangerous bugs than Phoenix. We don't have roof rats which is nice. (I was so grossed out reading about rats that live on roofs of homes..eww). Oh yeah in Ohio fireflys are called lightening bugs.

I would compare Phoenix summers to Ohio winters. During the winter you would try to stay indoors in Ohio as you would do in Phoenix during the summer.

Good luck in Ohio ...it really is an undervalued area to live in...

[drb85650]

You know, I never ever saw a roof rat in Phoenix. And I lived in the historic neighborhoods downtown. BTW..for you midwesterners...anything older than 1960 or so is pretty much guaranteed to be declared a "historic district" in Phoenix! We have very few structures older than 1920 or so. Very few basements in Phx due to the clay soil...hard as rock. And isn't it interesting that with sunshine almost 365 days a year, there's hardly any solar power!

Does anyone here have experience with City of Columbus program for tax relief/grants to rebuild renovate in designated neighborhoods? The wife and I are accustomed to areas with a "higher" crime rate, so it's not a complete turnoff to us.

[Obsolete1.0]

I don't understand why so many smart people move to neighborhoods where their education & skill sets will be redundant and undervalued. For what they pay for a house near a Dublin, they could get a place (or ten) in a less affluent area and help fix the homes AND the neighborhood. Neighborhood associations are making some progress around Columbus. But, they need help.

[Zippy7fo]

Originally Posted by GoingMobile

My wife and I have been here seven months now. We live between Dublin and Marysville. We have very mixed feelings about the community.

Here are some somewhat critical observations:

Marysville / Plain City is a very small, parochial community. The old boy network is very strong here, and you always have to watch what you say and to whom. As an outsider you'll be greeted with open friendliness, but you will always be an outsider and a curiosity to the locals. People talk. A LOT! Buy something in a store in Dublin and a week later somebody down the road will ask you about it. Privacy is hard to come by.

Marysville is on a high, flat plain. Most of the land around here is farmed and therefore the interesting geography begins south/east of Columbus or west of East Liberty. With the lack of significant trees and flat land the winds outside of town HOWL whenever the weather changes. Drifting over the roads is common in the winter, new trees will need to be staked, and you may need to perform periodic repairs to roof shingles. In the summer these winds will provide some relief from the heat, but the rest of the year it is WINDY outside of town. The winters can be fairly brutal here, but its not as bad as most of the Great Lakes states. Its cloudier here that Chicago, but often 5-10 F milder. The lack of regular heavy snow means they communities are unprepared for clearing the roads. The schools regularly have 1-2 hour snow delays, rains delays, fog delays (!).

The Buckeyes. Either learn to love them, or tune them out. You will hear about them at least every day of the year. People who are sick of the Bucks wear Michigan fan gear as a protest to all the hoopla.

Drivers are 'woefully unskilled' here. Its not that they are aggressive as in Phoenix or Chicago. Its that they think/drive like they are in a small town even when doing 75mph on I270 or I33. Sitting in the left lane for miles. Coming to a stop on interstate cloverleaves, waiting for someone to "let them in". Changing four lanes at once because they are about to miss their turnoff. Backing up on four lane boulevards.

TAXES: Ohio loves its taxes. Marysville has a local income tax. Dublin has a local income tax just for working there. There is little tax reciprocity either. The county has its taxes. And the state. How are the schools paid for? Property tax? NO! SCHOOL TAXES - another 1%. We moved from DuPage county, IL to Union County OH and our local/state tax rate went up 30%. Our house was cheaper, but the taxes are roughly the same.

Oh well... at least they have the Bucks. GO BUCKS!

Interesting post. Yeah you sound like ya moved out to far from the city...
I'm currently in Dc looking for opportunities back in Columbus. Got tired of the commute and high prices. I love DC and I think its the best area for me career wise but I miss lake erie, cedar point, cleveland flats, country roads, smell of summer corn fields, cheap affordable living, and the friendly people. I also miss watching the buckeyes.

[Paddington]

Originally Posted by GoingMobile

My wife and I have been here seven months now. We live between Dublin and Marysville. We have very mixed feelings about the community.

Here are some somewhat critical observations:

Marysville / Plain City is a very small, parochial community. The old boy network is very strong here, and you always have to watch what you say and to whom. As an outsider you'll be greeted with open friendliness, but you will always be an outsider and a curiosity to the locals. People talk. A LOT! Buy something in a store in Dublin and a week later somebody down the road will ask you about it. Privacy is hard to come by.

Marysville is on a high, flat plain. Most of the land around here is farmed and therefore the interesting geography begins south/east of Columbus or west of East Liberty. With the lack of significant trees and flat land the winds outside of town HOWL whenever the weather changes. Drifting over the roads is common in the winter, new trees will need to be staked, and you may need to perform periodic repairs to roof shingles. In the summer these winds will provide some relief from the heat, but the rest of the year it is WINDY outside of town. The winters can be fairly brutal here, but its not as bad as most of the Great Lakes states. Its cloudier here that Chicago, but often 5-10 F milder. The lack of regular heavy snow means they communities are unprepared for clearing the roads. The schools regularly have 1-2 hour snow delays, rains delays, fog delays (!).

The Buckeyes. Either learn to love them, or tune them out. You will hear about them at least every day of the year. People who are sick of the Bucks wear Michigan fan gear as a protest to all the hoopla.

Drivers are 'woefully unskilled' here. Its not that they are aggressive as in Phoenix or Chicago. Its that they think/drive like they are in a small town even when doing 75mph on I270 or I33. Sitting in the left lane for miles. Coming to a stop on interstate cloverleaves, waiting for someone to "let them in". Changing four lanes at once because they are about to miss their turnoff. Backing up on four lane boulevards.

TAXES: Ohio loves its taxes. Marysville has a local income tax. Dublin has a local income tax just for working there. There is little tax reciprocity either. The county has its taxes. And the state. How are the schools paid for? Property tax? NO! SCHOOL TAXES - another 1%. We moved from DuPage county, IL to Union County OH and our local/state tax rate went up 30%. Our house was cheaper, but the taxes are roughly the same.

Oh well... at least they have the Bucks. GO BUCKS!

Keep in mind Columbus got 4 times the usual amount of snow this winter. Also, Ohio has slashed in income taxes by 21% under the last Republican administration and eliminated a number of corporate and business taxes, so the tax climate is improved.

[traveler two]

How about the job situation there in Columbus now that we are in an economic slowdown? I used to live a couple of hours east of the city and moved to Phoenix 20 years ago. How about the N.E. part of the city? Like around Dublin and the area there. Anyone?

[klonganbach]

First I must say that I find it hillarious that someone told you we have lots of bugs here. I wonder what they were comparing it to because we don't see many bugs at all. I moved to Tennessee and then Georgia. Now they have BUGS!

Columbus is a great city. It is actually quite big so it gets great concerts and has all of the pluses you get with living in a large city but it doesn't have any of the problems (like traffic and high crime). The zoo is world class and people like to golf a lot. There are lots of things for families to do every weekend. Someone called it the festival capital of the world. Ohioans like their festivals.
Marysville is not really close enough to Columbus, however, for much information about Columbus to be relevent to you. If you plan on living in Marysville that is a whole different world from Columbus. Sure the weather is the same (by the way, we have very few tornados compared to other midwestern and central states) but the atmosphere is totally different. Marysville is a rural community. I don't know much about it but it is not like living in a suburb of Columbus.

The school systems in Ohio definately have some funding issues but most schools are still among the best in the country. People don't like to pay taxes for the schools but you can't get something for nothing last time I checked. That is the favorite thing for people to complain about but no one has the answer to how to fund the schools without taxes. The way Ohio does it is property taxes (which is the part that was deemed unconstitutional by the courts). The schools have to ask for money from the voters every 2 or 3 years in order to continue to function. People are generally misinformed and don't realize that they are voting for the same money or a little more every 2 or 3 years. Sometimes a lot more if the area has grown and they need to build a school or buy computers. People say, "We just gave them money 2 years ago, why are the asking for it again?" They don't realize that the levy they voted on was only good for 2 years. The school is just asking for the same money again because they have to. If the levy doesn't pass then they can't collect the taxes anymore and the school has no money. Then people complain that their school system isn't good so they refuse to vote for the levy. It is a viscious cycle mostly perpetuated by people who aren't paying attention an fear the word taxes.

Our new minister just moved her from Arizona with his 3 kids. You may want to contact him. Search Central College Presbyterian church. If you go to staff and click on his picture you can e-mail him. I'm guessing he would be happy to help you out. His name is Malcolm. He did decide to convert to Buckeyism. It is a disease around here and some people decide to succomb rather than fight it. Other transplants choose to fight it and hate buckeye fans with more passion than they actually have for their own team. I would suggest a happy medium. Buckeye fans are irritating but it is easier to love them than to hate them all.

Good luck

[streetcreed]

My wife and I have been here seven months now. We live between Dublin and Marysville. We have very mixed feelings about the community.

Here are some somewhat critical observations:

Marysville / Plain City is a very small, parochial community. The old boy network is very strong here,

This is why a newcomer, in my opinion, should not live in an exurban, rural developing area like Marysville.

Seriously, people who are not from Ohio do not understand how drastic the culture is from the main metro area and the outer areas and rural areas. In California there are small towns that are progressive and full of transplants.

In Ohio, this is not the case. If you want a more progressive, place full of many transplants, and not very traditional then you cannot live in a small town or exurb. There are some minor exceptions, but across the board, the further you move out from the main metro the more likely you to find areas that are very traditional and not open to newcomers or diversity.

Maybe you will learn to like living in Marysville, but if you atleast just moved a little bit further south, into a real suburb of Columbus, Dublin, then you would notice a huge difference. In general, (for newcomers of the taste I described) living in the city of columbus is one of the adjacent or inner ring suburbs is your best bet. By adjacent I mean something inside, along or right outside of the 1270 outerbelt. Anything outside of that ring begings to become more rural and conservative (townships,small towns, etc..)