Tornados in Eastern Ohio? (Cleveland, Cincinnati: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[Pippi333]

Hello, everyone -

My husband and I are researching Ohio as a possible state to relocate to with our 4 children. We are originally from California, but currently live in Idaho. Although I grew up with earthquakes (which really scare me), I'm actually much more frightened of tornados, not that I've ever experienced one.

I was hoping that maybe somebody could tell me whether or not the Easternmost cities in the state of Ohio have tornados? I've tried looking up the information, and it appears as though one occurred North of Youngstown in 1985, but being that I don't see information about any of the other Eastern cities, I was kind of hoping that it meant that tornados were an uncommon thing here?

I also notice that most of the homes I'm finding for sale are nice and old, meaning they've obviously not been picked up by any tornados over the span of a hundred years or so, lol! I'm taking that as a good sign!

The areas I'm thinking of so far, are Ashtabula, Youngstown (or outlying areas), East Liverpool, Steubenville. We're looking for a relatively safe city, very affordable homes, and friendly people. Boise hasn't turned out to be so friendly....we've grown tired of being treated poorly for being from CA, and for not being Mormon. It affects our children at school, etc.

Oh yeah, and we're also looking for a place with no tornados, lol!

Any input would be wonderful, thanks so much!

[bubbagirl]

I'm mostly used to Michigan, so forgive me if I end up getting corrected.

Tornados are truly uncommon in this part of the Mid-West, especially towards the eastern side of the state because it starts to get to large foothills leading into the mountains of PA and the Virgina's. This landscape is not favorable for twisters. The climate is very much like Michigan in temps, humidity levels, storm patterns, etc. Michigan does NOT have very many at all... in the area I lived my entire life in I can count on one hand how many funnel clouds were seen, and I can remember maybe 2-4 actual touchdowns being reported. It is just a very uncommon weather pattern in the area. However, you will get your share of winter weather - sleet, hail, snow, freezing rain - which you get used to. The biggest complaint I have heard from folks who have moved from the western area / Cali to this part of the midwest is the lack of sunshine in the winter. The days are very cloudy, and that will take its toll on a body accustomed to the sunshine.

[CortlandGirl79]

Hi Pippi! I live about 20 minutes north of Youngstown and i know exactly what tornado you are talking about. Although, i don't remember much about it, since i was only 6 years old when it hit. I just remember huddling in the basement w/my family. Having lived here my entire life i would say tornados are rare, if we do have one, they rarely touch the ground. I don't think there is anything to be scared of, usually tornados go along w/severe thunderstorms and the local tv and radio stations always keep us informed when it comes to severe weather. If i had to guess we might get 2-4 really bad storms a year and very few tornado warnings. BTW, a tornado watch means that conditions are right for a tornado, a warning means someone has spotted one or there is rotation in the atmosphere. (Correct me if i'm wrong) Also remember that almost all houses in NE Ohio have basements, so there is protection if you are afraid during a storm.

If i might ask, what is drawing you to NE Ohio? Do you have jobs in mind? What type of area are you looking for? Have you ever been to Ohio? If you need any help feel free to ask. I think i have a pretty good knowledge of Trumbull County and have a pretty good understanding of what's going on in the Youngstown area.............if you have any questions feel free to PM me. Good luck on your search!

[Pathwalker]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

Hello, everyone -

My husband and I are researching Ohio as a possible state to relocate to with our 4 children. We are originally from California, but currently live in Idaho. Although I grew up with earthquakes (which really scare me), I'm actually much more frightened of tornados, not that I've ever experienced one.

I was hoping that maybe somebody could tell me whether or not the Easternmost cities in the state of Ohio have tornados? I've tried looking up the information, and it appears as though one occurred North of Youngstown in 1985, but being that I don't see information about any of the other Eastern cities, I was kind of hoping that it meant that tornados were an uncommon thing here?

I also notice that most of the homes I'm finding for sale are nice and old, meaning they've obviously not been picked up by any tornados over the span of a hundred years or so, lol! I'm taking that as a good sign!

The areas I'm thinking of so far, are Ashtabula, Youngstown (or outlying areas), East Liverpool, Steubenville. We're looking for a relatively safe city, very affordable homes, and friendly people. Boise hasn't turned out to be so friendly....we've grown tired of being treated poorly for being from CA, and for not being Mormon. It affects our children at school, etc.

Oh yeah, and we're also looking for a place with no tornados, lol!

Any input would be wonderful, thanks so much!

Hi Pippi.

Please PLEASE don't let the tornado threat keep you from moving to Ohio. It would be like saying you're afraid to move to Florida because you don't want an alligator to get in your house! LOL! I know that might sound silly, but it's true. Yes, an alligator COULD get in your house in Florida, but what are the odds? Honestly. The chance is so low that it's basically a non-issue.

Yes, tornadoes can hit Ohio - but 95% of the time, they hit somewhere in the southwest part of the state. You are most likely to see a funnel cloud or actual tornado in the areas west of I-71. That's basically because once you go east of there, you're going up into the Appalachian plateau, and that area isn't conducive for tornado formation.

Now granted, I won't lie to you - it IS possible to see a tornado in the eastern part of the state, but it is so rare that I honestly don't know the last time one hit somewhere over there. When I was a child - probably about 4 years old - my grandparents lived outside Chardon, which is east of Cleveland. They DID have a tornado go right through their backyard one time while my family and I were up there visiting them. It blew down some trees on their property, but never touched the house. (By the way, we have a TON of older homes in the southwestern part of the state, so that says something there, huh? )

So please, don't let the fear of tornadoes govern where you choose to live in Ohio. You could miss out on some really great areas in other parts of the state if you do that.

[Pippi333]

BUBBAGIRL - I used to live in Michigan, too! We lived there for 10 months, from December of 1994 to the last day of August 1995. We were in Grand Rapids, and I do remember how cold it was! Of course, it was the first time in our lives we'd ever lived in the snow, so we spent most of the Winter really in awe of it. I do remember times when we said to one another, "I had no idea it could get THIS cold!", lol! We had one tornado warning while we were there, but we never saw anything. Apparently it had been spotted in the Northern section of the county.

CORTLANDGIRL - Thanks so much for the offer to PM for information, as I really am curious about the Youngstown area. I've read some pretty nasty things about it, but when searching through real estate listings, so many of the homes seem so fantastic, that I just wonder if what I'm reading is as bad as I am perceiving it? I watched a YouTube video of some downtown footage, and it looks really clean to me, compared to downtown L.A. or even downtown Grand Rapids, MI, to be honest.

To answer your question, we weren't really actively looking for somewhere else to move. As I mentioned, we are California natives, but 4 years ago, I decided to leave my job at Mattel toys to stay home full time with my kids again (my husband was doing the Mr. Mom thing for some time, and he really was ready to go back to work full time, lol! Plus, I missed them terribly during the day). We knew we could not continue to afford Southern California once I let my salary go, so we decided to "get out of the rat race", and we moved the kids to AZ, to live near my husband's parents.

That turned out to be a really bad move, because the schools there are horrendous. My 5 year old son was seriously assaulted TWICE on his third day of Kindergarten, so serious that he literally could have been killed, and the school and district were not willing to do anything about it, so I obviously pulled him out of the school. He was totally traumatized, and scared to death to go back, as the group of kids who were responsible for the second assault (where they threw him off of a play structure and took turns jumping on his stomach!), had threatened him, saying "Next time, we'll kill you!" So, naturally, he thought that meant, "next time" he went to school. Since the adults responsible for watching the kids on the playground had either not noticed, or purposely chosen to ignore, what was happening to him, I understood why he felt so vulnerable. So, we homeschooled for two full years. Then, we moved to Boise, Idaho in search of good schools.

Which we found. I mean, they are safe. I don't think it's necessarily that my kids are getting extraordinary educations here or anything, but at least I'm not afraid to leave them at the school. Boise is okay, although I do have to say that Californians and non-Mormons are not widely accepted, so, we haven't really been able to make friends, or anything. Even though it feels a little lonely in that respect, we appreciate the beauty of the area, and the low crime, so we just figured this was as good as it was going to get, and have been actively making the best of it.

And then I ran across something online, quite by accident, and subsequently discovered that there are some beautiful historic homes to be found in your region of the country for extraordinarily low prices. This was really exciting to me, because we have 4 children, and live in a 3 bedroom apartment. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice apartment, I like it a lot, and I'm happy to have it. There are a lot of things about apartment life that I find very convenient, and it's literally half a block from both the elementary school and the high school that 3 of my children attend, respectively (2 in elementary, 1 in high school, 1 preschool aged). But, being that the area has been largely unfriendly and pretty unaccepting of us non-Mormon Californians, lol, we got pretty excited about the prospect of being able to buy a large home in an area of the country where people may be quite a lot friendlier. My kids get shunned pretty regularly at school for being non Mormon, so I'd of course, rather that they didn't have to deal with that. It's getting late now, but I will PM you tomorrow to ask you questions specific to the Youngstown area, thanks again!

WCROB - Thanks so much for the reassurance! It's also so nice to hear somebody say "you should come to our area", rather than treat you as though they wish you had never come, which is basically how it is here in Boise.

Thanks for the tornado info. I absolutely love watching programs about tornados on TV, I'm enthralled by them. But to think of actually being in an area where they hit, is terrifying to me. I did see some neat big old houses for sale in Kenton, but it looked so flat there that I thought I'd better let it go, thinking that it might be more prone to Tornados.

Do you have any favorite areas of the state? We went to Cleveland once when we lived in Michigan, as my husband wanted to take our then three year old daughter to the Sea World that they used to have there in Aurora. I remember thinking that it was so nice/welcoming how nobody put fences around their front yards, and that it was so humid I thought I might need to grow gills to continue breathing, lol! It was also the only time in any of our lives we ever saw lightning bugs, and we even pulled off the highway at a rest stop to get a closer look, one of my favorite memories ever. I was just thinking today, that I would love for my younger 3 children to get to live where there were lightning bugs, as they've never seen them, either.

Well, I've talked everyone's ears off! Good night everybody!

[M TYPE X]

I'm originally from SE Michigan and lived in NE Ohio for one year. I'm now in central Illinois and RUNNING FOR MY DEAR LIFE at least once per week in the summer.
Michigan and the eastern part of Ohio have little tornado activity compared to Illinois and Iowa, and most of Indiana and much of Wisconsin are at risk (but not as bad as Kansas or Missouri).

Steubenville will treat you nicely, unless it floods. (The economy of the region is another thing entirely ... why are you moving there?!)

[Pathwalker]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

WCROB - Thanks so much for the reassurance! It's also so nice to hear somebody say "you should come to our area", rather than treat you as though they wish you had never come, which is basically how it is here in Boise.

Thanks for the tornado info. I absolutely love watching programs about tornados on TV, I'm enthralled by them. But to think of actually being in an area where they hit, is terrifying to me. I did see some neat big old houses for sale in Kenton, but it looked so flat there that I thought I'd better let it go, thinking that it might be more prone to Tornados.

Do you have any favorite areas of the state? We went to Cleveland once when we lived in Michigan, as my husband wanted to take our then three year old daughter to the Sea World that they used to have there in Aurora. I remember thinking that it was so nice/welcoming how nobody put fences around their front yards, and that it was so humid I thought I might need to grow gills to continue breathing, lol! It was also the only time in any of our lives we ever saw lightning bugs, and we even pulled off the highway at a rest stop to get a closer look, one of my favorite memories ever. I was just thinking today, that I would love for my younger 3 children to get to live where there were lightning bugs, as they've never seen them, either.

Well, I've talked everyone's ears off! Good night everybody!

Pippi, there is a concern you need to know - and I'm not trying to burst your bubble or put you on a downer. I'm merely being realistic. You need to know that the Youngstown area is a somewhat depressed area economically. What would your husband be doing if you move here?

As for your question about my favorite parts of the state.....well, I don't really have a particular favorite area. I have favorite places within various areas, but not a favorite region per se. As a whole, it can't be denied that the southeastern and southern parts of the state are the most scenic, with many hills (actually, some might consider them to be low mountains), ravines, gorges, river views, forests and general recreation areas. The Hocking Hills region is the most spectacular for fall foliage. Many people say it rivals New England. It is PACKED in Autumn, with all the people flocking to the area to "leaf peep". There are many cabins for rent out in that area. There are natural geological formations within the region, including several waterfalls, cliffs that overlook valleys, tons of trails, streams, caves, etc.... There are a lot of gorges, some of which are so dark at the bottom under the canopy that you have different types of trees that grow down there as opposed to at the top.

Some of my other favorite places are the eastern side of the Cleveland metro area, and southeast of there toward Akron. I love Chardon. It just holds a special place in my heart. I love the "Vermont" feel of the area, with its maple products and crisp winters with lots of snow. It has a very New England/northeast feel to it, and there is just generally a different sense of class and ambiance about the place that you really don't find in other parts of the state. But that doesn't mean they are snobs. It's just different from what you'd find in, say, Cincinnati. People in Cincinnati are friendly, but also more down to earth and laid back. Actually, I think Cincinnati is the prettiest city in the state. There are some places within Cincinnati where you don't even feel like you're in the city. Certain parks or drives have you feeling like you're simply going through a small town. There are a LOT of hills in the southwest area of Ohio, more than people might realize. But also, they aren't as high as the ones in the southeast part of the state.

I guess my favorite places in the state would be Kings Island and Warren county in general. It's just very pretty and touristy. The Little Miami Gorge cuts through it, and there are a lot of hiking trails and canoeing. I LOVE the college town of Oxford - in Butler county (which is where I live, north of Cincinnati) - and the nearby Hueston Woods State park. I also love Caesar Creek, which happens to be in Warren county, too. Waynesville and Lebanon are great places.......very quaint and scenic. I love the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Warren County. There is a great park in Sidney Ohio, called Tawawa park, that is pretty in fall. It has a stream running through it, with a covered bridge. Another favorite place of mine is John Bryan state park, outside of Yellow Springs, which is northeast of Dayton, and south of Springfield. Right smack dab in the middle of what appears to be flat farmland, you will find a quaint little village called Clifton. It has an old-time grist mill that is powered by a waterfall. It is very popular around Christmas because they deck the whole place out in Christmas lights. The Little Miami River flows next to it, and it has a covered bridge and restaurant that overlooks the waterfall and stream below. Click on the following link to see a picture of it... http://www.greaterohio.org/picturing...onMill-600.jpg

As I was saying, right in the middle of flat farm land, you find John Bryan State Park. What makes this park so unique is that the Little Miami River cuts a gorge through it that is SPECTACULAR. There are trails in the park that go right along the rim of the gorge, as well as right along the river at the bottom. Seriously, when you are in the park, you feel like you're in the middle of the mountains.

Anyway, it's getting late and I need to get to bed. Best of luck in making your decision!

[Pippi333]

WCROB - Thanks so much for all of the very detailed information! Tell me, is the region you live in prone to tornado activity? I looked on a "tornado" map and it showed the very southeastern corner of Ohio as not really having any tornado activity, which is why I keep trying to stick to that region, lol.

To answer your question, my husband works for Home Depot and I write freelance and will be doing some photography on the side, soon, too. I also have two more businesses I plan to run at some point, but they will be home businesses, mainly consisting of online sales for products I've designed and will manufacture. So, although my husband has other aspirations, until we find a place we really want to call home permanently, his job at Home Depot makes it possible for us to move around a bit, because he can transfer.

M-TYPE-X - To answer your question, I was actually looking more at PA, NY, and WV, however then I realized that none of those states allow a philosophical exemption from childhood immunizations. My oldest child, at the age of 5, was injured by a vaccine (her legs were seriously affected, the Dr. told us we were lucky that she had not been left permanently paralyzed in both legs), and although I couldn't really explain what the damage was when my second child got his third set of shots, all I can say is that he went from being a happy, calm baby up until the day of that set, to a baby that screamed almost nonstop for several months afterward, and he ended up with a permanent temprament far different than it was before that day. He was 5 months old when that happened, and if you have children you'll understand what I mean when I say that we are who we are from the day we're born...basically our tempraments remain just as the were when we were babies, all of my own children have been that way, too. Except for my second child. He was so happy and content and calm until that day. And then he was different forever, even now at 9, his temperament has continued to be as it was since the day he got those shots, which is so different than how he started out. He's not a bad kid, or mean, and he doesn't have learning disabilities or anything, but he is just so quick to anger and frustration, and it started that day. Anyway, I spent the next few years really researching immunizations, and decided against ever letting any of my children have any more of them. Some people are more susceptible to having allergic reactions to the preservatives, and since my 3rd child later developed allergies and severe eczema, I always saw it as a real blessing in disguise that we quit the shots when we did. Then my 4th has eczema, as well. Anyway, I can't really get a medical exemption for the vaccines (most physicians are very, very unwilling to admit that vaccines ever injure anyone), and I suppose I could pull off a religious exemption if I had to. But, I'd rather live in a state where people's rights are not so infringed upon that the state gets to make the decisions about what gets injected into a child's body, rather than the parents making that decision. The pharmaceutical companies make sure that it's lucrative for state governments to press the vaccine issue...anyway, sorry, I'll get off my soaopbox, lol. But it's a right I care about, considering my children were harmed and changed. My unvaccinated children are healthier and less prone to illness than my vaccinated ones, as well.

So, Ohio allows the philosophical exemption. I was looking at the eastern most region of the state thinking we'd be safer from tornados there, and also housing is so inexpensive that it's impossible for us not to at least check it out. If Steubenville is comprised of a lot of friendly people, then that makes it appealing to us. Since my husband can usually transfer to a store at least somewhat close, and I work from home, it gives us some flexibility when moving around. Actually, now that I think about it....Steubenville might be one of those places where the closest Home Depot was pretty far, I'll have to go check that...

Flooding?

[bubbagirl]

You can find out stats online somewhere that will tell you how Ohio ranks for floods, tornados, etc. The area consists of Large rolling hills that lead in the Appilacian Mtns. There are very few large waterways that would provide flood problems, but there is always the exception to the rule. It is best to take a look at the town you become interested in and make that determination once you're ready to settle on a house. Again, the biggest beast you'll encounter is the snow, ice, gray skies and cold temps. It takes time to get accustomed to all that.

You will find most Ohio folks are very friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. It truly is a great state... Much more than Michigan from what I have experienced. The small towns are full of great people in most cases... and Ohio truly does have small towns (1 restaurant / bar, 1 bank, 1 gas station if you're lucky!). It is a relaxed, easy going state that opens her doors to new comers. I learned this 3 years ago when I met my husband's family in the Toledo area.

From what I have been told, Youngstown and Canton areas are depressed. The Akron area is nice with many living options. I also really like Medina area - and the schools in Medina County are also good and there are also very nice historic homes.

[Pippi333]

Thanks again, BUBBAGIRL. I will search housing online in Medina County.