Moving from New Zealand to Akron & we need some help please (Cleveland: for rent, house)

[KiwiFamily4]

Originally Posted by EarthBound?

WOW!

I've been sitting here for the past few days watching and reading all the bickering back and forth, watching you folks go way off topic. I hope none of this relays the wrong message to our Kiwi friend that this is how we Buckeyes conduct our selves.

KiwiFamily4, I've been to Christchurch, many many years ago and I found all of NZ to be very lovely . I hope that you find what your looking for for here in the Buckeye state and that your hubby loves his new position. Just remember that we have snow in (our) the winter months "LOL" unlike you folks, snowing in July, "I never did get use to that". Especially since I was in Hawaii and it was 83 degrees and NZ was 25 degrees, BRRRRRRRR!. Good luck and give us a yell anytime.

Thank you EarthBound

[TaylorRothschild]

I'm with Peregrine. I mean, sure Akron has the "Miss Akron" pageant and all the festivities that go along with that. And if you're into "true crime", you'll certainly keep busy. After all, Akron has nearly double the USA average in every type of crime, from sexual assaults to burglary to general buggery.

Take care KiwiFamily, be sure to do a short-term rent so you can see the landscape for yourself. Our ghettos are probably a lot different than yours. I'll be cheering for ya.

[strudel42]

KiwiFamily, one good thing is that if you come over at the end of March you *may* very well miss winter entirely, in both hemispheres! (For a year, anyway.)

[KiwiFamily4]

Originally Posted by TaylorRothschild

I'm with Peregrine. I mean, sure Akron has the "Miss Akron" pageant and all the festivities that go along with that. And if you're into "true crime", you'll certainly keep busy. After all, Akron has nearly double the USA average in every type of crime, from sexual assaults to burglary to general buggery.

Take care KiwiFamily, be sure to do a short-term rent so you can see the landscape for yourself. Our ghettos are probably a lot different than yours. I'll be cheering for ya.

WOW.. Thats some interesting info to share.. I will be sure to keep it in mind!

[KiwiFamily4]

Originally Posted by strudel42

KiwiFamily, one good thing is that if you come over at the end of March you *may* very well miss winter entirely, in both hemispheres! (For a year, anyway.)

Yep we do.. but as you know with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction ... And what i mean to say is we get double winters at the other end.. A year worth of bad weather.. Will be an experiance and a half.. Though I must say I am looking forward to all that snow! lol .. ( It doesnt show where I live )

[Robhu]

Originally Posted by KiwiFamily4

Hello,
My family and I are relocating to Akron Ohio in late March for a year and we are unable to visit first and have NEVER been to the States and we have lots of questions.
We are a young family of 4 and my husband will be working in Barberton and would like to live in Akron:

1. Where would be a good place to live with a young family that is close to a good public school and not too far to travel to Barberton ( we have an 8 and a 5 year old ).

2. Are there any parts of Akron that we should avoid?

3. Which schools would you recommend?

4. Can anyone help with how much it would costs for a family of 4 to live in Akron per month?

5. What is there to do in Akron for children (8 & 5)

6. Is there anything that you think is important for us to know about Akron before we get there?

7. What would it cost to rent a fully furnished ( and I mean with everything you would need to live as we don’t want to have to buy any furniture such as beds, pots, fridge and washing machine when we get there as we will only be there for a year ) place in Akron?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and any help would be appreciated.

I was born and raised in the Akron area. I'm 63 yrs old so I have been here awhile. So I'll try to answer some of your questions.

1.-Fairlawn is a nice area. Though kind of pricey. The City of Green is nice. Tallmadge, Mogodore, are good areas although about 20 minute drives from Barberton. Some areas of Copley and Norton are very nice.
The Manchester area is nice.
2- Southwest areas of Akron. Kenmore, southern parts of Copley, Arlington street in town, any run down areas you might see.
3-Fairlawn, Green, Tallmadge, Norton, Coventry, Manchester, Barberton.
4- I have no answer for this one because I don't know what style of living you are accustomed to. But I can tell you the cost of living in the area is way better than a lot of places in the country.
5-Akron has a Zoo. There are many lakes, camping, trails, parks. They can go sled riding in the winter or play youth sports in the summer. Or go to the festivities at Lake Anna in Barberton. There are a lot various activities for kids in the area. If you want to take a Sunday drive you can go south to Amish country and let the kids see the farms, animals, and scenery. Or go north to Lake Erie and let them play on the beach. Both are within an hours drive.
6-Just be yourself and live your life. This is a blue collar area and most people will show you courtesy. As with any town there are the few exceptions. But that is human nature anywhere.
7-Cant give you a figure. You might find appliances, furniture, etc, but I dont know about pots, pans, etc.

You might want to check out Barberton itself. I've lived here for almost 30 years. (Grew up in Green). Raised my family here. I've never had a problem. The crime rate is pretty low and the cost of living is good. There are some really nice areas in Barberton. And if anything bad ever does happen the whole community will band together to give help. Medical facilities are good in the area with highly rated hospitals in the area. Akron Childrens Hospital is nationaly rated with one of the highest rated burn treatment units in the world. Burn victims, adults or kids, are flown in from all over to Childrens burn unit. I've been in that burn unit. They are experts.
The Akron area is not as bad as some make it out to be. I've lived here all my life. It sure is a lot better than some metro areas I have visited.
I've had a peaceful and comfortable life.
And Barberton has some of the best chicken restaurants in the country.
And imo, some of the nicest people.
I have no regrets. It isn't Vegas, Hollywood, New York, or Los Angeles.
But it has been a great place to raise a family and feel secure in your own home.
Personaly, I have no desire to go anywhere else.
Sorry for the long post. I just like it here and it has been a good place to live.

[htlong]

robhu,
I never understood the thing about barberton chicken? now the hot(rice) sauce that is the best !

kiwi
I haven't read hardly any of these replies but if you are moving to this area and the job is in Barberton, I would suggest you look no further than the Coventry/new franklin area it is locally known as the portage lakes,you can purchase a home very cheap and have the lakes in your back yard for boating,skiing,swimming,fishing and inner city youths tend to join the neighborhood gangs etc. in the lakes they can catch blue gills and half of the mailing address's are Barberton

[Townes Van Zandt]

KiwiFamily4,

Welcome to C-D...

I think it's important that if you're looking to move somewhere new, you should be introduced to the worst parts before you see the good. That allows you to make an educated decision. That's one of the reasons that I believe C-D is a healthy tool to use when searching for a new area to live; when you come here, you see 'the worst of Akron'. By the way, I'm not talking about the "terrible crime" or the "rapid population loss"(I'll get to that later). Rather, I'm referring to the extremely negative and pessimistic outlook that some people in the area tend to adopt.

The good news? Posters like Drover are NOT the typical Akron citizen. I don't know what it is about this town, but since I moved here three years ago I've noticed that there's a huge disconnect between the people you meet in public and the people who post online.

If you take a walk around Akron, you're going to find some very, very nice people. Akron has some of the nicest individuals I've ever come across. The people are super polite compared to other parts of the country that I've been to(of course, there are exceptions everywhere).

For whatever reason, if you go on C-D or the Akron Beacon Journal's website, it's filled with bitter and pessimistic people who will tell you ridiculous things about the city. I've never run across anyone like this in person, so I guess it's safe to say that Akron has a large population of negative nancies who stay locked up in the house in front of computer screen with nothing better to do than talk negatively about their hometown.

From my experience, I'd suggest checking out the Northwestern part of the city and the surrounding suburbs. It's safe, and the scenery(Cuyahoga Valley National Park is nearby) is beautiful--especially in the fall.

Akron isn't the most interesting place in the country, but it's far from the least interesting. It's your typical small Great Lakes American city. Population loss has happened, but most of that loss consists of people moving to the suburbs. This migration outward is by no means unique to Akron.

As far as entertainment goes--Cleveland is about and hour north, and Pittsburgh is around 2 hours east. Even Akron has a few events that might interest you, but nothing comparable to larger cities like Cleveland or Pittsburgh.

Don't let negative opinions discourage you, but don't let overzealous cheerleaders fool you; Akron won't knock your socks off, but it's nice little town with some nice neighborhoods/suburbs to raise your children.

Good Luck!

[designerhome]

I find many of the post interesting. I would not come if I read these before my first visit! I have traveled quite extensively and New Zealand is on our future map. Too bad you are not coming next year (2012) as I would switch homes with you! The only bad thing about northeast Ohio is the amount of grey skies! Its a great place for a family. And you can quickly catch a plane ride and go to many big cities inexpensively. I live in what the posts are calling the better area. Depending on your price range you will pay $1000.00 (usdollars) upwards for a home in the NWarea and in my area $3,000-$5,000 (5000sq. ft) But with the economy you should get a much better deal. In Bath the school system is Revere. It was written up in the News and World reports national magazine as one of the best public schools in the Nation winning the silver metal. Every year they receive the state excellence award. My daughters friends upon graduation are going to top rated national university as well as ivy league. Many families in the west akron send their children to private and I can give you more info on that later. Many of the areas mentioned in posts havent been strong in the school area as far as I know. I do know Copley has a good school system. Many sports are available and activities catered to children.
I believe I can guess the Company your husband is going to work with for a year. I sold my last house to someone from a company there and two other families lived nearby.
Next to Barberton is two good school areas and they are bedroom communities. Doylestown and Wadsworth. Very small town but very close to Barberton.
From staying in Australia,(private) I know the school systems are different from the states. I would need more information on your personal interest and price point to help you. Anyway, your children will have a great experience and will be well received.
Here is some food for thought; Akron University does 79% of the world research in polymer science, and many products (ice cream cones) and Film stars are from here! How bad can it be???

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by designerhome

The only bad thing about northeast Ohio is the amount of grey skies!

I am so tired of that comment. The sun shines quite a bit here in good old NE Ohio.
In fact this fall/winter has been especially sunny.