How is the rest of the state? (Columbus, Cleveland: for sale, foreclosure)
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You have 4 seasons. Winters seemed long to me. Hardly any sunshine from October to April. Columbus has much to offer in entertainment. I can't help you with the housing, I moved 12 years ago to Georgia. We were like kids in a candy shop down here when it came to houses, you got so much more for your money.
If you like the columbus area Marysville ohio is a low crime area that is close enough to Columbus and Dublin to enjoy every thing that they have. You can still find affordable housing in this area.
Perry Heights which is right in between Massillon and Canton gives you the safety from the inner city but the same street (Tusc. and Lincoln Way) takes you through downtown Canton and downtown Massillon and through Perry Heights. Very low crime in Perry and it gives you easy access to each city. Canton has two malls Canton Centre and Westfield mall. It also has three movie theatres and massillon has two movie theatres. The Palace Theatre in downtown Canton is great because it offers you great movies or great live plays. And the Civic Center in Canton hosts concerts if you enjoy concerts.
Ok, so this is one of the states my wife and I are considering moving too...but, i'm still very much on the fence.
1) What's the weather like in off seasons? Lots of sun by chance?
2) One thing making me very cautious is how crime filled Columbus is...what is the rest of the state like?
3) Is there a lot to do? We love big movie theaters, lots of places to eat (variety) and a big mall.....
Oh and where is the best place to live in Ohio for cheaper housing (150k or less), not in a big crime area and close enough to the conviences we like.
Ghostpoet,
I wouldn't be too concerned so much with the innercity, crime, weather, and housing prices. I would be concerned with the amount of taxes you have to pay when you work and live in Ohio. Not only will your employer withhold local income tax where you work but you also have to pay a tax to the city or town where you reside. We pay $1200 a year to the city of Cleveland in taxes and will have to pay taxes to the city where we reside. So make sure if you come to Ohio that you have a good paying job. Not only do you have to pay state, federal, social security, medicare but you have to pay two local income taxes as well. That is a big price to pay to come to Ohio. A place where the sun shines 160 days a year and the winters are harsh and long. Also there is a tax on clothes and a double tax if you shop in the grocery stores and hardware store. There is a state sales tax and county tax. I heard the sales tax is increasing to 8%. I just re-located to Ohio which was not my first choice but I am here and have to deal with it until I leave. I wonder though why Ohio residents allow the taxes to get out of control but they pay it.
The housing market is pretty bad here too. If you buy a house and need to sell it because you have to move you will be stuck. The houses aren't moving off the market. Many people homes went into foreclosure.
The only thing I can say that is good based on what I have heard is the school system depending on where you are moving to.
Just so you know, not all cities charge a city tax. I don't pay city taxes where i live. When i lived in Niles they had a 1% tax, i worked in Warren and they had a 1.5% tax. I believe Warren would withhold .5% from my check and Niles would get the other 1%, they didn't double tax. Also, food is not taxed, just alcohol, pop, and cigarettes. If you move near the PA border, they do not tax clothes because they view that as a necessity. Not everyone in Ohio is taxed as bad as they tax you in Cleveland. In fact, i read the PA board a lot and it seems that they are taxed a lot more than we are here, but that's just hearsay.
Right now I'm looking at a receipt from Walmart and it looks like we are only have a 6.5% sales tax in Trumbull Co.
1) What's the weather like in off seasons? Lots of sun by chance?
What do you mean by off seasons? It seems to me that most summer mornings are sunny, but by afternoon the clouds roll in. Most summer days have white puffy clouds and blue skys. Winter does have it's sunny days, but they seem far and few between, most winter days are pretty gray. I don't really mind winter until january or feb. that's when the temp. is at its coldest and i get sick of the snow by then. I don't really mind nov. and dec. I would say fall in ohio is my favorite. I love the 60-70° days and the crisp cool nights. It's always great weather for a bonfire! The fall colors are really beautiful too.
2) One thing making me very cautious is how crime filled Columbus is...what is the rest of the state like?
Are you looking to live in a big city? I would say most of Ohio is pretty safe except for certain areas of big cities, like the 3 C's, toledo, youngstown, canton, akron, etc. Some neighborhoods in these cities are fine.
3) Is there a lot to do? We love big movie theaters, lots of places to eat (variety) and a big mall.....
There is a ton of shopping and places to eat in Ohio. I live in NE Ohio so i know more about Cleveland, Akron, Y-town and Pittsburgh. Beechwood Mall near cleveland is really nice and we have 2 pretty decent malls in the youngstown area. If you are into sports and concerts NE Ohio could be right for you too. Oh yeah, and we have a couple drive-in movie theaters nearby, Elm Road Drive-In Theatre: Welcome and Skyway Drive-In Theatre. The only downside to this part of the state and Ohio in general (minus C-bus) is the lack of jobs in certain fields. Although, if you are in the medical field or trucking you should be good. Oh yeah, and if you like golf we have a ton and i mean of ton of golf courses, we have 3 in my small town of cortland (app. 7k residents). Walnut Run Golf Course Home PageTamer Win Golf & C.C.Ash Hills Golf Course | Ash Hills Golf Course
Another plus is that i live 1 hour from both cleveland and pittsburgh, 2.5-3 hours from columbus and toledo. and 3-4 hours from upstate ny and michigan (boo!). I-80 and 76 are nearby as well.
Oh and where is the best place to live in Ohio for cheaper housing (150k or less), not in a big crime area and close enough to the conviences we like.
I live in an area that has homes in that price range. You could have a home w/a few acres, live on a city lot or in an older subdivision for 150k or less. Like i said, it's a great place to live if you can find a job and if you're ok w/the weather. I don't mind the weather, so i love it.
Here are some towns in Trumbull Co. w/houses in your price range. (if you want more rural areas i can get you that too.)
Ghostpoet,
I'd like to put in a word for my hometown, Boardman, OH. It's got a Tinstletown and 2 other cinemas, a decent sized mall (Southern Park Mall--not the biggest, but definitely not small), tons of places to eat, whether you like good old fashioned American food or ethnic restaurants, cheap housing, and very little crime.
Boardman is the largest commercial area for the Youngstown-Warren-Sharon, OH-PA Metro Area, which includes about 700,000 people +/-. It's got its share of cookie cutter developments from the 50's all the way up through the 2000s. But it also has a couple of older, historic areas. One is called "The Glen" which is along the border with Youngstown. Fabulous houses. Incredibly cheap. But there is crime there since it borders on some of the city's worst neighborhoods. I haven't checked lately, but I would guess houses there go for $85,000 all the way to more than half a million. (Well, selling price. I don't know if they get that. I sure wouldn't pay that much for one, even on Newport Drive...) The other somewhat historic area is called Ridgewood Estates, which is where I live. It's farther away from Youngstown, and there is virtually no crime here. The neighborhood is very tight-knit--they have neighborhood garage sales, block parties, and strawberry shortcake festivals. I'm not really in to all of that, but it's still a great place to live. Many of the houses were built in the 40's and are very nice. Ours needed some work when we bought it (2.5 years ago for $100,000). Some are completely updated and sell for $150,000. Lots of house for the money compared to other areas.
Since most of the shopping in Mahoning County is in Boardman and the surrounding townships, you would be close to everything. (I will warn you, Boardman has allowed virtually uncontrolled development for the past 60 years, so it has a lot of ugly suburban sprawl. I personally hate sprawl, but even I have to admit, it is convenient being close to everything...)
The other nice thing about Boardman is that it is relatively close to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Akron (all about an hour drive +/-) and even Erie, PA (1.5 hours). Some people live in the area but commute to those larger cities. I personally don't know why, but they do...
Now here are the drawbacks to Boardman, besides those I've already mentioned: the job market and the weather. It's hard to find a good job here. Period. People leave here all the time because they can't find one. That's just how it is. And many people complain about the weather. I've lived in the area all my life so I guess I'm used to the weather. The only time I don't like it is when it rains out a picnic or pool party or something like that. But I don't think that that only happens in Boardman, Ohio... The winters do seem to drag on forever here and usually by February I saw I want to move south. But so far I haven't.
And if Boardman doesn't sound like what you are looking for, I'd suggest you look into the suburbs of Cleveland/Akron or Columbus. They would also have everything you're looking for, but possibly at a higher price than in Boardman...
Good luck to you!
And PS, my next door neighbors just put their house up for sale
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1) What's the weather like in off seasons? Lots of sun by chance? There are four distinct seasons. Their length and temperature variations vary depending upon which end of the state you're in. Each season has its drawbacks and advantages.
2) One thing making me very cautious is how crime filled Columbus is...what is the rest of the state like? There's crime everywhere. In every state. And criminals are mobile. They can drive from the so-called bad neighborhoods right into the good ones.
3) Is there a lot to do? We love big movie theaters, lots of places to eat (variety) and a big mall..... Ohio has lots of malls and movie theaters and restaurants. Kinda like the rest of the country. And symphonies and ballets and museums and parks and professional sports teams and ...
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