salem,leetonia or columbiana good bad and ugly (Cleveland, Youngstown: for sale, real estate)
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I have narrowed my search down for a single family home in one of these areas. looking for affordable housing, at least 1/2 acre of land and semi-rural/rural living. I will be checking homes and these areas out in august. areas within maybe 25 minutes to anemities, groceries, gas and employment. Can you all give me your opinion of each area. Pros and cons, a little background info of each......... thanks!
Salem - Out of the three places you listed, Salem would definitely be my choice, hands-down. I lived there for a year or so before purchasing a home in Youngstown.
Downtown Salem has a very historic feel to it with a couple of very nice parks. I don't think you'd have a problem finding a home there as there's usually quite a few for sale... there's also quite a variety to choose from, everything from $25,000 fixer-uppers to $500,000 homes. There are a few scabby areas so use caution if you're looking for a deal though. As far as employment goes, a large portion of the city's residents work for the Salem Community Hospital which is probably what has kept Salem "above water" over the years. There are other employment options but most of it is factory work, which generally doesn't pay very well. For those not working at the hospital, most of them make the 20-30 minute drive to Austintown/Boardman (as I did), or the Alliance area. Salem has it's own Super Wal-Mart, Home Depot and several "Mom and Pop" stores, as well as the usual McD's, BK, Arby's, etc. so most of the things one needs for day to day living can be purchased in town without having to make a 30 minute drive elsewhere. To be honest, I wish I would have purchased one of the several historic homes there instead of moving away, but my ex had other plans for us.
I don't know if I'll get to it before you make your visit to the area but, I've been planning on putting together a photo-tour of Salem for the past year. So keep your eyes open for it in case I actually get around to doing it, lol
Columbiana - For me it would be the next choice, but I personally wouldn't move there. To be honest, I've only been there a few times, so someone else could probably give you a better, more accurate description of the area. From what I recall there wasn't much there, which is probably the reason why I never bothered to go back.
Leetonia - I wouldn't even consider it. Aside from the bike trail there's no real reason to go there, unless you like hole-in-the-wall bars. Downtown is a mess, the roads are awful and most of the homes in the area are garbage. My ex wife had family there and I was generally embarrased to go anywhere near the place.
Remember these towns are at most 15 minutes away from each other, and while there isn't much in Leetonia, I think the rural areas around there are quite nice. That area might give you the best options for the kind of housing you're after.
I grew up in Salem and I say Salem... meh. True, there is absolutely everything you need there, and then some. Historic downtown is interesting for its architecture, but aside from bars not much is there. Salem has gone sadly downhill in the last 10-15 years in terms of housing stock and general maintenance, but there are still nice affordable older homes there, some on good-sized lots, and would be worth a look.
Columbiana: equally meh. Columbiana is possibly the most affluent of the three, easiest access to the Youngstown area, and has a very nice city park, but as a town does absolutely nothing for me.
I might be considered weird for this, but honestly my favorite town in the area is Lisbon. Character, old buildings, Steel Trolley & Mary's Pizza , rolling countryside, the Creek and Greenway trail, plus you are a few minutes' drive from Salem and OH-11 if you need to go to Calcutta or Y-Town.
If you have kids, schools are definitely a consideration, and that's information I will leave to someone else to give you. I went to Salem and feel like it was a decent public-school experience, but this was about 15 years ago and I have no idea what it's like now.
Salem has gone sadly downhill in the last 10-15 years in terms of housing stock and general maintenance, but there are still nice affordable older homes there, some on good-sized lots, and would be worth a look.
I agree, especially the inner-ring homes around downtown, but I still think that Salem has the most to offer. Aside from having two very nice historic districts, there's a lot of decent homes on the outer edges of town. I'd recommend looking towards Guilford Lake if you're looking for something country-ish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strudel42
Columbiana: equally meh. Columbiana is possibly the most affluent of the three, easiest access to the Youngstown area, and has a very nice city park, but as a town does absolutely nothing for me.
Again, I agree. Firestone Park is nice, but that's the only reason I can think of to give Columbiana any love... even though there are some very nice homes around there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strudel42
I might be considered weird for this, but honestly my favorite town in the area is Lisbon. Character, old buildings, Steel Trolley & Mary's Pizza , rolling countryside, the Creek and Greenway trail, plus you are a few minutes' drive from Salem and OH-11 if you need to go to Calcutta or Y-Town.
I've always liked Lisbon as well. In fact I fell head over heals in love with several of the brick century homes there.
I was bored yesterday so I looked at Yahoo Real Estate for Salem. There are some dirt-cheap places to be had. Obviously you'd want to do your due diligence, but it is definitely a buyer's market. It is a bit depressing to look at the photos & see the prevalence of that putrid 1980's "country" wallpaper, though. Wallpaper... what were we Ohioans thinking?? Still a deal's a deal, hey?
Sigma: Yeah, Lisbon's great. It's like going back in time; the town square, courthouse, and old houses are fantastic. It's almost strange how 19th-century it still is given the absence of any sort of historical zoning or ordinances; it's just sort of frozen. And that's a good thing. I know how you feel about Leetonia, but have you visited the Cherry Valley coke ovens? A quirky little historical attraction, definitely worth a visit.
Yep! I've visited them a couple of times actually. I haven't had much luck photographing them yet... So, I'll probably make a trip out there again this fall. I will give Leetonia that, the ovens are a neat attraction.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strudel42
Columbiana: equally meh. Columbiana is possibly the most affluent of the three, easiest access to the Youngstown area, and has a very nice city park, but as a town does absolutely nothing for me.
I might be considered weird for this, but honestly my favorite town in the area is Lisbon. Character, old buildings, Steel Trolley & Mary's Pizza , rolling countryside, the Creek and Greenway trail, plus you are a few minutes' drive from Salem and OH-11 if you need to go to Calcutta or Y-Town.
Columbiana is nice, a friend lives there. It's 35 - 40 minute drive to Cranberry PA for clothing shopping (no tax on clothing in PA). Proximity Boardman is nice and easy, and of course the Rogers Flea Market, can't forget that!
I'm not familiar with the other towns listed, but I love Lisbon. If I had my choice, it'd be Lisbon. Such a very pretty, clean small town. And of course, there's the Steel Trolley Diner! That's a must visit when we're driving thru.
Perhaps someone on here from Lisbon can post about the town and let us know.
You'll find in many rustbelt areas (in the types of towns you are looking at) that people often live in the same home for sometimes 20-40 years. Our area has a large elderly population and if i home was updated last when that person was still working, say the 70s or 80s then they probably have paneling in their home. You'll also find a lot of wallpaper and old kitchens in many homes around here, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Now if you had decided on a newer township type of area or suburb then your probably wouldn't be seeing so much paneling. You would probably see a lot of 1990s style features! lol
I feel as though I am trapped in the days of... I do not know... No Sidewalks, no crosswalks, people look at you crazy when you ask for a place to get a drink, almost got hit crossing a road from the Hotel trying to find a place to get a dinner. I walked around in dirt and grass destroying a pair of shoes and in that time, I WAS THE ONLY PERSON TRYING TO WALK AROUND TOWN... I got horns blown at me and dirty looks everywhere I went trying to cross even a parking lot. I would not suggest Lisbon Ohio to visit to NO ONE.. Very disappointing place to have to get trapped.... The upside, the Hotel I stayed at was very nice, clean and relaxing... Just don't get hungery or a erdge to socialize....
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