Possible move to Wooster/Wayne County (Cleveland, Akron: buying a home, employment, buying)

[wpd]

Hi. I'm new to this forum. Oh, how I wish I had found it sooner!

My husband and I are both from Ohio originally. He is from the Cleveland area and I am from the Ohio Valley. We are currently living in Maryland and have been wanting to move back to Ohio for quite some time. We may finally have the opportunity as my husband is waiting for an offer of employment from the city of Wooster.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could give me some information on Wooster. I am particularly interested in the general atmosphere of the city and whether it is a good place to raise a family, as we have a toddler. Are there many parks in the area? How is the school system? Is there any part of town I should avoid buying a home in for safety reasons?

Thanks for any information,
wpd

[Ohiomom]

Hi wpd. I live in Wooster and have 3 kids. We have lived here for 13 year. GREAT place to raise a family. I think you'll really like it.

We have a few parks in town. An older one called "Christmas Run" park and a newer one. Both very nice.

The school system is great here. Our kids go to "Kean" Elementary. Love it.
We have one middle school and one high school. The high school is pretty new. Middle school here is 7 and 8.


There isn't really any part of town to avoid for "safety" reasons that I know of. A realtor can help you out better on this, but most of Wooster is very nice.

Also, there is another thread with others moving here as well. It's called "It's Official, I'm moving to Ohio".

Take Care,
Ohiomom

[paintballer1708]

I have heard many good things about Wooster. And visiting the city it is very very nice. Its growing, but not at a rapid pace. Its also not far from Akron and Cleveland. The economy is growing and the school system is great. I really like the main street in Wooster. It is a very nice growing and attractive town. Good luck in your move.

[wpd]

Thanks for your responses. My husband has been out there a few times for interviews, but I haven't really seen the town except for driving through the southern portion on route 250 on my way to Tiffin. I've done some research on the Internet and everything I've seen sounds really good. We've pretty much decided that we're moving there if and when my husband gets a job offer.

What is the shopping like in town? Malls? Small shopping centers? Mom & pop stores or national retailers? What about grocery stores?

[Ohiomom]

The shopping isn't much compared to other towns in NE Ohio, but it has some good stores. The north end is where a lot of shopping is. We have a super Walmart, Kohl's, Lowe's, Best Buy for some chains. We just got a "Cold Stone Creamery" which is supposed to be GREAT. We have Pier One, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, etc. We don't have a mall, but there are malls within a 30-45 minute drive. Canton Beldon Village, Fairlawn (my favorite) and one in Mansfield.

My favorite grocery store is a locally owned one called Buehler's. It started here in Wooster, but has really grown with stores in Canton, Deleware, Medina, Orrville, Ashland to name a few. I think they just opened one in Canton. Very nice store.

Hope this helps.

Chris

[amsherwo]

Wooster is a fantastic place to raise a family. I grew up there and lived in Wooster for 20 years and the vast majority of my family still lives there and loves it. It is a great little city in the middle of a lot of nothing. It's super safe and quiet. The schools are great (avoid Lincoln Way Elementary---it's in the rougher section of town), but I never heard anything bad about any of the others. And there are a TON of parks in and around Wooster!!!! Christmas Run, Freedlander, Wooster Memorial (Spangler), and many many other smaller ones throughout the town. The north end of town is where everything is going on in Wooster, although downtown near the college is where I grew up and absolutely loved it.