From Chicagoland to Findlay? (Columbus, Toledo: renting, house, neighborhood)

[johnlm04]

Hello Everyone,
My husband has a potential job opportunity in Findlay, and we are wondering about the area. We currently live in the western suburbs of Chicago and find it quite bland. We miss the small-town charm of the midwest and are hoping Findlay may have what we're looking for. I was wondering what the community is like. Are there fairs and festivals? What do people do for fun? How are the parks and libraries? Public schools? Are there jogging or bike trails? How is the walkability of the town itself? Is Findlay feeling the decay of the current economy like much of the midwest or is the town pretty stable? We are originally from Northeast Indiana (near Fort Wayne) and are hoping to find a comfortable lifestyle similar to what we had there.
Thanks for any help and advice you can give!

[flashes1]

A family member took a major job in Findlay not too long ago.....they live at the office so they don't really care about quality of life.....have a very nice house by the country club......that particular neighborhood is as nice as anything you'll find in Cinti or Columbus......the kids transitioned from a prep school with the founder of Home Depot's kids to Findlay schools and that's gone very well.....very well actually.....and that's a big relief because that was a concern. There's a couple decent restaurants downtown that we've been too.....a Thai place and a sports bar. The country club seems nice...there's a pool.....big trees surrounding the course. I haven't been to the University of Findlay.....but that might make life more enjoyable....I know high performing high school kids can take classes at the university.

[Art1979]

I'll try to be as fair and impartial to you as I can be. This area is not for me, and I am not for the area. I have about had it here, but that doesn't mean I cannot tell you what I've experienced.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

We currently live in the western suburbs of Chicago and find it quite bland.

I have absolutely no reason to believe Findlay, OH will be any spicier than the western suburbs of the third largest city in the US.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

Are there fairs and festivals?

Hancock county fair, Wine Festival (mid-Summer, usually), and Art Walk are all off the top of my head. Visit the Arts Partnership for more info.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

What do people do for fun?

Better question: what do you do for fun?

Originally Posted by johnlm04

How are the parks and libraries?

The library isn't that bad, but isn't used nearly as much as it should be. The parks, well, you'll need to decide for yourself. The best I can do is a guide some guy slapped together.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

Public schools?

Decent. I wouldn't be looking for Excalibur quality around here, but if your children apply themselves, I think they'll learn a thing or two.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

Are there jogging or bike trails?

Yes, in a sense. I think they're mentioned on that parks list I linked.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

How is the walkability of the town itself?

Poor. You could get hit walking just as easily as if you were in a larger city. No one cooperates on the road. Keep on the sidewalk (where available) and your wits about you.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

Is Findlay feeling the decay of the current economy like much of the midwest or is the town pretty stable?

Depends on your metric. There are empty storefronts in nearly any location in the city and the downtown's in dire need of repairs, especially around the river. Some people don't think that's a problem though.

Originally Posted by johnlm04

We are originally from Northeast Indiana (near Fort Wayne) and are hoping to find a comfortable lifestyle similar to what we had there.

I've only visited Ft. Wayne. I couldn't give you an accurate comparison.

Best advice: visit and decide for yourself.

[ZnGuy]

Findlay=Bland small city IMO. Ft. Wayne Bland medium size city

[johnlm04]

Thanks for the input, guys. I understand the small-town feel is not for everyone. We do plan on visiting soon, so I'm sure I will have a better idea after that.
We are pretty simple people as far as what we like to do for fun...we enjoy bicycling, going to the movies, hiking, etc. As I mentioned, we are from near Fort Wayne, so we are used to having to find our own fun.
What about Bowling Green? Would it be unreasonable to think we could live in Bowling Green and commute to Findlay? How bad is the drive to Toledo for when we did need some bigger city amenities?

[ImaMichigander]

We moved to Findlay over 4 years ago from Metro Detroit. I was fully prepared not to like it and, in fact, like it very much. We are pleased with our school, St Michael School-- the only Catholic School in the County. There are fun little festivals, like Balloon Fest and others that seem to pop up quite often on Main Street and at the Parks. The County Parks have great programming. Restaurants are not all that-- with many being national chains, but we do have some good locals too, like The Bistro on Main, which is owned by a lovely man who is also a transplant to Findlay. I swear when we moved here, the town had been distributed cards, because everyone said the same thing.... "Findlay is a great place to raise a family!" And I would stick by that!

With all that said, Findlay has terrible shopping. The mall is deplorable. But the drive to Toledo for a proper mall, big box stores and Target is only an hour. Columbus is lovely for shopping. And so is Mansfield. In Findlay you learn to shop on line a lot.... Another downside is travel. If you want to fly, you drive an hour and a half to do so-- either DTW or Columbus.

In short, I like Findlay, a lot. It might not be for everyone, but for my family it was just what we were looking for! If you have specific questions, please feel free to private message me.... Good luck!

[flashes1]

Originally Posted by johnlm04

Thanks for the input, guys. I understand the small-town feel is not for everyone. We do plan on visiting soon, so I'm sure I will have a better idea after that.
We are pretty simple people as far as what we like to do for fun...we enjoy bicycling, going to the movies, hiking, etc. As I mentioned, we are from near Fort Wayne, so we are used to having to find our own fun.
What about Bowling Green? Would it be unreasonable to think we could live in Bowling Green and commute to Findlay? How bad is the drive to Toledo for when we did need some bigger city amenities?

Check with your company how they feel about employees living outside of Findlay. My BIL was considering keeping his family in Columbus, Dayton or Cinti for the schools while renting a place in Findlay during the week. The CEO firmly told him that the company likes to be close to the community and employees (at least at my BIL's level) were expected to live in Findlay.

And now that I think about it, I remember driving by a huge Christmas event, at I believe, the Fairgrounds.....there were tons of cars......but for some reason my BIL didn't want to go there......there was a fun corn maze at Halloween-time at a farm west of 75......we have small kids so they had fun.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by flashes1

Check with your company how they feel about employees living outside of Findlay. My BIL was considering keeping his family in Columbus, Dayton or Cinti for the schools while renting a place in Findlay during the week. The CEO firmly told him that the company likes to be close to the community and employees (at least at my BIL's level) were expected to live in Findlay.

People who aren't willing to relocate to the location of the position rarely last for more than a year or two. Living away from the family all week is not much of a life.

[Vegabern]

I've live in both Bowling Green and Findlay. Both are nice towns. They have a different feel so you'd have to decide which you prefer.

Findlay is more quiet and a little more serious in my opinion. They have a small university but you won't find the partying you would in Bowling Green. The shopping is lame but Toledo, Lima or Dayton aren't that far away. You'll find more in Findlay than you would in Bowling Green. Findlay doesn't have much of a downtown. It's car dependent.

BG is a college town. There's no other way to describe it. It would turn into a map dot without BGSU. That said, the town caters to BGSU. There is plenty of partying going on and most shops and restaurants are geared towards college age students. BG does have a great, thriving downtown area. I've never lived in a place that was as walker friendly as BG. My mom still lives there and she walks everywhere. BG is a much better commute to Toledo than Findlay. Shops and restaurants in Perrysburg and Maumee are a short jaunt up the road.

The commute from BG to Findlay is completely reasonable. My brother-in-law does it every night for third shift.