Are there any NICE cities in Ohio? (Columbus, Cleveland: houses, employment)

[CoffeeAddict]

So I've fallen in love with Naperville, IL and Wheaton, IL but they are very expensive and about 5 hours away.

I'm wondering if I can find something similar in Ohio? (I'm in MI now and Ohio is much closer) I now a lot of the posts here a pretty negative about Ohio, but there must still be some nice, safe, vibrant, places right?

I'm looking for something that has plenty of shopping, outdoor malls are a plus, a pretty downtown that you can enjoy a stroll through with some coffee and feel safe. Basically upscale, family friendly and plenty of walkable areas.

Pet friendly is a must.

My price range in under $200,000 (lower the better) so I don't mind living within 10-15 minutes away from a city that has what I've described above if I cannot afford to live directly in it.

Thanks for any suggestions! One of these days I'll finally decide on a city!

[CortlandGirl79]

Chagrin Falls is the first town that popped into my head, but it's very expensive. There are plenty of nice cities in Ohio if you do some research, i myself prefer NE Ohio. Maybe some other people here have some ideas as to what you're looking for. Do you have a certain kind of job in mind??? That might help us to direct you to the right location.

[CoffeeAddict]

I am self employed and work from home so jobs are not an issue. (although I wouldn't want to live in a city with a high un-employment rate)

I'm off to goggle Chagrin Falls, thanks!

[CortlandGirl79]

Oh, that's good then! Ohio has some of the same employment problems that MI does, but not to the extent that SE MI is experiencing. Good luck on your search!

[LancasterNative]

What about Delaware? It's got a nice walkable downtown with a college campus nearby; it's also an easy shot into Columbus via either U.S. 23 or the much-prettier OH 315.

Although Delaware has residents from all walks of life, it's a small town so you're not gonna find any serious ghetto there. It's also close to some very upscale Columbus suburban areas, namely Powell and Polaris.

Another cool town is Findlay, a county seat with ≈40K people about halfway between Cols. and Toledo. Very easy access from Michigan. For a town its size Findlay has a good-sized shopping scene and a downtown w/some pretty substantial buildings. Also some lovely historic homes along S. Main Street for a pleasant stroll by...

Anyway, best of luck in whatever you decide
Lanc

[wrightflyer]

I'll throw in the hat for Dayton. As for the region, the number one thing I can think of that can bring people here is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The place employs something like 12000 gov't workers, countless more contractors from places like IBM, Boeing, etc. It's much more stable job wise than the auto industry, which Dayton also has in stock. Not sure where its going however.

Centerville is what comes to mind first. It has a viable downtown with shops and businesses. It is considered one of the suburbs to live in near Dayton. The city can be a little expensive, so a >$200,000 budget will get you a 1500-2000sq ft ranch from the 50's-70's. One of teh best school systems in the region and there is a local rec center with pool. For raising a family, its not that bad.

Kettering would be another consideration. It's an older inner ring suburb just north of Centerville. It's cheaper so $$$ will for a house will go further, something like a 2000-2500sq ft ranch/two story from the 1970's. Most housing in Kettering dates in the 50's and 60's with little new construction as it is landlocked for the most part and completly developed. The city probably has one of the best park systems in the region with plenty of pretty neighborhood parks and large ones like Indian Ripple and the Rec Center.

Finally, I there is Beavercreek. Another suburb much like Centerville, but cheaper. The schools, while excellent, are not the top three (more like top 5 or 10). >200,000 will get you plenty of choices of 1960 and 70's ranches but there is more stock than say Centerville. Basically, its your typical bedroom suburb with sporadic sidewalks (but it does host a wonderful bike trail linked with about another 100mi of paved trail), a family appeal, and two malls. It's shopping mecca for most people in Dayton. One mall is indoors with stores like Williams-Sonoma, Sears, Penneys, Hollister. The other is a new outdoor center with a faux downtown theme. Von Maur will soon be there.

Also check out places like Springboro, Mason, and Bellbrook, all within booming SW Ohio.

[CortlandGirl79]

You might also want to check out beachwood which is very upscale. They have an indoor and outdoor mall(legacy village). I don't know much about the city itself, but a lot of the cleveland/akron suburbs are upscale. Off the top of my head there is hudson, solon, bainbridge (sp?), pepper pike, hunting valley, shaker heights, etc. I know the West side has some very upscale areas as well, but don't feel comfortable commenting on them since i live closer to the eastside.

I'm located near Youngstown and the PA border, a lot of people around here prefer the youngstown suburbs of poland, canfield, and boardman. Boardman has a pretty nice mall and the Grove City Outlet mall is located right across the border in Grove City, PA. I like living in this area because we are an hr from both cleveland a pittsburgh and there are a lot of cultural activities (sports, arts, plays, concerts, etc). The only down side is the economy. Although, i doubt our upscale areas have high unemployment numbers. Also, the youngstown-warren area has the most affordable cost of living in the nation, but it's not for everyone. The cleveland area is also pretty affordable.

Ok, i'll quit typing now. Good luck!

[streetcreed]

I really think that you should look into living in one of the very nice, charming, walkable neigborhoods of Columbus.

Columbus is a very nice city in Ohio with a great economy and is developing a very nice, walkable innercity. Columbus has outdoor shopping as you asked for and many areas with coffe shops, parks, cute houses. Columbus is a big, nice city but the city has many neighborhoods with their own mini downtown. This makes Columbus seem like a collection of many middle size towns. I really think that you will find what your looking for by actually living in a Columbus neighborhood.

I really suggest looking into Clintonville or Beechwold (the areas just north of Ohio State) Or Grandview Heights just west of downtown. Also, Victorian Village, German Village, and Merion Village may be what your looking for though they are a little more dense and "city like." All of these neighorboods have parks, rivers, fixed up homes (older and new build), shops, coffe shops, etc.. If you think your interested in living in the bigger city then I think you should look into the areas of Columbus that I mentioned.

All of the "towns" or suburbs of Columbus are more suburban, car oriented. Most of the burbs have their own little downtown, so maybe you would like living in an area like Worthington but near its charming downtown.

[CoffeeAddict]

Thanks for the replies!

Streetcred, do any of those towns have a "town square" with a fountain or river walk?

[BelieveInCleve]

Elyria seems like it match your description, but it might not be as nice as you would hope. Elyria has a nice town square with a fountain and everything and the downtown is okay. Elyria also has cascade park which has many riverfront paths and walks and has waterfalls and everything. Elyria is pretty urban and the central area has a really urban feel to it. Midway mall is okay but not too good of a mall area, you can drive 15 minutes to get to Great Northern Mall close to the Westside of Cleveland. The bad thing is that there arent many jobs and there are some rough neighborhoods in Elyria and Lorain since they are old, the southside of elyria is bad, and also central Lorain, and south lorain is pretty bad.

I think better choices for you might be Rocky River, Lakewood, or Beachwood, maybe Cleveland Heights. I dont know much about the cities in the rest of the state except for the larger ones.