2-Part Question: A) Why Did You Leave Ohio or Move to Ohio B) What area did you leave/move to, and why? (Columbus: for sale, real estate)

[Jane0218]

I'm hearing a lot of different things about Ohio and its main cities and smaller towns. Good, bad, neutral. Not just here at city-data, so don't think if you've posted in here I'm basing all my reactions from here. I want to start to focus on ONE area of Ohio, and then go to that sub-forum to ask pertinent questions, and I just can't seem narrow it down on my own.

My husband and I will be moving from northeastern PA because it is too rural, too remote, and just too cold (as compared to our previous location in southeastern PA). We like seasonal changes. We have no children. Don't want HOA or POA cr*p.

I hear people singing the praises of any area of Ohio. I hear people say Ohio has suffered quite a bit from the recession and isn't really bouncing back as fast as some other states/cities in the U.S. I hear real estate never really "bubbled" so prices never got irrationally high.

Ohio housing prices are very much within our budget ($80k-$100k, give or take), and I see these prices all over the state for single family homes. Crime is relatively low in most of the state.

A) If you've left Ohio, where did you leave from, why, and was it a good decision?
OR
B) If you've moved to Ohio, where did you move from, why, and are you happy where you are? Would you move to another area of Ohio, or want to leave the state?


My husband is pushing for Ohio. I'm overwhelmed by the choice we have to make, because I want our next move to be our final move. I want our next home to be what I'm calling our "forever" home. I'm tired of moving every few years (NY, AZ, NC, PA). I want a milder climate (not too much cold in the winter) but my husband won't move back to NC (pretty much the only southern East Coast state that has 4 defined seasons, with a mild winter. It IS pretty humid there, I will give him that!).

C) If you know of neighborhoods that are STRONG, not teetering on becoming neighborhoods of vacant homes, please let me know, because the only way I have to find this out is here, in city-data. Real estate agents can't tell me that kind of info. And I'm so sick and tired of looking at statistics!
I want to here what you have to say, how you FEEL about your choices, what you like/love/dislike/hate about wherever you left Ohio from, or moved into Ohio to.

So many houses for sale--it's impossible to determine where to focus in Ohio, except I know I'd prefer a milder winter than NE PA, a fairly strong economy, and colleges, not in the middle of nowhere.

Moving used to be fun, exciting. Now I just want to get it all over with, find a place with people who aren't fake, people who enjoy speaking their minds.

Crime ISN'T everywhere. In fact, in every place I've lived, I've never had to have any concerns about my personal safety, or my belongings. I've been able to leave the house unlocked (yes, in highly populated areas), not worry about my handbag being left in my shopping cart at the grocery store, not worrying about leaving the car unlocked.

Except for here in NE PA, all places were populated, and only in NY did we feel comfortable enough to speak our minds without people either getting hyper-defensive (when what was said wasn't confrontational), or becoming afraid to say anything, or giving us the southern charm and bypassing/ignoring what was said. We're normal people, liberal-minded but not fanatics, not religious.

[MB86]

Weather and the love of the beach is the only reason.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Jane0218

C) If you know of neighborhoods that are STRONG, not teetering on becoming neighborhoods of vacant homes, please let me know, because the only way I have to find this out is here, in city-data. Real estate agents can't tell me that kind of info. And I'm so sick and tired of looking at statistics!

I saw on a different thread you were looking into southern Ohio and under $100k. This part I can help with quite a bit.

Offhand, small-town Ohio meets this requirement. County seats in particular would seem to work well. So places like Xenia, Troy, Lebanon, Eaton, etc. There are also some specific neighborhoods I can point you towards in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus if you are inclined, as well as in Springfield and Hamilton.

[Jane0218]

Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachBound2011

Weather and the love of the beach is the only reason.

Weather is a common choice. Ohio gets all 4 seasons (maybe more mild winters in southern Ohio??).


When I made my first move from NY to AZ, it was because of having enough of bad winters. I really, really, really missed the change of seasons, even though I loved Arizona overall. If there were more larger towns about an hour north of Phoenix, not just Prescott and Payson, that would be ideal because it doesn't get too cold or as hot as Phoenix. But there are pine trees mountains, all the good stuff. No beach though.

I miss the beaches of eastern Long Island, NY a LOT. I had a requirement of being able to go to the beach when we move. But our budget doesn't allow it. I can't handle the humidity, so we can't go to SC, GA, or FL.

One of my brothers just moved to the east coast of central FL a couple weeks ago. He doesn't mind the heat and humidity.

Enjoy Myrtle Beach!

[Jane0218]

Originally Posted by OHKID

I saw on a different thread you were looking into southern Ohio and under $100k. This part I can help with quite a bit.

Offhand, small-town Ohio meets this requirement. County seats in particular would seem to work well. So places like Xenia, Troy, Lebanon, Eaton, etc. There are also some specific neighborhoods I can point you towards in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus if you are inclined, as well as in Springfield and Hamilton.

YES! Please do point me towards areas that won't become ghost towns! Except this whole thing of violent crimes and murder in and around Dayton doesn't work for me.

I'll check out the towns you have above tomorrow. I've already checked Xenia, and it seems to be reminiscent of where I grew up. Just the basics, and if I want more, I jump over to another, larger town.

Thanks so much for commenting .

[Natural510]

Xenia's a nice town, but the downside is the crazy weather, which includes the occasional tornado or freak hail storm which don't seem to happen in any of the surrounding areas. And violent crime really isn't an issue outside of Dayton proper.
The buffer between the two areas are the suburbs of Oakwood/Kettering/Beavercreek, which are popular and will be buyer's areas for the foreseeable future, but not sure if they're in your price range.

[No_Recess]

Avoid NE Ohio if winter isn't your thing. The difference between a snow belt winter and a southern Ohio winter is extremely dramatic.

[INJEN78]

Lima for school(UNOH) and man do i hate this state.

[woxyroxme]

I am planning to move back to Downeast Maine at some point in the future, the town I am moving to (Eastport) has for the most part remained unchanged since I was a little kid in the 1960s, it is very isolated and remote and at the northernmost extreme of the east coast.

Where I live now (Lebanon) was a nice little town 40 years ago when there was only 8000 people living here and the surrounding area was farmland. Over the last 15-20 years developers have ruined the area, putting up cookie cutter subdivisions anywhere they could, and strip malls, fast food places, etc. As a result there is more traffic, noise, crime and litter.

The nicest town in this area is Waynesville, they have a small grocery store a few restaurants and a lot of antique shops, unfortunately they have a McDonalds but because of local opposition it was built in a way that was less detrimental to the town. If you need to go to Kroger or Wal-Mart you can get to Lebanon in 10 minutes or 10 minutes to Springboro which has a Kroger and a K-Mart. The Caesars Creek State Park is about 5 minutes away.

You may want to look through the "Buckeye Photo Thread" as well.

[Jane0218]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Xenia's a nice town, but the downside is the crazy weather, which includes the occasional tornado or freak hail storm which don't seem to happen in any of the surrounding areas. And violent crime really isn't an issue outside of Dayton proper.
The buffer between the two areas are the suburbs of Oakwood/Kettering/Beavercreek, which are popular and will be buyer's areas for the foreseeable future, but not sure if they're in your price range.

Thanks. Crazy weather, huh?! We haven't had any tornadoes in northeast PA, but we can never go by the weather forecast even for the current day. Rain squalls in the summer, and sleet and snow squalls in the winter can ruin any attempt to get off the hill we live on.


Thanks for what you wrote about violent crime not being much of an issue outside Dayton proper. I've been going back and forth with someone else about the issue of crime, it is something I won't accept to live close to.

There are maybe about 5-8 houses in Kettering that fit our budget. We're now planning on visiting for a few days, get shown around.