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Old 03-21-2015, 09:44 PM
 
Location: the Great Lakes states
801 posts, read 2,566,356 times
Reputation: 557

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Moving to Ohio this summer and seeking out the best place for me.

What I'm looking for:
Youthful vibe, connected to a university
Lots of energy
Clean/safe, walkable neighborhood (ideally walkable at any hour of the day or night)
No major concerns with street crime, break-ins, car thefts
All-American feel - 4th of July at the city park, homecoming parades, neighborhood newspaper
Variety of night life - not overly expensive/exclusive, but not divey either
Well maintained, pleasant building of any age... does not have to be modernized, but does have to be clean, maintained, and functional (I do not deal well with neglectful landlords)
Housing under $700 for a rental (# of bedrooms doesn't matter)
Housing under $500 would be preferable for the first 3-6 months
Prefer not to have a roommate
Trees, grass and some open space - if it is a crowded area, I'm fine with that but I need to be near a city park or have a backyard
Smaller city footprint - not a fan of driving highways to get from place to place
City parks and larger metroparks
Whole Foods or similar store within driving distance
GLBTQ venues (community center, or night life) are present. At the very least it will be a GLBT-accepting community (non-discrimination ordinance, etc.)
Within an hour of a larger city
A town that is not threatened by the fracking industry

At the moment, work and schools are not concerns.

Where I'm considering:
Bowling Green - connected to BGSU, driveable to Toledo, Ann Arbor, & Detroit - love that this is a very walkable community. Renovated downtown apartments are beautiful and not expensive.
Columbus - but finding the right neighborhood & housing in my price range could be tough because of the steep increases in rents over the past few years.
Lakewood - not connected to a University, but might have everything else I'm looking for. Being near Lake Erie would be nice. The only city of the three on my list that I haven't yet visited.

I would love to consider other cities: Hamilton, Dayton, Cincy, areas near Pittsburgh - but from what I know so far, I don't think they'll have what I'm looking for.

Thanks!
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Old 03-22-2015, 08:38 AM
 
11,610 posts, read 10,438,435 times
Reputation: 7217
University Circle in Cleveland is the best cultural district in Ohio and one of the best in the U.S. In addition to housing there, check out nearby Little Italy and Cleveland Heights neighborhoods, such as Coventry.

Live Here - Housing | University Circle | Cleveland Ohio | Arts & Culture, Education & Medical District

City of Cleveland Heights, OH : Historic Neighborhoods

This article may be helpful.

Cleveland: Tips for Visiting Cleveland - TripAdvisor

Possibly visit here and ask questions.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland - HOME

If you find any place that meets your requirements, please let us know!!!
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Old 03-22-2015, 09:03 AM
 
11,610 posts, read 10,438,435 times
Reputation: 7217
If you liked Bowling Green, check out Kent, home of Kent State University. You would be close to Cleveland, which has superior attractions to both Toledo and Detroit, and have access to Lake Erie, attractions such as in Kirtland (see article below), Ohio Amish Country, and Ohio's Mohican Region. Check out also Akron and Youngstown attractions, even closer than Cleveland.

Cleveland: Day Trips - TripAdvisor

Kent is less than hour from Cleveland and Youngstown, less than half an hour from Akron, less than two hours from Pittsburgh, and about two hours from Columbus.

The Portage Park District reportedly is good, and Kent is located in the beautiful, rolling, Allegheny foothills.

Check out Wooster, home of Wooster College and the Ohio Light Opera.
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Old 03-22-2015, 09:11 AM
 
11,610 posts, read 10,438,435 times
Reputation: 7217
Perhaps check out Berea, home of Baldwin Wallace Univ., and University Heights, home of John Carroll Univ. Both would provide easy access to Cleveland attactions.

Also perhaps check out Shaker Square, adjacent to the very walkable Shaker Heights, or Van Aken apartments in SH, on an RTA rail line connection to downtown Cleveland.

Shaker Square offers rail line connections to downtown and robust bus line connections to University Circle.

Check out the locations of Cleveland Metroparks.

Cleveland Metroparks

Oberlin also would meet your requirements with a very robust culture and less than 45 minutes from Cleveland.

http://www.campuspride.org/campus-pr...-universities/

Last edited by WRnative; 03-22-2015 at 09:51 AM..
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Old 03-22-2015, 11:54 AM
 
Location: Lebanon, OH
7,081 posts, read 8,944,937 times
Reputation: 14739
You may want to check out Yellow Springs which is fairly close to Dayton. You would be better off closer to any major city other than Cincinnati, although there are gays there a lot of Cincinnatians tend to be backward about the LGBT community.
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Old 03-22-2015, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati (Norwood)
3,530 posts, read 5,023,338 times
Reputation: 1930
Quote:
Originally Posted by woxyroxme View Post
You may want to check out Yellow Springs which is fairly close to Dayton. You would be better off closer to any major city other than Cincinnati, although there are gays there a lot of Cincinnatians tend to be backward about the LGBT community.
Please realize that this poster is taking just another one of his cheap shots at Cincinnati, a city he detests for its urbanity. What he claims about the backwardness of Ohio's largest metro could be said about any one of the state's other big urban areas, depending upon where one looked. The fact that he recommended tiny Yellow Springs, along with its close proximity to blue collar Dayton, should give pause enough.
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Old 03-22-2015, 04:37 PM
 
Location: Lebanon, OH
7,081 posts, read 8,944,937 times
Reputation: 14739
The busybody legacy of Simon Leis, Art Ney, Phil Burress and the Citizens Concerned for Community Values speaks for itself. At least Northside is something of a safe haven but the level of social conservatism is scary to say the least.
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Old 03-24-2015, 07:09 PM
 
207 posts, read 339,062 times
Reputation: 154
Certain areas, such as Hamilton, will be less accepting toward members of the LGBT community. As WRnative suggested, University Heights and the surrounding area might be a good fit. It meets most of your criteria.

Cleveland Heights, around Coventry is a solid option. Cleveland Heights is a progressive area especially regarding LGBT matters. I'm not sure about housing costs.

Also, you can look into Oberlin.

Last edited by jprice15; 03-24-2015 at 08:09 PM..
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Old 03-24-2015, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Springfield, Ohio
14,682 posts, read 14,648,352 times
Reputation: 15410
You might consider Athens as well, a liberal college town with quite a bit to offer for its size...though being in eastern Ohio it is in fracking country (though there are groups working against the practice).
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Old 03-25-2015, 06:44 AM
 
3,513 posts, read 5,161,281 times
Reputation: 1821
Quote:
Originally Posted by motorman View Post
Please realize that this poster is taking just another one of his cheap shots at Cincinnati, a city he detests for its urbanity. What he claims about the backwardness of Ohio's largest metro could be said about any one of the state's other big urban areas, depending upon where one looked. The fact that he recommended tiny Yellow Springs, along with its close proximity to blue collar Dayton, should give pause enough.
OP I'm sure you left long ago but I have to provide a correction:

Ohio metro near bottom for LGBT population Ohio metro near bottom for LGBT population - Dayton Business Journal

Just posted today. But I have a feeling this isn't your primary criteria anyways.
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