Point me in the right direction! (Columbus, Cleveland: hotel, lawyer, big house)

[Mainecoonmom]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

Any of the "three C's" (Columbus, Cincinnati or Cleveland) would do. Avoid the secondary cities and especially the smaller towns.

OP - from where in Australia are you originally? I am somewhat familiar with Melbourne and the neighboring coast. In the US, its closest analog would be Los Angeles. Ohio - anywhere in Ohio - would be starkly different.

From a small town called Port Fairy in Victoria

[Mainecoonmom]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Budget? Renting or buying?

Do you prefer something walkable? Or is driving to the local town center good enough?

What sort of environment do you like? Small town? Rural? Suburban? Urban?

What kind of housing do you like?

How long of a commute are you OK with? What industry does your daughter work in? Does she have any strong preferences about where to live?

Lastly, why Ohio? Knowing more about why you're selecting Ohio might help us point you in the right direction.

driving to the local town center is good enough but would like a small town feel to it. We are looking for a small house with a yard where we can erect a catio. My husband is happy to drive for about 30 minutes and my daughter works in the real estate business. TIA

[Mainecoonmom]

Originally Posted by Artificial

Cuyahoga Falls near Akron would fit the bill. The newly redone downtown is awesome. The shops and restaurants are great. The music festivals are nice. The walk along the river is lovely.

If you want less snow and a little less harsh winters, as well as more opportunity, there are a handful of towns around the Columbus metro that would check your boxes. Westerville is one that comes to mind and has a lovely little downtown area.

I am adding this to my list...thank you!

[Mainecoonmom]

Thank you to everybody who has suggested places. I will be looking at all the suggestions carefully. It is much appreciated. We are not only looking at Ohio but at other states as well, although my husband seems to favor Ohio.

[on3]

Originally Posted by Mainecoonmom

We are a family with three young teens hoping to move to Ohio in the new year. We are originally from Australia and have been living in the USA for about 8 years but mostly in Arizona. My husband has the equivalent of a series 7 as well as a law degree and he is hoping to find work in one of the Ohio cities suggested by you. He will travel up himself and we will follow once he has finalized everything. Can you point me towards a city that would be most suited? My eldest daughter recently lost her husband and is planning to follow us in about a year. she has a 2 year old son.

1) All three kids are home schooled so schools do not matter

2) Safe family orientated neighborhood

3) flea markets and festivals would be nice

4) Tiny little coffee shops and cozy little stores

We do not enjoy large crowds but at the same time, we need to be in a big enough city where the kids can find work during summer and where my husband will be able to work. I have my own small Maine coon cattery with just 6 cats but it keeps me busy!

I look forward to your suggestions and thank you in advance!

There's quite a few places that will fit this criteria whether its Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati area. I've lived in all 3 locations. I would suggest someplace like Liberty Township. It's in-between Cincinnati and Dayton so your husband has plenty of options for work. There's a huge flea market right in Monroe called traders world about 10 min away if that. There's a huge outlet mall across the street. There's also a very nice outdoor mall in Liberty, with 2 brand new hotels if your out of town guests decide they want to stay at hotels instead of at your home. The various cities located 10-15 min away have festivals throughout the year. Soccer is big there, many families spend all Saturday at the field. Plenty of parks and shopping. There's tiny coffee shops and cozy stores in places like downtown Lebanon, Mason, Blue Ash, etc.

Also keep in mind the weather. Summer is nicer in Cleveland but fall, spring and winter are nicer the further south you go. For example, it's 62 degrees in Cincinnati and Dayton right now and 55 in Cleveland. Tomorrow it will be 68 in Cleveland and 79 in Cincinnati and Dayton.

If your husband is a football fan, the Browns are on their way to big things. I'm a big Browns fan and even though we have Browns sports bars here in Cincinnati, it's not the same as being in Cleveland during the game.

Be prepared to get more for your money in Ohio and a better quality of life. Lower property tax, lower insurance, lower utilities, lower cost per sq foot.

[IT_sailor]

I would suggest the North Coast along Lake Erie, especially the western reserve area (sandusky east to Cleveland). Sandusky area is great, as are many of the other small towns dotting the coastline all the way to Cleveland. You can easily live with 30-50 minutes from Cleveland in a smaller town, on the coast or not, and find those things you are looking for. Welcome to Ohio!

EDIT: Given you're from a small town on the water, look hard at Sandusky, Huron, and Vermilion.

[Mainecoonmom]

Originally Posted by on3

There's quite a few places that will fit this criteria whether its Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati area. I've lived in all 3 locations. I would suggest someplace like Liberty Township. It's in-between Cincinnati and Dayton so your husband has plenty of options for work. There's a huge flea market right in Monroe called traders world about 10 min away if that. There's a huge outlet mall across the street. There's also a very nice outdoor mall in Liberty, with 2 brand new hotels if your out of town guests decide they want to stay at hotels instead of at your home. The various cities located 10-15 min away have festivals throughout the year. Soccer is big there, many families spend all Saturday at the field. Plenty of parks and shopping. There's tiny coffee shops and cozy stores in places like downtown Lebanon, Mason, Blue Ash, etc.

Also keep in mind the weather. Summer is nicer in Cleveland but fall, spring and winter are nicer the further south you go. For example, it's 62 degrees in Cincinnati and Dayton right now and 55 in Cleveland. Tomorrow it will be 68 in Cleveland and 79 in Cincinnati and Dayton.

If your husband is a football fan, the Browns are on their way to big things. I'm a big Browns fan and even though we have Browns sports bars here in Cincinnati, it's not the same as being in Cleveland during the game.

Be prepared to get more for your money in Ohio and a better quality of life. Lower property tax, lower insurance, lower utilities, lower cost per sq foot.

This is very informative and I have passed it on to my husband. Thank you! We were also looking at West Virginia. Would you suggest it or just sticking with Ohio?

[Mainecoonmom]

Originally Posted by IT_sailor

I would suggest the North Coast along Lake Erie, especially the western reserve area (sandusky east to Cleveland). Sandusky area is great, as are many of the other small towns dotting the coastline all the way to Cleveland. You can easily live with 30-50 minutes from Cleveland in a smaller town, on the coast or not, and find those things you are looking for. Welcome to Ohio!

EDIT: Given you're from a small town on the water, look hard at Sandusky, Huron, and Vermilion.

I am looking at all those you have suggested.

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by on3

...Be prepared to get more for your money in Ohio and a better quality of life. Lower property tax, lower insurance, lower utilities, lower cost per sq foot.

This is only partially true. Property tax as a percentage of house market-value is quite high (and varies strongly from locale to locale). Expect to pay $4K/year on a $175K house. That's cheap compared to say New Jersey, but isn't quite so cheap in absolute terms. Also, that $175K house is still going to be $175K in 10 or 15 years. That's a very unfortunate and substantial "opportunity cost", in lost house-appreciation value.

With lower costs also generally come lower salaries. For blue-collar or secretarial/office staff, this doesn't matter, since the lower housing-costs more than overwhelm the incrementally lower earnings. But for upper-level professionals it can matter considerably. This is true in any "heartland" locale, with Ohio nowise being atypical. Phrased alternatively, the more "elite" one happens to be in one's profession, the more lucrative it becomes - after accounting for costs - to live in one of the principal cities.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

This is only partially true. Property tax as a percentage of house market-value is quite high (and varies strongly from locale to locale). Expect to pay $4K/year on a $175K house. That's cheap compared to say New Jersey, but isn't quite so cheap in absolute terms. Also, that $175K house is still going to be $175K in 10 or 15 years. That's a very unfortunate and substantial "opportunity cost", in lost house-appreciation value.

With lower costs also generally come lower salaries. For blue-collar or secretarial/office staff, this doesn't matter, since the lower housing-costs more than overwhelm the incrementally lower earnings. But for upper-level professionals it can matter considerably. This is true in any "heartland" locale, with Ohio nowise being atypical. Phrased alternatively, the more "elite" one happens to be in one's profession, the more lucrative it becomes - after accounting for costs - to live in one of the principal cities.

Just moving from a "principal" city, the difference is enormous. Not to mention (most) people here are just so much friendlier, even if the savings were non existent (they aren't- my salary in absolute terms dropped 11%, although with end of year bonuses that gap could close considerably, but my housing costs dropped 59% Boston to Cleveland - Brighton to University Heights, if anyone is familiar).