Living in Ohio do you love it, regret it, or want to move??? (areas, cities)

[SlideRules99]

Originally Posted by badguykc

Conneaut (Ashtabula County): regretted it terribly from the day I moved there, and was excited to get out in 2020 just in time for the pandemic. The area is very economically depressed, there aren't a lot of jobs, and there isn't much to do.

Staying on topic, though: My fiancée and I are strongly considering giving Ohio a third try (we're from PA), and have taken very hard looks at both Youngstown and Dayton. I have family in Youngstown, plus it's a reasonably commutable distance to our families back here. Dayton, because it's close to Cincinnati yet a lot cheaper than Cincy, and seems like it's still a pretty cool city despite the ups and downs it's been through.

You seem to know Youngstown already since you have family there. It has its share of visible economic depression, but there are appealing pockets around the Mahoning Valley depending on your preferences.

If I were to live there again, I’d look to places like Canfield, or further north in Cortland, Howland Twp, or maybe Champion. But it depends on what you’re looking for.

Depending on your location in PA (for family commute), you can also bring eastern greater CLE area into play. Since this doesn’t show on your short list, you must have already ruled it out.

I’ve never lived in Dayton so won’t comment on it. I also loved living in Cincinnati, and could understand your desire to have that within a stone’s throw. But obviously makes your PA commute tougher.

Best of luck on your search.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by badguykc

Former transplanted two-time Ohioan here.
Cincinnati area: Loved it for the most part, but it's tantamount to a "good ol' boys club" with about half a million members, where making friends is next to impossible unless you grew up there and made them prior to the 2nd grade. That notwithstanding, we love the city and the attractions that are there. Every time we go back to visit we enjoy it tremendously.

This is almost exactly how I felt about my time in Pittsburgh. I don't have any Cincinnati experience, but I know city-data folks often consider the two cities to be very similar.

People were quite friendly, but even after a decade of living there I still felt like "that guy from Ohio". And being friendly doesn't equate to making friends -- social circles seemed quite closed. Not in a rude way, just more of an 'we're already established and don't need any more' way.

I have felt almost exactly the opposite in Cleveland, though that may be specific to the Heights area.

For reference, I am originally from Toledo, so neither city is my home town.

[lair8]

Considering Ohio


If I do move there, I'll be blasting this song in the car




[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSn9Rw9ZuHg[/url]

[ram2]

Originally Posted by badguykc

Dayton, because it's close to Cincinnati yet a lot cheaper than Cincy, and seems like it's still a pretty cool city despite the ups and downs it's been through.

Dayton is not cheaper than Cincinnati. In fact, Dayton property taxes are slightly higher on average than those is Cincinnati for an equivalent house.

[woxyroxme]

Houses in Dayton are a lot cheaper than they are in Cincinnati, I know someone who bought a fairly large house in East Dayton and makes his mortgage payments by riding around in his pickup truck and collecting skids and selling them. You can make the mortgage payments delivering pizza too.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by lair8

Considering Ohio


If I do move there, I'll be blasting this song in the car




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSn9Rw9ZuHg

wow this song is unlistenable

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by ferraris

This is almost exactly how I felt about my time in Pittsburgh. I don't have any Cincinnati experience, but I know city-data folks often consider the two cities to be very similar.

People were quite friendly, but even after a decade of living there I still felt like "that guy from Ohio". And being friendly doesn't equate to making friends -- social circles seemed quite closed. Not in a rude way, just more of an 'we're already established and don't need any more' way.

I have felt almost exactly the opposite in Cleveland, though that may be specific to the Heights area.

For reference, I am originally from Toledo, so neither city is my home town.

I lived in Pittsburgh for 3 years and actually had no issues or problems making friends there, believe it or not. People there are very opinionated (much like Philly, only nicer...lol), but I also found them to be generally outgoing and even somewhat willing to accept newcomers. In my case, it might have also helped that the girl I was seeing there at the time is a lifelong "Yinzer" and was already socially well-established. But that's just my experience, and all experiences are unique.

[Olliebronco]

i grew up in Ohio, graduated from Ohio University and promptly left. I had a great farm, rural childhood and LOVED the Athens area. I tried Columbus for a few months and hated it. Flat, lots of strip malls, I don't care about football. Cleveland is ok, definitely the most interesting city in Ohio but also lacks outdoor options and it's so damn cold. Cincinnati is too conservative. I have lived in California for 20+ years now. Love the west coast and I find the whole 'midwest nice' more just an idea. When I go back I always get a snide comment about California and find people to not be very friendly to outsiders. And everyone complains about the weather, the roads, the state... My wife's family is in Toledo and mine is in Tuscarawas county. We hit both areas about twice a year. I prefer the eastern/southern Ohio for the hills and beauty.
We have discussed moving back at different times (to help with elderly parents) as we both can work remote. The politics is a huge reason we won't be. The people they are electing to the Ohio statehouse seem to be the most uneducated and unimaginative folks they can find. Ohio will always have a hard time keeping the educated young folks due to the lack of interesting amenities. A city is a city is a city but Ohio doesn't have great skiing, oceans, deserts, or even remote wilderness. It often feels like one giant suburb. I hate to bag on Ohio because it does have a lot of positives, but compared to other states it ranks pretty low (minus Indiana because Indiana sucks way more).

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Olliebronco

i grew up in Ohio, graduated from Ohio University and promptly left. I had a great farm, rural childhood and LOVED the Athens area. I tried Columbus for a few months and hated it. Flat, lots of strip malls, I don't care about football. Cleveland is ok, definitely the most interesting city in Ohio but also lacks outdoor options and it's so damn cold. Cincinnati is too conservative. I have lived in California for 20+ years now. Love the west coast and I find the whole 'midwest nice' more just an idea. When I go back I always get a snide comment about California and find people to not be very friendly to outsiders. And everyone complains about the weather, the roads, the state... My wife's family is in Toledo and mine is in Tuscarawas county. We hit both areas about twice a year. I prefer the eastern/southern Ohio for the hills and beauty.
We have discussed moving back at different times (to help with elderly parents) as we both can work remote. The politics is a huge reason we won't be. The people they are electing to the Ohio statehouse seem to be the most uneducated and unimaginative folks they can find. Ohio will always have a hard time keeping the educated young folks due to the lack of interesting amenities. A city is a city is a city but Ohio doesn't have great skiing, oceans, deserts, or even remote wilderness. It often feels like one giant suburb. I hate to bag on Ohio because it does have a lot of positives, but compared to other states it ranks pretty low (minus Indiana because Indiana sucks way more).

I mean... Ohio is east of the Mississippi. Your complains about not having desserts or wilderness or whatever applies to every single state in the eastern half of the US. But also I mean... Laker Erie? Hocking Hills? CVNP? The Lake Erie Islands? Idk man I think there is plenty of good nature around.

I find California to actually have way more an omnipresent suburban style to it than anywhere else in the country.

[SlideRules99]

Originally Posted by Olliebronco

i grew up in Ohio, graduated from Ohio University and promptly left. I had a great farm, rural childhood and LOVED the Athens area. I tried Columbus for a few months and hated it. Flat, lots of strip malls, I don't care about football. Cleveland is ok, definitely the most interesting city in Ohio but also lacks outdoor options and it's so damn cold. Cincinnati is too conservative. I have lived in California for 20+ years now. Love the west coast and I find the whole 'midwest nice' more just an idea. When I go back I always get a snide comment about California and find people to not be very friendly to outsiders. And everyone complains about the weather, the roads, the state... My wife's family is in Toledo and mine is in Tuscarawas county. We hit both areas about twice a year. I prefer the eastern/southern Ohio for the hills and beauty.
We have discussed moving back at different times (to help with elderly parents) as we both can work remote. The politics is a huge reason we won't be. The people they are electing to the Ohio statehouse seem to be the most uneducated and unimaginative folks they can find. Ohio will always have a hard time keeping the educated young folks due to the lack of interesting amenities. A city is a city is a city but Ohio doesn't have great skiing, oceans, deserts, or even remote wilderness. It often feels like one giant suburb. I hate to bag on Ohio because it does have a lot of positives, but compared to other states it ranks pretty low (minus Indiana because Indiana sucks way more).

Yeah, you’d need to obviously strike deserts, oceans, and remote wilderness from the equation. We miss those things, but we’ve found plenty of natural amenities in NE OH if we’re talking about driving 20-30 mins to a nice trailhead for day hikes and such. If extending the reach statewide, bjimmy gives some good examples of natural gems. Just need to accept that “wilderness” per se doesn’t exist here, as in places where you can get lost for days or get mauled by a mountain lion…lol.

An option is to find a nice liberal enclave (of which there are plenty), and keep it local. Oberlin, Yellow Springs, or many of the various college towns in the state can give you that vibe.

If you simply can’t bear the state politics, Ann Arbor would have been a great choice.

FWIW, we moved here after 25 years on the West Coast (also, in part, to look after an elderly parent), and we don’t regret it one bit.

We do find the “Midwest nice” thing to be genuine. 2 years into the move, and my wife (SF girl) remains floored at the comparative friendliness of folks here, vs. our experiences in CA. It baffles me why your experience would be so different, but so be it. One thing we don’t do is advertise our West Coast transplant status…not saying you do that…but yeah, that could come across as uppity or could trigger some of the anti-CA stuff that’s prevalent these days. Of course, if asked, we don’t hold back the info.

In any event, good luck, and sorry OH didn’t work out for your needs.