Need info on Girard, OH (Cleveland, Youngstown: low income, new home, neighborhoods)

[Sam_in_ND]

Hi, Just purchased a home in Girard, OH and would like to know a little more about the town and surrounding area. We're moving from North Dakota, but are originally from Cleveland. I don't know much about Girard, only passed through the Mahoning valley area on the the way to points East/Southeast.

I would like to know more about the Girard schools, as well as the safety of the neighborhoods. What are the recreational, shopping, and cutural opportunities in the area? Living the past several years in North Dakota, the weather will be an improvement for sure.

I know from reading some of the other threads for the Youngstown/Warren area many of you will want to know why I would want to relocate there. The main reason is that the town I live in now has a population of less than 50 people, and miles upon miles of grass. Also it is a 60 mile trip one way to go shopping, or have a nice dinner out. I found the house in Girard for pennies on the dollar, and being that my job is portable we decided to come back to Ohio.

I do notice that there are a lot of negative comments about Ohio, mostly from Ohioans. I would challenge them to spend a few years in North Dakota to really appreciate everything Ohio has to offer.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Mike Dunn]

I would definitely agree with you that some of the most negative comments come from locals or natives.....and that's not just in Ohio. Sounds like you made a great decision for you and so I would not worry as much about nay sayers.
Here is a link that may help you with basic school information. Congrats on your move!

GreatSchools.net

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by Sam_in_ND

Hi, Just purchased a home in Girard, OH and would like to know a little more about the town and surrounding area. We're moving from North Dakota, but are originally from Cleveland. I don't know much about Girard, only passed through the Mahoning valley area on the the way to points East/Southeast.

I would like to know more about the Girard schools, as well as the safety of the neighborhoods. What are the recreational, shopping, and cutural opportunities in the area? Living the past several years in North Dakota, the weather will be an improvement for sure.

I know from reading some of the other threads for the Youngstown/Warren area many of you will want to know why I would want to relocate there. The main reason is that the town I live in now has a population of less than 50 people, and miles upon miles of grass. Also it is a 60 mile trip one way to go shopping, or have a nice dinner out. I found the house in Girard for pennies on the dollar, and being that my job is portable we decided to come back to Ohio.

I do notice that there are a lot of negative comments about Ohio, mostly from Ohioans. I would challenge them to spend a few years in North Dakota to really appreciate everything Ohio has to offer.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Well, since i'm the supposed resident "expert" (i use that term loosely, haha) on trumbull county i guess i can comment. I don't know a whole lot about Girard, but it doesn't seem like a bad town. It does border the city of Youngstown near the area of I-80 and 422, so i hope your house isn't in a bad area.

I have a friend that lives on a main road (Churchill) in Girard and i haven't heard her complain of many problems.

To me Girard is a lot like Niles. Both cities have an industrial past and many of the homes in both towns are 60-100 or more years old. Many of these houses are located on small city lots. I previously lived in Niles for 6 years and i lived so close to my neighbors that i could almost touch there house from my dining room window!

From what i've observed it seems like most Girard residents are blue collar and middle to low income. There are some more $$$ areas out away from the city core, I believe these areas border Liberty, Hubbard, and maybe McDonald.

I think i saw somewhere that Girard schools are rated Excellent by the state of Ohio and they usually field some pretty good athletic teams.

The main route through Girard is St. Rt. 422 (which i believe stretches from the Cleveland suburbs, down through Warren and Niles and eventually ends up in New Castle, Pa). You'll find most of your local shopping on 422. If you drive down 422 into Niles you'll run into the www.eastwoodmall.com complex where you will find a minor league baseball team, a Comedy Club, and plenty of restaurants. In Girard 422 has some churches, bars, a grocery store, Dairy Queen, Hot Dog Shoppe, gas station and much much more. I definitely recommend the Hot Dog Shoppe, Pizza Joes, and dont' forget to try some Briar Hill Pizza.

Here are some links that i think may be helpful.

Creekside Golf Dome - Home

Girard, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Girard City Schools

City of Girard

Girard History Interesting History of Girard

Brier Hill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope you enjoy your new home. When you are moving??

[Sam_in_ND]

Mike Dunn and CortlandGirl79, thanks for the info. The links were great and very informative. It looks like a nice town, I think I'll enjoy the area. If all goes as planned We'll be moving by the end of the month, but by the time school starts for sure.

I really do have to try the Brier Hill Pizza, it sounds delicious. The house is in the older part of the city near I-80. My sister and brother-in-law went to see the house before I made the offer and said the area was pretty nice, and also highly recommended the Hot Dog Shoppe. CortlandGirl, I read somewhere that the Eastwood Mall is one of the largest in the US is that true, and how far is it from Girard?
Thanks again

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by Sam_in_ND

Mike Dunn and CortlandGirl79, thanks for the info. The links were great and very informative. It looks like a nice town, I think I'll enjoy the area. If all goes as planned We'll be moving by the end of the month, but by the time school starts for sure.

I really do have to try the Brier Hill Pizza, it sounds delicious. The house is in the older part of the city near I-80. My sister and brother-in-law went to see the house before I made the offer and said the area was pretty nice, and also highly recommended the Hot Dog Shoppe. CortlandGirl, I read somewhere that the Eastwood Mall is one of the largest in the US is that true, and how far is it from Girard?
Thanks again

The Eastwood Mall is maybe a 5 or 10 minute drive down 422. Did i mention that the speed limit on 422 in Girard is 25????? DO NOT exceed the limit there or you WILL get a ticket. That is the one thing i hate about driving through there.

As for the size of the mall, that stat is a little deceptive. The mall itself isn't the largest in the US, but the entire mall complex has more square footage than does any other mall in the US and i think it's by a long shot.

Eastwood Mall (Niles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I believe the mall was one of the first modern (meaning from the 60s on) shopping malls in the US. Also not far from Girard is the Simon Malls | More Choices — Southern Park Mall Information, Southern Park Mall Gift Cards in Boardman, south of Youngstown. I think it would only take you about 15 minutes to get there from Girard, so you are in a good location.

The Mahoning Valley is home to both the Cafaro Family and the Debartolo's. They are both mall developers and both families still live in the area. They also have given a lot of money to Youngstown State University and other area causes. If the Debartolo name looks familiar it's because they own the San Fransico 49ers.

Cafaro

Cafaro Company is an American company which owns several retail shopping centers throughout the United States. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, it is the largest privately owned shopping center development and management company in the United States

Cafaro Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DeBartolo Development

Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman who is widely regarded as the father of the American shopping mall. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked as 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors; and in 1983, DeBartolo was included on Forbes magazine's first list of "richest Americans".[

Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

BTW, the area where the eastwood mall is located used to be a golf course, there is some trivia for ya! I'm full of useless knowledge!

[Sam_in_ND]

Another question for ya CortlandGirl, I noticed on your tagline it says learning to golf how far along are you, and have you played Mahoning Valley CC yet? I looked on google earth and it is very close to my place so I was wondering if it is a pretty good course.

I also appreciate that Girard has the Golf Dome that you kindly provided the link for, what a great amenity for a small town to have! There seems to be some other nice public courses within an easy drive as well. I look forward to hitting the area links while my wife takes the kids to Eastwood mall.

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by Sam_in_ND

Another question for ya CortlandGirl, I noticed on your tagline it says learning to golf how far along are you, and have you played Mahoning Valley CC yet? I looked on google earth and it is very close to my place so I was wondering if it is a pretty good course.

I also appreciate that Girard has the Golf Dome that you kindly provided the link for, what a great amenity for a small town to have! There seems to be some other nice public courses within an easy drive as well. I look forward to hitting the area links while my wife takes the kids to Eastwood mall.

Well, i actually have been working at a local course the last couple of golf seasons while i'm finishing up my bachelors degree. I only golf at my home course because i feel comfortable and it's free! haha! I would say i've been around 10 times in my whole life, not enough to be any good! Now that my summer class is about to be over i plan on golfing a lot more.

As for Mahoning CC, i've never golfed there, but know some people that have. I've never heard them say anything bad about it. I think it used to be private, but is now public.

If you are looking to golf alot of different courses you are moving to the right place! There are four courses in the Cortland area alone, granted, two of them are 9-hole courses, but there are a ton around here. Prices are also very affordable due to the competition and bad economy.

Walnut Run Golf Course Home Page They also have 9-Hole Scottish Links course. The Links is running a special, 9-holes and a cart for $10 for the rest of the year.

Tamer Win Golf & C.C.

Pine Lakes Golf Club - The Best Value Golf Course in the Country!

Avalon Golf and Country Club

THE_MAHONING_COUNTRY_CLUB



The ones i always hear good things about are Tamer Win, Avalon South, and Pine Lakes. Here are a list of courses in Trumbull County: Ohio Golf Guide.com :: The online guide to Ohio's golf courses.

Mahoning County: Ohio Golf Guide.com :: The online guide to Ohio's golf courses.

[CortlandGirl79]

I should also mention that the Golf Dome also has a Brewsters Ice Cream outside and a newer putt putt course w/waterfalls and big rocks. That would be a fun outing for the kids.

[Sam_in_ND]

It took a long time, but I'm finally settled in Girard. This is a great area I would hardly say that this place is dead or dying. There is work here if you get out and find it, and judging by the traffic around some of the shopping areas things are not as bad here as some make them out to be.
It is so nice to be able to go and purchase whatever I need within a few miles instead of 60 miles just to get groceries as was the case in North Dakota. I also like the fact that there is so much to do within an hours ride. I'm originally from Cleveland so it is great to be close to home as well.
Thanks again Cortlandgirl79 for all your advice it has been a big help while settling in.

[CortlandGirl79]

Sam, glad you found your way back to northeast ohio! I'm so happy that you ending up liking Girard and the surrounding area. Have people been friendly so far? or are they being typical "rust belters" asking why you would move here, etc???

Also, if you have any more questions or need recommendations on where to eat, etc. let me know.

OH yeah, and how are the schools?