Small town Ohio/Country living....Where to move? (Columbus, Cleveland: apartment, low crime)

[islandFever]

4sarad, since you mentioned Sidney, what do you think of the town/city? I'm not concerned about jobs, at all. My main concern is crime and if a minority family would have any problems living there? We're in California now and are looking for a permanent place to live. Top considerations presently are Florida and Ohio. I looked into crime data (or tried to) for Shelby County and Sidney. Not sure what to make of it. Is there a problem with vehicle theft out there?

Thanks.

[4sarad]

IslandFever... please do not move to Sidney. It's really REALLY not a good place to live. There are a lot of drug problems there. A couple of my cousins went to school there and they were always pressured to do drugs. I have also been harrassed while eating in restaurants or shopping in stores there by some drugged out white trash men. There are a lot of people living on the verge of poverty and really just a lot of unhappy people there.

[inspiringmind]

Thanks so much for all the information. We are looking into all the places suggested here. As moving time gets closer we will start narrowing down and I will ask about more specific towns by name...like my latest post.

[bellasmom]

I grew up in New Concord, Ohio. The schools are excellent for the area (all things considered). The East Muskingum school district is the best in the area between Muskingum + Guernsey counties. You can get a nice, big home on land there at a great price. There is also a college in New Concord which brings just a touch of culture to the area. Zanesville is an ARMPIT. Tons of crime, drugs and poverty. Stay away!!!

Marietta is also a good choice. Nice college, close to OU and Athens but I think I would prefer the bucolic existence of New Concord. Of course, the only real shopping is a Super Walmart, which is my opinion is the whole trouble with America! If I still lived there I would drive to Columbus to shop just out of principle!

[islandFever]

4sarad,

Thanks, for your comments re: Sidney.

[mountains]

Wooster!! It's beautiful & you have the college there which brings in the Ohio Light Opera & concerts & sporting events. Good shopping close & the Cleveland Clinic open a facility there a few years ago. I taught in the schools (briefly before moving to CA) & thought they were good but that was a long time ago. Being in a college town the faculty tends to put pressure on the local schools to be good. Wooster has a cute little down town area & still has a hitching post at the city hall so the Amish can come in & take care of buisness!

[TraceyM77]

If you decide on Columbus, being a minority myself, I would suggest Bexley ( a little pricey), Westerville - reasonable and diverse; relatively speaking. Both have great schools. Clintonville is very diverse -- being near Ohio State campus -- many professors and graduate students live there.. But it is technically Columbus, so that's Cols. Public Schools.. I would suggest calling CPS Bd. of Education for the best middle and high schools to attend. Gahanna is wonderful, diverse and near lots of great shopping (as is Westerville) Good schools. I don't know the neighborhood, but areas near Polaris are great also, but traffic can get heavy at rush hours and during the holidays due to lots more shopping. Cols has the best shopping and some of the best deals ever! I tend to stay away from the west side -- a little seedy for me. But there are west side suburbs that are really nice, but it's not very diverse. South side is diverse but it's kinda country, if you like that. Bexley is yuppie, a large friendly jewish population, and really warm and inviting. I have always felt comfortable living here. I have to be honest and say the cities that I saw people suggest to your question, I would not ever live there. Hope this helps.. My demo. S/B/P/F under 40

[sdmlions]

My wife grew up in Perry county, just south of Muskingham county, and don't even consider this area. Zanesville hasn't emerged from the 1960s and probably never will due to the lack of employment oppurtunities. It is poverty stricken, and has real drug and alcohol issue. There is NOTHING to do there other than drink, and the people there are hillbillies. All of Perry County is really terrible, although you can get houses REALLY cheap...
I really like Wayne county, it's rural but not TOO far from Columbus, and there is plenty of land out there. I also like Coshoctan (sp?), this town is on a major road, and is small, but there is alot of history in the area. The area has some problems with flooding in the spring, but there is plenty of water recreation when below flood stage. Also, Ashtabula county is very nice and not too far from Mansfield, but the topography there is more hilly and they get alot of snow in the winter. The skiing in Mansfield can be really good though.
Good Luck!

[EarthBound?]

What ever you do stay out of Lorain County!!! We have the E-check here. And, the last pole shows that there are over 1000 homes on the market right now in this county alone. Job are leaveing the state in the masses. And every time you turn around you'll read about student fighting students or a teacher gets attacked. Not to forget that the taxes in this state are killing us, about 45% of your income goes to taxes alone. i.e Fed. tax, State tax, School tax, Property taxes, Sales tax, Vehicle Reg. tax, and I'm sure there's a few I forgot. Not a day goes by that we don't read or hear on the news about somekind of high level of crime. The prisons are over populated with it all. Ho, I almost forgot that in Cleveland they have a CIN tax, So they could build their two new stadiums, but they can't seem to get enough money together to save the schools from being closed down. But, the Cleveland Clinic is one of the best in the country.

[schick]

I agree with living in Wooster. It is a great place to raise your kids, good schools. There are great after school programs and summer programs. Major hospitals are not that far away and Wooster Community Hospital has grown and is very competent. We are moving back to Wooster this summer from Ravennna and I can not wait.