Possibly moving to Ohio, near Anna area? (Lima, Troy: apartments, rental homes) - City-Data Forum

jedroke21 · 01-27-2007, 05:53 PM

Got a job offer from Honda and looking at moving up from Middle/East TN. My wife and I are a young couple that is expecting a baby in August, so I would like to stay in a quite place. We will probably rent at first, preferably a house. We will be coming up next Friday and Saturday to look around at some communities. So with the long introduction, my questions are: What are some good communities around within 30 minute commute of Anna and how can I find some rental houses on the internet for these areas? The relocation department at Honda are going to be giving me some contact info for some local realtors, but I would like some input if possible.
Thanks in advance!

4sarad · 01-28-2007, 07:52 PM

Congratulations on the job and the baby! I am from Minster originally, which is about 30 minutes from Anna. I would pass through Anna all the time since there is an on-ramp to I-75 in town. I hear that working at Honda is a great job, and I know that I've seen a lot of new developments in the area, both houses and apartments/condos. Basically what you need to know is that Anna is a very small town, as are all of the surrounding towns. The people there are friendly and the communities are safe and nice. They are also quite quiet, which may take some getting used to, depending on where you are from. In my opinion, most of the towns are pretty much the same. If I were to move back into the area, I would probably go by whichever school system seemed to be nicest. You sound like you have quite a lot of time to consider that, so I would really just suggest finding a nice apartment close to work and venturing out on the weekends with your wife and seeing what you like. I would steer clear of Sidney, but really Anna, Minster, New Bremen, Fort Loramie, Botkins, etc are all nice towns. Just take out a 1 year lease somewhere and go from there!

highliner · 02-02-2007, 11:43 PM

You'll only be about 25 miles from Lima, a very liveable city of 75,000 or so. Why not start your search in the Allen county area? It offers much more variety than the rural area around Anna can. Congrats on the new job, I hope it all comes together well for you!

jedroke21 · 02-04-2007, 06:41 PM

Well, my wife and I visited over the weekend and viewed several apartments and loved one in Piqua (the floor plans are alike in Piqua and Anna). The company is 1st Troy and are planning to have an opening first of April in Anna and the apartment is located within a couple miles of the plant. Thanks for all the input!

newtoohio · 03-25-2007, 04:11 PM

Hi
I have a new job in Sidney and was planning to look around for rental homes. I have a wife and a four month old daughter. Could you please tell me why you advise to steer clear of sidney? Also, what do you feel would be the best place to live for someone working in sidney? Would like to restrict the drive to 20 mins.
Thanks a lot!

bseger · 06-04-2007, 02:19 AM

Sidney isn't a bad town, just most people think other towns around it are better. Most of the towns in the same county as Sidney are good small communities, such as Jackson Center, Botkins, Anna, Russia, and Fort Loramie. They all are real close communities where everybody knows everybody. If you like a bigger town Piqua and Troy are both nice towns, and the atmosphere around there is a little more hip and modern than Sidney.

jrag · 06-07-2007, 10:13 PM

Whoever said Piqua is a nice city to live doesn't look around much or watch the news. I would stay away from Piqua and Sidney. Any of the smaller towns in the area are all real nice as well. If you like a larger than "village" town you might like Troy. The best school systems in the area are Versailles, Ft. Loramie, New Bremen, Anna, Minster...

Pathwalker · 06-08-2007, 01:44 PM

I've lived in Sidney, and it's not that bad. There are some really nice areas, especially the sections north east of the Russell Road/Wapakoneta Avenue intersection, and along Broadway and Port Jefferson Road. That doesn't mean ALL areas in Sidney are great, but it's not like you're going to be shot walking down the street. It simply has some fixing up that needs to be done. Tawawa Park is great. Love the covered bridge.

Ohioagain · 06-19-2007, 08:06 AM

Hi, I have found Sidney's online homepage quite interesting and it sounded like a nice small community. We are looking to retire in Ohio and Sidney seemed to fit our desire for an older home in a nice community. Several posts I've read on small towns in Ohio seem to indicate it is not well recommended. Can anyone add any more insight into Sidney?

Pathwalker · 06-19-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ohioagain

Hi, I have found Sidney's online homepage quite interesting and it sounded like a nice small community. We are looking to retire in Ohio and Sidney seemed to fit our desire for an older home in a nice community. Several posts I've read on small towns in Ohio seem to indicate it is not well recommended. Can anyone add any more insight into Sidney?

Well, I can give you my personal thoughts about the city. Is there something specific you would like to know about it?

It's basically a small version of a typical midwest city. It is a city of contrasts. It has its good areas, and questionable areas. It has rich people and poor people. There are some people that like to drink beer after they get off from their factory jobs, and others who dress up and go to dinner parties after they leave their law offices. Some people like to go fishing on the weekends, while others go golfing. There are some areas of hills, but other places are flat. Some people have bad attitudes, while others are as nice as can be. It has nice expensive homes, and others that look run down - newer construction (mostly in the northern and southwestern edges of the area), and older stock. You'll find small mom-and-pop corner stores, and major names such as Lowe's, Kroger, and Wal-Mart. There are local eateries, such as The Spot, and chains such as Applebee's. The one thing that surprised me was that there is no Blockbuster Video, but they do have a video store and it pretty much has whatever you are looking for.

The thing that stood out the most to me was that the city needed a facelift. It needs to be landscaped and updated. Some of the buildings are very reminiscent of the 1970s, and it doesn't seem as fresh and new as Troy. Downtown is quaint, but boring. However, the thing I never really encountered was a lot of crime. For a city its size, there are a number of really nice park areas....primarily Tawawa park (really pretty). Some other quaint park areas, too.

The main shopping area is along Michigan Street (SR 47), west of the city - primarily west of I-75.

Personally, I thought it was a cute area. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to make my way around and feel at home there. If you really want to get a better feel for it, you really need to take a drive there and explore it a little bit. That was what I did.