Port Clinton and vicinity? (Toledo, Ottawa: vacation, rent , health)

[ban]

Good and bad points of living there?

[htlong]

good..... your right on the lake a vacation paradise,bad..... in the winter your right on the lake cold cold cold, i dont remember what month, (june or july) it is but it is attacked by insects named canadian soldiers millions of the insects invade the coast line for i think only aweek or two but if you live 1/2 a mile inland they are no problem

[ban]

Thanks for that information! How weird about the yearly insect invasion.
Is it a pretty small-town atmosphere?

[htlong]

i dont know about the small town atmosphere account of i only have been there in the summer.three times during the canadian soldiers then they died off due to lake erie was to polluted to substain them, now the fact that they are back is a great sign the western basin of lake erie is back and healthy!
port clinton is the launching pad for the islands, they are about 5 miles off shore the town on kellys island is called "put-in-bay", account of it was an old ship building port on the island . today put-in-bay is what i call the alcholics disneyland!!! kind of like the northern answer to the mardi-gras...only it happens every weekend! the worlds longest bar is located here!
you can ferry your car over but most people rent golf carts,ever see a 1966 mustang golf cart? or a rolls royce golf cart? its the only way to get around on the island.
im to old to keep up with put-in-bay now but in my day.....i think i had a lot of good times there...i said i think i did.
if you dont move to port clinton at least visit you wont go wrong!

[AnytimeAnywhere]

The mayflies aren't that bad. They don't live very long, however, they make a mess and a crunching sound as you drive over them. Port Clinton is the Ottawa County seat and has the courthouse. A lot of fishermen come there in the summer to fish for walleye. On New Year's eve, a giant walleye is dropped (kind of like what they do in New York city). Port Clinton is also where the Jet Express is docked. Many people from all over the world come to Port Clinton to take the Jet Express to South bass Island where Put-in-Bay is located. Put-in-Bay is a major party town with holidays like Christmas in July and Half way to St. Patrick's day. But otherwise, Port Clinton is just your average small town.

[flinty]

As to the town's name, I was taught that after the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, the British surrendered to Commodore Perry and both sides needed a place to bury some naval officers that were killed in action. When nearing South Bass Island from the north, Perry was to have said "Let us put in to this bay". Three American and three British officers were interned there. Today their tomb is beneath the Peace Monument, which was constructed in 1813.

[flinty]

According to the Toledo Blade 7/4/2006, the 352-foot monument is not open to the public due to a 500-pound chunk of granite that recently fell off. An inspection revealed that the 91-year old monument needs to have the mortar joints tuck-pointed, plus replacement of any deteriorated facing stones. Repairs could cost a few million dollars.

[chris_5845]

Hi, I grew up in Port Clinton in mid-80's, although no longer in that area. I can tell you info if you still are interested. All in all, it's a small town, busy in the summer and dead in the winter. As a teen growing up, you left town to find something else to do, but there are things to do. As a parent there, I loved the small town atmosphere for my son.

Anything specific?

As for the Canadian Soldiers/Muffleheads/Mayflies (all the same thing), they do get bad in the spring, but not bad if you are not right up on the water. But I saw pictures from my grandparents where they had to shovel them off the walks. It's gross, but only lasts a short while and really only a big deal after dark and in the morning hours. I've experienced worse in my travels around the country!

[htlong]

The French explorer and fur trader Louis Jolliet was the first white man to travel on the lake. An unidentified group of explorers sailed among the islands in July of 1784. They made charts of the islands, naming one of them Pudding Bay because the shape of the harbor (or Put-in-Bay) resembled a pudding bag. Other log books referred to the harbor as Puden Bay. The Lake Erie Islands were included in the tract of land claimed by Connecticut and which is known as the Western Reserve. The earliest white inhabitants known to have occupied the Islands were the Fre