small progressive towns in Ohio (Elyria, Sandusky: sale, rent, new home)

[kyle19125]

I live in Philadelphia, formerly Washington DC and before that a resident of North Carolina and Florida....and always at the very least in a crowded, traffic filled suburb. I'm officially through with all of that and ready to live someplace quieter, more affordable and simpler.

A few caveats are that I am looking for a somewhat liberal town and a place where there seems to be interest in the downtown area from a development/redevelopment perspective. I would be conceivably opening a small organic food business and would be obviously wanting to be in a place where people care about organic/local food and the benefits of buying it.

Additionally a low housing cost from a buyer's perspective is a must. My leftover equity from my home sale (after paying cash for my new home in OH) would fund that. I have some ideas but don't want to sway the responses. Thanks.

[Mike Dunn]

Yellow Springs sounds exactly what you are looking for. Checkout these links. Good luck!




Yellow Springs, Ohio


Yellow Springs, Ohio Chamber of Commerce | Yellow Springs Events | Visitor Information | Business&Member Information


Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio - Welcome to the Village of Yellow Springs

[SAKA]

The only liberal places in Ohio that I know of are Yellow Springs and Athens. Yellow Springs is cute, but too small for my tastes.

[SAKA]

I just looked on Sperling's Best. Yellow Springs voting was only 38% Democrat. Not so liberal.

[aquila]

Your most likely option in Ohio would be Athens. It's considerably more liberal than the rest of the state, and would seem to be a better bet as far as opening an organic food store. However, I'm not sure what the urban redevelopment situation is like there. It's basically a college town, not a business town.

Other options would be Zanesville, Elyria, Oberlin, and Sandusky.

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by aquila

Your most likely option in Ohio would be Athens. It's considerably more liberal than the rest of the state, and would seem to be a better bet as far as opening an organic food store. However, I'm not sure what the urban redevelopment situation is like there. It's basically a college town, not a business town.

Other options would be Zanesville, Elyria, Oberlin, and Sandusky.

Zanesville and Sandusky? What makes you say that?

[aquila]

Originally Posted by Art1979

Zanesville and Sandusky? What makes you say that?

Because they have a higher percentage of Democrats than other similarly sized places in Ohio. Zanesville may not have a majority liberal population, but it's a greater percentage than many other "small towns" in Ohio that I can think of.

[kyle19125]

Thanks for the feedback, I guess though I should say "progressive" versus "liberal". Progressive (my definition anyway) meaning moving forward from a business perspective. A town where WalMart hasn't ruined the downtown, it's thriving, and actively patronized by people who appreciate smaller quality independent retailers. Where organic and locally grown are not trumped by .99 a pound "origin unknown" Tomatoes or scary Chicken parts for .69 a pound...or where Folgers is NOT the coffee of choice versus real roasted coffee. A place welcoming of newcomers, versus resentful or suspect. Thanks for the input/suggestions.

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by aquila

Because they have a higher percentage of Democrats than other similarly sized places in Ohio. Zanesville may not have a majority liberal population, but it's a greater percentage than many other "small towns" in Ohio that I can think of.

That's quite a clever way to process information. Although it may be worth mentioning that a small town Ohio Democrat may not necessarily translate into "liberal." The ones I've run into are more pro-union folk that vote for the ticket in hopes of more blue-collar opportunities. When you hit the larger urban areas, you have more of that typical liberal ideology.

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Thanks for the feedback, I guess though I should say "progressive" versus "liberal". Progressive (my definition anyway) meaning moving forward from a business perspective. A town where WalMart hasn't ruined the downtown, it's thriving, and actively patronized by people who appreciate smaller quality independent retailers. Where organic and locally grown are not trumped by .99 a pound "origin unknown" Tomatoes or scary Chicken parts for .69 a pound...or where Folgers is NOT the coffee of choice versus real roasted coffee. A place welcoming of newcomers, versus resentful or suspect. Thanks for the input/suggestions.

That's a tight squeeze. While Wal*Mart hasn't technically "ruined" any downtowns that I'm aware, they are an important economic resource for those less affluent enough to buy the Jamaican Blue Mountain blend at the Fresh Market. You will find these in many small towns across Ohio.

Don't give up on the fresh produce angle, though. There are plenty of farmer's markets throughout the state. However, you might need to drive into the country to get to them.

As far as the people, you'll meet a whole gamut of attitudes. Some welcoming, some not so much, some will wait and see, some will be interested and some won't care. What I have found out though, is that the more you're willing to invest into a community (i.e. volunteerism), the better the chance you have of getting a favorable reaction from everyone.

I know what you're saying, but you may have to give and take on this one.

[Cosmic]

That is the town of Columbiana, in Columbiana county which is up on the eastern border across from Pittsburg.

Lots of liberals I guess you could call them. How many are Democrats I don't have not a clue. Pretty progressive place. They probably would like the sort of stuff like you are talking. That whole area fits somewhat into that mold.

They just redid the old movie theatre in the downtown and put in a trendy coffee shop next door with WiFi and all. Pretty friendly place, good atmosphere. The down town has been a bit squeezed, still shops but more focused toward antiques, nick nacks, tourists, etc.

A good food outlet well managed might work well. Housing and cost of living are not as low as in some other parts of the state but a lot depends on what you are used too and how big a wad you might have. You are quite close to the Roger's Sale which might be a prime way of locating suppliers. Lots of peeps go there for goodies, be good if you had something of that price structure, quality in a more handy location. That area has a good population density to draw a customer base from. The hot dog vendor guy at the Roger's Sale makes a killing.

I would be careful in looking for towns with their downtowns intact. Might not be what you think. Some of them are going to be controlled by a few peeps. You rent from them under their rules, might in effect be working for them. Is what happens a lot, sort of the old Southern town effect. They also have the clout to keep the bigger box type stores out. Clan and blood count.

If you take your criterion for affordable housing and lower costs of living, I would concentrate on SE Ohio. Right town, right location could be a winner. Lot of towns have no grocery store at all, go whole hog and get into a chain or independent set up, especially if you can control the costs to make you highly competitive, so folks do not have to drive so far. Really want to own your own shop to control your costs.

The right mix of products, good prices, good service, these locals are just not that business saavy. Got to carry pop, booze and ciggies too for those who really know how to shop.

Good donuts in some smaller towns, especially if home brewed. Most places they are stale, if you can find them at all. Wally World is my only good deli / bakery outlet within miles. Well done deli, could be good. There are a few chain type small super markets but they leave a lot to be desired.

The bigger towns will probably have well entrenched markets. I would get the map and look over the entire SE area and see what might sound like the right sized town. A lot of these towns you really want to be into everything. One example is a place up north of me. Lil wide place in the road, Malaga but it has a combo store / gas station, etc. Locals call it the Malaga Mall but does a lot of business. Runs like it was in the 1950's. Don't have a clue what their politics are. Lots of these counties also have lots of Amish or Menonnites, all their stuff is organic. Might bring it in an organic powered buggy.

Yeah, could you make one of these small towns look like San Francisco, I suspose so with the first approach. Beads and sandals might make a come back. Great if you can do pizza, hey great Chinese is not available anywhere. Going to Frisco in a couple weeks, looking forward to some great Chinese chow.