New Middletown/Springfield Twp

[teeter58]

Thanks Cort, you are very helpful I have been reading your posts for months leading up to this move. I am going to give this area the old college try. I drove up to East (something) Mall in Niles yesterday, very nice. I also really liked what I saw at Mill Creek and the YMCA in Boardman is very nice. But again, i am not sure how they can charge what they do for utilities here. For a comparison, I never spent over $30 in a month when i lived in NC for water and we had significant droughts going on some years. I don't even use electric for heat and it was about as much as i spent for my average monthly bill with a heat pump there. My property taxes are also about 3 times what i paid in NC. So all in all I guess the cost of living may be better compared to Manhattan or if you buy a 30k in a ghetto, but I am paying much more to live in a declining area than i was in a county that grew 100% in 10 years. How many of the problems here can be contributed to high utilities, high taxes, and the unions? Why would a business subject themselves to it if they can go to states that are much more business friendly. But I am close to family and getting my PA fishing license to spend the spring trout fishing. After that we'll re-evaluate.

[CortlandGirl79]

You're very welcome. Yes, the Eastwood Mall.........one of the first modern ones in the country.......most people around here think that it's crappy, but it's good enough for me! Have you been to Southern Park yet? Also check out the Grove City outlets in Grove City, Pa. Yesterday i drove to Beachwood (on the eastside of Cleveland) and went to Beachwood Place and Legacy Village (newer outdoor mall) they were very nice and much newer than what we have here. If you're looking for more luxury stores or just big city shopping that's where you have to go, unless you feel like making the drive to C-bus........i've never shopped in the 'Burgh, so i can't comment on that, although, i know they have an IKEA there.

When you're talking about utilities are you talking about all of them or just water??? The city of Niles has very cheap utilities.......i had a 2700 sq/ft house there and lived alone.........the most i ever paid for one month electric/water/sewage (they're all on one bill) was $120. I really don't understand why your water is so high. Here in warren i pay $15/month....but again, i live alone. I've heard electric rates are higher here than they are other places, but my bill doesn't seem too bad. I usually pay between $30-$40/month..........and natural gas averages probably $50/month over the year. I live in a 1000 sq/ft townhouse w/a basement to give you an idea. My heat, stove and hot water tank all are gas.

I don't know the New Middletown area......just know it's somewhere south of Boardman. Not to knock the area, but i would consider where you live "out in the country". I'm wondering where you get your water from.......perhaps New Middletown buys it from somewhere else??? That could be why it's more expensive. Do you live in town or are you way out??? How big is your house? is it well insulated??? My old house was built in 1900 and was poorly insulated w/original windows.......i bet the gas bills are well over $600/month in the winter now. I was paying around $300-350 when i lived there a couple years ago (winter months).

I think our area has a lot of problems due to a lot of things. Utilities probably are an issue, especially if a business uses a lot of electricity. I know there is a steel mill in Warren that has an electric furnace. Some Ukrainian company owns it and my one prof at Kent Trumbull told me that the company didn't look into the electric rates when it purchased the mill..........if they had they wouldn't have bought it.

I don't believe taxes are a big problem w/big corporations, since they usually get great tax incentives. I think it is an issue for small businesses. I worked for a golf course the last two summers and they pay an outrageous amount in taxes. Thankfully, the state of Ohio is overhauling the tax structure for businesses, but it's going to take some time. I don't know a whole lot about it, but i'm sure you could find some info on google.

As for the unions..........well, there aren't many left. I used to work for a couple and they are just about all but gone. I think the biggest problem w/our area is bad leadership in some cases and a fear of unions. I know several of the people that were in a union w/me that hate unions and would never work for them again. All in all i think most people around here would prefer any decent paying job, union or not. So many people around here hate unions that i doubt many of them would want to start one. I'm not saying there aren't old timers that are staunch union people, but most of the people under 40 are pretty anti-union. I myself believe that if a company treats it's employees well they won't have a problem. I've always said that if a company has a union they probably deserve one. It's the companies that don't treat people right that usually have them anyway.

Well, those are my assessments, hopefully they help. Have a great week!

Cort

[tgbwc]

Here is an example of why I don't live in the area anymore:

New Schools in Springfield? - from WKBN/WYFX

This failed. It was a missed opportunity to improve the school facilities. They consistantly kick themselves with a, "it was good enough for me when I was in school" attitude. Money will get pumped into athletics though and people are happy as long as the football and basketball teams are competitive.

[000000]

tgbwc, i essentially concur. misplaced priorities about school funding is not just a mahoning county or ohio thing; it is america in the 2000s. no wonder things are the way they are.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by 000000

tgbwc, i essentially concur. misplaced priorities about school funding is not just a mahoning county or ohio thing; it is america in the 2000s. no wonder things are the way they are.

Although where I live now, voters consistantly approve bond referendums for schools with yes votes around 75%.
Employers and their employees are attracted to areas with quality schools that are well supported.

[000000]

agreed. it shows that people in the area care. plus, the kids in your new area will be all the better for the investment made in them. yet, the old people, who had the schools provided for them, forget that people provided them with their free education. granted, some school districts are run terribly. that is a different issue; no school can succeed without proper funding.
for all but the very few, high school athletics is vicarious living on the part of the parents. the burden should be on those parents to pay for their kid to play small-time ball, and not the school district.

[teeter58]

I can understand why people voted this down, especially those without kids. I would like to see improved facilities as I took a look a Springfield Elementary this w/e. The building needs some works and the play area is a complete mess. I actually emailed the principal of the school prior to deciding to move to the area and his response and the school academic rankings put me at ease after seeing this was voted down. But I feel better management of the tax money already paid should be the goal rather than raising taxes. I pay over 3 times in property taxes here as opposed to what I paid in NC and I live in a comparable house. I also saw 3 new schools built on the same road in a 10 miles stretch while living there 5 years. I don't want to pay any more either. In these times contractors are looking for jobs and the price should be right. Though these deals often stink badly of politics. Hopefully they don't just let the facilities completely go to show the community up. At this point I'm not sure if I will need to worry about it beyond the elementary school.

[teeter58]

Good luck to all that remain, not for me

[ryeager9]

Originally Posted by teeter58

Good luck to all that remain, not for me

Will you be coming back to NC?

[teeter58]

Yes, I am back in NC and happy to be so. I love the winter here.