Ohio in general? (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati: home, school, university)

[jam40jeff]

He lives in Salt Lake City. Read through his past posts and you'll see how very informative they are.

[Clevelander17]

The reason why I quit these forums is because of all of the negativity from people like the above poster. It's like the folks that couldn't find success in Ohio and decided to move have to keep insulting their former locales to help feel better about themselves. It's really unnecessary. Utah is nice, but it isn't perfect, no area of the country or world is.

[Cosmic]

Ohio is no different than any other area of the USA or World. Know what you want, know what you don't want and you probably can find most of it in Ohio. Unlike so many other areas, Ohio is extremely diverse, so many things are possible. But it is best to know exactly what your own desires are and what will totally turn you off about a particular area.

The three C's are good if you want a big city. Cinncinati would probably be my choice but I never want to live again in any big city. Consider traffic, sprawl and the normal hassles of any bigger city, along with its good points.

Also consider the weather. Ohio is not the same all over. In general the winters are far more severe above I-70 (major interstate highway running horizonal across the state) which you can sort of use as a dividing line. The more northern sections of Ohio get their weather from a northern pattern coming off the lakes, way to severe for me. You get lots more snow and really bad weather, same for many eastern counties, they also get lake weather. It will probably be more severe than you are used to in England. I also lived in England a while back (before you went all to Moderator cut: language with crawling masses that make it feel like a foreign country) so sort of know what the other side is like.

Ohio is moderate in many things, the weather is a bit like that. Not brutal hot in summer like the south, not brutal cold in winter and there is not many things to totally destroy your life like earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, volcanoes, hurricanes, etc. You do have to be careful about being in a flood zone in Ohio. Ohio has a nice four season type climate.

One thing Ohio does have that so many other states don't is a political system that still works. You actually get to vote for something that counts. Most local taxes are controlled by the voters. Common sense still counts, the rules and regs usually make sense. Not like so many other states I've lived in where the rules that govern everyday life can be insane, the lil things count a lot.

Ohio has one of the better road systems, not many toll roads like so many other states. Probably the best library system, even very small towns can have first class libraries with excellent service. I've seen few states that compare. Lil things like rest stops on major highways are well done and maintained, some states skimp on the things folks really need and want, Ohio is one of those states that does a good job on trying to make the state livable. Again a lot of it comes back to the political system, lots of variability but in general it works pretty well in Ohio so that money gets spent wisely. Remember everything is relative.

I was born and raised in Ohio. Left to see the World, lived in a lot of different countries, many states, seen, been in all 50 states, lived in Hawaii. Finally moved back to Ohio from New England, I had enough of that Moderator cut: language Hole place. I tell peeps if you know a better place to live, tell me I will move tomorrow. On balance Ohio is the best place I know. There are areas of Ohio I will not live but if you look around, can find something that is well suited.

My school district is going to completely rebuild all the schools as either new or major remodel. They just passed a bond issue to do so. This district is in parts of three counties. Something that was needed but they finally got the financing so the voters could buy into it. So they might be looking to hire math / science / computer types in the future. Usually when something like this happens in many locations your taxes go to orbit but this might raise my taxes ~$90 a year. It was one of the things that was missing but hopely they have used some common sense how it all will get done and costs will stay in line. Part of what I like so much about this area of Ohio, if something is needed lots of points of view do get considered. There are also some technical type colleges in the area that might hire you.

In general SE Ohio counties will be low cost living, low crime, good quality of life, the better weather patterns, lowest hassle factors of just about any place you can find in the entire nation.

First decide what is really important and then try to find a location that matches those desires. Do the homework, then visit for a while before a final decision. Ohio is a very nice state to travel around and just visit.

[MaryBeth2]

Welcome home.

[forest1865]

Cosmic, that post was amazing, exactly what I was looking for. Part of the reason for wanting to move from England is the culture that has been created here, the people are rude, the kids have no respect anymore and you have to search many miles to find soemone who would go out of their way to help you.

Moving to America has always been a dream of mine, the thought of raising a family over there is paradise. just seeing how kind and welcoming you people have been, the comments have been so helpful.

Ohio seems like a great place for us to be, we have looked at Ohio for some time and love the place, we are planning to visit the year after next so that my fiance can handle the weather.

The taxes issue isn't really a big deal for us, atm our tax on a one bedroom flat is over £1000 a year! absolutely crazy!!

if we could, we would move to America right now, I can think of no better place to raise a family, a fantastic health care system, properly trained health care workers and a county that has everything. Everything is bigger and better in America.

Cinccinati and cleveland have had a lot of positive feedback so these are areas that we have concentrated on but we have also looked at Rootstown, does anyone have an opinion on this area?

[andrew0816]

I have never heard of Rootstown, but you can't go wrong with Cleveland or Cincinnati. I think someone already mentioned it, but I will reference it again. UrbanOhio has a great Relocation Advice section, I encourage you to check it out.

[Ohioan58]

I grudgingly endorse Cosmic's statements. If anything really characterizes Ohio, it is moderation and "halfwayness". Few extremes of anything.

But I do want to add one strong warning: the economy and the business culture in Ohio is sub-par.

Yes, quality of life and cost of living will be excellent in many communities. But you have to look at the long term picture, too. The national economy is falling off of a cliff, and Ohio has had perpetual decline and long term unemployment issues above the national averages in many communities like Toledo, Dayton, and Southeast Ohio.

This all means that this is NOT the place to make your name in many careers. When jobs are scarce in a professional occupation - and I will flog my own, which is IT - there is a race to the bottom and there is real difficulty just in finding a good job and keeping your resume up to snuff.

The reason that places like NYC or Silicon Valley are packed like sardines with people is because the economy in such places is generally great and there's a lot of obvious opportunity. People go where the jobs are. And people suffer greatly when they can't find suitable work. Which causes local areas and cultures to decline.

One can put up with a lot. Humans are extremely adaptable. What is almost impossible to outlast, unscathed, is being unable to earn a decent living and seeing your dreams die. These two things are quite common in Ohio and have been for years in some communities.

This means that what is good now in Ohio may not last, unless the manufacturing economy turns around. You don't want to live in a place with >15% unemployment. Even if you, personally, are "set". It's not only depressing, but crime goes up, and (take it from me as a lifetime Dayton resident observing the locals) people turn *mean* when they have no security or alternatives.

Just putting the good in context with the long term trends that I see...

[rrtechno]

Originally Posted by Ohioan58

This means that what is good now in Ohio may not last, ...

And by the same token, what is bad now in Ohio may not last either. There are always cycles in life.

[bbb3601]

Originally Posted by forest1865

we currently live in Nottingham, England. ironically known as the worst place to live for crime. i want to get my family away from this life and have a much better life in what is IMO the best country in the world, USA. me and my partner will both be teachers (Math & English). i'm quite relaxed as to where we live (although by the lakes would be very nice). my partner has a friend that lives in Kent, ohio would you have any opinions as to what that area is like? we have heard Akron is very nice but more of a place for students?

I want to thank everyone for the fast and great comments (this excludes bbb3601!, what was the flippin point). we have looked into the three c's as they are the most known areas in this country and it's nice to know they are good places to live. this is part of the reason we want to move to america, the people are much more friendly and welcoming.

my partner has pale skin and suffers when it gets really hot, is that an issue in ohio?

My flippin point was while I do live in, and love Ohio things are quite difficult here despite what some may say. If you do a basic search ( previous threads) on the area's you have listed you may understand the point I was trying to make. Ohio has a very unfair way of funding our school systems. The burden lay on the homeowner and with cuurently ranking 10th in forclosure, and mass job loss school districts are having trouble operating. Not all but most. While their is opportunity in some Urban schools, you may have some difficulty getting a look in the top schools at first. I know many teachers in Ohio that are having trouble finding employement outside of crime ridden areas. While you and your husband without doubt are needed in Ohio ( We need great teachers like yourself) we are the rust belt sorry I just call it as I see it. Just on the news the other evening they had a story on how new grads will struggle in Ohio. I wasn't trying to sound negative just warning you. The US is full of opportunity I am just not sold on Ohio anymore. As some have eluded many many many large districts just lost levy attempts weeks ago and are shedding jobs faster than General Motors. I know our district has a sub base of 350 teachers....many are starting to look outside of the state. I am in the medical field and even that is not safe in Ohio anymore. I wish you luck, and I hope you find happiness in our state. We need more people like you moving in...just a heads up.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by bbb3601

It's Nasty here don't you think.

Originally Posted by bbb3601

My flippin point was while I do live in, and love Ohio

Sure.