Life in Louisville, OH (Canton: real estate, rentals, crime)

[Organator]

We presently live in New Hampshire; but, cannot afford to buy real estate here. A friend suggested Louisville, Ohio as a decent area to live in where real estate prices (and taxes) seem far more reasonable. I would like to hear from folks about life in Louisville, OH and the surrounding area.
Thanks for any replies.

[htlong]

my sister in-law lives in Louisville and I would recommend it to all, it has a small town atmosphere and a great place to raise your kids. your close to big box stores in alliance and canton.
kind of like a mayberry,

[Buckeye in SC]

Safe, quiet, quaint.

Not much to do or shop (1 grocery store, couple drug stores, and a handful of fast-food and sit-down restaurants. Good school system.

As far as taxes go, they aren't too bad, just beware that if you work in another city, they will double-tax your income (they have a 2% city income tax, most cities give you a credit if you work in another city - say Canton who also has a 2% tax - however, Louisville only gives I think 60% of the credit, so you end up paying close to 3%.

One other thing to just be aware of is that the city has a reputation in the local region for being racist. Personally, having lived there before, I don't think it's as bad as some say it is, then again, I'm an average white guy so what do I know! You will find that it is like 99.5% white people living there. I think it was more prevalent in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and the stigma has just kind of stuck w/the town and some of the 'good old boys' left-over from that era.

[wanderbygrace]

I would echo Buckeye in SC's comments. Very quiet community and pretty close-knit. Not much in the way of crime or thuggery at all. However, his/her comment on the racial makeup is spot on - Louisville does have a history of racial prejudice, although it has clearly gotten better much better. Extremely white community - I'd say his/her 99.5% comment is probably very accurate. If you're white & don't really care if other races are present as neighbors, then you'll be fine. If not - perhaps not the greatest place.

Excellent school district, if you have children.

Reasonable library. Nice YMCA.

As others have said before, in-town shopping is limited, but big box stores are fairly short drives away in both directions along US 62.

Very low cost of living - rentals/homes, groceries, and other goods are generally at or below, sometimes well below, the national average.

Traffic is not an issue around the Louisville area or anywhere in region.

A couple of other observations:

- If you are coming here & seeking a job, best of luck to you. The economic climate of the region is very poor, including eastern Stark County, which is where Louisville is located.

- If you like your hills & mountains in New Hampshire, you won't like this area. It gets a little hillier as you go SE, but for the most part, Ohio is vertically challenged.

[Organator]

Thank you for the replies. I am white and my wife is from SE Asia; and, our son therefore is mixed.
I would like to hear opinions as to how we might be received.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by Organator

Thank you for the replies. I am white and my wife is from SE Asia; and, our son therefore is mixed.
I would like to hear opinions as to how we might be received.

A lot better than you being white and if your wife was black!

I obviously can't guarantee that you won't get any kind of ill treatment - unfortunately, there are mean bigots all over the country - but I think you would be okay in your situation living there. Like I said in my previous post, while the stigma still exists to a certain extent, it's no where near what it was a few decades ago IMO, and it's always seemed to me to be mostly focused on black people.

If you are serious about moving there, I would recommend you to take a day when your visiting the area, go to the Giant Eagle and walk around (grocery store), grab a bite to eat at Grinders, maybe go to a high school sporting event if there happens to be one that day with your whole family, and see what kind of vibe you get in how other people treat you and react to your wife & son. I know if I still lived there, would definitely not have a problem w/welcoming you as a neighbor.

It's kind of sad that it is an issue at all b/c for the most part, Louisville is a great small town overall.

[sandhouse]

Are you sure your friends didn't mean Louisville, KY??

[drtakron]

Not a fan of it at all.