Potential move to Massillon / Canton - What do I need to know? (Columbus: renting)

[bisongrad20]

I could potentially be moving to the Massillon/Canton area, and am curious about the area.

What is crime like?
What would be a better place to live - Canton or Massillon? Or somewhere else?
Depending on which city, what neighborhoods are best/safest?
Are there areas to avoid?
Is there much to do for outdoor activity?
I would be renting at first, is there a good property management company in the area?
Is it Midwestern? or Northeastern?
Are people friendly?
How bad is the winter - cold/snow?

Any other information about the area would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you!:)

[JR_C]

I grew up in the area, (mostly Massillon) and still visit family regularly. So, I'll answer as much as I can. It's going to be pretty Massillon-centric, as we rarely went to Canton.

Originally Posted by bisongrad20

I could potentially be moving to the Massillon/Canton area, and am curious about the area.

What is crime like?

I'd say it's like most places, higher in the cities, lower in the suburbs. If you don't go looking for trouble (drugs/gangs) you'll be fine.

What would be a better place to live - Canton or Massillon? Or somewhere else?

That depends on what you're looking for. I like old houses and walkable neighborhoods with houses on small lots. So, if I moved back, I'd want to live in one of Massillon's historic neighborhoods, or in the center of one of the many villages out in the country, in SW Stark County. (My first choice would be Navarre, but that's because of family ties)

Depending on which city, what neighborhoods are best/safest?
Are there areas to avoid?

I can't say what the good and bad neighborhoods are in Canton. In Massillon, the SE quadrant of the city, (Massillon's neighborhoods are defined by their quadrant) is generally considered to be the "bad" side of town. The NE side was historically the richest, but I don't know if that's true anymore. Because of that, it has the most historic homes, though. The NW and SW sides of town, once you get away from downtown, were built later, and so are more suburban.

Is there much to do for outdoor activity?

I'm not really an outdoors-y person. But when I was a kid, my dad often took me fishing and hiking.

Is it Midwestern? or Northeastern?

IMO, it's more Midwestern.

Are people friendly?

I think so; no more or less friendly than most places I've visited.

How bad is the winter - cold/snow?

This depends on where you're coming from, and what you're used to. For someone from Minnesota, Stark County winters would be a piece of cake. Stark County is at the southern fringe of the snow belt, so doesn't get huge amounts of snow like the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, but a little more than you might expect in Columbus or Pittsburgh. Again, depending on what you're used to, temperatures don't get that cold, either. During most winters, you can expect a couple cold snaps where the temps fall to 0F. In extreme cases, temps might fall to -10F to -15F. We just had our 2nd winter in a row with these kinds of extremes, but that kind of cold doesn't usually happen every year.

Hope that helps!

[bisongrad20]

Thank you very much for the information. I think I would rather live in Massillon, but I suppose that all depends on where I can find a decent rental. And yes, I would be comparing it to the Upper Midwestern winters, so that is good news!