Most New England-like communities b/t Akron and Cleveland (Cuyahoga Falls: transplants, rent)

[Suey123]

I'm headed out next weekend to scope out some communities for possible relocation. Needs to be w/in about 30 minutes of Kent. My wish list is something as close as possible to the liberal, middle class New England towns where I've previously lived (and which no longer exist because NE is too damn expensive!). I'm looking for a community with a real town center (library, restaurants, shops, etc.) and a decent high school for my kids. Some place that has a real sense of community but is also open to transplants. We might rent to begin, but I'm hoping to purchase a 75+ year old single family home within walking distance of downtown and can probably pay up to $350,000.

I'll be looking at Kent, and a friend suggested Hudson and Stowe. Any other recommendations?

[gentlearts]

Hudson
Stow doesn’t have the New England feel, or central downtown you are looking for. Kent might work, but it’s nothing like Hudson. Hudson is snooty, and Kent is crunchy granola.

You might like Peninsula. It’s in the Cuyahoga Valley National park. Its quaint, but very small.

Maybe Wadsworth would suit your budget better. It has a downtown, and it’s a nice blue collar family community.

[SlideRules99]

Yeah, at that budget, check out Kent, Wadsworth…and I’d add Medina (if you’re willing to stretch it out another 10 minutes or so from Kent…)

FYI, since you have political criteria: Kent is liberal, while Wadsworth and Medina trend more conservative.

A wildcard would be Cuyahoga Falls, which is more middle class with a cute walkable downtown/entertainment section by the river. Arguable how much “New England” you will see there, but it’s worth a look since you’re right there in Kent anyhow.

Hudson is quintessential New England style, but you won’t find anything sub $350K.

Good luck!

[bjimmy24]

I'd say definintely either Cuyahoga Falls or Kent itself. Personally I'd give prefernce to Kent. But if you don't want any of the college vibe, then Cuyahoga Falls is a good match.

[Suey123]

I'm visiting this weekend and am madly in love with both Kent and Cuyahoga Falls. Hudson was the wrong type of New England (dear God those stuck up private school people in big houses give New England a bad name!) and Peninsula was way out in the middle of nowhere -- beautiful, but too remote.

So I think I like Cuyahoga Falls a bit more, but the high school is rated poorly and I'd prefer not to go with a private school.

So -- talk to me about Kent neighborhoods. My wishlist is old house, sidewalks, walking distance to downtown or at least to this great public library that I'm working from this afternoon. I don't want to be in a neighborhood overrun with frat houses. Any recommendations on where to look/avoid?

Oh -- and knowing that Kent and CF are what I'm looking for -- anywhere else that I should consider?

[Suey123]

OOh! and just saw Wadsworth -- also neat, esp the YMCA-high school combo. But seems pretty far from Kent.

[gentlearts]

Let’s say you are narrowed down to CF, Kent and Wadsworth. Look at a bunch of houses and see what feels right. You are right that Wadsworth is a long drive from Kent. Did you explore Stow? I know it doesn’t have a central downtown, but 3 of my kids graduated from there and the schools were good and it’s a family town.

I’m surprised that CF high is rate poorly, because it didn’t used to be.

[bjimmy24]

School rankings are kinda voodoo nonsense sometimes. I think CF is fine.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Suey123

I'm visiting this weekend and am madly in love with both Kent and Cuyahoga Falls. Hudson was the wrong type of New England (dear God those stuck up private school people in big houses give New England a bad name!) and Peninsula was way out in the middle of nowhere -- beautiful, but too remote.

So I think I like Cuyahoga Falls a bit more, but the high school is rated poorly and I'd prefer not to go with a private school.

So -- talk to me about Kent neighborhoods. My wishlist is old house, sidewalks, walking distance to downtown or at least to this great public library that I'm working from this afternoon. I don't want to be in a neighborhood overrun with frat houses. Any recommendations on where to look/avoid?

Oh -- and knowing that Kent and CF are what I'm looking for -- anywhere else that I should consider?

I always liked the numbered streets near Broad Blvd in CF. Nice quiet streets and cozy houses. We rented a house on 16th St. when my kids were little.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Suey123

I'm visiting this weekend and am madly in love with both Kent and Cuyahoga Falls. Hudson was the wrong type of New England (dear God those stuck up private school people in big houses give New England a bad name!) and Peninsula was way out in the middle of nowhere -- beautiful, but too remote.

So I think I like Cuyahoga Falls a bit more, but the high school is rated poorly and I'd prefer not to go with a private school.

So -- talk to me about Kent neighborhoods. My wishlist is old house, sidewalks, walking distance to downtown or at least to this great public library that I'm working from this afternoon. I don't want to be in a neighborhood overrun with frat houses. Any recommendations on where to look/avoid?

Oh -- and knowing that Kent and CF are what I'm looking for -- anywhere else that I should consider?

Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent serves a fairly large geographical area.


I greatly enjoy the Beckwith Orchard in Brady Lake, but I'm not familiar with the housing stock, and I'm not certain I would enjoy living on or near a lake (mosquitoes).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodo...ol_(Kent,_Ohio)


Will you be working inside the City of Kent? If not, you need to familiarize yourself with the Ohio municipal income tax system. Cities have municipal income taxes, townships and I believe villages do not have municipal taxes on earned income. If you work in a political jurisdiction without an income tax, but live in a city, you'll have to pay a residential income tax. You may have to pay both a work place municipal income tax, and a residential income tax, depending upon the terms of the residential city's residential income tax credit for municipal income taxes paid to another municipality.


If you work in a city, and you work from home remotely in a jurisdiction without an income tax, if your employer is willing to segregate your work hours by location and adjust withholding accordingly, you may reduce your municipal income tax liability. Reading the following article, the employer has an obligation to keep track of the hours that you actually work in the location of the principal workplace.



https://mcdonaldhopkins.com/Insights...pal-income-tax


Municipal income taxes are an annoyance of working in Ohio for persons relocating to Ohio from a state without municipal income taxes.