Moving from Southern California to Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland: apartment, insurance, coop)

[mbear30]

Little bit of backstory. My husband is from Ohio (Mansfield) and his whole family still lives there. Me being born and raised in Socal, I am beyond ready for a change. We are expecting our first baby in August and have come to the conclusion that we want something different for our son. Cost of living and living in our cramped 2 bedroom apartment at $2200 a month is not doing it for us anymore. Although I will miss my family immensely I need to do whats best for me and my growing family.

Anyways so me with a customer service/ insurance industry background and my husband with a construction/ business background we think us being closer to Columbus will hold better job opportunities while we start fresh. I have been to Columbus many times and love it but I also love the smaller feel and idea of living in a town where we can buy a house with a nice size background for our dogs and not on top of our neighbors haha. Having a nice downtown area to walk around and some good restaurants would be great. We both don't mind commuting into Columbus for work and each have our own car. Kind of a random little thing but I love Christmas so having a town that does fun Christmas activities would be a plus.

Does anyone have any recommendations of places we should look?

Thanks in advance.

[Panther79]

I’d stay in SoCal! I moved here from Virginia in 2011, and all I hear from the kids when they’re not in school or on the soccer field is how bored they are, and how there is nothing to see or do here except eat and shop. I was stationed in Ventura County for roughly a year and loved it! For day-to-day boring stuff like school systems, job market, and healthcare, Columbus is good. However, if you’re looking for the fun-factor, stay in SoCal!

[Jbeechuk]

I’d definitely stay in Southern California. You will hate winters her, as well as no beaches, no ocean, no mountains. Zero natural beauty. You’d have to drive a couple hours to Cleveland to get to Lake Erie. Sure, housing is cheaper here, but it’s one of very few advantages. When it’s January and it’s -15 below with a polar vortex, and will wish you were not here.

[wrightflyer]

Columbus and Ohio overall is very different from SoCal. So be aware of that (as other posters have so graciously mentioned) for the changes.

As far as things to do, Columbus' metro has a decent park system. Hocking Hills is nearby to the SE. And Cuyahoga Valley National Park is about 1.5-2 hours north. It's not California diversity as far as landscapes, but it offers plenty for outdoor enthusiast, and there is variation among seasons in the parks. There's COSI for younger kids (a well established science and industry museum, weekend festivals and fairs all around the state between May and October, Ohio State games (you will be inundated, whether you like it or not...), and plenty of stuff to browse among the neighborhoods immediately around downtown.

Personally, I think SoCal is overrated in things to do. Most of it's touristy. And the only thing I have seen locals like is, gasp, shop and eat. And the beach. But if you are not a beach person that doesn't do it for many people. To do a lot of things now in SoCal, you have to be pulling in 6 figures yearly, on an individual level. So that would be 200K+ for your household that is about to get a lot more expenses coming in. I could maybe understand there being more in Virginia vs. Columbus. Especially if it was Northern Virginia, with DC and lots of historic sites and venues nearby. LA and SoCal does not have that same kind of focus. But I get it. I have family in Baltimore still and have family originally from Price Georges County, MD. So DC is very familiar to me, thus why I get that comparison.

But I have also traveled across a lot of LA and Orange Counties, so I get where the OP is coming from as well. With Columbus, you at least won't be breaking into a more closed knit metro (like Dayton) as there are a lot of transfers moving to the Columbus region primarily for the same reasons. Though that has driven up cost for long time residents moving in and around town (good for sellers, bad for buyers, and certainly for first-time home buyers).

You will likely also find that as your child gets older you will be wrapped up in school activities and responsibilities (extra curricular, sports, etc.) that having weekend free time may be rare. So I would not chalk too much up to the things to do. You biggest asset is going to be the family about an hour away in Mansfield. That will certainly help in this move.

Without knowing a budget, this is harder, but I would focus on Clintonville (Columbus Public Schools), Tremont area of Upper Arlington (UA Schools), Grandview or Grandview Heights (Columbus and GH Schools respectively) or Bexley (Bexley Schools). Further out, I would check Worthington or Westerville's Uptown area (both have their own respective schools). These would place you closer to Mansfield. And then Delaware (Delaware, Buckeye Valley or Olentagy Schools). It is going through a Renaissance and large growth spurt as it is absorbed by sprawl coming north from Franklin and southern reaches of Delaware County. This would be your best bet to be closest to Mansfield but the commute onto and down I-71 can become a drag, even if you are used to LA and SoCal traffic.

Rent for a year or two or three and then decide where you would like to buy. Also, that gives you time to settle into a new job. Nationwide is your most likely candidate for insurance industry work. They are primarily downtown or in the Grandview Yard area. There are other major insurance and banking operations in the region too. Your husband will likely find work here as well, though I don't really know any construction firms. Lot's of building activity going on, including in commercial and industrial sectors.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by Jbeechuk

I’d definitely stay in Southern California. You will hate winters her, as well as no beaches, no ocean, no mountains. Zero natural beauty. You’d have to drive a couple hours to Cleveland to get to Lake Erie. Sure, housing is cheaper here, but it’s one of very few advantages. When it’s January and it’s -15 below with a polar vortex, and will wish you were not here.

Not just housing and rent. Insurance (home & auto), dining out, groceries, taxes, cars, activities, utilities, auto gas, etc. They are all cheaper than much of California. And especially anything in LA County.

Everyone gets hung up on the mortgage but forgets the other auto pay items and basic essentials when factoring in costs.

[Jbeechuk]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

Not just housing and rent. Insurance (home & auto), dining out, groceries, taxes, cars, activities, utilities, auto gas, etc. They are all cheaper than much of California. And especially anything in LA County.

Everyone gets hung up on the mortgage but forgets the other auto pay items and basic essentials when factoring in costs.

Most food is cheaper in Southern California, especially fruits and vegetables. Property taxes are much cheaper than Ohio, at least the percentage you pay per property value. Yes, utilities are a higher rate there, but they don't use AC or heat very often, so that's a wash, at the least.


I'm curious why the OP isn't considering Cleveland. It's the same distance from Mansfield, and has much more culture, a massive Lake, and in general has more things to do.

[Panther79]

Yeah, don’t move to the Columbus area. Like I said in my earlier post, it’s just downright boring. Coming from SoCal where you have activity 365 days a year, you’ll regret it. I remember when I was in Oxnard, the winter months were very pleasant with highs in the low 60’s. I was actually in much better shape out west as well. Here in Ohio, 90% of the population chills indoors and is inactive for 5 months out of the year (late November though early April), and the other 10% have the money to snowbird to Florida during the winter. I simply just don’t see any positives about moving here from a location such as the one you’re in currently. I’ve ALWAYS liked the north Texas areas of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Most of the outlying suburbs have excellent schools, and the healthcare in Dallas is second to none! The road system better, the climate is nicer, and the job market is booming! I still don’t know much about the school system my kids go to here in Lewis Center, OH....Olentangy??? Local people around here oooooo and ahhhhh over it, but I don’t see the attraction? Maybe the rest of the school systems in the surrounding area are that much worse??? Who knows?

[I_am_Father_McKenzie]

Originally Posted by Panther79

Yeah, don’t move to the Columbus area. Like I said in my earlier post, it’s just downright boring. Coming from SoCal where you have activity 365 days a year, you’ll regret it. I remember when I was in Oxnard, the winter months were very pleasant with highs in the low 60’s. I was actually in much better shape out west as well. Here in Ohio, 90% of the population chills indoors and is inactive for 5 months out of the year (late November though early April), and the other 10% have the money to snowbird to Florida during the winter. I simply just don’t see any positives about moving here from a location such as the one you’re in currently. I’ve ALWAYS liked the north Texas areas of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Most of the outlying suburbs have excellent schools, and the healthcare in Dallas is second to none! The road system better, the climate is nicer, and the job market is booming! I still don’t know much about the school system my kids go to here in Lewis Center, OH....Olentangy??? Local people around here oooooo and ahhhhh over it, but I don’t see the attraction? Maybe the rest of the school systems in the surrounding area are that much worse??? Who knows?

You're just a miserable old hag who blames their failures on other things; like the weather

Shocking to you lots of people love having four distinct seasons. Plenty of people are out and moving during the winter months in Columbus. Skiing, winter hiking, biking, even wind-surfing and paddle boarding. Even the Short North and Easton don't slow down. They just learn to make the most of it instead of complaining and living their whole adult lives yearning for a place where it's hot as hell year round. I bet the same amount of people coop up June-September in Dallas as in Columbus December-February.

Your kids are going to schools where there are tons of opportunities. It still takes you to see them to and through those opportunities. That's not the school system's job. Another failure of yours that you're blaming on someone/something else.

What a chore it must be to live in the future that doesn't exist instead of embracing the present.

[Panther79]

Originally Posted by I_am_Father_McKenzie

Your kids are going to schools where there are tons of opportunities. It still takes you to see them to and through those opportunities. That's not the school system's job. Another failure of yours that you're blaming on someone/something else.

Really, like what? What makes this Olentangy School system so great? I'm eager to know and possibly understand more why people here think it's the next best thing to sliced bread? My daughter plays indoor soccer and club soccer 5-6 days a week, plays in the orchestra and sings in the choir 2 days a week. On top of that trains with a local high-schooler 1 day a week. She's likely the busiest 9 year old this side of the Mississippi.

[mbear30]

Apparently I made it seem like I was asking whether I should move to Ohio at all when all I asked was places to look at around Columbus. Not sure why people love to see Southern California as a magical place where all we do is go to the beach everyday and spend 95% of our time outside due to the nice weather. As someone that was born and raised in Socal, that has always lived 10 minutes from the beach its overrated.