Sorry, found Ohio not so appealing... (Columbus, Cleveland: best cities, real estate, amusement park)

[rrtechno]

I believe that what is best for you is whatever "you" make it. For example, if you like theater, it depends on whether you want to be a spectator or a participant. Spectators need to live near a large city where the shows are constantly changing so they don't get bored. Participants can go just about anyplace. Even small communities have local community theater groups that put on some really excellent performances and you can be involved and entertained for weeks or even months. If you like hiking, and want mountains and privacy, you may have a little more trouble finding it in Ohio than in Colorado, but if just going out for a walk in the evening is what you want, there are many parks (city and otherwise) that you can go to. Many neighborhoods and small towns are perfect for this also. You can get out, say hello to your neighbors, wave at the people in passing cars and just relax.

Just the other week we drove down to the KitchenAid Experience in Greenville and stopped by Annie Oakley's gravesite on the way home. We have recently been to the light display at Clifton Mill, and then ate at Young's Dairy Farm at Yellow Springs. We drove my mom through the park in Archbold to see their Festival of Lights. (Been there...Done that...many times before, but it is still great) We have Sauder Village and Auglaize Village here in Northwest Ohio if you like history (local). Quaint little villages like Grand Rapids along the Maumee River have things like the Isaac Ludwig Mill. Independence Dam Park and Goll Woods have a variety of hiking trails. The Neil Armstrong Museum at Wapakoneta is just a little over an hour away from us. If we can't find something to do, it is our own fault. We just aren't looking.

I wish you all the best and hope you find what you are looking for. I know I did. And it is right here in OHIO.

[paintballer1708]

I think people just need to do a little research on places to visit for "outdoor" things to do in Ohio. Believe it or not there are a lot of things to do. Cuyahoga Nat'l Park for instance. One of the nation's busiest and most visited national parks. On average it has an attendance of about 3 million annually. SE Ohio is very sparsely populated compared to the rest of the state, but has some great nat'l forests and some great areas to go hiking and camping out. NE Ohio has a lot of large lakes for boating and fishing, and just a nice summer getaway. You dont just have to go to Lake Erie. Like HAS mentioned, the Kelly Islands are a great escape as well. You can either fly out on a small plane, or do as most and take a ferry out. There are about 5 islands and there are some amazing beaches out there. Many people have summer houses out there, and keep their boats, jet skies, etc there. Its also not far from Cedar Point. That whole area is booming in the summer time.

I remember just south of Youngstown there is this great park called Beaver Creek State Park. This place is amazing. It has huge creeks and small rivers, and great camping grounds. There are miles of forest and hiking trails to go along with it. SW Ohio has lots of beauty as well. The gently rolling hills here offer many parks and getaways from the city life. You just have to do some research on parks or outdoor things to do in Ohio. I know some people from Michigan and Pennsylvania that make the trips to Ohio in the spring and summer to start their vacations. Just do some research, you will be suprised what you find.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

And just to show how appealing Maryland must be to some Marylanders is that some are moving across the border to PA. Harrisburg!!! I found that very interesting. But i dont base Maryland on Baltimore. I just dont think you should base Ohio on Toledo.

Actually, while I'm not an official urban planner like you are, I happen to be a self-taught demographics aficianado. The reason that people are fleeing the Baltimore area isn't because it's not a nice place to live---A lot of renters in the Baltimore suburbs are at the point where they want to purchase their own homes and settle down. Unfortunately, the cost-of-living in much of the Baltimore suburbs is skyrocketing, making that option impossible for many. As such, they've begun to creep their way right on up to PA (York County, not Harrisburg), in a never-ending quest for affordable housing with convenience to I-83. A lot of newer housing developments in communities near the PA/MD line, such as New Freedom, Shrewsbury, and Stewartstown are now advertising their lots as being "convenient to Baltimore," as these subdivions are generally under an hour from Downtown Baltimore for commuting convenience.

This same phenomenon is happening in New York City as well, where people being "priced out" of the Northern New Jersey and NYC housing markets are flooding en masse into the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania to move into one of our many newer planned communities. I've even noticed a disturbing "squeeze-play" of sorts, as some of Scranton's outermost suburban areas, such as Moscow and Gouldsboro, are now being inquired about on here for their feasibility for NJ/NYC commuters! In time, I expect even Scranton itself to become the outermost bedroom community to NYC, especially when the high-speed commuter train is established around 2010. People are just realizing that $250,000 can get them so much more for their money in the Poconos as opposed to NJ or in York County, PA as opposed to, per se, Owings Mills, MD. Unfortunately, the trade-off is a lengthier commute and a poorer quality-of-life; my ex-boyfriend is an ex-Brooklyner who lives in the Poconos, and he knows of many children whose parents are gone from home from 5:30 AM until 8:00 PM!

Unfortunately, the natives of both York County and Monroe County are paying the price for their "convenience" in the way of increasing traffic congestion (I-80 and I-83 are both insane now), rising crime (the Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings are all well-established now in the Poconos), and rising property taxes (the money to pay for all of the new schools, roads, etc. to accomodate the influx has to come from somewhere, right?) I work at the Wilkes-Barre Lowe's store, and I recently helped a customer who had purchased a home in Wilkes-Barre and was planning to renovate it into his family's primary home to "escape the Poconos."

In a way, that's frightening to me. First, people fled to NJ to "escape NYC." Then, they fled to Monroe County to "escape NJ." Now, they're fleeing to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to "escape the Poconos." What's next? Will I have to flee to WILLIAMSPORT to "escape Scranton/Wilkes-Barre?" At what point will our East Coast megalopolis stop growing northwestward?

[HAS]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

I think people just need to do a little research on places to visit for "outdoor" things to do in Ohio. Believe it or not there are a lot of things to do. Cuyahoga Nat'l Park for instance. One of the nation's busiest and most visited national parks. On average it has an attendance of about 3 million annually. SE Ohio is very sparsely populated compared to the rest of the state, but has some great nat'l forests and some great areas to go hiking and camping out. NE Ohio has a lot of large lakes for boating and fishing, and just a nice summer getaway. You dont just have to go to Lake Erie. Like HAS mentioned, the Kelly Islands are a great escape as well. You can either fly out on a small plane, or do as most and take a ferry out. There are about 5 islands and there are some amazing beaches out there. Many people have summer houses out there, and keep their boats, jet skies, etc there. Its also not far from Cedar Point. That whole area is booming in the summer time.

I remember just south of Youngstown there is this great park called Beaver Creek State Park. This place is amazing. It has huge creeks and small rivers, and great camping grounds. There are miles of forest and hiking trails to go along with it. SW Ohio has lots of beauty as well. The gently rolling hills here offer many parks and getaways from the city life. You just have to do some research on parks or outdoor things to do in Ohio. I know some people from Michigan and Pennsylvania that make the trips to Ohio in the spring and summer to start their vacations. Just do some research, you will be suprised what you find.

THANK YOU, Paintballer. Everyone was acting like I was crazy for saying that there are many different types of things to do in Ohio. I just don't know exact locations or names like you do. For instance, I knew there were more parks in Ohio like Mohican, but I have no idea what the heck any of their names are! Anyways, thanks for helping out my argument...

[paintballer1708]

Thank you SWB. It was York and Lancaster that i was thinking. One thing i fear now for Pennsylvania is the cost of living. I dont know if Eastern Pennsylvania will just feel the pinch, but so will Western Pennsylvania. Many from Western Pennsylvania can leave and head for SW Ohio to Columbus or Cincinnati for much better job markets, and a much lower cost of living. Pennsylvania is getting all these ex New Yorkers, but how long will this last before it starts affecting the state in a negative way?

[OneWayOut]

Well I made it. I just got a great apartment last week in Tempe, AZ. I have already met some nice people, and had a great New Years eve with my new acquaintances at the Tempe festival. Its been hectic moving into the apartment, and shopping for new furniture, etc, but wow, I am not complaining about the temps still in the 70's, or anything else for that matter. Its beautiful here. I was so happy yesterday to be able to head up to Camelback mountain (my favourite place from my Phoenix visits) for a hike, no problem.

I spent Christmas in Maryland. I almost said the heck with it and stayed there. What a great place, I will miss it as always. But its time to start anew in the Phoenix area. I will be back to Toledo one last time in a couple weeks to grab my other car and the rest of my stuff and make the 29 hour drive home.

Hope everyone had a good new year, I sure did. Good luck to all in 2007!

[htlong]

hey one way,
I'm glad your in a better mood, but when summer gets here, you will find the "beach front" home you have is a long long walk to the water, i know its a dry heat but when I was in las Vegas one summer the dry heat was still hot!
and if you get bored you can always drive to las Vegas!

[paintballer1708]

Im glad everything is going well for you, Oneway. Camelback Mountain is a great area. I would always recommend a visit there if you will be in the Phoenix area. I honestly dont find the summer heat out there to be that bad. Las Vegas had Lake Mead, but Phoenix has nothing for water though. But i wouldnt mind taking the 2-3 hour trip to Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu City is a must when i visit Arizona, as well as Sedona. Keep us posted on the move Oneway. Good luck with the long drive too. Be careful when your driving back to Arizona with all the huge amounts of snow they got in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.

[HAS]

Congratulations on "finalizing" the move. I hope it truly does turn out to be everything you're hoping for!

[bneal_1580]

It's called Pop!

LOL! I've lived in the Toledo area for most of my life and I have to mostly agree with the original poster. What's interesting is that most people who move here end up liking it and those who grow up here hate it...by what I've seen (except for the original poster who has some good sense apparently). Whoever says the job market here is good, doesn't know what they're talking about. I've been looking for a new job for the last two years and come up with nothing...unless I would want to be a truck driver, in the medical field or work in a factory. A lot of companies are moving out of here and its a known fact. I'm setting my sites further south...probably North Carolina. I however don't think everyone around here is stuck up or avid sports fans.