Have you moved from North Carolina to Ohio? (Columbus, Cleveland: transplants, daycares) - (OH) - City-Data Forum

gypsylea73 · 08-20-2013, 03:54 PM

My family and I are considering moving to Ohio( I'm thinking Columbus) from the Charlotte area of North Carolina. I was wondering if anyone else has made the move to Ohio from NC. What has been your experience? Good? In what way? Bad? In what way? I look forward to hearing about your experiences

Tarheel8406 · 08-20-2013, 04:46 PM

I made the move, but not directly. (I've lived in a few other places before coming to Ohio.) To be honest, I prefer North Carolina over Ohio, but that's probably a reflection of living in the Dayton area. From the few visits I've made, Columbus seems to be more like a Sun Belt city stuck in the Midwest so you should feel right at home.

The winters here are a lot harsher than in North Carolina. It's not uncommon to go a week without going above freezing (and even then, highs in January tend to hover around the freezing mark). We also frequently go a week or two without seeing the sun in the winter. On the flip side, the cost of living is a little lower than in North Carolina, but again, that's for living in Dayton. Columbus is probably comparable to Charlotte in that regard.

ZnGuy · 08-20-2013, 06:43 PM

^some valid statements. Although cost of living can be similar if you live in the nicer suburbs in COL (i.e. Dublin) and desire area in CLT (i.e Weddington, South Charlotte). I grew up on central OH, actually live in Dublin, moved to Charlotte 9 yrs ago and it has been wonderful move. Columbus is a nice town...Although I preferred living in Cleveland. This is just my opinion but I found Columbus to be a little bland. Also did not like that there was not good access to water, lake. I think it is too much chains, retail on steroids. Gotta be bought into OSU Football or you are a minority (I'm a buckeye fan). If you you are moving for a good job boost it might be worth considering. Yep weather is not as good but not as extreme as Cleveland.

L0ve · 08-20-2013, 09:28 PM

Very few people move from the south to Ohio, and for a good reason.

I was born in Ohio and lived there or in surrounding states my entire life. Honestly, I am thrilled to be south now. Ohio is a rust belt state and is filled with lots of cornfields in between those spread out cities, strip malls and bombed out industrial fields. The news man said that last winter we went something like 8 months straight without 5 days in a row over 70 degrees. This last winter really did DH and I in. The skies where cloudy and black, and we rarely saw the sun for what seemed like 8 months. Winter did not bring much snow, just endless months of grey skies, dead brown trees and freezing weather. So glad we put it behind us...Something to consider before moving there.

There is not much culture in Ohio. Most of the state caters to sports fans and families with small kids as far as activities and events go. When I moved my husband to Ohio, he declared that it was the Land of Al Bundy - tons of men fixated on high school sports...

jbcmh81 · 08-20-2013, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmachina

Very few people move from the south to Ohio, and for a good reason.

I was born in Ohio and lived there or in surrounding states my entire life. Honestly, I am thrilled to be south now. Ohio is a rust belt state and is filled with lots of cornfields in between those spread out cities, strip malls and bombed out industrial fields. The news man said that last winter we went something like 8 months straight without 5 days in a row over 70 degrees. This last winter really did DH and I in. The skies where cloudy and black, and we rarely saw the sun for what seemed like 8 months. Winter did not bring much snow, just endless months of grey skies, dead brown trees and freezing weather. So glad we put it behind us...Something to consider before moving there.

There is not much culture in Ohio. Most of the state caters to sports fans and families with small kids as far as activities and events go. When I moved my husband to Ohio, he declared that it was the Land of Al Bundy - tons of men fixated on high school sports...

There is nothing worse than a "grass is always greener" post by someone trying to justify why they couldn't hack it in the place they left. 8 months of winter? No culture? Right. Haven't we had this very discussion before and these same reasons were proven factually incorrect by many posters? Not sure why you're back repeating them again.

L0ve · 08-21-2013, 01:13 AM

jbc, take a look at the map showing population migration in the USA, then come back and tell me what you see going in -vs- out of Ohio. There might be a reason for those statistics, and a few of them are on my personal list. It's just reality.

gypsylea73 · 08-21-2013, 01:38 AM

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am prepared for the colder weather in the winter. I actually look forward to it alittle bit. Winter here can get down to the single digits but that is kind of rare. Mostly winter here is cold and brown. Maybe a few inches of snow once or twice. I am hoping in Ohio though when it snows life doesn't stop like it does here. When I say stop I mean..1 inch of snow..schools close, daycares close..2 inches..co-workers don't show up for work and some places of business just close and send everyone home. The summers not being as hot will be nice too. I am use to breathing air that is as thick as soup and the sun beating down so hot all you can do is stay inside in air conditioning for months at a time. Apart from the weather from some of my research and the feeling I get from some of your replies Ohio and NC seem somewhat similar. However I do hope there you have money for teachers and value education more then it's valued in NC. I have a young granddaughter that I do not want educated in this state. That is one of the many reasons for our move.

Please keep the replies coming

gypsylea73 · 08-21-2013, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmachina

Very few people move from the south to Ohio, and for a good reason.

I was born in Ohio and lived there or in surrounding states my entire life. Honestly, I am thrilled to be south now. Ohio is a rust belt state and is filled with lots of cornfields in between those spread out cities, strip malls and bombed out industrial fields. The news man said that last winter we went something like 8 months straight without 5 days in a row over 70 degrees. This last winter really did DH and I in. The skies where cloudy and black, and we rarely saw the sun for what seemed like 8 months. Winter did not bring much snow, just endless months of grey skies, dead brown trees and freezing weather. So glad we put it behind us...Something to consider before moving there.

There is not much culture in Ohio. Most of the state caters to sports fans and families with small kids as far as activities and events go. When I moved my husband to Ohio, he declared that it was the Land of Al Bundy - tons of men fixated on high school sports...

I live in NC..the MECCA of the South where people from all over come because it is suppose to be perfect. Perfect weather, jobs, friendly southern people, low COL, progressive thinking....*sigh*

I am glad you have made it to the South. I hope you find happiness down here. I do have to point a few things out though...the South FULL of cornfields, whole towns of poverty stricken people, old rusted mills boarded up after the jobs went over seas, strip malls? everywhere, rusted cars on blocks in the front yard of the trailor that sits right next to the McMansion, summer heat that will make you so miserable the thought of cutting the grass makes you want to cry...culture?

Depends on how you define culture. People don't move from South to North because part of the southern culture is to never move more then a mile from family..you know..the family that has been in this town for generations and has no desire to see or acknowledge any other part of the world..much less live in it.

Tarheel8406 · 08-21-2013, 03:43 AM

It seems like North Carolina isn't your cup of tea. That's understandable, it's not for everyone.

To address some of your points, Ohio isn't exactly a hotbed of progressivism either. (And to prevent this from turning into a political discussion, let me say that I'm not supporting either side on these issues here. I'm just providing examples of issues that have come up recently.) For example, one of the school districts in SW Ohio has proposed teaching creationism in school: Springboro Again Considers Teaching Creationism. (And keep in mind, this is one of the better-performing school districts in the area.) Creationism is just one of the issues this school district has addressed recently: Huffington Post - Springboro Community City School District.

If you want an idea of what the Midwest is like, check out Richard Longworth's book 'Caught in the Middle': Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism. He does a good job in describing the Midwest, although he can go overboard with examples to prove a point.

Natural510 · 08-21-2013, 04:36 AM

I agree with you on Longworth's book, but I think Ohio is still more progressive than NC. I had a friend move from Yellow Springs to Hillsborough NC, and she's already bemoaning the local politics. True the transplants are probably changing the face of things, but it's a slow process. I'd argue Columbus is more progressive than any of their main metros (Asheville doesn't count), and Cleveland has for years churned out politicians like Sherrod Brown and Howard Metzenbaum.
It sounds like the weather thing won't be an issue for you, and you're correct snow days have to be severe to be called in Ohio. Also, it's pretty much an indisputable fact teachers get paid more in northern states (including Ohio) than down south.