California to Ohio? Advice (Columbus, Cleveland: insurance, home, high school)

[acealive1]

Originally Posted by s_marie

Hello, all! Sorry in advance for my rambling.

TLDR version ahead of time: I live in California, I'm thinking of moving to Ohio. Will my liberalism be totally shunned there? Also my ideal home/city is a suburb outside a big city (like Cleveland) - I'd really like to have a charming old house with a porch and a big backyard where I can have a bunch of animals (dogs, pigs) roam around in a fenced in area. Know any cities/neighborhoods/towns like that?

I've lived in Southern California my whole life and always said I would never, ever move away. My parents are from the Midwest (Wisconsin), but even though I would go back and visit once a year (and loved Wisconsin!), I never felt like I fit with Midwest life.

But I'm 24 now, and my boyfriend is "from" Ohio (he lived there till he was 5, has visited once a year, and is 100% obsessed with it) wants to move back more than anything. Because of California traffic, the horrors of parking in Los Angeles, and the fact that housing here is outrageous... I've been considering it.

Thoughts:
1. The weather. If it gets like 65'F or below I turn into a whining mess. I've never driven in snow. Any west coast (Arizona? California?) transplants who've gotten used to the winters there?

2. Liberalism/conservative.....ism. I've heard horror stories about small towns and racism and I don't want to blanket Ohio as prejudice or anything but, I just don't know! I've never been there. I'm Filipino/white and my boyfriend is white so it's something I feel like I have to think about. Any areas that are more liberal than others? Any to avoid? On road trips through the middle states my family has gotten plenty of weird stares so I'm just trying to avoid that in a place where I'd want to settle down.

3. The perfect town. I want an older house, with a front porch and a big backyard. I want to adopt a lot of animals and I'd like to have a huge fenced in backyard where they can run around. I'm horrible with dimensions but... 0.25 acres? (Sorry, I'm awful.) Definitely not a city, but a suburb outside on - ideally Cleveland, because my boyfriend is diehard Browns fan. I've seen good things about Lakewood, but it doesn't look like they have huge-ish backyards.

And a question for any native Ohio-an (oh God, is that the right phrase?) - what do you love most about living in Ohio?

And for any people who've moved there - why did you move? Why did you stay? What do you miss most about your previous home?

Thanks all for the help!

i made the move from cali to ohio....terrible decision made for me before i was 18...but, cali is very over priced. remember that any place in ohio is at risk for severe snow, and it's even worse with water nearby.


i miss the ocean about cali the most. theres nothing like it....actually, nothing in ohio is like cali.

the only upside is the rent is cheaper here.

you dont need a smog check in ohio...unless u live near cleveland. so that'll save you some cash.
car insurance and license plate tags are cheaper as well. i mean by alot.

the small towns are racist here, not all. but you will see some stuff that'll make you wonder how dense people can get.


i STILL do not fit in here in ohio things are in a word "weird" it seems like i went thru a time warp because racism actually exists here.


if you need any more questions answered, i'm here. good luck on wherever you decide to move

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by s_marie

Hello, all! Sorry in advance for my rambling.

TLDR version ahead of time: I live in California, I'm thinking of moving to Ohio. Will my liberalism be totally shunned there? Also my ideal home/city is a suburb outside a big city (like Cleveland) - I'd really like to have a charming old house with a porch and a big backyard where I can have a bunch of animals (dogs, pigs) roam around in a fenced in area. Know any cities/neighborhoods/towns like that?

I've lived in Southern California my whole life and always said I would never, ever move away. My parents are from the Midwest (Wisconsin), but even though I would go back and visit once a year (and loved Wisconsin!), I never felt like I fit with Midwest life.

But I'm 24 now, and my boyfriend is "from" Ohio (he lived there till he was 5, has visited once a year, and is 100% obsessed with it) wants to move back more than anything. Because of California traffic, the horrors of parking in Los Angeles, and the fact that housing here is outrageous... I've been considering it.

Thoughts:
1. The weather. If it gets like 65'F or below I turn into a whining mess. I've never driven in snow. Any west coast (Arizona? California?) transplants who've gotten used to the winters there?

2. Liberalism/conservative.....ism. I've heard horror stories about small towns and racism and I don't want to blanket Ohio as prejudice or anything but, I just don't know! I've never been there. I'm Filipino/white and my boyfriend is white so it's something I feel like I have to think about. Any areas that are more liberal than others? Any to avoid? On road trips through the middle states my family has gotten plenty of weird stares so I'm just trying to avoid that in a place where I'd want to settle down.

3. The perfect town. I want an older house, with a front porch and a big backyard. I want to adopt a lot of animals and I'd like to have a huge fenced in backyard where they can run around. I'm horrible with dimensions but... 0.25 acres? (Sorry, I'm awful.) Definitely not a city, but a suburb outside on - ideally Cleveland, because my boyfriend is diehard Browns fan. I've seen good things about Lakewood, but it doesn't look like they have huge-ish backyards.

And a question for any native Ohio-an (oh God, is that the right phrase?) - what do you love most about living in Ohio?

And for any people who've moved there - why did you move? Why did you stay? What do you miss most about your previous home?

Thanks all for the help!

Californication has happened in enough places. If you want a place just like California, then stay there, if you want a place like Ohio, then move. Please though, don't try to change Ohio, instead let Ohio change you.

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by HPY1

Californication has happened in enough places. If you want a place just like California, then stay there, if you want a place like Ohio, then move. Please though, don't try to change Ohio, instead let Ohio change you.

She didn't say anything about trying to find "California in Ohio". Maybe you should keep your prejudices in Texas.

[ohioaninsc]

I think 200,000 liberals need to move from CA to OH so we can flip the politics of this state back to being progressive.

Not sure why the OP would want pigs as pets though...that's just weird. Especially if you aren't going to raise them to make yummy bacon and pork chops and sausage and pork roast and ribs and more.

That said, I think you'll fit in just fine in NE Ohio...it's the state's most liberal area, and probably the least racist part of the state.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by Natural510

She didn't say anything about trying to find "California in Ohio". Maybe you should keep your prejudices in Texas.

Prejudices? That is a pretty extreme conclusion you came to. I've lived in areas of the country that were strongly affected by californication. Not wanting that to happen in Ohio does not make me Predjudice. Maybe you aren't a fan of the first amendment, but I am.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by ohioaninsc

I think 200,000 liberals need to move from CA to OH so we can flip the politics of this state back to being progressive.

Not sure why the OP would want pigs as pets though...that's just weird. Especially if you aren't going to raise them to make yummy bacon and pork chops and sausage and pork roast and ribs and more.

That said, I think you'll fit in just fine in NE Ohio...it's the state's most liberal area, and probably the least racist part of the state.

Please no! Leave the progressives in California. Ohio does not need to be heavily taxed and regulated. Ohio is perfectly balanced at the moment.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by HPY1

Please no! Leave the progressives in California. Ohio does not need to be heavily taxed and regulated. Ohio is perfectly balanced at the moment.

The Republicans are doing their best to turn Ohio into a little Texas. They've slashed income taxes on the wealthy, even to zero on "pass-through" businesses, forcing state and local taxes much higher.

They are pumping radioactive fracking waste water under high pressures beneath potable water supplies in eastern Ohio, running the risk of an environmental catastrophe in future years. Currently, corporate livestock farms are allowed to dump large amounts of manure on fields. The resulting pollution is creating toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and other Ohio waterways.

If you're a champion of first amendment rights, consider that the Republicans have banned local hearings into the permitting process of fracking waste water injection wells.

The Republicans have gutted abortion rights in Ohio.

They've diverted billions of state revenues into the secretive, JobsOhio program, which awards outright grants to businesses whose identities are never disclosed.

They've leveraged the Ohio Turnpike, raising tolls to levels that likely would offend even a Texan, crippling the future of the northern Ohio manufacturing economy.

They've gerrymandered the heck out of the state, and flooded it with SuperPac money, polarizing and perverting the election process.

Actually, somebody from California might find the Ohio political scene as disgusting as that in Texas. Ohio's major cities are somewhat liberal oases, unlike Texas, with great legacies of progressive behavior such as significant park systems.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by WRnative

The Republicans are doing their best to turn Ohio into a little Texas. They've slashed income taxes on the wealthy, even to zero on "pass-through" businesses, forcing state and local taxes much higher.

They are pumping radioactive fracking waste water under high pressures beneath potable water supplies in eastern Ohio, running the risk of an environmental catastrophe in future years. Currently, corporate livestock farms are allowed to dump large amounts of manure on fields. The resulting pollution is creating toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and other Ohio waterways.

If you're a champion of first amendment rights, consider that the Republicans have banned local hearings into the permitting process of fracking waste water injection wells.

The Republicans have gutted abortion rights in Ohio.

They've diverted billions of state revenues into the secretive, JobsOhio program, which awards outright grants to businesses whose identities are never disclosed.

They've leveraged the Ohio Turnpike, raising tolls to levels that likely would offend even a Texan, crippling the future of the northern Ohio manufacturing economy.

They've gerrymandered the heck out of the state, and flooded it with SuperPac money, polarizing and perverting the election process.

Actually, somebody from California might find the Ohio political scene as disgusting as that in Texas. Ohio's major cities are somewhat liberal oases, unlike Texas, with great legacies of progressive behavior such as significant park systems.

I' born and raised in Ohio. I'' Texan only for work. And I find that many of the topics you discuss are taking a very extreme opinion and view not supported by facts. But that's the great thing about the first amendment.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by HPY1

I' born and raised in Ohio. I'' Texan only for work. And I find that many of the topics you discuss are taking a very extreme opinion and view not supported by facts. But that's the great thing about the first amendment.

And I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Do you care to get specific about what I said that isn't supported by facts? The items that I listed have been documented in the past in this forum.

Facts aren't opinions.

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by HPY1

Prejudices? That is a pretty extreme conclusion you came to. I've lived in areas of the country that were strongly affected by californication. Not wanting that to happen in Ohio does not make me Predjudice. Maybe you aren't a fan of the first amendment, but I am.

She didn't say anything about trying to find California in Ohio (like that's a bad thing), you just took where she's from as an excuse to bash her, which makes you prejudiced. But it's okay, I hate Texas like any good Californian too.