Yet another family moving to Ohio (Cleveland, Toledo: how much, houses, job transfer)

[shelby7851]

Hello - my family of 4 is going to move to OH in the next couple months (job transfer). Basically I was hoping to find out what are the most suitable places to live within about 60 miles of Akron. My husband will work from home, and cover an area of the northern half of Ohio, with most visits in Akron and Cleveland I believe. The company requires he lives within 60 miles of Akron.
I copied the newcomer questions, here is my info;

-Where you are working?
Automotive.. will visit GM dealerships/ Hospital, will eventually work from home (medical coder)

-How much you are willing to spend on housing?
Hoping to buy, would like to stay under 175k, looking for 1-4 acres, but I dont want to have to remodel an old house

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
Not too much of an issue.

-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
One going into 8th grade next year, public. He is used to a smaller school, his middle school now has about 500 students (6-8) we have a senior going to college next year

-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?
small town feel

-Community amenities important to you?
Not really, we like to get outdoors, hiking, camping

We live in indiana now, and have lived in Missouri in the past.. just like the small town, midwest feel.

Any advice is appreciated! I have read through the threads, and continue to do so, but everyone's situation is different. Thank you!

[smcclain91]

Hello!


Welcome to the Buckeye State! Some areas I would suggest would be Jackson Township near Canton. The schools are very good, has a nice smaller town feel with close access to shopping near Beldon Village. You can find nice houses for under $175,000. Its about 15 miles south of Akron, just down I-77.


Another good option would be Cuyahoga Falls which is just north of Akron. You are closer to Akron than Jackson but still have a nice smaller vibe.


Stow would be another suggestion, though I am not as familiar with it as the others but have heard nice things about it.


Good luck on the move!

[thinkalot]

Medina. I have a sibling there. They like it.

[ferraris]

Maybe somewhere in the State Route 44 area? There's plenty of rural land where you can get your 1-4 acres, and you can get your small town charm in places like Ravenna, Mantua, and Burton. You'd be centered kind of between Akron, Cleveland, and Youngstown, which could be good for your husband's commuting.

[flashes1]

Stow or Kent.

[Vegabern]

Kent

[216facts]

There is a group of suburbs midway between Cleveland and Akron, collectively known as Nordonia Hills: Northfield, Northfield Center, Macedonia, Sagamore Hills. They share one school system. Housing ranges from cheap to pricy. Close to the Metroparks and National Park.

[shelby7851]

Thank you guys! This gives me a starting point, of some places to look at, I really appreciate it!

[flashes1]

Originally Posted by Vegabern

Kent

Yea, now that I think about it----definitely Kent. The downtown has improved 1,000x in the past 5 years to the point that it's really cool for both families and college students. Additionally, it's strategically located for the OP's husband----3 miles from I-76, and ~5 miles from the Ohio Turnpike. And 15 miles from Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by shelby7851

Hello - my family of 4 is going to move to OH in the next couple months (job transfer). Basically I was hoping to find out what are the most suitable places to live within about 60 miles of Akron. My husband will work from home, and cover an area of the northern half of Ohio, with most visits in Akron and Cleveland I believe. The company requires he lives within 60 miles of Akron.
I copied the newcomer questions, here is my info;

-Where you are working?
Automotive.. will visit GM dealerships/ Hospital, will eventually work from home (medical coder)

-How much you are willing to spend on housing?
Hoping to buy, would like to stay under 175k, looking for 1-4 acres, but I dont want to have to remodel an old house

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
Not too much of an issue.

-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
One going into 8th grade next year, public. He is used to a smaller school, his middle school now has about 500 students (6-8) we have a senior going to college next year

-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?
small town feel

-Community amenities important to you?
Not really, we like to get outdoors, hiking, camping

We live in indiana now, and have lived in Missouri in the past.. just like the small town, midwest feel.

Any advice is appreciated! I have read through the threads, and continue to do so, but everyone's situation is different. Thank you!

Have you thread through this thread, especially the thread linked in post 3?

//www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...cleveland.html

Before making your decision, definitely get much greater granularity about the locations in your husband's territory. E.g., will visits be made to northwest Ohio, especially Greater Toledo? My hunch is that you'll want to be located near the intersections of I-77 and either the Ohio Turnpike or I-480, I-271 and I-480, or I-71 and intersections with either the Ohio Turnpike or I-480. The intersections of I-271 and I-90 (Willoughby Hills for more acreage), and I-71 and I-90 also may be options.

Obtaining 1-4 acres and your desired house for $175,000 seems very problematic. For more acreage, perhaps check out options in the well-rated Kenston or West Geauga school districts.

If you settle for the more typical 1/4 to 1/3 acre lots, your options will be greatly expanded. Consider that Greater Cleveland has great Metropark (county) systems and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Why do you want 1-4 acres?

Check out the location of any prospective residence to reservations of Greater Cleveland's and Greater Akron's Metropark systems (e.g., several large Cleveland Metroparks reservations, such as Hinckley and North Chagrin are located outside of Cuyahoga County). Almost every county in northeast Ohio has a good metropark system.

E.g., see post 13 in this thread.

//www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...eveland-2.html

See post 7 and especially 9 in this thread for a discussion of how the various metropark systems came into existence and distinguish living in northeast Ohio.

//www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...cleveland.html

More rural areas in Lorain and Medina counties likely offer more affordable acreage, but perhaps at the expense of better school systems. I definitely would check out Kent and surrounding areas in Portage County, although it's not an area in which I have great knowledge and it may not be as convenient for your husband's business activities.