Best city to live near Lima Ohio (Columbus, Toledo: crime, law school)

[shastri88]

Hey guys,

so I will be moving down to the Lima, OH region from Toronto, Canada in a few months and I just wanted to get your opinion on where around Lima would be a good place to live. It seems like Lima itself does have a high level of crime and that concerns me. I am 30 years old and Id like to be somewhere with basic amenities (walmart, target, etc), relatively safe, some decent nightlife, and close to nature areas to explore.

From my own research, I have narrowed down my choices to Findlay, Bowling Green, Marysville, Wapokeneta and Bluffton, but I was hoping to get some opinion from you locals as to what would be the best place to live and commute to Lima from!

[shastri88]

it also seems like alot of you like Troy, Oh as well so I would be curious to hear some opinions on that as well. How bad of a commute would it be to go from Troy to Lima?

[woxyroxme]

Commuting from Troy to Lima would get old very quickly, you could try to find a nicer area in Lima or move to Ada or Bluffton, both are college towns with small religious affiliated schools.

[dxdtdemon]

Troy to Lima would take about 50 minutes each way.

[PerryMason614]

What about Findlay? With all the Marathon and Cooper Tire people there, it probably is a step up from Lima in terms of curb appeal.

[SWOH]

Welcome to OH!

I would not recommend Lima, OH to live.
Findlay is quite nice and not a horrible commute, if I were you I'd look there.

There is no real benefit to Ada or Bluffton over any other OH small town. Culturally both are not much different from each other, Fremont or Upper Sandusky, both of which are quite a bit bigger than the former two (maybe Columbus Grove is a better comparison).

Troy, Marysville, and Bowling Green are very nice too but the commute is not worth it! An hour+ depending on where in Lima you work for any of those three. I know a lot of people that do hour+ commutes and they have no life outside work, which kills the purpose of living in a nicer city.

So at the end of the day I'd recommend Findlay or Findlay. At least it's a nice place. Good luck!

[ferraris]

Even Findlay is a bit of a commute. Bluffton might be the best option as you can split the difference and have access to both Findlay and Lima in a reasonable amount of time.

You might find yourself having to head to Toledo, Ft. Wayne, or Dayton for some types of entertainment and shopping on weekends.

[bellhead]

I grew up in Lima... Lived in quite a few cities currently living in Savannah Ga..

Crime isn't as bad as it seems, just avoid certain areas of the city like anywhere else, do you go to the bad areas of Toronto & hang out?

Look at Shawnee, Bath, or Elida all are within Allen county, Findlay is a 40 minute drive without traffic during the summer. Winter can make a commute one way north of an hour.

[greenvillebuckeye]

As a once 30 year old (now 37) and as a person who grew up in Lima I'd recommend either Lima itself or Ada. Ada has ONU and a law school which could provide the type of social night life you may be looking for.

Marysville is gonna be a bit of a hike. HOWEVER you would be right on the out skirts of Columbus which would be huge.

Findlay is closer than Marysville and does provide access to bowling green and toledo for night life.

Wapakoneta - you're better off living in St. Marys which would put you closer to grand lake for your outdoor needs

Bluffton - might as well live in Findlay.

[Meemur]

I lived in both cities in the 1990s. I'd pick Findlay any day over Lima.