what is there to do/shop in Poland? (Cleveland, Youngstown: real estate, apartment complex)

[crzyfrmkids]

I didn't know Youngstown had an education dept----I searched their academic majors and didn't see that. My son wants to be a high school history teacher. Right now he has made his mind up to stay here and get an apartment with a friend, and while that would be good for him to learn to be independant, it's really far from where we would be. We chose Poland because my husbands job is in Sharon, PA. We wanted someplace with great schools and things for the kids to do in the area. Another person from his company relocated to Poland recently and really loves it there. They have children that are around my children's ages, so it would them and us someone that we would know and the kids would go to the same middle school and high school. Thanks for any advice!

[CortlandGirl79]

Not that it matters now, but here's a link to the Beeghly College of Education - Home Page It's probably a good thing that he is staying in NC when you look at the long term. Getting a job as a history teacher in Ohio or PA is nearly impossible. In fact, unless you have a teaching degree in math, science or special ed, forget it. My brother was a political science/education major and he is now living in coastal NC teaching social studies and coaching varsity baseball. He also lives w/5 other teachers, all from the Youngstown area. I can't even count the number of teachers from my hometown (pop. 6800) that are teaching school in NC. When they hear you've been educated at an Ohio university they want to sign you up right away.

I think it's a good idea that you chose the Ohio side of the border. Not that PA is bad, but i've heard their taxes are higher and they don't have to pass school levies like we do in Ohio. Over there they raise your taxes when they want to.

Oh yeah, just so you know, PA doesn't have a tax on clothes like we do. You might want to take the kids school shopping at Prime Outlets

[CortlandGirl79]

A little off topic, but this is an article about the small college my brother went to and how many teachers from that school are moving to NC.

Local News | News for Charlotte, North Carolina | WCNC.com | Local News (http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-030407-cls-teachers.1afb5d1b.html - broken link)

Melanie Drotleff was scared about starting over in a new place. But North Carolina had something Ohio lacked: teaching jobs. For the newcomer, it helped that nine other May 2006 graduates from Mount Union College were moving to Gaston County for teaching jobs as well.

[South Range Family]

Ok, having a friend in the same school makes a difference. If I was moving here without knowing anybody, I would have chosen Trumbull County to work in Sharon.

However, since you have a connection in Poland, that is a very good choice. There are probably a couple of different good routes for commuting too. 224 to route 60 in New Castle, then up to Sharon would be one of them.

[crzyfrmkids]

You mentioned there are areas that are just as nice and also cheaper than Poland---could you mention a few? What really nice family oriented, close to shopping with great schools and low crime cities are near Sharon, PA? I like the small town feel----for example the town we live in has 630 year round residents---most of our residents come seasonally. We are about 8 miles from shopping, but any real shopping or fun like bowling, movies, nice restaurants, malls, etc are about 40 minutes away. I'd rather not have to keep driving 40 miles each way to go to a mall and a Target or Petsmart. Does the perfect city exist? My husband does not mind a 30 minute commute to work. Thanks!

[South Range Family]

Poland is the farthest South I would go for a commute to Sharon. I suppose He could jump on 11 to 80 over to Sharon. That would then open up South Range, Western Reserve, and Canfield. Canfield is very comparable to Poland. It is on the opposite side of Boardman. Western Reserve is the next district West of Canfield. It's rural, but still only 10 miles from shopping in Boardman. All three of these schools would be pushing the limit for a 30 minute commute. It's probably closer to 45 minutes.

I would have to say that Trumbull County to the North would be a better choice. I can't think of the name of the school district that Cortland is in. I want to say Lake Central. I know it's a very good district. Cortland Girl would have to fill you in more on the Northern areas.

[CortlandGirl79]

I too would recommend Trumbull Co. if you are commuting to Sharon. I posted a thread a while back about good places in Trumbull:

//www.city-data.com/forum/1541166-post4.html

Out of all these areas i would highly recommend Cortland (44410), Bazetta (444410), Champion, Howland (44484), and Liberty. Here are my recommendations in order of best to good in my opinion.

I grew up in Cortland and attended Lakeview Schools, which are considered Excellent. The area is highly desirable and most home prices are steady, not shrinking. Unfortunately, at the current time the schools system is having funding issues. A couple of businesses in the area are behind on their taxes and a recent levy did not pass. Here's an article on the situation:Lakeview paying a price to play | Tribune Chronicle

The main reason i think it didn't pass is due to some confusion over how much someone's taxes would increase. The most recent levy was voted on this spring. My parents thought they would be charged per $100,000 appraised value, when it was really on the assessed value, which makes a huge difference. I'm also sure that the school board will probably put another levy on the ballot this fall. Knowing the people of the district like i do, i think they will pass it next time.

Next i would recommend Howland which is one of the biggest school districts in the county. Cortland and Howland are by far the most desirable areas with Liberty and Champion rounding out the favorites.

All of these areas are w/in 10-15 minutes of the Eastwood Mall complex (in Niles) and plenty of shopping. Also, there is a lot less traffic in Niles than there is in Boardman. I hate going to Boardman because 224 and other roads are so jam-packed w/cars.

If you do move to Trumbull County, Poland would be probably 25 minutes away from most areas and Sharon would be 20 to 30 minutes depending. You might also want to check out Hubbard, Ohio or Liberty Township, both of which have pretty good schools and they are by far the closest to Sharon.

Overall, most cities and towns in Trumbull County have great highway access. Plus, all are very close to shopping, Dr's and so on. You'll also be able to find just about any type of housing you want. All areas have a mix of new and older housing, some have acreage, some have small city lots. Depends on what you want.

[CortlandGirl79]

You might want to check out the following:
//www.city-data.com/forum/3261130-post21.html This post is about the Cortland area.

Lakeview Local Schools, Cortland, OH

Howland Local School District

Champion Local Schools

Liberty Local Schools

Hubbard Exempted Village School District

Howland Township Web Site

City of Hubbard - Home

[crzyfrmkids]

Okay----I think I have narrowed it down to Poland, Cortland and Liberty Township, based on schools, environment, etc. Cortland and Liberty are also much closer to my husbands job, and considering gas prices, which are still cheaper here than there at $3.87 a gallon, we need to keep that in mind as well. Are there lots of stores and restuarants and things to do like there is in Boardman near Poland? I know that huge mall is in Niles (Eastwood Mall?), but how about Target, Wal-Mart, PetSmart, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's---those type of things and also things for the kids to do---bowling, mini golf, etc----with gas prices, once again, I don't want to be driving 20 miles out of my way to do those things. I don't mind the driving, it's the gas! Does Liberty and Cortland have the same feel to it as Poland? My husband has been driving around Poland looking at houses with people from work and he really likes Poland, but I have found houses to be cheaper in Cortland and Liberty and we really need at least 4 bedrooms and we'd like more than a half an acre. We have a fifth wheel camper we'd like to store on our property-----are there any zoning restrictions against that? In the neighborhood we live in now, our home owners association rules tell us we can't park our camper here---is it like that in Liberty and Poland and Cortland? Thanks once again!

[CortlandGirl79]

If you are looking at Cortland i would look at Bazetta Township too. Both are included in the Lakeview district and they share the same zip code.

The Eastwood Mall complex and the surrounding area includes a minor league baseball stadium (they use it for concerts as well). Wait, here's a link to the mall area www.eastwoodmall.com

There is a Target right behind the mall and a super Walmart on Elm rd. in Bazetta Township. Other area chains are Petsmart, Max and Ermas, Red Lobster, O'Charley's, Hobby Lobby, BW3, Steak-n-shake, Bob Evans, Perkins, i could go on and on. There are a lot of family owned restaurants as well. I can recommend some once you get here. Most areas also have a Giant Eagle Grocery store too.

As for things to do for the kids i think there is maybe a small amount more in Boardman, but the traffic there is pretty crazy compared to Niles. If you move to Liberty i would guess your drive to either mall would be about 15 minutes. Cortland/Bazetta is anywhere from 10-15 minutes from the eastwood mall, maybe 25 min. from Southern Park.

I know a lot more about Cortland/Bazetta than i do about Liberty and Poland so i will only comment on it. I'm not sure if i've sent it to you before, but Cortland has a "good news" newspaper they put out every 3 weeks or so The Cortland News - "The Good News Newspaper"

Cortland itself has Mosquito Lake where there is camping, boating, etc. Downtown Cortland has a few specialty shops, pizza places, dairy queen, etc. If you choose a neighborhood in Cortland the kids could probably walk downtown or ride their bikes to Willow Park where there is skateboarding, roller hockey, basketball, tennis and a playground. Cortland also has a small bowling alley Contact Us and a roller rink. Cortland/Bazetta also have 4 golf courses Walnut Run Golf Course Home Page , the Links at Walnut Run, Tamer Win Golf & C.C. and Ash Hills.

Right down elm rd (rt 5) from Cortland is one of my favorite places:
Elm Road Drive-In Theatre: Welcome
Elm rd is also home to Super Walmart, Harley Davidson, Perkins and Eat-n-Park Restaurants, ..:: Cleats - Home of the World's Best Wings ::.. , GLOBAL HEALTH & FITNESS and several other businesses.

Warren also has an old fashioned putt-putt course on 422, not far from the mall.

Girard has an indoor driving range Creekside Golf Dome - Home and a pretty cool putt putt course

I think the kids would still have plenty to do if they moved to either community. Homes in Cortland and Liberty are definitely cheaper, i think this is because a lot of executive types live in Poland, not to mention people commute from the Boardman/Poland area to Pittsburgh.

As for the feel of the towns, like i said before Poland Village is quite charming w/a New England type feeling, but the rest of Poland Township is pretty bland like most suburbs. Cortland has a small town feel and many in the community are involved. Here are some pics i found Pictures of Cortland, Ohio,44410

I've been to Liberty, but to me it has more of a strip mall feeling. Not all of it is like that, but it is more spread out and they don't really have a downtown area. They do have a lot of businesses on Belmont Ave and they will soon be getting a Walmart as well. Here's a link to Liberty Township

Oh yeah, and for your question on zoning, i guess it depends on the neighborhood. I've seen some things like your camper parked at people's homes in cortland, but all neighborhoods are different. We don't really have HOA like you guys do down south. Usually only condo communities have those. I know in Bazetta you probably wouldn't have a problem w/that at all. My parents live in an upscale development in Bazetta and one neighbor parks a huge boat in his driveway. Some neighborhoods have rules, but i think this is a question for a realtor.

Ok, hope this wasn't too long. Feel free to ask more questions if you like.