Possible move to Toledo Ohio. (Cleveland, Delaware: apartments, loft, university)

[JesseQ]

Possible move to Toledo.

So I've got a pretty solid job lead in Ohio, would land me $19/hr at full time hours, up to 55 hours a week on occasion. Maybe it's because I'm making minimum wage now, but I cannot even fathom making that kind of money. So, I'm serously considering up and moving from Rapid City, South Dakota.

That being said, are there specific areas of Toledo that I should avoid? I've been living in ghettos and slums for most of my life and I'd like to get out of that scene.

I'd like to find a decent downtown loft/apartment that would be somewhere between 700-900 a month with utilities included, any recommendations?

It seems like the closest mountain areas are going to be a bit of a drive to the southeastern part of Ohio, are the roads very bad during winter? I like winter camping!

I'm a huge gun/knife advocate, am I going to get alot of flack from protectionists?

What is the nightlife like in Toledo? I'm in my late 20s but I don't feel like a day over 28!

I've got a couple buddies in Ohio, they say that everybody is fat. Is that true? I know I can't get away from obesity, living in America...but what would you guys say is the fittest city in Ohio?

One last question, and a somewhat ironic one....where in Toledo has the best steak, best burgers, and best pizza?

Oh, and what are some good microbrews I could get in Toledo?


I know, it's a lot of questions that I could probably find answers to using google. I want to get perspective from someone who actually lives in Toledo though.

[Johio83]

I think you'll be pretty happy with Toledo if you come, given a lot of the things you said. To attempt to address concerns as you listed them...

For 700-900 / mo, you'd have plenty of options available to you in downtown. Lasalle would be the first place I would look. Don't worry about the ghetto/slum aspect. There are pockets near downtown, but the downtown area has very little negative activity.

It's a bit of a drive before you start getting into the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio, but it's an easy one. You can do the drive almost entirely on major highways, so winter weather isn't an issue. I went to college at Ohio University (which is in the foothills) and never had any issues.

Don't worry about the gun/knife/hunting thing. First, Ohio itself is a pretty odd mix of political philosophies, so people here are more or less accepting of everything no matter where you are in the state. Nowhere near Texas or Cali, where you better believe what they believe or keep your mouth shut. And furthermore, Toledo has a bit of an identity crisis. It's a proud part of Ohio, but is economically joined at the hip to Detroit, so a lot of people here are very Michigan-oriented. You get a lot of the outdoorsmen here who spend a lot of time up in the nature of Michigan, with a number of hunting and wild game clubs/groups around town.

Since you said you'd like a downtown loft style place, that would put you in the best spot for night life. Downtown has grown quite a bit in the past decade, with about a dozen bars/restaurants in walking distance of most of the residential buildings there. There are plenty of other pockets around the Toledo area and surrounding suburbs with hot spots for the young crowd.

I travel for work, so I get to see a lot of cities, and I can't say there is any difference in weight anywhere I got. The only exception I ever see is that cities on coasts in warm climates tend to have a higher amount of the "very fit" caliber, but still have plenty of flabbies around too.

This is purely a matter of opinion, but my top choice for each would be Mancy's Steakhouse, Burger Bar 419, and Pizzapapalis.

For microbrews, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with how into our microbrews Toledoans are. We only have one significant microbrewer in town (there are some smaller ones, but you almost never see their stuff available in bars). However, there are a lot of bars around town that offer huge selections of microbrews from around the country. They tend to be the bars in the more urban areas, like downtown Toledo and downtown Perrysburg (suburb), but they'll often have a couple dozen beers on tap, and just about all of them microbrews. Being that you're coming from SD, I'm not sure if you'll know some of the ones from breweries based in this region, so I'll try to list the locations too:
Maumee Bay Brewing Company - Toledo
Founders - Grand Rapids, MI
Bell's - Kalamazoo, MI
New Holland - Holland, MI
Great Lakes - Cleveland, OH
Abita - Louisiana
Rogue - Oregon
Stone - San Diego
Left Hand - Colorado
New Belgium - Colorado
Avery - Colorado
Dogfish Head - Delaware
I'm sure I'm missing plenty, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

[JesseQ]

Stone - San Diego

I'm sold.

Before being in SoDak I lived in San Diego, and Stone makes the best IPA's around in my opinion.

Thanks for all the info! Not just on beer, but the rest of your post too

[belleislerunner]

Well if you're making minimum wage and you get a job for $19/hour. I don't care where it is - it's worth taking - that's over a 125% pay increase which is unheard of. The price range for your apartments is pretty reasonable too. Here's a website that pulls all the info together. Downtown Living Being new to town - I would focus on either by the Univ of Toledo area or downtown for an aparment - just so you're surrounded by people your age. Out by Airport Highway/Perrysburg is nice - but its where you go once you settle down. As for athletic/fat people - I'll generalize - but I've found the people who live downtown/urban settings tend to take better care of their weight than those in suburban sprawal - but just join a gym and you're good to go. Like Johio83 mentioned - you're only 45 min south of Detroit - so you'll have the options of 4 Pro sports teams and all kinds of other events in the Michigan/Ohio Region (e.g. Warrior Race/Tough Mudders/Dye Runs/Foam Runs etc). Coming from S. Dakota - I don't think you'll have any culture shock w/ Toledo. Had you moved from downtown San Diego -it would take some expectation adjustments. Bestn of luck landing the new gig!

[LUV2TRVL70]

I have some questions:

1.) With the new(er) oil boom in the Dakota's, why move??? Why not get a job on one of the pipelines for probably much better than $19/hr and stay closer to home??? Check it out.

2.) You didn't address your relationship status. I was in Toledo for years (10+) of my adult life as a single person and OMG, dating here is horrible. I suppose I shouldn't get started but if you are looking for uneducated worn-out looking cougars who love to drink............then you're in luck. If that isn't your scene...I wouldn't move here. Sure, there are young people, mostly college students who will no-doubt move on once they've graduated, so that leaves you with, again, basically a largely blue collar, uneducated, lower middle class. Yes, there are pockets of wealth, but it is certainly not the rule. Toledo is a rust-belt town. I heard it once referred to as the city that Cleveland burped up. Sorry to be so graphic, but its all true. This is a very "married" city. Which again, will lessen your dating prospects. Why is it so??? Because there is nothing else to do when you are fat, uneducated, have a substance-abuse problem than to get married to have someone to share in your misery.
In case you're wondering, the only reason I was here was to care for my Grandmother before her passing. I loved her dearly but could not wait to get out of Toledo. Everyday, with every new idiot I met, I literally thought I was losing oxygen and brain cells being in such a depressed area. The only bright spot about Toledo is that it has an international airport 45 mins. North.
3.) Politically, Toledo is generally more liberal (again, the union, blue-collar thing), but there are people (some I know and love) that own plenty of guns and shoot and hunt regularly. My Grandfather is one of them! Btw, he took many hunting trips over the years to the Dakotas and I know he would've LOVED to live there! Just sayin'.
4.) I hope I'm not too late here, but if I am, and you have already moved....then God Bless You!!!! My advice, save your money, get the experience on the job here, and then move on as fast as you can.