Need help choosing a city near Toledo (Springfield, Oregon: real estate, houses)

[mjprice]

My husband has been offered a job in Toledo. From reading all the forums on "moving to Toledo" I know that we would want to move our family to one of the following: Anthony Wayne, Perrysburg, Sylvania, Ottawa Hills or Maumee. What I need help with is figuring out which one. We would be moving out of a great neighborhood (Huntington Woods, MI) that has a nice mixture of religions, SES and a wonderful community feel. We would like to move into an area that is close to the same; and also has nice homes with good sized lots. Which city should we look at?

[Hey_Hey]

Anthony Wayne is actually a school district that encompasses the areas of Monclova Twp, Waterville, and White House. The area is Southwest of downtown Toledo and is an area that finds itself somewhere between suburban and rural. The eastern edge is very suburband with numerous upscale neighborhoods while the western edge is fairly rural where subdivisions and farmland begin merging together.

Ottawa Hills is probably the "oldest" suburb you named, and is very close to the city. While it isn't urban compared to areas you'll find in Toledo proper, it isn't the same type of suburbia like you'll find in Sylvania or Perrysburg. Houses range from pretty average 2500 sq foot homes to areas that have homes that are all 4000-5000+ sq feet. It is surrounded on three sides by the city of Toledo.

Sylvania is a "new suburb" built up in subdivision style. An exception to this rule is on the eastern end of Sylvania where Toledo and Sylvania meet. This was the first area that developed and you'll find more of a typical grid system of neighborhoods instead of the subdivision style neighborhoods in the rest of Sylvania. From what I understand there is probably more diversity in Sylvania than in the other suburbs.

Perrysburg is very similar to Sylvania, but a big positive factor for Perrysburg is the presence of the Maumee River (divides Maumee and Perrysburg and Lucas and Wood Counties). It provides for some beautiful views.

Maumee is somewhere between Ottawa Hills and Perrysburg/Sylvania in terms of type of neighborhoods and proximity to Toledo. A large part of Maumee's neighorhoods are on the "grid system" while other parts are more of the subdivision style neighborhoods. There are several areas along the river with good views.

There are some other areas of suburbs as well like Rossford (similar in many respects to Ottawa Hills just smaller and across the river from Toledo in Wood County), Holland and Springfield (a very middle class area south of Sylvania), and Oregon (on the eastern side of Toledo that ranges in style from Maumee to Monclova Twp).

Good luck!

Maumee is somewhere between

[NeedAVacation]

Are you looking for a neighborhood, or the feel of the towns those school districts are in? Also - what type of house (new, bungalow, ranch?) and price range? In my opinion, Maumee & Perrysburg each have a distinct small town/community feel to them with a variety of housing styles. Sylvania might have a bigger variety of neighborhoods per se, but it seems more congested. Ottawa Hills doesn't seem to be a 'town' as much as a bunch of nice, older homes. Property taxes in Ottawa Hills are the highest in the area, but the schools are probably rated the best.

[mjprice]

We are looking for a 2 story that is at least 2000sq ft but would like bigger, 4 beds 2 or more baths with a basement and attached garage. Plus we need a good size backyard (prefer fenced or neighborhood that allows fences) for our kids and dogs. We would like a real community feel, people out walking their dogs, kids riding their bikes, nice parks with for the kids to play, etc. We would like to spend no more than $250,000. If possible we would like a newer home, but not a must.

Could you also tell me if any of these towns have nice pools? Or are there any nice pool clubs near by?

Thanks for the help!

[Hey_Hey]

The first area that popped into my mind after reading that is in Springfield. Here's a link to Google Maps of the area. Click on Street View to get a better idea of what the houses look like.

Google Maps

I live here and run in this neighborhood. It's wonderful! Houses start around $140,000 and can push $300,000 depending on size and acreage.

[mjprice]

Springfield looks really nice. Went to the map link and to Realtor.com to take a look. I have a couple of questions about Springfield: 1. I could not tell from any of the pictures if you can have a fenced in yard in Springfield. Can you fence your yard? There are some cities here that only if you have a pool can you put up a fence. 2. How are the schools in Springfield. 3. How far from Toledo is Springfield, since my husband will need to make the drive to work. Also, can you tell me how the shopping is. Is there a major mall? Out here we have Macy's, Nordstrom, and others as well as Baby gap and the like. And is there a pool club to join in the summer?

Thanks!

[NeedAVacation]

The nice thing about Toledo is that most places are within a 20 minute drive of wherever you are! I don't think you'll have a problem finding the type of home you're looking for. Lots of houses in this area are already fenced in and there are SO many homes on the market right now - many of which have been sitting a long time. I would recommend using local realtor websites such as Danberry Realtors, Welles Bowen, or Di Salle Real Estate Co for specific searches. That way you can put your criteria in and go from there.

The 'big mall' is Westfield Mall Westfield - Franklin Park but just outside of Maumee you'll find The Shops at Fallen Timbers The Shops at Fallen Timbers (http://www.theshopsatfallentimbers.com/html/index18.asp - broken link) and Levis Commons is just outside Perrysburg Welcome to The Town Center at Levis Commons' Web Site (http://www.shopleviscommons.com/index.html - broken link). Both are just off of Hwy. 475, which circles Toledo.

Swimming pools - Maumee has a very nice community pool that opened about 3 years ago. It's very popular so I think they've now limited memberships to those who live in the Maumee school district. (City of Maumee, Ohio). I know that Sylvania and Perrysburg have community pools. If your kids are teens there's also The Quarry (Sylvania Recreation). Besides the many YMCA's, there are also clubs you can join: Laurel Hill Swim & Tennis Club in SW Toledo and St. James Club in Sylvania. I'm sure there are more. Those are just off the top of my head.

There are some very nice neighborhoods in the Springfield school district. Hey_Hey gave you a link to a nice one. Another is Ragan Woods. (Part of this neighborhood is in Toledo Schools; just be sure to check the listing info.) Other very nice neighborhoods where you might be able to find a bargain these days are The Quarry (off Salisbury Road) and Stone Oak (Stone Oak Community. A residential community in Holland, Ohio). Also check out Sawmill Run.

Other neighborhoods you might like (among too many to list):

Brandywine - Maumee address but Anthony Wayne schools
St. James Woods - Sylvania
Eagle Trace - Sylvania.

There are some very nice older homes in Maumee and Perrysburg. The town streets are very walkable with small parks here and there.

Ottawa Hills really seems to me to be just one big neighborhood with a variety of homes from modest to mansions.

[mjprice]

Ok, so Ottawa Hills I think is not where we want to be. We really want a friendly/neighborly place where everyone is outside playing/chatting. I want to get to know my neighbors and my kids to make friends to play/hang with.

Can you tell me how diverse the towns are. We are coming from a nice mix of religions/ehtnicities and would like to try and keep it if possible.

[NeedAVacation]

Wikipedia has information from the 2000 census, so it's a bit dated but it might help.
Toledo, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I don't know if you'll be able to find a neighborhood here just like where you are now. You might have to compromise on the type/size of house you want or schools or location to find the right blend. If you tell your realtor what you're looking for, they'll probably be able to lead you in the right direction. Even if you just come here and drive around, you'll quickly get a feel for the area. Traffic is not bad here at all, and as I said in another post, you can get almost anywhere in 20 minutes or less.