Do You Have Faith That Toledo Can Turn Things Around? (Oregon: foreclosed, rental)

[davidafan]

We live in a suburb of Toledo. We used to live in Toledo, and we still have rental property there. Over the years, I have watched Toledo go from being a somewhat thriving city with fun things to do to being a ghost town with people, jobs, and businesses leaving every day. The local newspaper, "The Toledo Blade", used to have a multi-page section of help wanted ads every Sunday, now they are down to one page of job listings in the back of the automotive section. There are thousands of foreclosed homes in Toledo today, and a headline in the paper a few days ago said that the city is not ruling out having to lay off police officers and firefighters from their already severely understaffed departments to help plug an $8 million hole in LAST year's budget, not to even mention how short they are projected to be for this current year.

Okay, so those of you who live here or know the area well: Do you have confidence that Toledo can turn all of this around and become a thriving city to be proud of once again? What about all of the factories and other businesses that have pulled up stakes and left town altogether that at one time employed thousands and thousands of people? What about the fact that the Jeep Plant and the Chrysler Machining plant in Perrysburg Twp. employ thousands and are completely dependent upon Chrysler pulling themselves back to solvency, not to mention the GM Powertrain plant on Alexis Rd. that is depending on GM for its livelihood?

I confess to not being optomistic at all, because I don't know what companies are going to bring back jobs to replace the thousands and thousands that have left, not to mention that Toledo still has to focus on trying to keep the remaining companies from leaving too.

Any thoughts or opinions? We are on the verge of getting out of here before the roof completely caves in on this once great city.

[nickw252]

I think that if we can continue to develop in the green energy sector (solar) and remake the city and market it as a green area it will thrive again. Additionally, there is plenty of development going on downtown with loft condo's, the new arena, plenty of nightlife, the Mud Hens, etc. - I think she's got some life left in her.

[kkkimbe]

People who care will show everybody that hard work pays off, People who love Toledo are working to change it around and bring it back. Even though it appears to have some down issues, I totally believe the right people are working on revival and it will come back, baby steps.

[collegeguy35]

Read my post at the end of what don't you like about Toledo. The long term outlook for Toledo is very poor for many reasons. Toledo has so many issues some can be fixed some can not. Solar and green jobs are already going to China the same will happen in Toledo. The glass business is a major employer like 1000 people here. China is moving in on it as well Libby glass will be gone in a few years. Workers are too costly here in Toledo and the rest of the US.

[jrm2811]

Originally Posted by collegeguy35

Read my post at the end of what don't you like about Toledo. The long term outlook for Toledo is very poor for many reasons. Toledo has so many issues some can be fixed some can not. Solar and green jobs are already going to China the same will happen in Toledo. The glass business is a major employer like 1000 people here. China is moving in on it as well Libby glass will be gone in a few years. Workers are too costly here in Toledo and the rest of the US.

I stated the post "What don't you like about Toledo" and thanks for your input. I am a native of Toledo, but left around 1985 for Portland, Oregon to go to college, and stayed in Portland for 10 years. I had to return to Toledo for family reasons (don't ask) in 1996. I saw alot of similarities between P-town and T-town. The population was about the same then, it has a riverfront downtown, an east side, and west side like Toledo. PDX was a lumber based town, not a great economy. Oregon seemed to turn their econ around to a more tech based econ. PDX also seemed to accept new ideas and new leaders with new ideas. Since 1985, PDX has made great strides with getting new businesses, putting in a light rail and street car system downtown, several new businesses in the area, most of them small businesses. I thought Toledo may have been on the verge of doing some good things back in 1996. But that was a very brief comeback and things have gone downhill since. We keep electing the same politicians and expect different results every time. Toledo also does have an image problem due to it's rust belt roots. It does not keep young people after they graduate from college because the city does not seem to have enough for them to do. I know we have the Hens and and zoo and museum, but lack pubs, clubs and an overall lack of an urban feel to the inner city, which graduates are looking for. I do not see Toledo improving any time soon. We are facing a $48 million debt because of our sliding population which is under 300,000 now. I hate to jump off a sinking ship, but I hope to go back to PDX in a few years - although the house I bought in in PDX in 91 for $60,000 is now $280,000. Ouch! If we can balance the budget and after that have our leaders come up with a plan to get new green businesses, improve the infrastructure, and offer attractions for graduates, the city may make a comeback. Maybe.

[PreservationPioneer]

As someone who does not live in Toledo (I'm from Michigan and now live in Pittsburgh), who has visited a few times, I believe Toledo has lots of potential. I do not quite understand when or how living in the city of Toledo became undesirable, but I know its suburbs are far more healthier than the core, and that is never the sign of a healthy city. I think Toledo needs to focus on bringing back its downtown, and making downtown a viable residential and cultural center for the region, and then I think the neighborhoods in the city may see gains from that. Just my two cents.