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The failed riverside shopping area was called Portside. It failed miserably (as have most developments in the downtown area). Toledo is basically the southernmost "downriver" suburb of Detroit. And it is a ghost town. I wouldn't recommend NW Ohio to anyone under 50. And I wouldn't recommend Toledo proper to anyone. I now live on the west coast and haven't regretted the move for one second.
Born In Toledo...left...came back...now looking again...
I was born in Toledo, went to college in MI and lived in the DC area for 2 yrs and came back (better job)...now I want to move again (Houston).....
Toledo has a lot of potential however most of it is not realized b/c
1. it is not a progressive city....in fact OH is not a progressive state....there are a lot of cities that are smalller than Toledo yet seem to me much more "together"
2. stagnant growth
3. loss of population
most of the large cities in OH (Cleveland, Cincy, Dayton, Toledo, Akron) are losing people by the thousands b/c the job market is lousy..
At least Cleveland has quite a few fortune 500's, a major medical center, and 2.3 million people (suburbs plus Akron-Canton)...but where do you draw the line...where does cleveland metro stop..?
Cincy's core population has declined however the metro population has increased quite a bit....but it includes OH, KY, IN.....i mean where does it stop....some of these places are 40 or so miles out from Cincy....
toledo would be well over 1million if you included every thing 40 miles around it....but you hit the detroit burbs at mile marker 36 (75 north from the OH border)...so you could say toledo is a "part" of metro detroit ala the metro plex...!
I wont even begin to compare toledo-detroit to dallas-fw
the problem is not all toledo's fault.... the only cities in the Midwest that are showing any significant growth are Columbus (although the mid point census stated that it has tapered off) and Indianapolis (Chicago is a world city-they lose many but gain many more every year so I am not including it...).....but look at the OH cities, St Louis, The twin cities (stagnant), Milwaukee, Detroit, Buffalo.....they are all slowly dying.....everyone seems to be moving south, east or west......progressive types of people are quickly bored with Toledo and move on. The city has 2 major universities in it's metro area but is having a hard time holding on to college graduates (undergrad, grad (law, medicine, ect) not only b/c the salaries are higher in larger cities (allowing for cost of living) but b/c Toledo is just a blah mw city......and young professionals want to be around other young (single) professionals....not families....Since the population is shrinking the job opportunities are also shrinking....teachers are being laid off, city workers are being let go, the University of Toledo just went through a major restructuring....Chrysler is now owned by Cerebus-Chrysler is the largest employer in the city....there is just a lot of uncertainty with the Jeep plant....the people who live in toledo (40 and younger with families) tend to stay b/c they have family ties to the area or they are lucky enough to have a good job. Younger people who frequent malls cant belive that they city only has one enclosed shopping mall for a metro area with 600k people. The city has many shopping areas that are abandoned or close to it. Westgate just missed being caught up in all of that when the mayor opposed a Costco store. The Costco was promising jobs at 30k a yr for cashiers and their presence was the key to revitalizing that entire shopping area....yet the mayor almost torpedoed it over the fact that costco wanted to pay their workers 50cents per hour cheaper than the city minimum wage. Southwyck, Northtowne and other areas have not been so fortunate. Housing values in the Southwyck area have sunk b/c of that white elephant mall that has not been renovated since it was built in the early 70's. A new shopping area out in Perrysburg called Levis Commons has maybe 25 stores and 1 mens clothing store....it is expensive and generally for the well heeled..it is a lifestyle center....a newer complex near Maumee called Fallen Timbers will open in 2 months....but from what we have read the same stores that are at the "only mall in town" will be duplicated out there and it is also a lifestyle center....cant wait to see how busy they are when the temp hits 5 below....back to southwyck.. The paper today said the last remaning store was closing in 2 mos. Foreclosures are up 51% from 2006. The singles scene is nothing like it is in the larger cities b/c it is a family oriented town. I have friends who are single and they cant wait to get out of here. I would say that 50% of why Toledo is the way it is is the city's fault and the other half is the economy. Without tech jobs and with the heavy union presence scaring away potential manufacturers. the lack of attractions for singles, the lack of job growth, the failure to prevent brain drain... I dont see how Toledo can prevent the loss of about 50k more people in the next 15 yrs. So to answer your question Toledo will be even more insignificant in 15 or 20 yrs.
Last edited by Tyger1906; 08-27-2007 at 01:14 AM..
...in addition...the current mayor was not allowed to run after running for two terms in the 90's....there is a loophole in the law that allowed him to run again after sitting out 1 term....I dont think that is really a term limit...(Can Clinton run again?).....he turned on the mayor who served between his terms....and beat him in the latest election b/c he had nothing else to do (he probably could not find a job here either!)..this is the same mayor who during his first term in office stated that the people living near the airport (complaining about the noise) should sell there houses to deaf people......Anyways....The main newspaper is a joke...spends most of its time hounding the University of Toledo, the school system, and writing about prostitutes.....and about why the zoo employees drive volvos instead of jeeps.....(volvo is owned by Ford -a local company -STUPID) and other general things that no one cares about.....you should have seen their bi weekly restaurant critic column one week this summer....the featured restaurant review of the week was....are you ready....BOSTON MARKET.....a fast food chicken place owned by McDonalds Inc.....the paper does more harm than good to the city....
The democrats in the city have split so you have democrats running against each other quite often..as was the case in the most recent mayoral election.....the Republican presence in the area is relegated mainly to the suburbs and well heeled areas.....
Singles are leaving in droves.....no nightlife, no singles scene, no entertainment....the new arena will hold 8k people....no major entertainer is going to come here when they can go to Detroit and sell out the Palace, a place that holds 3 times as many people...No NCAA tourney games are going to come here (as they do other mid size cities) when the arena only holds 8k...why in the hell would you waste your time building an 8k arena for a minor league hockey team that will not fill it.....My 10yr H.S. reunion should have been held in Atlanta...seemed like we had more people living there than any other city....the zoo, museum, thats ok once every 3 yrs or so. I dont see why a single person would go to the zoo more often than that...its not San Diego or Chicago...the art museum...its ok for the mw...but if you are expecting DC, or Chicago...dont hold your breath....
Toledo does not even have a 4 star hotel. Show me one city with at least 300k that does not have 1 four star hotel. One recent personality who was performing here had to stay in Detroit b/c his contract called for a 4 or 5 star hotel....and we did not have one...i will never forget when one of the offices at my employer had a billionaire coming to town to speak and they put him up in the quality inn.....he slept one night, gave his speech and left the same evening....
Toledo is a Jeep town? according to the local news the most brand new cars registered in Lucas county in 2006 were Hondas by far....this for a town with 2 Chrysler, 1 ford(cloding) and 1 GM plant....
If you are thinking about moving here and are single or are used to a lot of extracurricular....think twice about moving here.....
The houses in the city proper are overpriced (good neighborhoods)....people want 250k near the University however you can get a brand new house in the burbs, better schools, safer (tol vs suburbs), 4 bedrooms, 2800sq ft for 230k or so.....at least thats what people I know have paid.
do yourself a favor....go south, or west...stay away from the midwest.....especially OH and Toledo
If you are trying to start a business you will find more friendly climates in the south or other cities...the "good old boys network" of construction related firms, law firms, restaurants, ect....and the like will prevent you from reaching any significant success....this is not my personal opinion this was in a news article I read while at the barbershop about 5 mos ago..in fact the person (who lives in Atlanta now) said that their business is quadruple what it was in toledo (even after accounting for the larger metro area ATL is ) and that she would rather go to prison than move back to Toledo....
We are packing our bags for Metro Houston....I know it is not perfect (humid, traffic, crime) but it has to be better than Toledo...and if its not...at least I will have a palm tree in my yard!
Last edited by Tyger1906; 08-27-2007 at 01:28 AM..
I was born in Toledo and lived in Waterville most of my life. I can relate to so much SCBeaches. The last trip was an Anthony Wayne HS class reunion Now my son will be moving to New Mexico. We live in Naples Florida and everything is not only expensive but a mess. After the presidential election and housing gets on an even keel, I think we will see a lot of changes not just in Naples Florida.I miss Toledo and Waterville more then I thought, but couldn't stand the weather now in the winter. I want one more time to visit Waterville and take a load of pictures of what is left of the old buildings.I miss the rich history of an area and a university town.Even though my grandmother never attended a university she made sure we had tickets to the football games, any type of plays put on by the students from the drama class. We had tickets for Bowling Green University and Toledo U. The universities would advertise in the newspapers on coming events. The campus bookstores. These were the true, "Halls of Ive" with vintage years, not some, "Troy Horse and All That Glitters University".Naples tore down about the only historic landmark they have the Depot.This place is sick! Will be moving myself.
Ohioans will turn it around like every one of our five big cities and out smaller cities. Change is coming. This state is going to boom like crazy when people realize how many small details, character, and just so many things have been preserved and innovated. Just slap Columbus around for creating uninspiring strip malls and average stuff. They seem to lack some genuine creativity. If you're going to do something do it right. Ohio isn't just for lovers, if for dreamers.
Toledo in twenty years? Ohio's lake front will be be building up. All kinds of things going up along the shoreline I bet. Toledo needs to get rid of that grain elevator or whatever it is in the middle of downtown. Inspire, dream, create, and build it. If we can dream it, we can build it. One day All of Ohio may interconnected and new forests planted all in-between the cities. If people hold on to those things and never give up, its possible. And Ohioans love to create things and build things.
Times are changing for Ohio. Its been since the fifties anyone could really say Ohio was what it should have been. I just hope Ohio does not sell itself to the wrong people and ideas. Ohioans can still maintain certain beliefs and things.
Don't follow. Never imitate. Always lead. The heart is the core of rebuilding Ohio. It starts there. One day it can be the greatest state in the country. Ohio's history has been unique in SO many ways. The future will be just as unique because we love to leave our stamp on things. Just don't turn Ohio into some ordinary mecca. The state has a way of pushing some types of people out of it. Don't encroach on other states like Indiana as well. Don't undermine them and respect them as well. We don't have to directly compete with any state. You know we have more than enough to create and inspire ourselves and our children. Forget the tallest skyscraper or the most boastful things.
Functionality is as important as beauty. As well as efficiency. They should all blend together in harmony. Our smaller towns and cities like Dayton and Toledo are just as attractive as the bigger cities. Dayton must have more stuff going in than any city close to its size. There are so many things that make it eclectic and so unique. We wont abandon Toledo. Don't worry about it. Its just going to take some time to show. Ohio is the sleeping giant. Its not the tallest tree around, but its has some of the strongest roots of anyplace. If we can unite our cities and southern Ohio it can be more of a reality. How about some underground speed of sound cars? Fifteen minutes to Cleveland! Get anywhere in Ohio in twenty five minutes. That would be something. Dreams. Dream Ohioans, DREAM!
Fly on Little Wing.
Last edited by the_pines; 08-31-2007 at 08:53 PM..
I graduated from OSU and spent over 10 years in Columbus, and yes Columbus is a wonderful city and I do miss it at times. I currently live in Toledo, Ohio and feel the need to defend the city. For anyone thinking about moving to Toledo please consider the following. Toledo is a wonderful city to raise a family. We have excellent schools in the suburbs. I can get downtown (in rush hour) in 15 minutes and traffic is never a worry. I spent about 1.5 hours in traffic daily in Columbus and I only lived 15 miles from downtown. That is 7-8 hours less with my kids every week. I am just under 4 hours from Chicago, less than 2 hours from Columbus, 2 hours from Cleveland and 45 minutes from Detroit. I can get to the Detroit airport in 30-35 minutes. Northwest has a hub in Detroit so I can go almost anywhere direct. In Columbus the flight was never direct and always expensive. Toledo has a top ranked zoo and art museum. A wonderful minor league ballpark, COSI for the kids, and is currently building a new sports arena for concerts and minor league hockey. The city is also getting an arena football league. My wife and I both have good, stable jobs, so I must say from a family perspective Toledo is wonderful and can't be beat. If you're single, then I agree that Toledo is not that fascinating, but as you reach your early 30's your priorities change and your taste in cities may as well.
the problem is not all toledo's fault.... the only cities in the Midwest that are showing any significant growth are Columbus (although the mid point census stated that it has tapered off) and Indianapolis (Chicago is a world city-they lose many but gain many more every year so I am not including it...).....but look at the OH cities, St Louis, The twin cities (stagnant), Milwaukee, Detroit, Buffalo.....they are all slowly dying.....everyone seems to be moving south, east or west......progressive types of people are quickly bored with Toledo and move on.
Actually Minneapolis is doing quite well for itself, it just isn't gaining population because it is surrounded by several incorporated cities. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area has been gaining population, and the economy there is very diverse (ie does not rely on manufacturing).
Anyways Cleveland is just going through a transition period right now, and I can see it rebound in the near future.
So I understand that Toledo recently won an award from some international organization that declared Toledo a city of the future for business and that it was a desirable place to live.
What other industries are up and coming that will set Toledo apart from the rest of the mid-west cities?
Toledo already is a "suburb" of Detroit. I grew up there, moved away when i was first married, went back then finally got out for good. Now in Texas. My entire family still lives there and seem happy but they have also never left or seen anything different to realize how bad it is getting. Small independent businesses are becoming a thing of the past. Look at all the vacant store fronts. Toledo and its residents are aging. The only business that is increasing is the medical field. The elderly population is growing and the town is losing all its youth. The city needs to find something to keep all the college graduates there. There is no night life, there is no real "arts" scene. etc... (Please don't give me we have parks, the art museum the zoo etc... I know all this already. Yes they are wonderful but that is all there is to do.)Toledo at heart is still a blue collar town with blue collar mentality. Until the city can rid itself on its dependence on the jeep plant and expand its horizons, it will continue its downward spiral. Its very sad. My family wants me to come home to visit (actually they would be happier if I moved back) but I just can't. It is depressing to see what was once a vital city looking so rundown, knowing that as a graduate of UT that I couldn't even find a decent paying job there. That's my two cents.
I agree with you %100 on where Toledo is going what has happened to it, but I would at least go back and see my family.
I just relized this post was 1 year old. HA!
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Born In Toledo...left...came back...now looking again...
