Relocating to Small Town Ohio

[kpl1228]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

imo Berea is more a suburb than a college town. Even John Carroll in University Heights has more students. And I'd never think of University Heights as a college town.

I have long thought this. Despite my liking both BW and Berea, there seems to be little connection between BW activities and its people, and that of Berea. It's almost a distrust or fear, perhaps. Always thought Front Street should have a "college row" with numerous "college" businesses...book shops selling BW swag, used vinyl stores, pubs, etc.
Such a disconnect!

[Kerby W-R]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I think Kent just has a lot more festivals and events all year round. Recreation is better with the Cuyahoga River running right through town, with a few lakes pretty closeby too. Also very close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, as well as both Akron and Cleveland. I think most people would enjoy life in Kent more due to the number of options at hand at all times. Just my opinion though.

I concur with your assessment of Kent. You can have the best of both worlds, small town but close enough to the big city if needed. The riverwalk in Kent is very nice for a stroll or hike.

[Formerly Known As Twenty]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Kent.

Definitely. Kent has the best of everything that NE Ohio has to offer with most, if not all, of the amenities that the O.P. wants and needs. Small-town feel with great public transit, a thriving downtown, great parks, festivals, and shows, and easy access to larger cities with more amenities as needed. The health system is excellent and easy to access, too. Kent is also rather affordable and has long been very LGBTQ friendly--especially in the neighborhoods surrounding the university.

[Formerly Known As Twenty]

Originally Posted by JR_C

Sorry to go off on a tangent, but I've never heard anyone pronounce Poland as "paw-land." How old was this teacher? Maybe that pronunciation has faded away with time?

Now, if they were from Campbell, Ohio, I could see someone being surprised that locals pronounce it "Camel". I've lived in the area for over 22 years now, and I still don't know why Campbell is pronounced "Camel".

Anyway, back to our regular programming...

To feed into this tangent : My late grandparents-in-law were Poland natives (lived over in the Manor) and pronounced it in that manner, which leads me to believe that it might be an older regional pronunciation of the name.

[kyle19125]

Well, I landed.

I chose Toledo primarily for the cost of living and relative bargain of quality of medical options with decent transit. Not the best choice I've ever made but out of the Florida hellhole which is priceless. A year passes quickly so wanting to revisit the towns mentioned prior (except Kent, well established enough). I didn't get any feedback on Tiffin (which looks nice in photos) or Athens. Can someone provide some insight on both or either?

[recycled]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Well, I landed.

I chose Toledo primarily for the cost of living and relative bargain of quality of medical options with decent transit. Not the best choice I've ever made but out of the Florida hellhole which is priceless. A year passes quickly so wanting to revisit the towns mentioned prior (except Kent, well established enough). I didn't get any feedback on Tiffin (which looks nice in photos) or Athens. Can someone provide some insight on both or either?

I landed in the eastern outskirts of Dayton a couple of weeks ago. I had lived most of the past 3 years in Germany, but decided to leave before the tax authorities would be looking to tax me for over 40 percent of my USA retirement income. You are about 2 hours due north of me on I-75.

I found a nice, super-quiet apartment to rent in a 55+ complex, reasonably close walk or bike ride to any shopping, service or medical needs. I just got an OH driver's license today, and will likely buy a car of some sort in the next few weeks. I'd like to explore more of OH and neighboring states by car and bike, and don't see how I could do it without a car. I'm a California native that has also lived in NJ, AZ and AL in addition to Germany, Chile and Colombia.

[ferraris]

I'm a big Toledo fan, but "Toledo" and "decent transit" do not go together in my mind, but I guess maybe compared to Florida?

I know a TARTA sales tax got passed not too long ago -- maybe they have been able to bump service up appreciably?

Thanks for the update, it's always good to hear the outcome on these sorts of threads!

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by ferraris

I'm a big Toledo fan, but "Toledo" and "decent transit" do not go together in my mind, but I guess maybe compared to Florida?

I know a TARTA sales tax got passed not too long ago -- maybe they have been able to bump service up appreciably?

Thanks for the update, it's always good to hear the outcome on these sorts of threads!

TARTA is a bit of a mirage with somewhat decent coverage but timewise typically an hour apart on service which doesn't bode well if having to transfer from one route to another if you just miss the connection. There's also typically no benches at stops or cover from the weather.

My inclination is more a town and country atmosphere with some transit service but also shopping in close proximity to walk to if desired. Compact towns like Worthington are the goal as a result and hope to find others to investigate, or sections of larger cities with a similar "town and country" feel and layout.