Retiree moving to Cincinnati or Akron area in OHIO (Columbus: low income, real estate)

[annelouj]

Hope some on this forum can help. I am selling a home in Florida and wanting to go back to my home state of Ohio. I'm a retired widow and don't really care to have a lot of home upkeep in the future. Does anyone know of some nice apartment complexes in the Cincinnati area, or the Akron area, that are not for low income and would be a good bet for long term living. I'm open to buying a condo or townhome, but I'm not sure which area I'll end up in. I have family in both areas. Also, I'd love to be near a wooded area or green space. Thanks for any help provided.

[WRnative]

Focused on your desire to live near forested areas, I immediately thought of Brecksville, about a half hour from Akron. Brecksville West Condominium Association, which I know nothing about, seems very close to the Brecksville Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks and certainly would be close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. So if your relatives live northwest of Akron, perhaps consider this association.


Perhaps also search for condo associations in Cuyahoga Falls.


Another alternative is to do a Google search for condo associations in Summit County. The resulting Google map clearly identifies nearby park areas, most of which will be the CVNP or Summit County Metro Parks. Several Summit County Metro Parks actually are part of the CVNP.


https://www.google.com/search?q=Summ...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[41.4178077,-81.3016818],[40.9992461,-81.8788349]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1! 2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2


https://www.google.com/search?q=Kent...t=gws-wiz-serp


Chagrin Falls is considered perhaps the most beautiful community in northeast Ohio and is adjacent to the the Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation. There are some condo associations there.


https://www.google.com/search?client...s+condominiums


Do you bike? If so, check out the Towpath Trail.



Good luck!

[Coseau]

In Cincinnati "St James At the Park" at 2121 Alpine Place, Walnut Hills is right on the edge of Eden Park. "The Edgecliff Private Residences" on Victory Parkway in Walnut Hills. "The Edgecliff Condominiums" on Edgecliff Place also in Walnut Hills.

[annelouj]

Thanks Coseau and WRnative for the great suggestions, and for taking the time to post. I will check these out.

[WRnative]

IMO, you're very wise to get out of Florida before climate change impacts overwhelm the state and while the game of musical chairs keeps housing prices elevated, despite soaring home insurance premiums and the almost certainty of higher taxes when real estate development collapses there.


Regarding climate change impacts on Ohio, study the following two threads carefully. Two key points -- winters and snowfall rapidly are disappearing in northeast Ohio and southwest Ohio increasingly is vulnerable to heat domes. Both issues are discussed in posts in the two threads.


https://www.city-data.com/forum/clev...east-ohio.html


https://www.city-data.com/forum/ohio...tion-ohio.html


Use weatherspark.com to check climate for any community under consideration -- both annually and monthly. Note that if you add average monthly snowfalls for Cleveland, the annual total now is only 11.3 inches, according to weatherspark.com. Currently expect one significant snowfall per year, based upon the past two years, vastly changed from decades past. The total average for Akron is 12.3 inches.



https://weatherspark.com/y/18132/Ave...tes-Year-Round


Thaws occur much more rapidly than in the past. It would be wise to check monthly weather histories (especially peak winter and summer months) for recent years for any community under consideration at weatherunderground.com or accuweather.com.


https://www.wunderground.com/history.../oh/akron/KCAK



Also, I think you'll find that housing prices in Greater Cleveland remain lower than in Greater Cincinnati. IMO, this differential may converge and even flip within this decade.


If you enjoy ocean beaches, you may enjoy living more closely to Lake Erie's surf beaches. Additionally, although Cincinnati's cultural institutions likely are equal to or better than any city in Florida, they don't match the world class cultural institutions of Cleveland. If this is important to you, definitely visit both cities before making your decision and check out the cultural institutions. Note the schedule of the Cleveland Orchestra (and/or the Blossom Music Festival) before arranging your trip, as well as perhaps scheduled performances at other major cultural institutions, such as Playhouse Square in Cleveland, E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron (likely the best modern performance venue in Ohio), and the Ohio Light Opera in Wooster.



Please keep us informed about your research and your ultimate decision. Such information will be extremely valuable to other persons considering relocating to Ohio.


BOL!!!

[annelouj]

Great information, thank you. I am crossing my fingers that I'm on my way to Ohio soon. Funny, relatives that were just here in Florida laughed about my desire to check out the Cleveland/Akron area. Columbus being the snow belt dividing line is still a thing for them.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by annelouj

Great information, thank you. I am crossing my fingers that I'm on my way to Ohio soon. Funny, relatives that were just here in Florida laughed about my desire to check out the Cleveland/Akron area. Columbus being the snow belt dividing line is still a thing for them.

Maybe the last two years were an anomaly, but I can't remember the last winter there was a major, old-fashioned blizzard. Also, if you check winter daily low temperatures for the last several years, you'll see that days with lows below 20 degrees are much less frequent than decades ago, let alone lows below 10 degrees.


During the cold spell around Christmas in 2022, we did see low temperatures below zero, but that now is extremely unusual.


On the news tonight, I heard that later this week we're supposed to get our first significant snowfall of 2023. The forecast for Friday is for 1-2 inches with a daily high of 37 degrees. Overnight, when the low is forecast for 30 degrees, 1-3 inches of accumulation is forecast. It's laughable the big deal the news media will make of this storm. The plow drivers will be happy to get some overtime pay, however.



https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/cl...t/350127?day=2


Saturday is forecast to be sunny with a high of 34 degrees. Although I probably wouldn't need to do so, I might use my snowblower to try to get rid of some of the gas in the tank if there is a sufficient accumulation, and I might shovel the sidewalks for exercise and to celebrate snowfalls of the past.


It wouldn't shock me if we experience a colder, more snowy winter in coming years than the 2022-23 winter, but the long-term trend is clear, and IMO climate change is frightening given its rapidity and the consequences for the entire nation and the world.



I'm one of the Western Reserve natives that always loved heavy snowfalls and winter weather as a four season celebrant. I have friends who live in Minnesota, and I envy the several feet of snow accumulation that I see in their pictures of this winter, but I'm happy for the kids remembering the great fun that we had in similar winters decades ago.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by WRnative

On the news tonight, I heard that later this week we're supposed to get our first significant snowfall of 2023. The forecast for Friday is for 1-2 inches with a daily high of 37 degrees. Overnight, when the low is forecast for 30 degrees, 1-3 inches of accumulation is forecast. It's laughable the big deal the news media will make of this storm. The plow drivers will be happy to get some overtime pay, however.



https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/cl...t/350127?day=2


Saturday is forecast to be sunny with a high of 34 degrees. Although I probably wouldn't need to do so, I might use my snowblower to try to get rid of some of the gas in the tank if there is a sufficient accumulation, and I might shovel the sidewalks for exercise and to celebrate snowfalls of the past.

To follow up, perhaps two inches of snow accumulated on the lawns in central Lake County. Snow on driveways and other pavement melted, largely as it fell.



Most of my driveway was clear, but there was an area leading to my mail slot that was sheltered from the sun by my house. So, to protect the mailman and others using my sidewalk from falling on black ice, I spent less than five minutes shoveling away the slush. This was our most significant storm of 2023!


Again, I'm well aware that perhaps we may have winters with more snow in coming years, but my personal believe is that climate change is happening much faster than is commonly understood, or at least acknowledged. The winter warming trend in northeast Ohio is very pronounced and easily documented by examining past winter weather records.


I'm resigned to draining my snow blower's gas tank once again. I used the snow blower once this entire winter for maybe 20 minutes. Ten years ago, I never could have imagined a winter like this so soon, although I've been well aware of the inevitable impacts of climate change since the early years of this century.


Unfortunately, I can't fill my snow blower on a need-to-use basis. It's much better to make certain it's working when the weather is warmer in November.

[annelouj]

Very helpful. I'm really starting to focus on the NE area of Ohio because of the metro parks and towpath trail.