Youngstown Visit (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Warren: transplants, buying a house, neighborhood)

[No_Recess]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Going to the Youngstown/Warren area and Lake Milton. Any suggested places to visit? What about grocery store chains? I would like to see how prices compare to PA. Is it true you can buy beer in grocery stores and on Sundays? Reading that back is sounds so stupid but that is how the state (PA) is run.

You can also try Marc's in Boardman. Think they have one in Austintown too.

Their prices are cheap, have organic too. Only issue I ever had was brand recognition there.

Farmers market/flea market in Campbell on Sundays and Wednesdays. All my relatives from the Burgh stock up on fruits/veggies there before they go back to PA.

[bluecarebear]

Any pros for Warren? The city seems to have a lot of potential with the access to the lakes.

[bluecarebear]

Update: I decided on driving around eastern Trumbull County. I have to say that route 46 was a nice drive and I was surprised at how much the area, especially Howland Center, reminded me of New England. The shopping in Niles was easy to find. Everything imaginable is close by the Eastwood Mall.

Gas was priced between $3.29-3.19 in PA. Gas in Ohio was between $2.97-2.99. I loaded up in Ohio.

[dxdtdemon]

Various older parts of Northern and Northeastern Ohio look like New England because they were once part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and they built many New England-style homes that have managed to last 200+ years.

[SorryIMovedBack]

It was part of New England. Ohio was Connecticut's "Western Reserve."

I'm just over the line in PA, but it's about the same. I buy grocery staple items at Save-A-Lot stores and Aldi.

(Hi to Warrenzee and Sheena. I was wondering if you'd stayed or moved on.)

[SteelCityRising]

Make sure you visit White House Fruit Farms in Canfield (southwest of Youngstown) the next time you visit, bluecarebear. Their blueberry donuts are amazing! It's an awesome place, and there are several other great farm markets nearby, too!

[warren zee]

We stayed and we are LOVING IT!

Many positive things to say about Warren. Beautiful stock of older homes. Many pretty 1920s neighborhoods that are in move in condition, bu very affordable. Decent shopping. Near by Eastwood Mall features Macy's, Dillard's and others.
Picturesque. Great golfing. Near wine country. Good restaurants. Fairly cool Summers. Nice down town with many historic buildings.

The HS where our daughter is completing her senior year is a state of the art facility built several years ago. Our daugher is enrolled in all AP and honors classes. The selection of AP classes is vast. It is a diverse city school. However, students chose Harding for it's extensive extra curricular and AP offerings. Our daughter has a friend from Kinsman and another from Howland who chose WGH over their local HSs.

We are happy in Warren.

There are also some lovely Victorian homes in he downtown area. After our bad experience in Wilkes-Barre PA, our days as urban pioneers are over.
However, the residences in down own Warren include some Victorian classics that are ripe for rehab.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by warren zee

We stayed and we are LOVING IT!

Many positive things to say about Warren. Beautiful stock of older homes. Many pretty 1920s neighborhoods that are in move in condition, bu very affordable. Decent shopping. Near by Eastwood Mall features Macy's, Dillard's and others.
Picturesque. Great golfing. Near wine country. Good restaurants. Fairly cool Summers. Nice down town with many historic buildings.

The HS where our daughter is completing her senior year is a state of the art facility built several years ago. Our daugher is enrolled in all AP and honors classes. The selection of AP classes is vast. It is a diverse city school. However, students chose Harding for it's extensive extra curricular and AP offerings. Our daughter has a friend from Kinsman and another from Howland who chose WGH over their local HSs.

We are happy in Warren.

There are also some lovely Victorian homes in he downtown area. After our bad experience in Wilkes-Barre PA, our days as urban pioneers are over.
However, the residences in down own Warren include some Victorian classics that are ripe for rehab.

I'm so glad you and Sheena are thriving in Warren! I followed your adversities back in Wilkes-Barre, and I always wished you nothing but the best.

With that being said you're still "urban pioneers", Warren. The neighborhood of Warren you reside within reminds me a lot of Kingston, PA---tree-lined streets, flat, sidewalks, modest yet well-kept homes, etc. With that being said there are still large swaths of Warren that are undesirable, run-down, and struggling. It's not like you moved from Wilkes-Barre to Solon. I personally like Warren and am rooting for its continued revival, but you're still pioneers living there.

PA and OH are much alike, despite some trolls on here who like to bash PA because they think OH is superior (it's not). Both states have many historic cities that have fallen onto hard times over the past few generations. These cities are charming yet have many issues that most don't want to deal with---hence the popularity of suburbia in both states. I'm heartened to see that places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Cleveland are all enjoying renaissances right now, and I'm even more stoked that smaller cities---like Warren---are also getting in on some of the action.

[sheena12]

We are more than happy, SteelCityRising!

We do not feel as much like "urban pioneers" because our neighborhood is safe and friendly, unlike the one in Wilkes-Barre. We were told that it was "trendy" and "up and coming", when actually it was "down and going".

We did attempt to live in West Pittston, as I hink ou remember, but the seller did not want people from outside PA. Our financing was in order and he was impressed by our income - which is rather average, but sill would no sell he house to us.

In Kingston we found a house and the seller backed out at the last minute saying that he did not want to sell. So we were forced into what turned out to be an inner city neighborhood.

NEPA is home to a lot of "haters", who are suspicious of outsiders.
There is no denying that - and of anyone who is different in any way.

Ohio is not like that. People are welcoming and interested in why you moved here and where you left. They have no animosity towards NYers.

In fact, most Ohioans are generally moderate, open and accepting.

I will agree that our neighborhood is a lot like Kingston in appearance. However, it is friendlier.

Next time you are in the area, knock on the door!

[katnip kid]

Originally Posted by sheena12

NEPA is home to a lot of "haters", who are suspicious of outsiders.
There is no denying that - and of anyone who is different in any way.

Ohio is not like that. People are welcoming and interested in why you moved here and where you left. They have no animosity towards NYers.

In fact, most Ohioans are generally moderate, open and accepting.

I have found this to be true about some places in NEPA as well, unfortunately. Kinda sad.