Moving to Toledo- Advice needed! (Maumee, Ottawa Hills: real estate, condos, low crime)

[MandyHaugh]

Hello,

I will be relocating from FL to Toledo shortly. No, I'm not crazy. I got a really good offer (I will be a professor at UT), but I am worried by some of the threads here. Is crime really bad? Is it really run-down? What things are there to do for professional families? From what I have seen the cost of living is much better than in FL, and my salary will go up substantially in Toledo, but it's the city itself that I'm concerned about. Any advice/suggestions/pep talk will be very appreciated. Thanks!

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Toledo has crime, but it's not a war zone. There are areas to stay away from like the central city. The areas east and south of UT are places you want to avoid too. West, you run into Ottawa Hills which is an affluent area.

The north end has run down areas and the east side isn't too pretty either. West Toledo is the most prosperous area of the city. The suburbs around Toledo are nice too and so is southern Michigan.

There is a lot to do. The Zoo, the Docks, the Mudhens baseball, the Lucas County Arena for hockey and concerts, many restaurants, the Westfield mall, the Shops at Fallen Timbers, Levis Commons, The German/American Fest, other ethnic festivals, Maumee Bay State Park, further east is Put-in-Bay and Cedar Point. There's more stuff to do that others will point out.

[MandyHaugh]

Thank you for the reply! I am looking at the following addresses next week. Do you have any input as to safety of these areas? Which is the best? Worse? Thanks!

2618 Gloria CT

1742 Whyndhurst

2063 Wyndhurst

516 W William St, Maumee

5733 Bernath Ct

2339 Winterset dr.

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Just from looking at a map, I'd look at the Bernath, Winterset, and Maumee locations first. The Wyndhurst locations are too close to the central city. They may be OK though, I worked to the east of there, past Parkside. I can't really say anything about Gloria.

[ryansmith]

Congratulations on your professorship at UT.

In my opinion, after living in other cities, I consider Toledo to be relatively low crime, as witnessed by very little on the local news, but it does also have corridors of blight and disinvestment, but I have found few cities that don't. Additionally, the crime ratings should lower substantially now that the arsonist has been caught... but arson were all in the Old South End.

As a professional, I enjoy the Toledo Opera and the world class art museum the most.

I will comment on Gloria CT first... since I live close by... It is in a family friendly area of South Toledo called Beverly... Gloria is across the street from the old Bowsher which will soon be the new Beverly Elementary. I like that neighborhood because it is quite yet is pedestrian and family friendly. The only forseeable draw back to that neighborhood is it is a few minutes more commute than one would have from West Toledo, but I assure you it is a nice neighborhood. (I am a Realtor, if you are working with an agent, you can ignore this...) It may be productive to shop around more... the real estate prices are low in Toledo and if you look you may find more house on a street deeper in the neighborhood for the same price or less.

Wyndhurst: is not a bad street...I don't think of it as "dangerous", but if you are most worried about safety etc you might look more North of Campus instead of East of campus.

Williams st is in "Old Maumee" The closer you are to the river, the closer you are to the larger historic homes, the closer you get to the A W Trail, the more the homes get smaller and less expensive... I lived in Old Maumee and have no complaints. I did find the residents less friendly though... perhaps that is just me.

Bernath: No real issue there... it is largely populated with aging condos though and there can be a bottle neck since the only way in or out is at Airport Hwy... Airport Hwy is largely commercial.

Winterset dr: This neighborhood has suffered slightly because of the drama with the old Southwyke mall site (Reynolds @ Glendale). Many of the commercial properties are boarded up on Reynolds... assume what you will.

[progmac]

i don't think you need to tell us that you "aren't crazy" for moving to Toledo, since, the people you are asking advice from live here and choose to and aren't dying to go live in FL or anywhere else.

Life in Toledo will be what you make of it. It is a major city and there is plenty to do. Personal crime is low for a big city. Parts of the area are run down, there has been population loss after all. Good luck with your move and congrats on the new job! I don't know if you are from the midwest, but I'm sure you'll find your new colleagues to be extremely helpful as you make the transition.

[MandyHaugh]

Thank you all for the advice and congratulations. I visited Toledo and I thought it looked like a nice place and not much different from what you would expect from any other city. When I said I'm not crazy, I was thinking weather-wise. I wish I could take the FL weather with me. I settled for a very nice house on the Old Orchard neighborhood. Thanks again!

[canudigit]

When I started reading this thread I was thinking that I would jump in and suggest Old Orchard, since it is close to the U., gorgeous, well-kept, filled with professionals, and overall very safe. I'm glad you ended up there, I think you will love it. If I were to move back to Toledo (I live about 25 miles away in SE Michigan), I would definitely look in Old Orchard.

Good luck to you! Toledo really does have a lot to offer, and with a job at the U. you will meet many interesting people who can help you out with things to do. Toledo's museum and symphony are both extremely impressive for a city its size, and the metroparks are second to none. Someone mentioned some of the local festivals and they are a lot of fun too. Toledo is actually a pretty great city, in spite of all of the negative press. Crime isn't any worse than any city its size, you just have to be aware of your surroundings and stay out of dangerous areas, just like anywhere else.

Welcome!

[PhillytoCincy]

Originally Posted by MandyHaugh

Thank you all for the advice and congratulations. I visited Toledo and I thought it looked like a nice place and not much different from what you would expect from any other city. When I said I'm not crazy, I was thinking weather-wise. I wish I could take the FL weather with me. I settled for a very nice house on the Old Orchard neighborhood. Thanks again!

Congrats! And welcome to the Toledo area.

[progmac]

thanks for the follow up! tons of people ask for advice and we never hear what happened. Enjoy Toledo!