Moving to Toledo, Ohio??? (Columbus, Cleveland: live, suburbs, top)

[SCBeaches]

Any town (ok, most towns) in the vacinity of Hocking Hills would be a nice place to live. That part of Ohio is beautiful with rolling hills and beautiful countryside. NW Ohio is too flat and too cold!

[BuckeyeGuy]

You got my vote 100%. I'm Happy to be leaving here shortly! It use to be nice to live here but not anymore....Southern Ohio areas would be a lot nicer.The way its going in Toledo,I would venture to say it just might become a graveyard with lots on it...just waiting to die....IMHO...

[Jodylyn60]

Sylvania is a nice suburb of Toledo, we lived there for 4 years. Housing prices are reasonable. Not a lot of jobs right now but houses have probably been sitting on the market for a while ,so you can probably get a great deal. It's a nice safe area,close to shopping, people are friendly, schools are good and about 20 minutes to downtown. I would highly reccomend it.

[Jodylyn60]

We've lived around the country and Toledo was one of our favorite places to live. Look in the better suburbs and you'll be fine. We did lived in Sylvania and found it to be a nice safe suburb. We enjoyed our time there and still have friends in the area. Perrysburg is nice, Ottawa Hills is very nice.Coming from Seattle you'll be thrilled with the housing prices. I don't know what that Youngstown comment is all about that's like 2 hours away.

[phoenixxphyre]

You mentioned weather...the one thing I can say about the weather is if you don't like it, wait five minutes and it will change. The other day it was hot and then it poured for a couple hours (I woke up to it rushing in my windows through my fan) and by the time I went out for a walk, it was dry but cool. And one year on my birthday (in January) it was hot enough to wear a skirt early, then there was a cold rain by the time I was out of one class. By the time I was out of another it was like ice flecks and then it snowed. At midnight (when I had to go outside for a fire alarm) everything stopped.

[CObound]

I live in a suburb of Columbus on the NE side and it is growing on me all the time. At first I thought I didn't like Columbus because it is too crowded, but really the traffic isn't THAT bad and the summer is very nice here. Winter can get pretty cold, but at least there are four distinct seasons. Many of the suburbs are family friendly and each have their own distinctive character which is kind of neat. I don't think I'll stay here after grad school but it's really quite a nice city.

[C-Dawg]

And by the way, Toledo has to have some of the most overcast weather in the country.

That's false. Southern Ohio is the most rain-drenched/overcast part of the state. Toledo gets about 30 inches of rain a year, and has sunny, dry summers (droughts are the norm). The Ohio Valley averages 40 inches a year with frequent summer rain. I live near the Ohio River, and I laugh when people call what's happening this summer a "drought." They don't even know what a drought is. The so-called "drought" in southern Ohio is typical summer weather in Toledo.

You got my vote 100%. I'm Happy to be leaving here shortly! It use to be nice to live here but not anymore....Southern Ohio areas would be a lot nicer.The way its going in Toledo,I would venture to say it just might become a graveyard with lots on it...just waiting to die....IMHO...

It's not. I've lived in different parts of the state, and I prefer the Lake Erie areas over anything. You can't top the summers on the Great Lakes. The sailing, boating, and swimming all blow away anything in the interior Midwest. I'd venture to say most people on this board know little about the complexities of Ohio's weak economy, or else they wouldn't be making Toledo out to be so bad (it's really not any worse than the state as a whole). Toledo is well-positioned for a boom, and is a hub for the nation's rail, oil, and shipping industries. Its proximity to alternative fuel resources and cheap transportation will help it in the future when oil becomes scarce. Most of the negative Toledo comments are unfounded or flat-out wrong. There's an obvious southern bias, and many people are pro-suburban. Ohio suburbanites aren't going to recommend places like Toledo or Cleveland, plain and simple.

I live in a suburb of Columbus on the NE side and it is growing on me all the time. At first I thought I didn't like Columbus because it is too crowded

Columbus is not crowded at all. If anything, it's not crowded enough. It's a sprawled out suburban mess like most of Ohio, and that's why traffic is bad. When people can walk around or use mass transit, traffic goes down.

[bubbagirl]

Toledo area is not booming yet, but definitely going to be in a very good position in the near future if the local government plays the cards right. The area, overall, is very nice. People are friendly, communities are small and close knit, and the cost of living is extremely reasonable. The weather is very typical for upper mid-west climate. There are 4 seasons, the winters can get cold, and the summers can get warm. They don't get an extreme amount of snow fall nor do they have an unreasonable amount of cloudy days. Sure, they may have more cloudy days than other areas of the country, but again.. it is a typical upper mid-western climate.

On the flip side, the NW OH area is extremely flat with very little variation in landscape. This will cause winter winds to be a little brisker than desireable and traveling down the highway a little duller than what I personally like. But, it is still a nice area to raise a family.

There are some outdoor activities, but I think NW OH lacks a bit in this area. However, just a half hour north into Michigan can prove very enjoyable, and the Lake Erie shoreline offers some escape into wilderness without being too far from home.

Cleveland area is also bound for a rebound. I personally think the rebound has already started, it is just a matter of getting into full swing. It is a gorgeous area, there are plenty of parks for recreational activities, the landscape is more favorable for me, and the cost of living is still reasonable while still having a bit of Great Lakes to enjoy. However, the area offers more snow fall than that of NW OH.

Overall, if you think a 4 season climate is worth investigating, Ohio is an excellent choice. It is south enough that you're not getting the blistering cold of Northing Michigan, Wisconson, or Minnesota. The schools in most areas are excellent, and there are recreational activities for the outdoor minded individual. If there is an open job offer, you can't beat the cost of living and type of community you'll find in the area.

[tanza]

Dear You:
Have to put in my 2 cents, having lived in Toledo for 12 years before moving to Seattle when I got married 9 months ago. Toledo's weather is much, MUCH worse than Seattle - if you were raised in the NW, watch out. BUT - I lived in Toledo for 12 of the happiest years of my life. Friendliest people I've ever met (have lived in NY, St. Pete, FL, Lancaster, PA, Mpls, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Duluth, now Seattle, for comparison). Go to Ann Arbor for cultural events - an easy commute. There is NO traffic in Toledo (how does ANYONE STAND IT HERE IN SEATTLE??). Everything - housing, people, traffic ... is simply easy. Ok, easy may be on the boring side but hey, it's verrrry affordable, friendly, and as I said, go to A2 for fun. That's my 2 cents! Good luck - enjoy wherever you land!

[geeklatina]

I recenlty moved back to Toledo after moved away for 20 years.

I can say this the friendly place is Toledo, and the best days I every experienced all were in Toledo, 1st class all on night clubs back then.

Well I hope I can see this again now 20 years later I'm back.

I just hope that jobs come to TOledo and that there pay is more and see more jobs and companies grow here and become a bigger city some day.

Needs a little revamp still the traffic did grow so they need to work on expaning the highways and the streets now.