Tell me about Ohio....

[mybee]

 A while back I was in serious consideration of moving to Ohio (from NJ) I can't explain exactly what is is that attracts me to your state...

  The feeling is coming back again.

Will anyone share what they love about where you live in the state?  Where do you recommend one could find a happy place to live?

I'm not particularly  drawn to the city, more to a town...affordable,         somewhat artsy, healthy, lots of potential and good vibes.
  any input will be welcome!!!
Thank you!
   

[tenshiko]

You might want to check out Yellow Springs then.  I'm from near Cincinnatti, and everyone I lived near said Yellow Springs was where all the hippies and weirdos lived. 

[dahlea]

Don't move to Marietta then! That is where I am from and I've never been in a more close-minded, redneck area! lol, seriously though. Nowhere near there. Plus it's too close to West Virginia for comfort!

[mybee]

Weirdos...
well anyway are they health concious and into a non-tradiional lifestyle?

   Hmmmm,... weirdos.

[udandi]

I grew up and still live in the 'burbs of Cincinnati and I know it's not for everyone. 
*I like that affordable at least compared to a city like Chicago.
*We have access to some bigger city attractions but it also has a smaller downhome feel, at least, in my area 
*I love the city and church festivals held throughout the year
*I'm within 5 hours driving time to a variety of cities


*I'd not fond of the sales tax being 7% in Ohio, but eh my sister lives in Indianapolis so I like to shop over there with their 4% sales tax
*you probably have to work a little harder to find the artsy areas though there are options for opera and plays
*the bus is the only public transit and most people who live in the 'burbs have cars
*our 'burbs could have been better designed with more sidewalks and mixed use zoning (commercial and residential) to promote more walking and biking

[bookgirl]

You might want to check out Yellow Springs then.  I'm from near Cincinnatti, and everyone I lived near said Yellow Springs was where all the hippies and weirdos lived. 

I LOVE Yellow Springs!  I went to college in Springfield (the next town over and the armpit of the Midwest -- please avoid), and it's just the greatest town.  Funky restaurants, bookstores, The Little Art Theater for indie flicks, Antioch College for that hippie flavor, hiking in the beautiful Glen Helen Preserve, and it's just down the road from Young's Jersey Dairy = home of some of the best friggin' ice cream anywhere.  http://www.yellowsprings.com/  It sounds like it could be a good match for you, if you're looking for a vibrant, artsy, progressive kind of town.  And it was so much cheaper living in Ohio than in New England!

I love being back East, but still, 10 years later, I do miss Yellow Springs.

Plus, that part of Ohio is just gorgeous -- rolling hills, huge solitary oaks in the middle of fields of hay, pretty farms.  Classic summer Americana.  Best auctions I've ever been to, too.

[bookgirl]

I went to college in Springfield (the next town over and the armpit of the Midwest -- please avoid)

I'm realizing I may get in trouble for that one.  Apologies to any denizens of Springfield.  There just wasn't much going on there in the early 90s, and living near Yellow Springs (and Columbus and Cincinnati and even Dayton) definitely helped almost everyone I know who lived there.  Maybe it's different now, but at the time, truly a grim place to live.

Oh, and no weirdos in Yellow Springs.  Just a bunch of people doing their own thing (alternative lifestyles tolerated, respected and even encouraged).

[whitebeltamerica]

I live in Lakewood Ohio, it's the first suburb west of Cleveland, you don't really have to leave this city for much, it has fantastic family owned shops, cool bars, parks, the lake, fun places to eat... so forth.
Lakewood is actually one of the most populated cities (by area) between ny and chicago... so it might not be for you... there are 60,000 people in 5X5 miles, but it's super fun, very laid back.... You are right by Cleveland where there are tons of art gallaries and fun things to do...
Yellow Springs reminds me of Lakewood a lot except more of a hippie town, I work for an environmental group, so I'm down with that, but the area is too small for me, and the closest big city is Dayton Ohio, which isn't too big at all.
I moved to Ohio three years ago from Orlando Florida and I absolutely love this state, most people that I know that were born and raised here don't, but perhaps it's because they haven't experienced other places?
The rent is pretty cheap, the people are friendly, there's culture, and neat little things to see and do, plus it's Cleveland is close to all kinds of major cities that are fun to visit (Chicago 5 hours away, DC 5 hours, Detroit 2, Pittsburg around 2).

[magdelena]

At the moment, I live in Canton, but in less than a month I'll be moving to Columbus for school. There isn't much I can say about Canton, as it's rather slow where I live. Columbus, however, is an awesome city (from what I've seen, at least). It comes off as a place that's really hard to be bored in, but my opinion might change once I've lived down there for awhile.

There's a lot of flea markets around here, which is probably one of my favorite things about Ohio. There's a huge one down in Hartville that me and my friends visit regularly.

Oh, and if you decide to move here, you HAVE to visit the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. It's the prison they used in The Shawshank Redemption, and it's such a neat place to search around in.

[redthewitch75]

Well, I live in New Paris, which is right on the Ohio/Indiana border. Minutes from I-70.Extremely close to Richmond, In and a decent drive to Dayton, Yellow Springs (great community there!), Oxford, Hamilton and Cincy. Also decent drive to Indy. I really like the location for that, plus you get the nice small town feel. Things are reasonable here, people are nice.