Cleveland Ohio? (Update 1st post)

[ajk912]

I just have to recommend that you visit first. I grew up there, moved South 25 years ago and there's not a job that pays enough money in the world for me to move back.

It was a good place to grow up, love the salt of the earth hard working people and they have the best food, but the weather will be a huge shock, not just the snow, that area has the most overcast days in the country.

I hate to sound so harsh, but I really think it can have an influence on your attitude and happiness.

It reminds me of a couple from Florida that lived down the street from us, the wife especially hated it, complained all the time, and everyone gossiped about her..."what is her problem, what could be so great about living in Florida?" I think about her sometimes and crack up, because I know that would be me now.

Good Luck.

Does it really have the most overcast days in the country? Even worse than Oregon/Washington which are famous for all the rain they get?

For the most part, I do agree with you. It takes a special kind of person to be able to deal with the cold and snow of the North. This is not a dog on Cleveland, btw. Talking about any cold weather state. I love Cleveland in the summer/early fall, I lived there for almost 20 years. But when it's late October.and it gets cold and it doesn't warm up till almost May..it's hard. Really hard. My parents always want us to move back, and it's hard being the only one of ALL of my family and my DH's family to live outside of Ohio. But I would really need to be on antidepressants to be able to deal with the horrible climate for those 5 months a year. I need to feel the sun on my face, I need to be able to run outside and enjoy the weather. I need to be able to open my windows and air out my house. I would MUCH rather be HOT than COLD. My DH doesn't understand, the cold weather doesn't bother him. Me, any day under 60 degrees is incredibly depressing! I live in VA now, and I would move even farther south if I could! My DH says this is far enough from the family.

 

[Snoopymom]

Does it really have the most overcast days in the country? Even worse than Oregon/Washington which are famous for all the rain they get?

I was watching a documentary on fireworks not that long ago and they said that was why all the factories are located there, so maybe it's not completely accurate, but I remember thinking, well that makes sense.

It's kind of ironic. Because dh and I both grew up loving all the camping and fishing we did in the summers in Ohio and PA, we don't want to move back because we can enjoy them almost year round here.

 

[Denine]

Does it really have the most overcast days in the country? Even worse than Oregon/Washington which are famous for all the rain they get?

For the most part, I do agree with you. It takes a special kind of person to be able to deal with the cold and snow of the North. This is not a dog on Cleveland, btw. Talking about any cold weather state. I love Cleveland in the summer/early fall, I lived there for almost 20 years. But when it's late October.and it gets cold and it doesn't warm up till almost May..it's hard. Really hard. My parents always want us to move back, and it's hard being the only one of ALL of my family and my DH's family to live outside of Ohio. But I would really need to be on antidepressants to be able to deal with the horrible climate for those 5 months a year. I need to feel the sun on my face, I need to be able to run outside and enjoy the weather. I need to be able to open my windows and air out my house. I would MUCH rather be HOT than COLD. My DH doesn't understand, the cold weather doesn't bother him. Me, any day under 60 degrees is incredibly depressing! I live in VA now, and I would move even farther south if I could! My DH says this is far enough from the family.

Are you sure I didn't write this????????

 

[Denine]

Wadsworth is in Medina County. We have friends that live there. It is kind of rural, but they have a very busy shopping district/downtown area. No wild animals out of the ordinary. Our friend did commute daily to downtown Cleveland for a few years before getting a job in Akron.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Unless your family lives right in the middle of downtown Canton you are nuts. My husband and I both grew up in Canton and my Mom still lives there. I am not frighten to go to her house and she has never been robbed.

Not nuts at all:
Just some tidbits over the past few years:
-Shootings at both SuperWalmarts in the city, plus a police officer attacked by a baseball bat and hospitalized at the Canton Centre location. The US 62 location was robbed by a gunman on Christmas Eve.
-WWII vet on the NW side survived the war but was robbed and killed while in bed last year.
-At least one mail carrier shot while on route.
-9th on the list of most dangerous places to live list based on per capita crime. Made Money Magazine's list of Top 10 dying American cities.
-My uncle had a van stolen from the parking lot of the Civic Center, this is an enclosed area with security around it.
-Our maitron of honor was killed 2 weeks before our wedding while out walking her dog several years ago.

I agree with an above poster, there is no job in the world that could take me back to that area. The weather is depressing, no sun at all from about October to April. The economy is not good, the national recession is nothing compared to what this area has seen for many years. The family wants to move to KY with us, but have not been able to sell their house for the past 3 years that it has been on the market.

 

[Humphrey Bear]

Does it really have the most overcast days in the country? Even worse than Oregon/Washington which are famous for all the rain they get?

For the most part, I do agree with you. It takes a special kind of person to be able to deal with the cold and snow of the North. This is not a dog on Cleveland, btw. Talking about any cold weather state. I love Cleveland in the summer/early fall, I lived there for almost 20 years. But when it's late October.and it gets cold and it doesn't warm up till almost May..it's hard. Really hard. My parents always want us to move back, and it's hard being the only one of ALL of my family and my DH's family to live outside of Ohio. But I would really need to be on antidepressants to be able to deal with the horrible climate for those 5 months a year. I need to feel the sun on my face, I need to be able to run outside and enjoy the weather. I need to be able to open my windows and air out my house. I would MUCH rather be HOT than COLD. My DH doesn't understand, the cold weather doesn't bother him. Me, any day under 60 degrees is incredibly depressing! I live in VA now, and I would move even farther south if I could! My DH says this is far enough from the family.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, Cleveland isn't as cloudy as the Pacific Northwest. It is ranks as the 40th most cloudy out of 251 major cities (heck even Hilo Hawaii is on the list at 45th most cloudy), but you have to remember that his takes into count Partly Cloudy days. We have a lot of days that have some clouds in the sky, but are still pretty sunny.

Also we have family and friends that moved south to escape the winter and want to move back as they can't stand the length of the that they get heat and humidity now. To each his own I guess.

The one beautiful part of living here is the fall colors from all the trees, plus spring is pretty darn nice as well.

 

[Snoopymom]

Not nuts at all:
Just some tidbits over the past few years:
-Shootings at both SuperWalmarts in the city, plus a police officer attacked by a baseball bat and hospitalized at the Canton Centre location. The US 62 location was robbed by a gunman on Christmas Eve.
-WWII vet on the NW side survived the war but was robbed and killed while in bed last year.
-At least one mail carrier shot while on route.
-9th on the list of most dangerous places to live list based on per capita crime. Made Money Magazine's list of Top 10 dying American cities.
-My uncle had a van stolen from the parking lot of the Civic Center, this is an enclosed area with security around it.
-Our maitron of honor was killed 2 weeks before our wedding while out walking her dog several years ago.

I agree with an above poster, there is no job in the world that could take me back to that area. The weather is depressing, no sun at all from about October to April. The economy is not good, the national recession is nothing compared to what this area has seen for many years. The family wants to move to KY with us, but have not been able to sell their house for the past 3 years that it has been on the market.

Wow, I had no idea.

Have you ever checked Ebay Real Estate, cheaper to buy a house than stay in a hotel if you go back to visit. This is Cleveland, put in Canton or Youngstown, so sad.

http://realestate.shop.ebay.com/ite...ksid=m270.l1313&_odkw=CLEVELAND&_osacat=10542

 

[Denine]

I keep reading about our beautiful springs. Where are they? We get maybe 1 week of Spring and maybe 1-2 weeks of Fall. That is it. I would rather live where Spring actually starts in March, not June!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Spring is only nice because it means winter is over.

Snow melts, the mud shows up, mud dries up and everything starts coming back to life.

If the sun didn't leave and everything wasn't all dreary, barren and snow-covered in the first place, spring wouldn't be the thrill it is.

Autumn is very pretty. It depends on how much rain and how cool it is. If we get a lot of rain and temps allow, you get some deep, rich colors and some very vibrant ones and it is lovely and lasts a while. Sometimes we get totally gypped and it goes from warm to freezing and the colors aren't quite as pretty and everything just falls off - bing, bang, boom.

Although I do like the pretty colors, what I like most are the crisp, cool (but not COLD) days that follow summer. I believe they call this "winter" in the south...and it would be just fine with me.

The sun is out right now. We're having a lot of sun this year compared to other years. It's nice. Still flippin cold, though. And most days are still sunless. But it's nice when the sun stops by to say, "Hello, there. I'm still around. And I'll be back for a good long stay soon."

 

[Cool-Beans]

On Friday, Dick Goddard said that "Spring has sprung in the Florida everglades and will go inexorably north at a rate of 15 miles a day!" That was nice. When he "inexorably" I was thinking, "Like we'd try to stop it!", though.

It's on its way!!!

 

[rparmfamily]

According to the National Climatic Data Center, Cleveland isn't as cloudy as the Pacific Northwest. It is ranks as the 40th most cloudy out of 251 major cities (heck even Hilo Hawaii is on the list at 45th most cloudy), but you have to remember that his takes into count Partly Cloudy days. We have a lot of days that have some clouds in the sky, but are still pretty sunny.

Also we have family and friends that moved south to escape the winter and want to move back as they can't stand the length of the that they get heat and humidity now. To each his own I guess.

The one beautiful part of living here is the fall colors from all the trees, plus spring is pretty darn nice as well.

Jumping in...Hilo has the highest rainfall in the US, it's in a rainforest area. So that might explain it. But the waterfalls are gorgeous...

Ok, carry on!


I'm a born and raised Ohioan (North of Cincy though, so we don't say anything nice about Cleveland LOL) and you couldn't pay me to move back. I've since lived on the coast of Maine, northeast Florida, Virginia Beach and now O'ahu. Honestly...it would have to be some heck of an opportunity for me to move back to Ohio. And I love Ohio...I miss a lot about it and had a great childhood growing up but I can't take the gray that lasts for 1/2 the year.

 

[Cool-Beans]

If you count "partly cloudy" days, Orlando would probably top us, too.

During Cleveland winters, the sun disappears completely for weeks at a time. We are completely sunless for most of the winter. It isn't like when it is cloudy for rain with the variety of shades of clouds. It's just a very dead, grey sky. (Very dreary.)

My parents came from Chicago and both swear that it doesn't get this dark for this long there. They say the sun makes regular appearances.

A friend of mine moved to the San Juan islands and said the winters are much more mild and much sunnier there.

I've lived here my whole life and can't compare. But that's what they said.

 

[rparmfamily]

Even in Maine the sun would come out in winter sometimes LOL. I need sun. It might be only 10 outside but at least the sun was shining in my windows LOL!

Ohioans are very friendly and generous. It's the midwestern in them LOL.

Good luck to the OP!

 

[Humphrey Bear]

Jumping in...Hilo has the highest rainfall in the US, it's in a rainforest area. So that might explain it. But the waterfalls are gorgeous...

Ok, carry on!


I'm a born and raised Ohioan (North of Cincy though, so we don't say anything nice about Cleveland LOL) and you couldn't pay me to move back. I've since lived on the coast of Maine, northeast Florida, Virginia Beach and now O'ahu. Honestly...it would have to be some heck of an opportunity for me to move back to Ohio. And I love Ohio...I miss a lot about it and had a great childhood growing up but I can't take the gray that lasts for 1/2 the year.

Yeah I've been to Hawaii, including Hilo and didn't want to leave!

That being said, a relative of mine is friends with a couple that are native Hawaiians who got degrees in the medical field. They moved to Cleveland to work at the Cleveland Clinic. I thought that they were crazy to not go back to Hawaii, but I guess they fell in love with the people here and even love the winters!

They want to stay here and raise their family, with an occasional trip back home of course.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

All of the "Suburb" schools mentioned are good, but the are is expensive. If you are willing to commute a bit farther Wooster is a decent area to both live and for school. It has more of a "small town" feel to it and less suburbian if that is what you are looking for. We live in Ashland which is 20 mi south of Wooster and 60 S of Cleveland. I love our town, but the district is not the best.

P.S. Mansfield Ohio, (Just 20 mi south/west) of Ashland and almost dead center between Cleveland and Columbus is said to see less sunshine thn everywhere but Seattle.

 

[Pembo]

It's sunny today in Lorain County. I've learned to appreciate the sun in my lifetime of Ohio living. DH is from KS and the one thing he complains about the most is the gray that seems to last forever here.

OP-We're in Lorain County, more to the west, it's nice, schools are decent and there are A LOT of great deals on houses right now.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Hey! I had to wear my sunglasses today while driving! Woohoo!!

 

[taximomfor4]

Is this beach safe to go to? We were thinking of taking a beach day this summer when we are up in Cleveland visiting family (if we don't make it to VA Beach this year) and this is always our go-to beach. But someone was saying it's not a safe beach anymore because of lake scum/bacteria/whatever?

Sometimes a strong storm will kick up yucky stuff, and "bacteria warnings" will be posted. The park's website and the news are pretty good about staying updated. Also, since a strong, athletic teenager died during bad rip currents a couple of years ago, they make you stay OUT OF THE WATER when it gets rough. Man, when I was a kid, we only wanted to go to the beach when it was rough. Pretty good body surfing, then. We still take the kids when the lifeguards won't let people in the water. On a hot August day, that lake breeze is so refreshing! And the kids can still use buckets to scoop water and make sand castles. Then again, my kids don't swim even when the lake is calm!

 

[Boardwalk Garry]

My parents lived in South Carolina and I wouldn't trade Ohio for the south. I've never been attacked by fire ants or found a 6 foot snake in my backyard here. Also, I know my house will still be standing after the winter is over, unlike my parent's which was leveled by a hurricane.

Yep, rag on Ohio all you want...it means less lines at the grocery store when I go!