I never imagined Ohio would be as beautiful as it was when I visited a couple of weeks ago. My mother lives in Powell, outside of Columbus, and it's just gorgeous. I got there after the heat wave had passed so it was in the mid 70s to low 80s when I was there. There were so many things to do and see and I just loved it.
Went to Middletown as well and I enjoyed driving through all the rolling farmlands along the way. It reminded me of central Texas, which for me is like Heaven on Earth when coupled with lush trees, acreage, and plenty of rivers and streams. I am reallly looking forward to going back and visiting again next summer.
I live on the south edge of Powell and yeah, its a great place to live (even if where I live is Powell in mailing address only and not niceness of houses)...I'm relatively close to everything
Post by copzgirl1171 on Aug 7, 2012 16:08:02 GMT -5
I don't like to brag but we live in very rural central Ohio and our lush fields, trees, cattle grazing and the beautiful sky at night when all the stars are bright makes me so very happy to be an Ohioan. I love the Powell area and for a small town with a lot of punch Dublin can't be beat!
So glad you enjoyed your time here! Let Lori and I know next time and we would love a meet up!
Post by katietornado on Aug 7, 2012 18:48:17 GMT -5
I've lived on both coasts and am happy to be in Ohio now. I really do love it here, and it's not at all what I expected. You did come at a fortunate time of year, to be fair. The winter is gray and wet, every day. In Maryland it's cold, but at least there's sun. Here, in the winter, the sun just goes away for 4 or so months.
Glad you enjoyed Ohio! Hope you got to try some Jeni's ice cream. If not, put that on your list for your next visit. There's one in Powell. The salty caramel flavor is to DIE for.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Aug 7, 2012 19:46:11 GMT -5
I relocated to Granville 5 months ago, and I gotta say, I am not loving it.
Too conservative, not bike friendly, horrible horrible horrible organic grocery situation, etc. now I a, comparing to Minneapolis which is consistently rated top in the us for bikeable, gay friendly, highest per capita coops in the us, etc. I am a city person, not a country person, so the cute countryside is not a huge draw for me.
Plus wtf is the big deal about Ohio State? And buckeyes? We have a buckeye tree in our yard and that thing is the devil.
/end bitter rant. Feel free to try to convince me why I shouldn't dislike the state. It isn't bad, but I am sure not loving it.
Post by copzgirl1171 on Aug 7, 2012 20:03:23 GMT -5
Ohio leans very conservative but somehow this hippie dippie has managed . I am not real familiar with Granville so I can't speak to it, but have you made it to Yellow Springs yet? The good thing about central Ohio is exactly that, it's central so moving to different areas still make the commute to Cbus area doable.
I live in BFE and my drive to Trader Joes/Whole Foods is about 35 minutes (to Dublin).
Um, The Ohio State University is our personal Jesus so you are asking the wrong girl. Our alumni base is rabid, we have one of the largest/diverse campuses in the nation, tail gating on Lane Ave has to be lived to be believed and even if you aren't an alum if you don't get chills watching TBDBITL (the best damn band in the land) come out on the field and spell script Ohio and the dotting of the I, I would question your heart . Also don't curse the buckeye tree I guarantee your neighbors pick them up in the early fall
Feel free to ask anything! I was born and raised here.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Aug 7, 2012 20:06:27 GMT -5
What the mother loving f do you do with buckeyes? If we weren't renting that tree would have already been chopped down. As it is I just hacked off the branches I could reach. They hang over the driveway and I whacked my head on them every time I got in and out of the car.
H works in Granville, which is why we live this direction. We are renting for now and considering moving to New Albany, but I hate the rich, suburban culture. So maybe gahanna? But then h would have a 40 min commute. Probably not worth it. I really want to live in worthington
Post by SusanBAnthony on Aug 7, 2012 20:07:41 GMT -5
Also, I clearly need a job. Sahm in small town = kill me now. Anyone know anyone in Columbus hiring chemical engineers with 2.5 year gaps in their resumes?
What the mother loving f do you do with buckeyes? If we weren't renting that tree would have already been chopped down. As it is I just hacked off the branches I could reach. They hang over the driveway and I whacked my head on them every time I got in and out of the car.
H works in Granville, which is why we live this direction. We are renting for now and considering moving to New Albany, but I hate the rich, suburban culture. So maybe gahanna? But then h would have a 40 min commute. Probably not worth it. I really want to live in worthington
Post by SusanBAnthony on Aug 7, 2012 20:16:03 GMT -5
Also, college sports = fine when you are in college and can go for practically for free. Otherwise, kinda wierd. Sorry copz, i just dont share the osu love! I am not a big sports watching fan. And tailgating I also don't get. I went to a big 12 school that is mediocre at all sports (Iowa state). I do love me some marching bands, but I am not going to sit through half a football game just for that!
Post by copzgirl1171 on Aug 7, 2012 20:16:09 GMT -5
Yep, necklaces but I pick one a year (for years I have done this) from our buckeye tree in the front yard of our elementary/Jr high/high school (yes, one school all grades) and carry it all year for luck.
You have a lot of options in moving out of Granville!! Come my way . Also, seriously take a Saturday trip to Yello Springs. It will do wonders for your soul.
Ohio isn't for everyone, I agree but it's LCOL, pretty laid back, you get all 4 seasons, and we have a low crime rate. I hope you find something to your liking. I take it personal, I want everyone to love it as much as I do.
Also, I clearly need a job. Sahm in small town = kill me now. Anyone know anyone in Columbus hiring chemical engineers with 2.5 year gaps in their resumes?
Try Chemical Abstracts. My ChemE mom worked there for 15 years. It was pretty family friendly back then.
Plus, it's adjacent to the OSU campus, so you'll be able to experience the mania very quickly. ;D
What the mother loving f do you do with buckeyes? If we weren't renting that tree would have already been chopped down. As it is I just hacked off the branches I could reach. They hang over the driveway and I whacked my head on them every time I got in and out of the car.
H works in Granville, which is why we live this direction. We are renting for now and considering moving to New Albany, but I hate the rich, suburban culture. So maybe gahanna? But then h would have a 40 min commute. Probably not worth it. I really want to live in worthington
New Albany's definitely closer to stuff than Granville is, but is for the most part definitely all rich suburban culture. Gahanna would be more up your alley...if moving to Worthington isn't an option I live on the Worthington/Powell border, meaning we're Worthington schools+Columbus taxes+Powell mailing address and while its not a perfect arrangement (City of Columbus road clearing in the winter and road repairing in general is not great up here) overall we love it. The Olentangy bike/run/walk trail head is 5 minutes from my house, I can think of four farmer's markets that go on within a 15 min drive, the Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Copz mentioned are <10 min drive from my front door, and there are two more WF-type groceries within 15 mins. I know your H works in Granville, which makes justifying moving to this side of town hard...but I love it.
Plus, living around here means you may one day have the opportunity to see Copz slightly buzzed and bouncing around Whole Foods, which is a sight to see
Post by statlerwaldorf on Aug 7, 2012 21:34:28 GMT -5
I just am not a big fan of Columbus. For such a big city, I find it really boring. Maybe that's just because I was born and raised in Ohio. Idk.
We live in a very rural part of Ohio and I'm much happier than in the Cbus suburbs. We never have to deal with traffic unless we get stuck behind a tractor or a buggy. It is very scenic. My favorite time is the fall. The owners of Devine Farm are really nice. They have a pumpkin egg hunt around Halloween that is really fun and free. I really like Pigeon Roost too. They are both in Hebron.
It would be nice to shop other than online. Every time I take DD to Cbus to see her specialist up by Polaris I am overwhelmed by all of the dining and shopping options. People in my town are really nice and the crime is really low. I was surprised that we seem to have less issues with race out here than in the Cbus suburbs. Although we are the token multicultural family. The only problems I've had are because I'm heavily involved in local politics. It's not easy speaking as a lone liberal in a very conservative area. I've made a couple of enemies because I've spoke out for the separation of church and state and have "come out" as an atheist. Sigh. But most of them are just praying for my soul at every city council meeting.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Aug 7, 2012 21:37:29 GMT -5
If I was seriously serious about living in worthington, I know DH would grudgingly agree to make the commute, but he already works enough, and I don't really want to be alone with the kids for 1.5 more hours a day. I don't think proximity to WF would be worth it!
I checked out CAS and they have some awesome jobs posted, all of which I would love to do, and am only about 60% qualified for . But I am going to keep checking back and hope they post more. The problem I seem to run into is that I worked for 4 years before staying at home, so I am not really qualified for entry level jobs (they want direct college hires) but neither am I qualified for technical specialist or manager roles. Budweiser is hiring weekend supervisors, and I think I could get that, but then I would have to work every weekend which doesn't really achieve my goal of hiding form my children.
I'm from Cleveland and regularly drive between Cle and Cbus. The first time I drove my NoVa raised DH through mid Ohio, his only comment was "where is everything?" I skipped OSU. I don't get the cult worship, though I fake it for my 2 sisters who did attend there. NE Ohio and mid-Ohio are very different regions.
Post by statlerwaldorf on Aug 7, 2012 22:37:29 GMT -5
I haven't worked in my field since I was pregnant with DD. I am overqualified for entry level jobs and couldn't afford daycare on what a lot of them are offering anyway. I found one job listing and they told me they wanted some with "more recent experience."
Granville is a really good school district at least. I just hate driving through it. It's so hilly and the roads are too windy. I can never see around the trees. If you ever want to have a playdate at the Works in Newark, let me know. DD and I go there a lot, but it's usually dead. It's nothing compared to COSI.
I'm from Cleveland and regularly drive between Cle and Cbus. The first time I drove my NoVa raised DH through mid Ohio, his only comment was "where is everything?" I skipped OSU. I don't get the cult worship, though I fake it for my 2 sisters who did attend there. NE Ohio and mid-Ohio are very different regions.
ETA SBA, my sister works for the cbus Budweiser. PM me if you might want your resume passed on.
I'm from Cleveland and regularly drive between Cle and Cbus. The first time I drove my NoVa raised DH through mid Ohio, his only comment was "where is everything?" I skipped OSU. I don't get the cult worship, though I fake it for my 2 sisters who did attend there. NE Ohio and mid-Ohio are very different regions. SBA, my sister works for Budweiser.
I agree. I grew up in Cleveland and wet to school in Columbus (Ohio State) and I found the areas quite different. Southern Ohio is like a whole other world from NE Ohio.
Post by statlerwaldorf on Aug 7, 2012 22:42:01 GMT -5
I went to OSU and I really regretted it. Everything was a pain in the ass. I lived off campus and it took up so much time to park off campus and ride the bus. I had trouble scheduling my classes with one right after the other with the way the campus is set up and how long it would take me to get from one area to the other. I kept getting pushed out of the classes I needed. When I got into my specialized classes, they were offered at really inconvenient times. I really didn't like the lecture hall type classes. I tried to tell my brother how much it sucked, but you know how Ohio is all about the Buckeyes. He ended up transferring after one year.
I do have some hilarious stories about non-Ohio people in Ohio. Like DH not realizing that no, there is not a gas station every couple miles. Or that yes, Amish do have right of way. Yes, even if it is your wedding day and only have 2 hours for pictures. No seriously, don't wait for the next gas station.
I am so glad I grew up in Cleveland where no one gave a rats ass about college sports and then went to Kent State where everyone continued not to give a rats ass about college sports.
And I still hold that everything south of the turnpike should be annexed to Kentucky. Except for trail bologna country. Those bitches are staying with Ohio.
I'm from Cleveland and regularly drive between Cle and Cbus. The first time I drove my NoVa raised DH through mid Ohio, his only comment was "where is everything?" I skipped OSU. I don't get the cult worship, though I fake it for my 2 sisters who did attend there. NE Ohio and mid-Ohio are very different regions. SBA, my sister works for Budweiser.
I agree. I grew up in Cleveland and wet to school in Columbus (Ohio State) and I found the areas quite different. Southern Ohio is like a whole other world from NE Ohio.
So how would you guys say cbus and CLE are different? My inlay=ws live in CLE, so I have visited there quite a bit prior to moving to Cbus. I have a very skewed perspective, I am sure, since my in laws are wacky. My MIL lives in the Aurora area and is a horse nut. My SIL lives in Streetsboro and is white trash. My FIL and GMIL live in a CLE city neighborhood that used to be polish/lithuanian and is now just poor and run down.
Thanks for the Budwieser resume offer. I may be PM'ing you in the future.
Southern Ohio just scared me. It touches West Virginia!
I do have some hilarious stories about non-Ohio people in Ohio. Like DH not realizing that no, there is not a gas station every couple miles. Or that yes, Amish do have right of way. Yes, even if it is your wedding day and only have 2 hours for pictures. No seriously, don't wait for the next gas station.
This was one of the hardest things for my mom to get used to (the gas station issue, not the Amish).
She now keeps her tank at half tank to full at all times.
I didn't try Jeni's when I was there but I went to Rita's for this slushy icecream delight.
Southern Ohio represents, yo. I don't get the OSU/buckeye love, either, and FWIW we Cincinnatians mostly just make fun of people for being insane Buckeye fans (sorry copz ).