Anyone in Ohio? got questions.....

[jimzdat]

Looking for anyone who lives in Ohio--in particular the southeast area (Marietta)--I have a job prospect up there, and just want to know more about the area. Cost of living, weather averages, etc--all the kind of stuff you'd wanna know before moving to a new place.

 

I realize that Marietta is kinda in the middle of nowhere, but when they are talking an extra 18K/year, it just may be worth it

[dmyntti]

I live in Newark Ohio but work in Cambridge Ohio, not far from Marrietta. I looked at houses around the Cambridge Ohio area. The cost of living around Cambridge is pretty inexpensive. Land is rather cheap as go go South of Cambridge. There are many farms for sale that would make an Ideal place to build a Z or anythig else for that matter.

[denny411]

C`mon up, We can use more hybridz`ers in the buckeye state

The cost of living in Ohio, overall is pretty reasonable, and the southeastern part I think is the most reasonable. As long as you find a place 15-20mi or more from a metrpolitan area you`ll be in good shape

[Guest Anonymous]

I live in southeast Columbus, while it isn't quite as far as Marietta, living here is really cheap. We can live off $700 a month

[Guest Anonymous]

This is with 5 people too, BTW.

[jimzdat]

Well heck, guess I should be able to do pretty well then--they are offering me $29.80/hr to start, and since the plant is still in construction there should be plenty of overtime.

 

I gotta drive up there on the 12th of this month for an interview and pre-employment testing--hopefully all goes well, sounds like a nice place from all I've heard so far

[denny411]

My wifes family is from the Hocking Hills, not too far from Marietta. If you move into the area soon, you will be in good shape down the road.

Property values are on the rise, but are still very reasonable. You could build equity very fast in a market like that.

[dmyntti]

What is the plant that is going in. I could use a more stable job, my company is not doing very well and I would be interested in seeing what is available.

 

Thanks,

[jimzdat]

It's a 850 MW power plant--cogen, 3 on 1 configuration using GE 7FA combustion turbines. Here's a link to the factsheet they put out:

 

Waterford Project factsheet (PDF)

[dmyntti]

Wow I had not heard of this project and I work for a company that supplies components for natural gas compressors. We work primarily on recip compressors for gas pipeline. It is good to see a decent size project using natural gas as our market has been really down this year.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Michael]

My (admittedly biased!) views on Ohio....

 

I moved to Ohio in the spring of 2000, due to a compulsory job change (Wright-Patterson AFB). Were it not for that, I would never have moved here. My reasons?

 

1. weather: 90’s in the summer, way way below freezing in the winter. Long summer, long winter, no transitional seasons, always humid. I have lived in Michigan, Northern Virginia, Los Angeles, and New York City; all of these places have better weather, in my opinion.

 

2. taxes: not as high as New York or California, but certainly higher than average. State income tax is moderate, but local income taxes really hurt you. Townships don’t have local income tax, but most still have “school district tax”. Property taxes, as a percentage of house value, are outrageous, because the tax base is poor. Sales tax is 6-6.5%

 

3. suburban sprawl: there is plenty of rural land out here, but you have to drive >20 miles from even the smaller cities (like Dayton) to get out into the countryside, because of low-density housing construction ringing the cities. And, because so much land is available for new construction, existing property values are capped. In the towns, there are covenants and homeowners associations that would constrain activities such as a major Z-building operation; this is similar to what one finds along the coasts, except that there the communities are more affluent.

 

4. mentality: population turnover is low. Variety? Not that I have been able to observe.... This is a conservative, “heartland” type of area, which pulls no punches in promoting a particular kind of lifestyle.

 

5. police and cars: traffic cops are ubiquitous. Much worse than in Virginia, in my opinion. There is no safety inspection for cars, but there is a smog check that varies county-by-county. Cars older than 25 years are exempt. Unfortunately, the used car market is scarce, especially for foreign cars. Months go by before I see a Z on the road.

 

On the other hand, if you are a young family trying to raise children, this might be a decent place for you. Ohio is “family-friendly” to the point of obsession.

 

If I had to live in Ohio but had my choice as to which area, I would pick the northeast corner. It offers the most cultural opportunities, the best property appreciation, and the least conservative mentality. The southeast corner – “the hills” – is known for being the most economically backward.

 

Property values in Ohio are NOT on the rise, except in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The smaller cities in Ohio (Toledo, Dayton, and on down) are experiencing long-term real estate depreciation, relative to inflation. The reason? Ohio just doesn’t have the job base. After every census, Ohio loses another congressman. The bigger cities are doing better, as they have been able to transition to high-tech/the service sector. But the smaller cities, with their decaying industrial infrastructure, are in trouble. Also, as far as I have seen, Ohio’s agriculture is in trouble too: the farms tend to be small (not too many >1000 acre farms), which suggests that they would have trouble competing in modern agribusiness.

[denny411]

The economically backward hills, is exactly why I say the property values are on the rise. In the southeastern part of Ohio (where this plant is going) property values are going up.

 

There are MANY new homes being built on lots where shacks used to be. As this trend continues, the market for all property in the area will naturaly go up.

 

Many of the people building in these areas are trying to escape the cities. They may still work there, but they don`t want to live there.

 

For nearly 27.00 an hour, you could live very well in that area. My .02 anyway

[redruM_0381]

I live in Parkersburg WV... just south and accross the river of Marietta. I moved out here from Utah about a month and a half ago. Population out here is accually dropping. Crime rate is non existant. Compared to Utah, this place is GREAT, although there isnt really much to "do" here. Didnt take me too long to find a job at a computer repair business. Cost of living is quite cheap, compared to Utah anyway. TONS of houses for sale. Next thing I gotta do is go back to Utah this fall and drag my Z back here