Columbus experienced huge growth in recent years, causing a strong division line between rich and poor. Million dollar mansions pop up all over in what used to be small towns or farm country in the '60s-70s like Dublin or nearby New Albany. A few miles away urban decline is evident in formerly 1950s-type Ozzie and Harriet type neighborhoods like Whitehall. Industrial parks shoot up everywhere since the '80s-90s and long-time family farms vanish daily here. Rich newcomers and rising real estate taxes along with big traffic headaches have caused most of the middle-incomers or poor who have lived here all their lives to feel chased away or pressured to move, but to where? Cincinnati and Cleveland are out for anyone interested in escaping crime and other big city problems. Those areas are not as safe or as clean as Columbus. Akron, Dayton, Toledo, Canton, Youngstown - all have the same faults as Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland - Ohio's three largest cities. Portsmouth and the Dayton area are undesirable since Joel lists them as likely secondary targets in an extended war in his relocation book. Northern Ohio near Lake Erie is where several nuclear power plants are - more spots to avoid. Southeastern Ohio, or "little Appalachia," is pretty and, as Joel pointed out in his relocation book, the safest area and best for those interested in self-sufficient living. However, this region seems to continually draw certain problems - redneck gangs, deadly flash floods hitting too often, and no jobs, no jobs, no jobs. Last week the Columbus Dispatch newspaper ran a feature on southeastern Ohio and it showed people standing in food lines just like they did in these same towns during the Depression. Thousands of jobs have been lost to southeastern Ohio recently when they didn't have that many in the first place. Southeastern Ohio is not a good choice for a woman alone or for anyone who thinks it's easy to find employment there. It is beautiful, though, with lots of wooded areas, hills, caves, rivers. It gets very cold in Ohio during winter. Also, in the past year the Hispanic population increased by about 36-37% in Columbus. This is odd since Hispanics usually prefer warmer weather and few Hispanics lived here in the past. Ohio natives like myself who were used to family farms and small town living are feeling really "boxed in" with nowhere to run since all the little farm towns and "Mayberry RFD" places in Ohio are rapidly disappearing. People in the Middle Atlantic states or along the east coast will more and more start moving to the West because there's noplace else to go, no other direction where it makes sense to run.
SKOUSEN RESPONSE
This is a great piece of analysis. I wish others would add similar commentary about areas they are familiar with. Thanks much
Joel Skousen
As I mentioned in my first post ("Feeling 'Boxed In' In Ohio"), Joel's relocation book recommends southeastern Ohio as the state's safest area. He is correct in saying it is heavily forested and rich in natural resources. The people there are more the "down home" country type rather than snobbish city dwellers in other regions of Ohio. While there are many honest, decent, hard-working, struggling folks with good character in southeastern Ohio, there's also a "dark" side to this area, and for decades it seems to center around Athens, Ohio - home of Ohio University. A pretty, wooded, hilly town, Athens repeatedly draws satanic worshippers more than even some of the larger cities in Ohio. A few years ago the late Father Malachi Martin, an exorcist, commented during an interview with Art Bell that certain towns in the U.S., like Paducah, Kentucky, attract and radiate evil. Father Martin said no one understands why some towns more than others have a dark history of residents there participating in large numbers in satanic rituals year after year. For decades Athens, which might have been one of Ohio's shining jewels, has been clouded with bizarre, evil shadows that seem to never fade away. I once typed "Athens, Ohio" in an Alta Vista search engine blank on the Internet. The search results confirmed what I already knew and even went on to say that Athens is one of the "occult capitals" of the world, not just of Ohio. Then again, there's nothing wrong with the lovely, rolling hills of Athens that isn't starting to spread and infect the whole heart of America the Beautiful.
On the lighter side, about 5-10 miles east of where I live in Pataskala - located between Columbus and Newark - there lies one of Ohio's - and according to several of the better magazines, one of America's - best kept secrets. This would be the village of Granville, Ohio. I know many people who are world travelers and they tend to agree that Granville is one of the safest, prettiest places they ever visited. Granville has been featured in magazines like Country Home, Country Living and others. It reminds me of how the fictional town Peyton Place used to look on TV, only Granville is more elegant and expensive. A radon problem exists here, but Granville is far enough away from any large cities, yet still close enough to commute easily. People are very friendly here if you ignore the minority of snobs who frequent the Denison University campus area or the gorgeous country inns and restaurants along Broadway, the town's main thoroughfare. Travelers from all over come to sparkling little Granville and usually say the same thing - "We came here just to get away for awhile." Granville is, indeed, a great "get away" spot and is ideal for retirees or anyone who appreciates natural beauty, country elegance, and a quiet, simple lifestyle among the trees, flowers and emerald hills.
North Liberty, Pike Township, Knox County
Great posts Anonymous! I've not lived in Ohio long enough to have quite the amount of exposure you have but I'd like to add my 2 cents worth. I feel that these forums are a worthy cause and Joel's efforts are appreciated. (The webmaster has done an excellent job!) I moved up to Columbus from El Paso, Texas in order to marry a long-time friend who is a self-professed "hillbilly from West Virginia". We lived in his dad's old house in the Refugee/Hamilton Rd. area and I soon saw how the neighborhood was going downhill and fast. There are some extraordinarily beautiful suburbs of Columbus i.e. Bexley, but they do not make up for the conditions under which the remainder of the city are living.
When Y2K was approaching we thought about moving down to my fatherinlaw's property in Sabina, halfway between Columbus & Cincinnati. It used to be a small, working farm and we could build a studio apartment in the rear of the new barn and set ourselves up to be self-sufficient. One final detail that solidified our decision to move was the increasingly apparent maneuvers by the National Guard on Loop 270 around Columbus. Just as Bro Skousen describes, they were practicing shutting down the city in case of Y2K induced upsets. NO WAY did we want to get stuck inside the loop, and we quickly purchased an Ohio Sportsman's guide to Back Roads & Trails!
Luckily my husband was able to transfer within the USPS down to their Chillicothe office and we moved to the farm in record time. At one time, the farm would have been a perfect place to stay forever, but the urban sprawl has reached even that area, and now the water tables are being affected by the additional housing. This year's rains flooded the front yard at the farmhouse because the new homes have interferred with the drainage system. The land was set up for farming and construction is really upsetting the system.
After a year or so we decided to move again to eliminate his hour commute to Chillicothe. We found a good compromise between city vs. country, apartment vs. farm just outside the western city limits of Chilly and this neck of the woods had been pleasant to live in. It is 40 miles or so west of Athens, in the very beginning of the foothills of "little Appalachia" and the locals are much more pleasant, albeit private & suspicious, country folk.
Even Chillicothe got that "big city" feeling after living here 6 months. Not to mention they have a National Guard unit just down the street from us and we'd just as soon not be so close to them. Just because Y2K has come and gone, the military has not let up on their readiness drills, if that tells you anything. After getting to know the area a little better, we are looking to move out of our (boxed in!)pleasant little valley towards one of the yet smaller towns 10 or 15 miles further west. Where the residents believe in God, guns, and the American way. (And hopefully a running creek!)
In my opinion, scary as it is, being able to "join forces" with the long-time locals is more important to us than being able to "hole up" and outlast any nuclear or bio/chem disaster that may come. Not that we could afford it in anyway, but I would certainly never consider building a big stronghold and attracting attention & suspicion that way. We also have gained their trust by sharing our food storage when we realize a family is in need, explaining that it was to be used for emergencies and theirs was legitimate. They are not used to that kind of generosity beyond their own families and, once accepted, it's opened the floodgates to their friendship. We are wanting to be humble and fit in. I would think anybody moving to the country, who wants the support & friendship of their new neighbors, might want to take those things into consideration.
We have family and friends still in Columbus that we are steadily trying to convince to move out of the city, beyond the loop, or at least to prepare themselves. The seed has been planted...
Thanks for providing the forum...I think later I'll post under Texas too...
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I live in Zanesville, Ohio. Previous posts about lack of employment are definitely accurate. And it's only getting worse. Also, with Zanesville being on I-70, we have a lot of crime similar to larger cities (crack, gangs). I'm originally from Cleveland, and when I first moved here, I was taken aback by how friendly people were (in Cleveland, you wouldn't look a stranger in the eye, let alone say hello). Driving down country roads, farmers will wave to you from their tractors. I plan to stay in this area. Perhaps move to Morgan Co., which is very rural and very beautiful. No jobs, though, so that would mean a commute. That's okay, the pluses far outweigh the negatives. I did find out recently that there is a Black Hawk missile site in Morgan Co., though. Since we plan to stay in Ohio, after reading Joel's books, I figure this is the safest area. Yes, we do have some good ol' boys and rednecks in this area, but as long as you avoid known "drug and gang areas," there shouldn't be too many problems. I have noticed since the recent decline in the economy, there seems to be an increase in theft. You can't leave your car unlocked in Zanesville anymore. I look forward to the day my husband and I can move out to the country. Land is reasonably priced in Morgan, Perry and Guernsey counties. But, like I mentioned before, no jobs in these areas. Thousands of people have lost jobs in this area in the last year.
Denise
TXDesertRat, where did you get your Ohio Sportsman's Guide to Back Roads and Trails? I've been looking around and all I've been able to find is hiking trail maps. Thanks! Denise
As The Columbus Dispatch reported in “Crime In The Country” by Randy Ludlow, May 18, 2003, “Ohio’s population has held steady at about 11 million for decades, but its people are on the move. They are heading to what they perceive as the country, resulting in a clash of cultures in rural areas.”
82% of all acts of violence in 2001 in central Ohio occurred in Columbus. Mostly property crimes keep officers busy in rural areas. In cities surrounding Columbus overworked deputies have too much territory to cover, too little cash, too few deputies. “The best thing you can do,” they recently told concerned residents at a meeting, “is to look out for each other.”
Fairfield County, Ohio has been particularly hard hit with its share of burglaries lately. Peak hours can mean Fairfield County residents wait an average of 45 minutes for a deputy to respond to a non-emergency call. Things aren’t much better in nearby Delaware County, Ohio. The Delaware County sheriff, Al Myers, said, “People still perceive Delaware County as the same as 10, 12 years ago, but it’s not.” Between 1993 and 2002 the number of thefts alone nearly doubled to 1,353 and burglaries skyrocketed 83 percent between 2000 and 2001 in Delaware County. Car thefts in western Licking County increased 50%, residential burglaries rose 34% in 2002 while business burglaries increased 150%.
Columbus employs 2.6 police officers per 1,000 residents, in line with the national average of 2.4 for all cities, but below average for large cities. (Source: FBI, Crime In The United States 2001).