Ohio may be best known around the country for its Buckeyes, Browns and Bengals, but the state offers so much more as it shakes off the recession and scrapes the rust off of its Rust Belt reputation.
There are great places to live in Ohio from Lake Erie to the Ohio River that offer Midwest charm, top-notch schools, growing employment opportunities and fabulous outdoor activities. Here are my top ten best places to live in Ohio.
The Village of Ottawa Hills is an affluent bedroom community suburb of Toledo with one of the top school districts in the state. Ottawa Hills is minutes from the University of Toledo and near major medical facilities and fine shopping areas. It borders the world famous Inverness Club golf course which has hosted PGA Championships. The Ottawa River runs through the village for a park-like setting and Lake Erie is just 20 minutes away for fishing and boating.
Nestled just northwest of Columbus, Upper Arlington is close to downtown, Ohio State University, the Columbus airport and major freeways. While it is considered to be an affluent community, Upper Arlington’s fine schools and libraries, 33 public parks and active Civic Association make it an attractive community for families.
Tree lovers love Amberley, a suburb of Cincinnati that was designated as a Tree City USA and is home to French Park, a 3.5 square mile tree-filled park with creeks and trails for hikers and picnickers. Amberley has a large Jewish community but prides itself being culturally diverse, with a large Jewish community. The public and private schools and city services are topnotch and Amberley is close to the I-275 loop for easy access to Cincinnati and surrounding areas.
Brecksville is a beautiful wooded suburb of Cleveland that’s perfect for outdoors lovers. A third of the city is the Brecksville Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metro Parks system, which has extensive facilities for picnicking, hiking, horseback riding and other outdoor activities. Brecksville is also adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and less than five miles from two ski areas. Brecksville has top schools and large wooded lots and its location on or near major freeways makes it easy to get around to other parts of Cleveland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Golfers and cyclists love Dublin. The Columbus suburb is home to the PGA Memorial Tournament on the Muirfield Village golf course designed by Columbus native Jack Nicklaus. Dublin can also boast about its 77 miles of bike trails through 1,000 acres of parks, some along the Scioto River. Its low crime rate makes Dublin one of the safest cities in Central Ohio and its fine school system sends many students to Ohio Sate and other nearby colleges. True to its namesake, Dublin also hosts an annual Irish Festival.
Most Ohioans know Mason as the home of the Kings Island Amusement Park, but this growing suburb of Cincinnati has much more to offer. Local employers include Proctor & Gamble, Mitsubishi and a number of high tech and international businesses. An excellent school system, numerous parks, great tennis courts and one of the largest public recreation facilities in Ohio means Mason is a great family city. Oh, and don’t forget Kings Island!
Solon is a mid-sized suburb 18 miles southeast of Cleveland that boasts a top 10 school system and its own philharmonic orchestra. Solon has a large industrial base with local employers including Nestle, L’Oreal and the Cleveland Clinic and strong zoning laws that keep the residential and commercial areas separate. It’s home to three golf courses and the South Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks system and is just 20 miles away from Lake Erie.
Named for the set of twins who donated the land for the town square, Twinsburg annually plays host to a Twins Day Festival that has everyone seeing double. It’s location between Cleveland and Akron offers residents employment opportunities outside of this bedroom community. Twinsburg has managed to maintain a small-town country atmosphere while still offering resident modern amenities like parks, a municipal golf course, good schools and plentiful shopping areas.
For those who don’t believe Lake Erie has beaches, a visit to Mentor is in order to soak up the sun and fun on Headlands Beach, Ohio’s longest and best swimming beach and named one of the 20 best beaches in America. Located 30 minutes east of Cleveland, Mentor has a strong business base in medical, biotech and manufacturing. Besides plenty of outdoor activities provided by Lake Erie and the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve, Mentor has growing schools and numerous retail malls and shopping areas.
Northeast of Columbus lies Westerville, its largest suburb and home to the historic Uptown District where visitors can tour original 1850s homes. It’s a quick 15 minute commute to downtown Columbus, then back to the shaded neighborhoods that make Westerville a Tree City USA. It offers a balanced mix of starter homes to large executive mansions with a college town feel from its close proximity to Otterbein College and Ohio State University. With excellent schools and city services, Westerville is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Columbus.