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

 

Jim
You didn't say where you were moving from, so it's hard to make
a comparison for you, but I'll give this a shot. BTW, I spent
5 years in Cincinnati (in the SW corner)and have spent the last 5 years near Toledo/Bowling Green (NW corner of state).
The SE corner of the state is classified as an Appalachian area.
You will see lots of Appalachian culture there, the people are
fairly friendly and family oriented. The SE corner of the state
also has the highest rates of unemployment, lowest high-school
completion rates, etc. Washington Cty's employment force is
heavily invested in manufacturing and trades (almost 50%). The SE corner of the state is not the gehtto of Ohio, but it tends
to be more economically depressed than the rest of Ohio (e.g.,
the per capita income for Washington Cty was $22,298 in 1999.
Unemployment rate in Washington Cty in 2000 was 5%, for Ohio it
was 4%). If you're looking to live in Washington Cty (Marietta)
I'd say you will do fine. It's certainly NOT the most depressed
county in the state. I'd live there in a heardbeat.

Property values in that part of the state should be very reasonable.
You should be able to find a nice big shop (oh. and a house too) for
not too much. Titling/insuring your vehicles is inexpensive too
(well, compared to Boston, which is where I used to live).

It's hilly country, there's lots of woods and outdoor activities to
keep you busy. You're also very close to W. Virginia. Lots of
outdoors stuff to do. You're also close to Athens (OH) and Ohio
University. Athens has lots of cultural stuff to do (bookstores,
theatre, etc.).
Average mean yearly temp is 55 degrees F. That makes it pretty
comparable to Cincinnati, so you can expect about 2 weeks of
90+ F (day time highs) each summer (I doubt you'd hit 100).
The southern part of Ohio tends to be humid, so it can feel quite
a bit hotter than the thermometer indicates. For winter, expect
lows in the 20s and maybe 10 or 15 inches of snow each winter.

If you're interested in looking at the census data for this area,
check out:
http://www.odod.state.oh.us/osr/profiles/

Hope this helps,
Ohio Bill

 

Thanks for the info Bill-it really helps

I guess it would have helped to say where I'm moving from (I'm used to some of the other forums I'm on that display that info)--I am currently in Jackson, TN; about halfway between Memphis and Nashville

 

Hey jimzdat, I just may be moving to the jackson area!what a small world. I live on the lake right now(Madison) too much snow for me!
Marietta gets about 10% the snow we do, how is Jackson for demographics and so forth
John
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Well, I don't know all the statistics (only been here a couple years, and never bothered to look them up)
Might want to check www.jacksontn.com (chamber of commerce site)

Jackson, is now about 50K people, the city is slowly spreading northward. There is a new shopping mall planned for the northeast side, right off I-40 in the next couple of years.
Overall cost of living isnt too bad--we are renting a new house; 1700 sf, 4 BR, 2BA on 3/4 acre, for $700/month
Rent is a little higher on the north side ($8-900/month)
Not sure what the current hiring situation is here, since my line of work doesn't exist here in town. My wife works at Lowe's--they've been cutting her hours alot due to slow sales, don't know if that's widespread or not.

Any other question, let me know--I can try and find out for you.

Jim