Contributors to this thread:
I live in MA but can’t wait to leave especially after they are about to pass the worst gun laws in the US. This move will probably take place in 3 to 5 years and Ohio was one choice. Looking for opinions on living in Ohio? Do you like it or want to leave? Looking for a state to retire in the future as MA is way too expensive and the politics are getting worse and worse.
One other loaded question I have is how is the public land for hunting is it crowded and how hard is it to get permission to hunt private land? Thanks
With Intel and the crap it’s going to bring with it I don’t look for Central Ohio to be a place I would move to , getting more populated everywhere…..
MnM I was thinking more eastern edge by PA or WV?
Intel is building in Licking county, GOOD deer hunting county, and also heard Amazon is going to build huge facility in that area too, but don't know it that has been confirmed yet... All the counties bordering PA and WV can be good hunting, but watch out for the hillbillies along the WV border, "I hear banjos, paddle faster"...8^))) If you don't know anybody, private land hunting permission likely will be hard to come by and all or most public land in Ohio is heavily pressured, even during our 4-month long bowseasn with all the xbows out there making it like a pseudo gun season... You likely won't be alone any day on public and there are also 4 short statewide gun seasons spread out from mid November through mid January... Basically there are not enough hunting properties to go around with Ohio's dense human population and most private land tracts are small... A lot of the larger private land tracts now are leased and gobbled up by greedy so-called outfitters...
As for living here, I think it's great... I was born and raised in Tuscarawas County spending lots of time on my Grandfather's farm in Harrison county... Worked for an outfitter in Montana for 3 months, worked building condos in southern Florida for a few months, worked telecommunications contracting a few months in upstate New York and WV... Spent a couple months technical training on Long Island near NYC, a couple months in Chicago and Dallas and about a year total technical training in Raleigh North Carolina and lived a couple years in Colorado after a divorce... Have also spent some vacation time in Arizona, but Ohio is home... Point being have lived around the county a little and have thought seriously about retiring to Arizona, but that's on back burner, my kids and grandkids are here as is my elderly parents now in there mid-eighties... I love Ohio, I'll probably never leave T-County...
Best of luck searching for relocation... If you're a serious whitetail bowhunter might want to look into the 4-county bow only zone in southern WV... (There are some whoppers down there) I had a co-worker buddy from the area giving me intel and thought about checking it out years ago but never did... Again, watch out for the hillbillies... Also I heard the girls have one leg shorted than the other down there...8^))) Good luck...
Any place will be easier than MA. But if your looking for retirement area and dont have to worry about commuting, SE ohio. Great areas, land is cheaper but no jobs, very remote. Mnm is correct, Freekin Intel is going to ruin Central Ohio
I’m not retirement age yet so I will need a job. What is average home prices in that area?
Hope pricing all depends on where you are located and what you are looking for in proximity to amenities/attractions, highways, etc.
You will be hard pressed to find many places that are less than $400 k that are worth a crap anymore. If you want a "newer or nicer" place with a nice lot - that jumps up closer to $800k. You can find cheaper fixer upper places as well, if that is what you into. Plus VERY rural places can be found as well for less.
Ohio is a good place to live in my opinion, but also not super cheap or as "rural" as alot of folks think. Sure there are large area of undeveloped land in some places - but those are VERY limited.
Most hunting is on private and most is on parcels that are under 40 ac. Makes access a really challenging issue in Ohio. Lots of land is locked up, lots of land is leased, lots of people don't allow hunting.
Don't mean to talk bad about Ohio but it is not as easy to just go hunt as some folks think.
Thanks CAS, yeah I was hoping to sell my house and hopefully buy something cheaper. Also the property taxes seem to be more affordable in Ohio. My taxes now are about 4K a year for a small house and as you know those taxes are payed throughout retirement so a big deal to me. Is the public land abundant and crowded?
Public land is not abundant - but where there is public land it is typically 2000+ ac.
Majority of Ohio Public Land is a result of purchase of large tracts from old coal mine property. Much of it was old strip pits, etc. that was purchased and transitioned to public land. It can be pretty interesting terrain as much was not restored properly leaving lots of little shallow ponds, steep high walls, and lots of brush as there is/was no topsoil left.
This map shows the public lands and as you can see....most are in Appalachia foothill areas due to historic mining. The western part of state is big time agriculture and flat.
You can find places to hunt on public land, but there will be company - even on the largest tracts.
Good thread, you guys are giving good Ohio info...
Interesting yeah here I started on flat land and had limited success due to no rhyme or reason in travel routes but then I hit the hill country and found it way easier to set up on deer due to terrain. I’d rather hills with less deer than flat country with more deer. In my state we are talking 7-15 deer per square mile so you learn a lot and quick if you want a good season. I would probably be interested in hunting the Wayne state forest as it is probably what I’m used to.
For hunting Ohio is great with so much public land you can’t hunt it all. There are short busy times on public land but other than those times hunting during week I don’t see many people. Forget getting permission to hunt private land, those privileges are left for family and friends. The woods are beautiful when the weather is nice, and southern Ohio is the most beautiful place in the country when the gloom isn’t present. The winters suck, lots of rain and gloomy 40* weather, very depressing. The state is a very economically depressed in most places. I think for hunting it’s tops, but you pay a heavy price for those privileges. It doesn’t get too cold here anymore with very little, if any ice for ice fishing. It’s just too much gloomy weather for too long of a time for me. The southern half of Ohio isn’t as bad as the north half. As far as would I move? Well, I’m in my late sixties and bowhunted since my early teens, but as I get older and my body restricts my hunting South Carolina is looking mighty nice at this stage in my life.
