Toledo, Ohio

Pros to living in Toledo?

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Barring covid, there's usually events, festivals, car shows that kind of thing going on every weekend during the warm months. A ton of metro parks, this city really likes to enjoy the good weather while it's around. Weekly farmers markets with lots of food trucks are a fun way to spend a couple hours after work while getting dinner.

There's a wide cost of living spread here. Yes you can find plenty of $500/mo apartments. There's also a lot of new $300,000+ housing that has been built in the last 10 years. Real estate prices have boomed in the last few years, and are continuing to do so. There used to be a lot of sub $10k houses and lots for sale, that market has mostly dried up.

The suburbs are pretty nice. Perrysburg, Maumee, Sylvania are all nice places to live with pretty little downtowns.

Oh another neat thing, you can get anywhere in town in 20 min or less. I came from Texas where in the country you drove 30 min to the grocery store and in the city you could get stuck in bad traffic. Traffic here is always lite. I find it funny when people complain about rush hour here, it's really not bad at all compared to the big cities.

Tip: Living outside a city in a township will save you on taxes. Personally, I have to budget an extra $500 a quarter for city tax. Because I work outside the city, it's not deducted from my paycheck.

Pros to living in Toledo?

West Toledo is a good place to live and we are no better or worse than any other city sizeable city in Ohio. Taxes are low, housing can be considered cheap, property taxes are fairly low. Unfortunately, our utilities costs are higher, roads are bad, schools aren't highly rated, and we are not without squalor the farther you go east and south.

Toledo is fortunate enough to have one of the top zoos in the country, AAA baseball, hockey, art museum, and the Huntington center where concerts, sports, and other events are held year round. Downtown has revived a bit with new restaurants, bars, and shops.

As someone said, the greater Toledo area is more desirable if you have the money. Sylvania and Perrysburg are nice but very expensive in comparison, Maumee is not too bad on price though.

What is it like to live in Toledo, OH?

Toledo, Ohio has always been a great place to raise children. It offers many of the amenities of much larger cities without having to fight the traffic and crowds to enjoy them.

It has always had a world-class zoo and art museum, and the museum also provides wonderful acoustics for performances of the Toledo Symphony.

In addition, Toledo’s proximity to other locales and events can’t be beat. For instance, Ann Arbor, with its great shopping, farmer’s market, art festival and education-related events is only 30–40 minutes north on Rt 23. Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with all their entertainment offerings, are only 60 minutes north on Rt. 75, and Toronto, which has some of the greatest shopping and eating in the world, is only about a two-hour drive away.

Cleveland is the farthest at about a four-hour drive to the east where one has access to the Cleveland Clinic for medical diagnoses and treatment. Bowling Green, Columbus, and Akron are 30 minutes to three hours away, and Amish Country, which offers beautiful hand-made furniture, quilts and baked goods, is one to two hours south of Akron.

If you or your children are fond of horses, there are stables for boarding and riding in Michigan, only about ten miles down Secor from the University of Toledo. You can arrange to have other riding enthusiasts exercise your boarded horse(s) when you’re not available.

There’s virtually no end to available summer activities. There are numerous summer camps in Michigan for children. Cottages on numerous lakes in Michigan and Indiana that are only 1–2 hours away are available to buy or rent. Several towns in Michigan south of Traverse City are comprised of mostly artists who sell their creations.

For those who love the water, there’s no better boating anywhere than the Great Lakes. A typical trip from Toledo would involve taking Lake Erie north to the Detroit River. Before crossing Lake St. Clair to the St. Clair River, you’d decide whether to go up the Canadian side or the American side, with the former being the usual preference as it’s nicer. From Lake Huron, the cruising/sailing options and opportunities to see what can be seen only by boat around Georgian Bay and Baie Finn are endless. The islands, like Put-n-Bay, in Lake Erie are available for weekend trips.

What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Toledo, OH?

Depends on where you are from and what kind of lifestyle you expect/why you're moving. I'll try to briefly cover my bases.

If you came from a small town, be prepared for a big city with a small town vibe. Vice Versa, if you came from a big city, Toledo is going to feel claustrophobic at first. Give time to adjust.
Mid you're moving for college reasons, Toledo is a small school compared to OSU. That does not equal “bad.” UT was amazing and the community is very strong.
Ttraffic is light compared to Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, etc. But it is way more traffic than a small suburb. Plan for an extra 10–15 minutes during busy hours.
Roads suck. They deteriorate fast. But toledo is fairly quick at patching them. But then they break again. But then they patch them again. But then they break again but th—
The local food scene in Toledo is TOP NOTCH. I haven't found food as good in any other city yet. And I've been to San Francisco, Boston, Toronto, and dozens of other places. Seriously, check out even the most in-the-wall places. People in Toledo know what dining and drinking is all about.
Toledo is a very progressive, liberal, blue city in a very mixed state.
The surrounding cities like Maumee, Sylvannia,Oregon, Perrysburg, etc all are unique to suburban life. Check them out!
You have a good chance at running into Katie Holmes. My friend almost hit her with her car. Not even kidding.
The film/art scene is hot! Check out the art museum, film festivals, concerts, zombie walks, and lots of downtown events!
Living in Toledo is cheap comparatively.
Toledo has crime, no matter how safe your neighborhood seems. I lived in a “nice” area but my car was still busted into. Take precaution and just don't be stupid with walking around by yourself at night or leaving doors/windows unlocked.
Everything is 15 minutes away. Everything.
You are literally 15 minutes away from Michigan and the highway will audibly let you know when you've crossed state lines.
Ann Arbor and Detroit are in your backyard.
Hockey is life. What's “"basketball?”
Mudhens or bust.
The BGSU and Michigan state rivalry is real.
Be nice to everyone and you'll make tons of toledoean friends.
Drivers are terrible.
Toledo winter is a unique phenomenon. Don't be surprised to see “"it's illegal to be out past 3pm” warnings during bad weather.
ALGAE BLOOMS IN LAKE ERIE. Stock up on bottled water! I lived through The Bloom and we were without clean water to shower or bath for days.
Do research about the town, my experience was limited but I loved every moment. Even the bad. Have fun!

What to do in Toledo