bouncingtigger

Hi all!

Just joined the forum so thought I'd pop in

Hubby is possibly relocating with his job to Cleveland, OH and I wondered if there was anyone from that area....

I'd be interested in finding out about the different areas, and if you can recommend any particular ones for living... hubbys office is based in Independence so ideally would like to be fairly close.... with no more than 30 min commute.

I've been looking at property in Independence, Cleveland Heights, Barberton, Shaker Heights, Brooklyn and Bedford.

Hubby will be travelling around with work so I'd like to be sure that there is stuff for me to get involved with in the local area.

Mummy in the foothills

Congrats on your transfer. When do you move?
I'm not in Ohio never been there but I'm sure some of the other members have
Is his job doing all the Visa work and moving you all?

Bob

Welcome to BE

Can't help with the area, but there are a few members in the state who might be able to

lisa67

Hi. Welcome to BE. You might like to look at www.city-data.com for some answers about Independence.

Bill_S

Welcome to BE. My wife works in Independence, I work in Cleveland, we live in Cleveland Heights. I might be able to help.

Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights are very nice places to live, but with high property tax. Barberton would have more of a small-town feel than the others you list. I'm not so sure about Brooklyn... it strikes me as the least desirable on that list.

bouncingtigger

Thanks for your replies and the warm welcome!

Mummy - nothing is set in stone yet... his company have said there is a job out there for him if he wants so he's asked them to come back with an offer and details... They would do the visa work, but we would do the move, so no relocation package.

Bill... with the property taxes, are they monthly? I'm guessing they are similar to our council tax. Are there any other costs to consider, and what are utility rates like.... water, gas, electric, etc?


Lisa... thanks for the link, I shall definitely check that out...

The other couple of things I'd like to know is what hospitals/clinics are out that way? I have rheumatoid arthritis, and although its in remission, I will probably still need a rheumatologist.

I'd also like to get involved with voluntary groups... as I won't be able to work with hubbys visa, plus it would help me to settle in and get to know people.

Thanks again!

tamms_1965

Property taxes are paid every six months in Ohio (usually) but only if you own the home. Renters do not pay property tax, their landlord does.

Ray

If its an L visa which it probably will be ..you can get a work permit

bouncingtigger

Thanks for that tamms and Ray....

Not sure what a L visa is but I'll go check out the visa thread...

Thanks again...x

Bill_S

As tamms said, property tax (if you own the house) is paid twice a year. In Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, the rate is about 3% of appraised value, eg. $6,000 per year for a $200,000 house. Tax rates for all communities in Cuyahoga County can be found here. There will be federal, state, and city income tax to pay as well. Gas and electric bills will vary greatly depending on the size of the house, how well insulated (little to no insulation in most of the old houses, like mine), how modern the heating system is, etc. Water bills and sewer bills are based on consumption.
My situation: modest 3-bedroom colonial in Cleveland Heights, built in 1925. Little insulation, most of the original windows have been replaced. High-efficiency gas furnace, central air conditioning. Just the two of us, no kids. We both work, so we reduce the amount of heating and cooling during the day Mon-Fri. Gas bills range from over $300 during the coldest months to about $30 in the summer (gas water heater, stove, dryer). Electric bill about $80 when not using aircon, about $140 in the summer. Water bill about $40-50, but higher in the summer when the missus is watering the plants a lot. Sewer bill is paid every three months (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District), our bill is about $90 each time.

With regard to hospitals, health care is one of Cleveland's strong points. The Cleveland Clinic, about 10 minutes from my house, is one of the best hospitals in the United States. Bear in mind, though, that if your husband wants to pursue this opportunity, he MUST be sure the employer provides health insurance as part of the job. If there's no health cover, forget it.

Patrick Hasler

Welcome .... I have passed through Cleveland quite often, never in summer but winter when it is like Hell ! ... The bleakest, coldest, most freezing lake front city on earth.

Not that I am trying to put you off cos the rest of the year it's probably very nice

Manc

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 176x220))

I live near Akron

yay me.....

Sue

Welcome to BE

JAJ

Be very careful about a one way move unless:

1. You know you can get a green card quickly (some categories take years), for which the employer needs to sponsor; and
2. You are certain that a move to the United States is what you are looking for in life.

This article gives a flavour of some of the issues:
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Corpor...tion-Australia

dunroving

I've never seen that Wiki page before, very interesting.

It often amazes me the financial basis on which many expats move. It seems a lot of the Oz crowd pretty much self-fund everything (blood scary when you consider how many of them end up returning to the UK).

Others are in-betweenies - the new job helps a little, but not much. [I fall into that crowd] In academia, generally you are lucky if they pay for your flight and maybe a thou or two towards relocation. The most I ever received was $3k. But then, we have to pay our own way to conferences, etc., too, generally. Teaching is a different world - heck, I know primary teachers who buy their own class materials (definitely something wrong with that).

Corporate moves seem completely different. I read on here talk of packages that include costs of expatriation AND repatriation flights (business class, of course) and removals, cash allowance for "incidentals", rented accomodation for the first 3 months, rented car, immigration lawyer fees for GC, home leave travel costs, etc., etc.