There are advantages and disadvantages to living in one city over another. It can be difficult for individuals to learn about both the good and the bad aspects of a specific city. So, what are 17 reasons why individuals should not move to Toledo, Ohio?
Knowing which factors are important to consider about a city before deciding whether or not it is a good fit for an individual or family can be difficult. It can be overwhelming attempting to learn about both the good and the bad of a specific city. After conducting research, the following information has been compiled below about the negative aspects of Toledo, Ohio.
1. The Crime Rate
A high crime rate seems to be something that many cities struggle with. However, Toledo has one of the top 3 highest crime rates in Ohio. While there are areas of Toledo that are not as crime-ridden as others, there are some parts of this city that seems to be extremely dangerous.
In this part of Ohio, there is a higher chance that individuals would be victims of property crimes
rather than violent crimes. 1 in every 34 individuals will be a victim of a property crime in Toledo every year. Property crime includes anything that involves property such as arson, burglary, robbery, automobile theft, and other crimes of this nature.
There are fewer violent crimes that happen in the Toledo area. 1 in every 99 individuals in Toledo will be a victim of a violent crime. This category of crimes includes armed robbery, aggravated assault, murder, and sexual assault.
2. High Poverty Rate
There are a lot of individuals who are impacted by poverty in Toledo, Ohio. Nearly 36% of Toledo residents are dealing with poverty.
Poverty is faced by many as a result of the lack of job opportunities and the high unemployment rate that is faced by many individuals living in this area.
Not being able to meet the basic needs of their families is extremely difficult and heartbreaking for the individuals living in the Toledo area, and because of the risk that this will happen to you, you should not move to Toledo.
3. Vandalism
There is a large number of buildings that are covered in vandalism in Toledo, Ohio. It seems as though no matter how frequently graffiti is cleaned and removed, there always seems to be more to replace it.
The residents of Toledo are not a fan of how frequently new places are being covered in graffiti. While in some instances the graffiti that is vandalizing the buildings throughout the city are artists expressing themselves, there are some instances where the graffiti is crude and inappropriate.
This graffiti and vandalism have caused many parents to worry about their children seeing inappropriate and crude images as a result of looking out the window as the family drives down the street.
4. Weather
Like most of the upper parts of Ohio, Toledo has long winters. However, unlike other northern Ohio cities, Toledo does not get a great amount of snow. However, the temperatures can be extremely cold throughout the winter seasons. The skies are often gray throughout the entire winter, which causes many individuals to miss the sunshine on their skin.
Toledo summers are filled with heat, humidity, and a large number of thunderstorms. While many individuals are big fans of thunderstorms, for some individuals this causes them to miss the sunshine as much as they did during the winter.
The sunshine is only really experienced throughout the spring and occasionally throughout the summer. Outside of those exceptions, the skies are often gray and cause individuals to experience a vitamin D deficiency.
5. An Abundance of Abandoned Homes
Throughout the city, there are many abandoned or run-down homes that cause the neighborhoods to become as unsafe as they feel as a result of these homes.
Many individuals use these abandoned homes to party and use drugs. As a result of this, there tends to be more crime in the Toledo neighborhoods that have more abandoned homes than the neighborhoods that tend to tear down the homes that are run-down and abandoned.
The amount of abandoned homes has caused the price of homes in these areas to decrease, but as a result of that, there are more violence and vandalism that is happening in these areas.
6. A Lack of Nightlife
Nightlife is an important aspect of a city for single individuals in an area. Outside of the occasional bars in the Toledo area, there are not many options for young individuals to enjoy a night out.
This is something that many individuals in this area struggle with. While there is the occasional house party around the Toledo University campus, outside of the college party life, there is not much for young single adults to do in the Toledo area at night.
7. Humidity
Ohio is a state that is plagued by humidity. While it is not the most humid state, residents of Ohio are very familiar with the feeling of humidity.
This humidity causes Toledo’s summers to be hot and sticky. As a result of the humidity faced by the residents of Toledo, many individuals try to avoid spending time outdoors during the summer months.
8. Public Schools
Many parents have been disappointed with the public school system in Toledo. These parents fear that their children are not getting a quality education and are learning the information necessary for them to be successful throughout their lives.
To ensure that their children get a good education, many individuals in the Toledo area decide to pay for their children to attend private schools. However, many individuals are unable to afford private schools as a result of the lack of good-paying jobs.
Education is an extremely important aspect, which is why individuals often care a lot about the rating of the public schools in a specific area. The residents of Toledo want their children to be able to have a better education, but there are not many ways that they can make a change in public schooling without an increase in funding.
9. Social Life Exists Only in the Summer
For many individuals, having a social life is extremely important. However, most individuals in the Toledo area have noticed that they are not very many things to do in the city except in the summer months. This makes it difficult for individuals to go out and meet new people or spend time with the friends they already know.
As a result of the lack of social events throughout the rest of the year, many residents of Toledo just end up hanging out with the same group of individuals they have been since first arriving in the Toledo area. However, they tend to do the same things repeatedly, which can get boring after a while.
10. Very Few Good Paying Jobs
Many individuals in the Toledo area struggle to find job opportunities. This causes many individuals to be forced to accept jobs that don’t pay well as a last resort.
The lack of good-paying jobs and the overall lack of job opportunities is a major contributing factor to both the high unemployment rate as well as the high poverty rate.
When there are jobs that individuals can apply for, many of these individuals do not hear back from the business and often nothing comes from applying to the job.
11. Gang Activity
Toledo, Ohio has more than one gang that is actively recruiting individuals, especially teenagers. These gangs offer these impressionable teenagers drugs, food, friends, and safety. This is why many parents learn that their teenagers have been getting involved with local gangs.
Toledo is the home of over 30 gangs. While not all of these gangs are not active in the Toledo area, some of these gangs claim to have started in the Toledo area.
The gang activity in the Toledo area contributes to the high crime rate, the large amount of drug use, and the increase of vandalism throughout the city.
12. Drug Use
Like many parts of Ohio, Toledo is plagued with individuals struggling with heroin addiction. While this isn’t the only drug that is used throughout the Toledo area, it seems to be the drug that causes the most problems for individuals. There has been an increase in heroin overdose deaths.
To be able to sell more, many dealers cut the heroin they are selling with fentanyl, which causes many more complications for the individuals using them.
In many of the abandoned homes throughout the Toledo area, many individuals rely on these abandoned houses as drug houses. These individuals can ride out their high in these homes without having to worry about getting seen by other individuals except the individuals who were using them.
13. Sex Trafficking
Many individuals throughout the United States are aware of the heartbreaking crime that some unfortunate individuals experience known as sex trafficking. There have been many cases related to sex trafficking in the Toledo area. While there have been many individuals who have been arrested for their involvement in sex trafficking, there are still individuals out there who are taking advantage of other individuals.
Sex trafficking is something that many individuals throughout the United States are terrified of. As a result of the increase of individuals being sex trafficked in the Toledo area, many individuals are taking up personal defense classes, carrying weapons, or only traveling in groups.
14. Bad Drivers
Every city has bad drivers, however, there seems to be a large number of terrible drivers in the Toledo area. Many individuals living in Toledo complain about the number of individuals who seem to have no idea how to use their turn signals.
When driving on the highway, many individuals tend to just switch lanes without signaling and tend to just force their way into the other lane. This mentality has increased the number of accidents that are happening in the Toledo area.
Many residents complain about the number of drivers who tend to drive at whatever speed they desire. Rather than following the speed limits that are set, these drivers seem to think that they can decide the own speed they can drive at.
15. Limited Public Transportation
Toledo offers its residents the bare minimum when it comes to public transportation. Rather than being able to get around the entire city by using public transportation, public transportation is only really available in the downtown area.
In order to be able to successfully use public transportation as a means of reliable transportation, residents of Toledo need to take an earlier bus to ensure that they can get to their destination on time. There are buses that run every 30 minutes, however, there are many things that cause these buses to run behind schedule, which can cause many individuals to run late to work or other commitments.
Without being able to fully rely on public transportation to get around the city, residents and individuals in the Toledo area must have access to a car. Having their own means of transportation or a friend who has a car can make getting to one’s destination a lot easier than having to rely on public transportation.
16. High Unemployment Rate
There is a lack of job opportunities in the Toledo area which has resulted in there being a high unemployment rate. Many individuals are unable to find jobs that allow them to provide for their families and met their basic needs.
A result of the high unemployment rate is a high poverty rate. Many individuals and their families end up struggling to make ends meet. In some instances, residents in Toledo are unable to make ends meet and their family often has to go without a lot.
17. Steady Decline in Population
As a result of individuals becoming frustrated with all the things that they cannot change about the city of Toledo, many individuals and families are moving away in hopes of finding a location that has better opportunities for them.
The decline in the population is why the housing market is so affordable in Toledo, however, it is also causing the city to become more run down.
Because more individuals are moving away, there seems to be less circulation in the economy, which is one of the reasons why there are so many low-paying jobs.
