sandwalk

IHRA! :) And you are right about not many tourism activities in Norwalk; yet there is the drag strip, the West Main Historic District, the Firelands Museum, and uptown. However, Norwalk sits in a tourism area; Cedar Point, Lake Erie, the Islands, Amish Country, Cleveland, Toledo.........and a lot of tourists for CP use the hotels that are in the Norwalk/Milan area; so I think the developer sees this as an area that is close-by, but not in the thick of things......kind of like a getaway from all the crazy tourist traffic (yet this development will add to the traffic :-D ) And I wouldn't expect uptown Norwalk to take that big of a hit; it is the primary economic center for Huron County. And another thing that may help uptown is the fact that Sandusky has pretty much anything and everything (big-box stores, and restaurants) and companies probably wouldn't want to build another store to compete with one that is 15 miles down the road (there isn't that big of a population to draw from; Huron County has approx. 60,000 people and Erie County has approx. 80,000 people). So I think this Norwalk Commons will draw some unusual retailers. Just my opinion!

I was born in Sandusky and lived there for 13 years until 1998. Then I moved to the Norwalk area and lived there for 8 years (and still live there, technically). I attended Terra State Community College in Fremont from 2003 to 2005, earning an Associates Degree in General Science. From there, I transferred to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois (between Chicago and Rockford) and I am currently studying Meteorology. I should graduate in 2008 (hopefully :) ). And that's my life story! LOL

I am relatively new at this, but this topic is always interesting to me. If there is any town or area in Ohio that you think would need a bypass for either a state route or an United States route, post it! I for one, would like to see a US 20 Bypass around the city of Bellevue (which sits at the convergence of Huron, Sandusky, Seneca, and Erie counties). This town has recently received upgrades to Main Street (US 20) to make traffic flow smoother, yet I feel the situation is in need of action.

With all of the rednecks in Ohio, I would not be surprised if they just banned science altogether and made church attendance a requirement. Honestly, Ohio is so backwards and its priorities are screwed up, IMHO.

I like driving on the Turnpike and as you cross the Maumee River you get a beautiful glimpse of the Toledo skyline off in the distance!

Liscense plate numbers I'm familiar with: 03 Ashland 17 Crawford 18 Cuyahoga 22 Erie 33 Hardin 39 Huron 47 Lorain 48 Lucas 52 Medina 62 Ottawa 70 Richland 72 Sandusky 74 Seneca 85 Wayne 88 Wyandot

And I gotta throw this in (because it's close by). Norwalk Raceway Park entertains all kinds of people (yes, there are some interesting characters that go there) from April to Halloween. Seating at the raceway is for nearly 25,000 people, more than Gund Arena. Sometimes the property is filled with 40,000 people (racers included). And since I've worked there for too many years (6 years and soon to be 7 when I return home from college this summer) I know that we draw people mainly from the Cleveland market. But there are also a lot from Toledo/Detroit and Pittsburgh/Youngstown as well as Columbus. This area is a tourist draw for sure; but with that comes lower-wage jobs and A LOT of traffic. US Route 250 is terrible!

All I can say is "wow." I have a friend who lives with her dad on Route 113 in South Amherst...........and looking at that aerial map this complex would be in their back yard......literally. I wonder how their going to adjust to it, if the project materializes! And if it does, it will definitely draw people from west of Lorain County (like Erie, Huron, Ashland counties etc.) I know I will go there to check it out (it'll only be 20 minutes from my house). Cleveland's suburban sprawl is slowly making it's way to the Firelands (and Firelands school district :-)) As to whether this is a good project, I have no idea. I'll make assumptions when the project happens, if it ever does!

My city's tallest building is 5 stories, I believe! :lol:

Good lord!

Same goes for Eaton (where I have relatives).........we all say "Ea-in" However, I do say Kipton (Lorain County) as it is spelled.

Looking at an online map of Galion, I would personally think the town would have about 20,000 people not 11,500! And I did not realize the Olentangy River started near Galion!

I think I've found a new favorite courthouse!

I didn't realize Toledo was such a nice city; those pics were awesome! It's too bad the downtown isn't bustling.........there surely is the population for it!

I've driven through Medina quite a few times (once during the ice sculpture festival), but I've never stopped and got out of the car at the square! I should do that, the next time I'm over that way!

Looks like a very well-kept city!

City: Norwalk, OH Population (2000): 22,861 Housing units: 9,261 Land area: 80.6 sq. mi. Water area: 0.3 sq. mi. White population: 21,793 Black population: 353 American Indian population: 44 Asian population: 73 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 1 Some other race population: 345 Two or more races population: 252 Urban population: 17,323 Rural population: 5,538 Median age: 35.0 Average household size: 2.55 Median household income (1999): $40,821 Nearest zip codes: 44846, 44847, 44826, 44855, 44839, 44814. Year house built: 1999 to March 2000: 224 1995 to 1998: 880 1990 to 1994: 642 1980 to 1989: 979 1970 to 1979: 1325 1960 to 1969: 1101 1950 to 1959: 1121 1940 to 1949: 530 1939 or earlier: 2448 Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses in Norwalk, OH (44857): no bedroom: 5 1 bedrooms: 55 2 bedrooms: 964 3 bedrooms: 3312 4 bedrooms: 1415 5 or more bedrooms: 194 Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments and housing units: no bedroom: 91 1 bedrooms: 714 2 bedrooms: 1243 3 bedrooms: 634 4 bedrooms: 85 5 or more bedrooms: 79 Vehicles available in 44857 zip code in owner-occupied houses: no vehicle: 182 1 vehicle: 1615 2 vehicles: 2831 3 vehicles: 893 4 vehicles: 353 5 or more vehicles: 71 Vehicles available in renter-occupied housing units: no vehicle: 372 1 vehicle: 1365 2 vehicles: 924 3 vehicles: 147 4 vehicles: 38 5 or more vehicles: 0 Estimate of home value of owner-occupied houses in 2000 in zip code 44857: $10,000 to $14,999: 7 $20,000 to $24,999: 15 $25,000 to $29,999: 29 $30,000 to $34,999: 37 $35,000 to $39,999: 11 $40,000 to $49,999: 103 $50,000 to $59,999: 105 $60,000 to $69,999: 338 $70,000 to $79,999: 446 $80,000 to $89,999: 618 $90,000 to $99,999: 657 $100,000 to $124,999: 807 $125,000 to $149,999: 691 $150,000 to $174,999: 396 $175,000 to $199,999: 255 $200,000 to $249,999: 205 $250,000 to $299,999: 83 $300,000 to $399,999: 57 $400,000 to $499,999: 11 $500,000 to $749,999: 7 $750,000 to $999,999: 13 $1,000,000 or more: 17 Rent paid by renters in 2000 in zip code 44857: Less than $100: 101 $100 to $149: 64 $150 to $199: 143 $200 to $249: 115 $250 to $299: 182 $300 to $349: 379 $350 to $399: 414 $400 to $449: 450 $450 to $499: 380 $500 to $549: 206 $550 to $599: 81 $600 to $649: 57 $650 to $699: 22 $700 to $749: 23 $800 to $899: 11 $1,000 to $1,249: 7 $1,250 to $1,499: 14 $2,000 or more: 13 No cash rent: 126 Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $149,200 Median house value for: White Non-Hispanic householders: $103,400 Black or African American householders: $80,000 American Indian or Alaska Native householders: $225,000 Asian householders: $118,800 Some other race householders: $75,000 Two or more races householders: $59,100 Hispanic or Latino householders: $78,300 Travel time to work Less than 5 minutes: 729 5 to 9 minutes: 2481 10 to 14 minutes: 2515 15 to 19 minutes: 1383 20 to 24 minutes: 959 25 to 29 minutes: 564 30 to 34 minutes: 738 35 to 39 minutes: 162 40 to 44 minutes: 214 45 to 59 minutes: 425 60 to 89 minutes: 252 90 or more minutes: 199 First ancestries reported: German: 6426 United States or American: 2179 English: 1861 Other groups: 1605 Irish: 1303 Italian: 855 Polish: 352 French (except Basque): 316 Dutch: 312 Scottish: 283 Hungarian: 193 Scotch-Irish: 147 Welsh: 121 Greek: 89 Swiss: 89 Czech: 87 French Canadian: 84 European: 71 Norwegian: 70 Subsaharan African:: 47 African: 47 Swedish: 47 Czechoslovakian: 45 Canadian: 38 British: 35 Austrian: 35 Ukrainian: 32 Yugoslavian: 32 Russian: 26 Slovene: 16 Danish: 15 Slovak: 15 Croatian: 15 Scandinavian: 13 Eastern European: 12 Lithuanian: 12 Maltese: 12 Macedonian: 11 Latvian: 11 Armenian: 10 Arab:: 9 Australian: 8 Slavic: 7 Lebanese: 5 Bulgarian: 5 Belgian: 5 Palestinian: 4

So, are all of Ohio's cities going to be designated "Main Street Communities?"

If you want to view some impressive statement skyscrapers, drive down Interstate 88 (aka East-West Tollway, aka Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) on Chicago's west side. I could not believe it the first time I used that road. I honestly could not believe the structures in these suburbs!

Hinckley may not be "the" jewel; but it is definitely "a" jewel in the park district. Very scenic! The catholic high school I graduated from in Norwalk always uses the Hinckley Reserve for it's freshman religion class retreat (great place for rock climbing....building trust and bonding with your fellow students, in my opinion).

Here. For all you football fans. Paul Brown wasn't originally from Massillon? What town, then?

Those are some of the craziest districts I've ever seen. And what still makes me mad is that only one of those maps actually includes the location of my family's house with the city it has an address in! In all other cases, we would share the same zip code, but have different representatives! Pretty stupid considering the entire zip code only has a population of about 25,000!

I worked with some older people (one is in her 60's and and another in his 70's) at a local raceway. She was from McCutcheonsville, Ohio (that's how she said it, with the 's') and he was from Ayersville, Ohio. Both are in northwest Ohio. They both pronounce Toledo like "To-lee-duh". Is that a northwest Ohio, older generational thing? Also, I am accustomed to saying, "pry" instead of "probably". Is that just a north central Ohio thing? (or is it that hillbilly Indiana thing from my mom's side of the family LOL)

Alright! Represent the 4-4-8-5-7! LOL Go Norwalk! :-)

This is just outside (northwest) of Norwalk in north central Ohio. And yes! There is not all just flat land in this part of the state (you have to go a little farther to the west)!