r/Lorain • u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 • Jun 13 '25
Lorain: Good place to live?
Hey all, as the title says, thinking about taking a job offer in Lorain. Lived about five years out in Toledo but and other parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania but have never visited Lorain and not sure what to expect. Is it a decent place to live? Is the area considered up-and-coming, stable, or declining economically?
I read somewhere that Lorain County is one of the fastest growing counties in Ohio but wasn't sure if that means there is good industry/business there or a place to live long-term. Sorry for the terrible sentence structure, writing on my phone. Appreciate any advice. Thank you .
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u/JavierARivera Jun 13 '25
I was born and raised in Lorain and lived there for at least 30 years. I live pretty close in Elyria now. It really depends on your situation and what you want in terms of lifestyle. Do you have kids? Are you looking for an apartment or would you be buying a house? Lorain itself can be decent depending on where you’re located. There’s many decent suburbs in surrounding areas too like Amherst, Avon Lake, Westlake etc.
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u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 Jun 14 '25
The area I'm looking at is closer to the Beaver Park area, near Mercy Health Hospital (which is where I will be working). Married, child on the way, so close to the hospital is ideal. Is that a decent area?
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u/JavierARivera Jun 14 '25
I have friends and family that live there. I feel pretty comfortable there. There’s some nice developments close by. One of my friends lives there and his kids go to Amherst schools, which is better than Lorain City schools. It’s worth a look for sure.
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u/kb440 Jun 14 '25
Any city you go to has it ups and downs. Its about who you hangout with and where you go. Ive lived in Lorain most my life and was born and raised here. I’ve seen lots of ups and downs but since its my home town I hold it close to my heart. I’ve had friends come and go…anyway…
There isn’t much here for long term careers but no matter what city you go to it has its pockets of good areas and shit areas. Recreation wise its not a great spot but you are about 30ish min from the Cleveland metropolitan area for things to do. The schools are a bit below on the academic scale but i grew up in the system and turned our fine. There are plenty of shopping outlets for your grocery shopping. The downtown area has gotten a face lift and has some life and the water front is ‘decent’.
Feel free to message me and I’ll help answer any questions you may have honestly.
Also, my brother is a bitch for moving to Amherst (neighboring suburb, u/Tbear50 … COWARD). ;)
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u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 Jun 14 '25
Appreciate the response. Also your comment on your brother reminds me of Shelbyville vs. Springville on the Simpsons hah
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u/landers96 Jun 13 '25
I've been in and around lorain for 51 years. Lorain is a blue collar lower middle class city. Multi ethnicity, multi cultural community. There is quite a bit of blight, the entire 28th street is a closed down steel mill and businesses. Personally, I love the city.
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u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 Jun 14 '25
wow 51 years...I think that qualifies you as the resident expert hah! I'm looking around the Beaver Park area, closer to Mercy Health. I've moved around so much over the past 8 years, I'm just looking to settle down now. I grew up in a small town so appreciate small-town life, but also want to live in a town that is up-and-coming, if that makes sense. Thank you for responding btw!
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u/therudyshow Jun 14 '25
I was born and raised in Lorain and now live nearby. You will hear many bad things about Lorain. You will hear some good things. Take it all with a grain of salt and know that it is what you make of it. The Millennials are doing a lot of work to make the downtown area attractive to local businesses, be a space for events, and put money back into the city. There is hope.
The area by Mercy is decently quiet. Are you looking at a house over there or apartments? The apartments can be rowdy but not in an unsafe way. In a you might hear people partying type of way. If you are looking for a house, Lorain and Elyria are very cheap compared to surrounding cities. For example, a house may run 400-500K in a "rich" city like Avon Lake, a similar build in Lorain may run 150-250K.
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u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 Jun 14 '25
Appreciate the well thought our response!
Very true, all cities have pockets of good/bad areas. I guess my intent is to move to a town that's on the way up. I know Oberlin isn't too far away so I'm hoping there is movement from young professionals in building up the city. Not sure if you guys have heard whether the city is doing anything to attract outside industry/business to the area as well.
Thank you again!
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u/Wintermute3333 Jun 14 '25
I grew up there in the 70s and early 80s. Hated every minute while I watched it decay. Joined the Navy out of high school, and only went back to visit family. My grandmother passed away and my aunt and cousin betrayed me, so, I won't ever go there again.
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u/darkthronethrowaway Jul 20 '25
ummm its fine i guess ive been living here all my life and its been okayish i guess the bad stuff in my neighborhood has honestly cooled down over the last two years and im happy for that
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u/DaddySwagLegz Jul 24 '25
I’m a bit late to this; but thought I’d chip in. I’m 29 and lived here most of my life. I moved away a few years, but decided my calling was really back home here. I bought a home here near Lakeview and Downtown and I love it here. Of course it’s not all sunshine, it’s a highly poverty stricken area due to this history with industry pulling out. It is hard to actually find a sustainable job inside the city. In all my years here (grew up in south lorain and now live near downtown) I’ve never felt genuinely scared or anything by the folks out here. I do a lot of community work and with that I’ve gotten to know some of the houseless and impoverished folks closer to downtown and they are just all so wonderful. But it’s a reality you will see, it’s not hidden like in other places. I don’t have kids so my outlook on this stuff is different than others, of course.
The city seems to be on an upswing all together, there has never been much to do in the city but now we do have plenty of events all summer (still quite lacking in the winter), and businesses are opening up downtown and elsewhere that are actually sustaining which would have been impossible a decade or less ago. My wife and me + 2 friends are actually taking the gamble and opening our own business downtown because we have faith in it out here.
I hope you make whatever choice is best for you. I love it here. Many others love it and are trying to make it better. Some people say they hate it, hut won’t move away. So it goes!
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u/Hot_Parsley3389 Jul 30 '25
We moved here 20 years ago and love it. Our kids went to Amherst schools. We live very close to where you are looking if not exactly where you are looking. If you’re in the healthcare field you have a number of options for employment besides Mercy. I don’t know your political leanings but Oberlin is very liberal and a college town. We go only for a few select restaurants there. You might try Amherst and Vermilion also. We have a lot of wild critters in our area including fox and coyotes so if you have small pets be cautious leaving them outside. The deer love our flower beds. We have 3 BIG dogs so we have no issues with losing a pet.
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u/6inchscar Jun 13 '25
No
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u/Ordinary_Okra_3834 Jun 13 '25
Can you please tell me more? Being honest, not looking to hate on any city, just want to see if this is a good place to settle.
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u/cillogreen Jun 13 '25
Ive lived out here for 5 years and i own my home here. I don't have kids so I can't speak for the school systems, but ive had no issues. My (ex) neighbors were obnoxious crackheads for a bit but they left. It's great in summer, there's lots to do within a reasonable drive, ITS CHEAP. Honestly you'll get out what you put it. And like anywhere else you live, there will be issues. But if you keep yourself away from the people who cause them (AKA aren't actively seeking out the issues like drug dealers or inserting yourself into shit you shouldn't) you'll be fine.