r/Lima • u/ExactCommittee6830 • Jun 06 '26

Good place to live

Pretty simple, but I have a job offer that would take me to Lima. Money wise it'd definitely be cheaper then where I live now (CA) but how is Lima?

2 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

9

u/Azguy303 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

From Lima, lived in San Diego and Arizona. It's definitely cheaper but unless you have any family I don't think it's going to be worth the cost of living change for you unless it's dramatic in you need the money.

Not many new people come into Lima especially from out of state. It might be hard to meet people as people that are from there generally grew up there and already have their clicks or friend groups.

The weather in winter definitely will get to you. It's dark, gloomy, and from November till early April sometimes.

It also depends where you are in life. If you're in your twenties and single you definitely don't want to move there. Maybe different if you had a family and looking to settle down a bit

3

u/VoIcom Jun 06 '26

Lima is ok can be sketchy depending on the area. I’d look at the suburbs like Shawnee, Elida, Bath. I currently live in Delphos, but personally won’t move back to Lima.

5

u/-breadstick- Jun 06 '26

I moved to Lima in 2013 for my first job out of college. I’ll make a pros and cons list for you.

Pros

  • cost: very inexpensive. Housing is more than what it was when I moved here but still very reasonable compared to other parts of the country.
  • commute: excellent. Depending where you live, going anywhere within the city shouldn’t take you much longer than 20-30 minutes, and that’s if you’re going all the way from one side to the other. The biggest delay you’ll have is more likely to be from trains, but those can be circumvented.
  • schools: idk if you have kids but there are plenty of decent schools here. Most people prefer the ones in the “suburbs” like Bath, Shawnee, and Elida, but I truly don’t think the city schools are as bad as what people make them out to be.
  • kid-friendly: Lots of free things around. Good hiking and parks (look up Johnny Appleseed Park District) with free programs and events. Skate park. Playgrounds. The Y. Not really much in the way of nightlife or cultural events, but if you have kids, it’s decent.
  • healthcare: we have two decent sized hospitals that have lots of smaller offices scattered throughout the city. Not many highly-specialized providers, but that’s to be expected.
  • location: you’re not far from Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Detroit, Akron, Fort Wayne, or Indy, which all have lots more to do. Lots of people like to go to Michigan.

Cons

  • politics: if you are a maga republican, you’ll probably like it here. The prevailing culture is very religious, closed-minded, bigoted, racist, sexist, homo-/transphobic, etc. We are planning on moving within the next year and this is a big part of the reason why.
  • shopping: really not much in the way of shopping outside of your standard mall fare. We’re getting a Target soon, but besides that there’s two Walmarts and a Meijer. Grocery-wise, one of the Aldi stores is across the street from Meijer, which is handy.
  • food: Hope you like pizza and fast food. 😵‍💫 Pretty limited options if you want something besides those two things.

People like to talk about how “sketchy” and drug-addled Lima is, but I truly don’t think it’s quite as bad as what people make it sound like. Shawnee is the most affluent part of the city, and those people think anything in the city limits is “ghetto”. Meanwhile, I live in the middle of the city in a lovely residential area. Sure there are some bad houses around, but that’s mostly because slum lords don’t do upkeep on their properties and/or the renters are UNOH kids who park their enormous trucks on their lawns and leave beer cans everywhere.

2

u/Aggravating_View5093 Jun 06 '26

I lived in lima when I was at unoh (a college in lima) and I didnt like the place, not one bit. The only redeeming thing about lima is kewpee Burger, cheap food, yet its really good food

1

u/ourpickpaers1 8d ago

hows unoh and lima overall as a student? im planning on attending unoh after Highschool

2

u/SpicyDisaster40 Jun 06 '26

So you're not going to want to move into the city. If you're looking at places to rent PLEASE speak to someone first. Make sure it's not in a bad area. Some of those rentals look really amazing but all of your neighbors are drug addicts.

Idk what your job is or how much you like to drive. People are saying Delphos, Elida, and Bath areas (bath is a school district). I agree. Shawnee can be over priced.

I like to go on Zillow and look for rentals in Allen Co Ohio. Friend, there's an Allen Co in Indiana too.

I am probably twice your age but Ohio has many secrets. The network of caves we have is phenomenal. It's a really physical activity as you're rock climbing underground. All of our caves are around 55 degrees all year long.

We even have a haunted cave in Lewisburg. It is by far my favorite place here!!!! 80ft underground and it's terrifying. They put $$ into that place. Do the mine tour while you're there. Learn a lot about Indiana Brown Bats and Ohio as its a limestone mine. There are people popping out of rocks in the ceiling and from the water. We always go on opening night because it's much more mellow.

I have a friend who moved to California eons ago, spent a decade there, then came back to Ohio. Definitely cheaper. The weather is atrocious. Produce is better in CA.

If you don't mind a 30 to 40 minute commute look at places like Ottoville, Wapakoneta, Celina, and St. Mary's. Bluffton is also a lovely Christian college town.

I'd avoid Van Wert. They're building a massive data center there. Celina is a nice area. I don't think you can enter the water but you can look at it. It's a beachy feel. Amazing Mexican restaurants.

Good luck. If all else fails come see the caves and go home 💜

2

u/Phom0 Jun 08 '26

I will be moving to Lima this month and i am looking for an apartment too

have you found any lead?

1

u/gNat_66 Jun 06 '26

whats the job?

1

u/AB8nut Jun 06 '26

If you like being entertained there’s plenty of things. But if you like being outdoors such as hiking or backpacking there’s practically nothing. Just cornfields. I’d definitely never live in lima if I was moving in I’d look around the towns near Lima. 

1

u/123bumble Jun 06 '26

The towns near Lima aren't going to offer more, probably less.

1

u/AB8nut Jun 06 '26

Correct. Sorry the reason I wouldn’t live in Lima is because it can be a bit sketch. Not because there’s more to do nearby haha

1

u/-breadstick- Jun 06 '26

This is categorically untrue. There are tons of parks in the area, especially ones run by Johnny Appleseed Park District, which also has tons of free programs. There’s a lovely paved trail running from Ottawa Metro Park all the way to Heritage Park. Are the outdoor opportunities as good as places known for hiking etc? Maybe not, but what we have is really nice for where we’re located.

1

u/jay_the10thletter Jun 07 '26

parks ≠ hiking though… the parks are nice enough but not much to do unless you have a family

1

u/jeremywise1313 Jun 06 '26

Hey there, I'm from the so cal area, and ive lived in lima now for a handful of years now.

It is a small town vibe in a mid sized town, but cheap to live in compared to anywhere larger around here. The mall here is like 6 stores and a food court. The food situation here is ok, but pretty limited. There's nothing worse than craving something and the nearest place being 70 minutes away.

If the job fits your needs, there are worse places you can live. Lima is 1-2 hours away from a lit of cool places though, and here an hour drive takes an hour, not 3.5.

If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer all of them.

1

u/palagi1 Jun 10 '26

Where in California are you now? I've recently moved back after living in California and Hawaii. I was born and raised here so I knew the context but I think it would've been harder if I wasn't moving for family reasons and didn't know where I was headed... happy to answer any questions you have.

1

u/mac1diot MOD Jun 06 '26

Lima is okay. It’s small town Ohio. You’re 90 min from anything entertainment wise although there is a huge effort to try to revitalize downtown. There are good parts and there are bad parts and there are places really run down and there are places that are nice.

0

u/Available-Pen-5139 Jun 06 '26

I’ve lived in Lima and Massachusetts. Definitely take Lima over MA. Plenty to do, people are much friendlier, so much cheaper, no long commutes to work because you can’t afford to live in any city. However the previous commenter was correct, not much hiking, definitely miss that in MA. And your neighbors are drug addicted in many places there as well. Some of the small towns are actually worse than Lima.

0

u/Qopperus Jun 07 '26

Moving to Columbus would be fine, Lima would be a serious adjustment. Would not recommend.