SperlingViews - Zanesville, Ohio

Driving through downtown Zanesville is a quick reminder that a downtown Zanesville there is not. It would be rare to see an individual, atleast one of a normal un-intoxicated demeanor, meandering the streets. Buildings left empty for decades (the ones still standing) and long neglected (slumlorded) apartment buildings litter the streets. Most of the town has been forgotten to surrounding suburbs, most of which lack sidewalks, creating one of the most deadly concoctions of Reagan era produced suburban depression zones. Income per capita is about what you would expect for someone making $7 or less per hour, perhaps not even full time, which I'm not sure is surprising or perhaps rather remarkable since the city once set a record for the most fast food franchise's per capita. All this being said, and aside from the most blatant lack of education, I mean, intelligence... (once when I returned from California a waitress asked if CA was 12 hours behind, oh I can't stop there, a waiter once accused my fiancee of not being 21 because he forgot what year it was) Zanesville still has some beautiful spots out in the country, although the "world famous" Y-bridge is not one of them. The only thing Zanesville will ever be famous for is their redneck cops murdering a bunch of innocent animals after their redneck owner unleashed them from his sanctuary. By sanctuary I mean where they were locked up in cages and fed roadkill. Our only redemption is a microbrewery known by the name of Weasel Boy and a couple of restaurants surrounding it which border the "majestic" Muskingum River (i.e. Muddy Meiser's, Jack Havana's, Papa Chuck's, and perhaps Nicol's). All of which are reasonably priced and deliciously unhealthy. By visiting any one of the restaurant establishments in the Y-bridge area you'll quickly realize the fruits of a predominantly below poverty line population. Be sure to visit Terry's Tavern for a great combination of wannabe gang banger/white trash/toothless hillbilly fun. Bottles only crowd, be fore-warned. Art crawls in the city are definitely worth seeing, as well as some of the surrounding parks which are quite beautiful (Black Hand Gorge, Dillon, etc.). If you want to see one of the most out-dated quickly decaying malls in the Midwest, Colony Square Mall is a must see! Overall an interesting blend of a city that died, abandoned it's downtown through Reagonomics, and has been choking on its' last blackened lung ever since. [read more...]

I am a Realtor in the Zanesville/Muskingum County Area of East Central Ohio. The Property values in our area has not increased in recent years as some parts of the country. The currant property values are steady with little orno increase over the 2007 market value. The number of homes on the market has increased while the number of homes being sold remain the same. This has lead to a larger inventory of homes on the market, but has not been affected the market price. We sell through the local MLS about 1000 - 1100 homes a year and the average home price is approximatly $100,000 to $110,000. George Sherry Y City Realty www.YCityRealty.com[read more...]

I've lived here all my 31 years. It's an ok place. The weather is moderate, education is about average, the economy is terrible, but that's in line with the rest of the state. There are not enough jobs around here, so educated people tend to leave for Columbus. We are directly in between Columbus and Wheeling, WV. Health care here is incredible. We have an outstanding hospital system and every type of specialist imaginable. We have a decent public transport system, but no place to go. There really isn't much culture. We have one art museum, though, and I guess it's pretty good. We have a branch of Ohio University here, which is probably our best resource. This is a very conservative community and very religious. Don't look for any free thinkers here. Crime isn't bad at all. Cost of living is pretty low. Not very active political groups. Available housing. Not much for recreation. Basically, what we don't have is not far away. We have access to the resources of a large city (Columbus) without all the big city hassles.[read more...]