A small piece of a bigger puzzle
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8/26/2017
It is hard to discuss Canton without putting it into the larger context of Northeast Ohio(Cleveland/Akron/Canton)
Canton itself has added a nice Arts district, miles of trails via Stark Parks, Vineyard, libraries, and of course the nearly 1 Billion in investments that are starting to come in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village. There are many quality colleges and a couple of good hospital systems, Akron/Canton airport is very easy to get in and out of and has some great discount flights. Cleveland Hopkins an hour away. Because of the NFL/Hall of Fame, I have met/been entertained by many celebrities who would bypass a small city market....but they come here.
The economy has struggled, but is coming back as one of the largest oil/natural gas shelfs in America was recently discovered south of here and as the jobs market diversifies/adjusts. There is also a large amount of renovation of historic buildings.
The weather is OK/glorious for 7 months(mid April to mid November, but awful for 5 months(mid November/mid April). I usually plan a few vacation trips to warm places in the colder months. The Summers are fun, and the Autumn rocks.
Nearby is Amish country. Great hiking. Cleveland sports, Akron Rubber Ducks baseball, Canton Charge NBA D league basketball.
If you feel isolated in this small community, Akron is 20 miles away, cleveland 50-60, pittsburgh 2 hours, Columbus 2 hours and also nearby Lake Erie which is like a fresh water sea.
Basically, you have access to great rural and large metro experiences within an hour.
Canton does have issues, but remedies are near by. Is the glass half empty or half full? It depends on what you are looking for. I have lived many places in the world and Canton is a good home base for me. I enjoy its gems and travel enough to fill in what it lacks. Probably not a bad prescription for any community.
Randy | Canton, OH