BELLEVUE, Ohio — You ask any Ohioan where is the best place in which to live, and they will proudly say it's their hometown and tell you multiple reasons why — their sports teams, their parks, the lake or even the proximity to Cedar Point, although most brag about the people in their community.
That's no different for Bellevue residents.
Lucky for them, Bellevue is also home to the most affordable place to live in Ohio, according to a Home Snacks study that looked through median housing costs, median income and overall cost of living for cities with more than 5,000 residents in the state.
"I moved to Bellevue seven years ago from Norwalk. We moved here because houses were more affordable and we could get more bang for our buck. We love living in Bellevue," Bellevue resident Amy Clingman said.
In fact, the median home value in Bellevue is $98,800 and that gets especially cheap if you consider that the town's median income value is $54,210, Home Snacks found.
And although some residents in Bellevue agreed that overall the city is affordable, a few mentioned they do find their water bills to be steep.
"We have lived here for about six years. By far the most expensive water we have ever had," Rresident Kimberly Lynn said.
That sentiment that was echoed by Kyle Jameson, who said, "It's fairly affordable, except the water. I've never lived anywhere that's close to as high as Bellevue."
But there's much more to a community than what you pay to live. Bellevue residents will be happy to tell you all about their top attractions, including the Seneca Caverns, the Sorrowful Mother Shrine, the Mad River Museum and the Historic Lyme Village.
Bellevue main attractions
"I grew up in Bellevue and just moved back two years ago. My husband and I love to walk around the neighborhood in the evenings (in the) Greenwood Heights area. He always comments on how well kept the homes and properties are. People here really care about our town. I also direct theater at Bellevue Society for the Arts. For a town this size to have such a beautiful facility for the performing arts is very rare indeed," Cheryl Hansen Showalter said.
And Bellevue resident Midge Covella cited improvements made in recent years by Mayor Kevin Strecker as a strength for the city.
Strecker, on the other hand, said the town's residents are its biggest asset.
"Over $70,000.00 in donations for holiday lights and summer lights. An addition to our local food pantry on donations alone. Eight million dollars in new investments through Economic Development pumped into the Bellevue Economy in 2019. People help people here. We see the need and dig in. The State of the City is in two weeks and I think you will all be surprised with our little community," he said.
The No. 2 most affordable place to live, according to Home Snacks, is Wapakoneta, which might be about 100 miles away from Bellevue, but living costs aren't that far off.
While the median income in Wapakoneta is $54,818, the median home value is $105,000.
Other cities in northwest Ohio didn't rank that expensive compared to the 254 cities the study analyzed, either. For instance, Northwood, Rossford and Maumee ranked 10th, 17th and 18th in the study respectively.
You can check how each city ranked on the table below or by clicking here.
