Thursday, February 24, 2005

Beautiful Setting, Historic Architecture and Quality of Life

Chillicothe, Ohio sits along the Scioto River in a beautiful setting with towering hills and bluffs surrounding the town. Numerous state parks in the county add to the recreational options available in the community.

The downtown and several residential areas offer an opportunity to buy stately buildings at a fraction of their value in larger cities. Houses in the bluffs overlooking the downtown and river valley are available for $150,000 to $250,000. Already, some Columbus, Ohio residents are making the drive south and investing in the community.

Two mall retailing chains were started in Chillicothe and still make their headquarters there. Petland was started in 1967 when Ed Kunzelman, a local teacher, started to sell goldfish on the side. The firm with 40 local employees has almost 200 stores and is still run by the founder. Kitchen Collection started here as an outlet store for a local Alcoa pot and pan plant. It also has about 40 employees and is locally owned.

The community puts on an annual outdoor drama, Tecumseh, which depicts the life of the famous Shawnee Indian leader. The 30,000 tourists/year make it the number one historical outdoor drama re-creation in the country. Chillicothe’s own professional baseball team, The Paints, offer professional baseball in a hometown setting.

Chillicothe is the largest town in a seven county area and as a result has developed into the regional center for retailing, medical care and manufacturing jobs.

The unique downtown, recreational opportunities and great quality of life there make it an ideal place for people looking at getting out of the rat race of the big cities. It has tremendous potential as an entrepreneurial Mecca.

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