Charlotte vs Columbus, Ohio (Concord, Mint Hill: city hall, living in, cost)

[vindaloo]

Originally Posted by trishlee

Sorry, but one of my big pet peaves is when people cannot spell Cincinnati right. Cincinnati is my home town and it is a great city, so much better than Cleveland or Columbus. We also lived near Toledo, Ohio fpr 17 years. We moved to Charlotte for the weather and being near the beach and mountains. And you cannot compare Ohio weather to Charlotte. The gray winters would last forever. We love Charlotte. But I have to agree with what a couple people said here that I have always found Ohio people to be so friendly. I was so surprised that I didn't find that here. Ohio seems to have much more southern hospitality.

I am a returning native to Charlotte. I too have found that te hospitality has practically gone away. I believe it is because there are no locals around. In my neighborhood, my neighbors are from New York, California, Ohio, and other states. It is not like the city used to be. Sometimes it is O.K. just so you at least get a hello or a good morning. It isn't that my neighbors are neccessarily unfriendly, but I am the one that has to make the first move. After that, they are O.K. I guess Charlotte is growing up.

[ohioaninsc]

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

Many of your statements about Cleveland are false. Sounds like you are just trying to bash.

1. Downtown Cleveland is active during the weekends. The warehouse district and gateway are full of bars and restaurants, and they are not dependant on sporting events. Downtown Cleveland is the most active downtown of Ohio's 3 largest cities and has the most residents.

2. Cleveland's unemployment rate is lower than many other cities. In fact it is lower than in Charlotte and about the same as Columbus.

Most Northeast Ohio county unemployment rates are now at highest level in 15 years Cleveland Ohio Statistics & Demographics | Data Central - cleveland.com

The Columbus Dispatch : Franklin County unemployment rate jumps to 7.7 percent

Charlotte's unemployment rate hit 10.5% in January | CharlotteObserver.com

3. Cleveland's inner city schools are bad, but most of the suburban schools are fine.

4. The office vacancy rate in Cleveland is not as bad as you make it sound.

http://www.clevelandplusbusiness.com...cleplusweb.pdf

5. The Cleveland Metro area is safer than metro Columbus or metro Charlotte.

http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/MetroCrime2008_Rank.pdf

I know what I saw when I grew up there and what I see when I go back there to visit my parents who are finally planning to get out of there...everyone that I know that still lives up in Cleveland is trying to get the heck out.

[Mary Linmarke]

COLUMBUS,OHIO] Wow this is a bad bad bad place last time i went there i had my house broken in to and my car stolein. I'm always seeing it look's like drug dealers and from 10 to 23 years old in big groups commiting crimes. I think the bad is part of the Columbus city is the Southend. You no what i think of Columbus,Ohio is tooooooooooo badddddddd for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[Mary Linmarke]

Ohio_______filled_______with______bad_______gangs_ ______and____drug__ dealers

[ohioaninsc]

Bottom Line: Charlotte > than any city in Ohio and it isnt' even close.

[JohnDBaumgardner]

OMG! All that glitters isn't gold! COLUMBUS tops CHARLOTTE anyday! Columbus is still an actively and fast growing metropolis ... the difference is? Columbus is experiencing "SMART GROWTH" and is not concerned with becoming the next ATLANTA, which is what Charlotte seems to be hellbent on accomplishing.
Columbus is vast, it offers many amenities that most major cities can ... at a significantly lower cost of living.
Because Columbus is the capital city of Ohio, important projects are completed in a hurry ...
The freeway system is well planned and interconnected ... boasting the enormous I-270 beltway that encircles the entire city and makes it quite easy to get most anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.
You sense a "vibrance" and energy in the air here in Columbus ... I noticed it almost immediately upon relocating here.
It does tho, lack the cultural amenities of Ohios other dominant city, Cleveland. Still, Columbus does offer a variety of neat, atmospheric "districts" that include: German Village, Short North, Olde Towne East, Victorian Village and Olde Oakes.
The cities skyline isn't as impressive as most other cities it's size, but it is attractive and streamlined.
The city boasts excellent healthcare, educational facilities, and attractive residential areas within the city and the surrounding suburbs.
I've discussed Charlotte in other forums and I will say that Charlotte is indeed an impressive city in many regards ... however I've also spent alot of time there and I've listened to my relatives who live there bemoan the setbacks that the explosive growth has caused.
I think Charlotte is attractive in certain regards ... but in comparison to Columbus, it doesn't take the lead whatsoever!
Go with Columbus!

[Bigbluelandrover]

CINCINNATI
My home for 35yrs I also lived in Charlotte for 1yr and now reside near DC.
If growth and weather are important go with Charlotte BUT Columbus has a better job market than even Cincinnati,which is very dependent on the corporate giant PandG. Cinci seems to be VERY insular and not welcoming to those outside the hometown or the "good ol boy" network. I have seen managers that are college dropouts become managers because they went to the same Catholic school as some high up director. Being highly educated is still frowned upon in some parts of Cinci especially the far outer burbs. Cinci metro includes Ky-northern and parts of Indy-so it isn't fair to suggest Col is not as good just because of numbers that are skewed.
Plenty of young college grads choose Columbus over Cinci because the job market is more varied and Ohio State draws more varied and well traveled students than Univ of Cin. People OUTSIDE of Oh are familiar w O-State but Cinci not so much.
Charlotte is cleaner and newer but the roads suck there. So many people are moving there that the place feels like it is going to bust. From experience I think because Columbus is not as trendy it is easier to get a job there and that is important b/c you never know when you might lose you job these days.
The weather in Oh does suck though, the grey skies are a drag and that is what I miss the most about Charlotte-it is mild in the winter. I also found some really nice burbs with a nice cultural mix and I did not see that in Cincy--which is still very segregated and stuck on racial issues.

[am2]

Charlotte and Columbus are similar in population now but Downtown CLT has much more going on than Columbus and I think in 15 or 20 ys the CLT area will have 3 or 4 million people where i don't see Columbus growing much bigger than it is now. Its nice city though, my aunt and cousin live there.

[vindaloo]

Originally Posted by am2

Charlotte and Columbus are similar in population now but Downtown CLT has much more going on than Columbus and I think in 15 or 20 ys the CLT area will have 3 or 4 million people where i don't see Columbus growing much bigger than it is now. Its nice city though, my aunt and cousin live there.

You are correct. I lived in Columbus for several years (Reynoldsburg). Columbus is know as a big country town. People there are much less metropolitan that in Charlotte. Charlotte is more cosmopolitan than Columbus with one in eight families being from other countries. Additionally, sixty percent of Charlotte are from outside of North Carolina. Columbus tends to get immigrants from small Ohio towns, West Virginia, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania.

Charlotte has outpaced Columbus significantly in growth during this decade by over ten percent. In 2010, Charlotte metro is expected to be larger than Columbus. The things that are significant in making Columbus the city it is today are the zoo, The Limited, the University, and the Defense Logistics Center (Whitehall).

Charlotte and Columbus are both very nice cities and extraordinarily clean for cities their size. Charlotte seems to be more culturally diverse. Columbus has diversity connected with the university, whereas Charlotte has more diversity resulting from local and international businesses. Charlotte has a bigger airport that goes to many more destinations. Charlotte is closer to mountains and beaches.

The unemployment situation is better in Columbus as it hasn't been flooded with newcomers as Charlotte has. On the other and, Charlotte has been here before. As before, Charlotte will continue to grow and thrive.

I will not degrade Columbus as it is a nice city. However, my friends from the Columbus area have all decided to move south, so that says something. They mostly lived in Dublin and the better areas of the Columbus metro. Personally, besides the friendly people in Columbus and the kick ass zoo, I prefer Charlotte not because the city is neccessarily better but because of the city and the proximity to beaches, mountains, etc.

Columbus is a very nice place, just not my choice.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by JohnDBaumgardner

Columbus is still an actively and fast growing metropolis ... the difference is? Columbus is experiencing "SMART GROWTH" and is not concerned with becoming the next ATLANTA, which is what Charlotte seems to be hellbent on accomplishing.

Charlotte is also dedicated to smart growth, maybe even more so than Columbus. We've got our first leg of light rail with plans for future expansion, and we've also got plans for our streetcar network which are nearing fruition. The light rail line has resulted in LOTS of urban infill along the line which is a hallmark of smart growth. The streetcar network will do the same. I'm not sure what Columbus has in this regards, but to insinuate that Charlotte is not concerned with smart growth is very disingenuous. As a matter of fact, check this out to see how positively some Ohioans have reacted to the smart growth taking place here in Charlotte.