What are your thoughts on Cincy, OH? (Cincinnati, Fairfield: house, high crime)

[katlaverde]

We moved here from California (O.C./L.A. area) about a year ago. It was my first experience living out of So. Cal. and people's first question to me is usually, "Why did you move here from California"........We absolutely love it. We're in the Loveland area and I have never lived in a more beautiful place. The people I have met are wonderful. People here are genuine and family oriented. Yes, it's a lot more conservative and I'm not a conservative, but I'll take it to have the quality of life we have experienced.

I don't know that this will be home, permanently, but I am thankful to have learned there is life outside of California and I know I won't go back there.

[movingsoon2007]

Just so you know... Mason is a nice town, but somebody called it perfect. I guess if you like having frequent tax increases due to insane school levies... then yeah... perfect. It is nice though, but it's growing A LOT! I would check out some of the other suburbs too.

[Linda Pratt]

Originally Posted by Epsilon

As a 22 year Negro native of Cincinnati, born and raised, I seem to have a lot of trouble agreeing that Cincinnati is such a "great city".

Sorry, but your 22 year old brain does not yet have the experience or knowledge to understand the full impact of Cincinnati and it's people

Originally Posted by Epsilon

I will agree about the growth spurt of the urban sprawl... But who benefits?

If the upper and/or middle class benefits, then so does the lower class - they reap the rewards of more taxes collected from the wealthy, while they themselves pay little in the way of taxes.

Originally Posted by Epsilon

The crime problem in Cincinnati is only because there are little youth programs in this city. The main elements that would revitalize this city are youth initiative programs, and money to build and renovate every school in the city.

And wouldn't that be the parents responsibility to see to it that the kiddos have something to do after school? The same issues are in the suburbs and you don't see the youth there turning to crime like in downtown Cincinnati. I don't remember, ever, a gang of thugs took over downtown Mason for a few hours, creating terror and havoc. Parental involvement and influence will make a bigger impact on our children then government ever could.

Originally Posted by Epsilon

The politicians here are so focused on the downtown metro, catering to the Upper-Middle Class and Upper Class (What little of them decide to invest here at all...), while neglecting the youth of today, who need more direction, motivation, drive, and vigor.

Again, this would be the parents job. It's the job of our politicians to bring more money into the city (and to do that, you focus on the middle & upper classes because there is where the bulk of the taxes come from).

Originally Posted by Epsilon

Cincinnati's economy is causing a lot of college sophomores to go into mental burnout. I've seen a good number of students drop classes or take a quarter break because of a lack of money.

The job of our politicians is to run the city, not give direction or drive to a college sophomores. And BTW - "collegiate burnout" hits all colleges - it's not unique to Cincinnati, nor is it the fault of our politicians.

Originally Posted by Epsilon

There are very little jobs here that are not industrial, or fast food, or retail.

HELLO??? Please explain that to G.E. and Protor and Gamble who emply thousands of people in the area! There are hundreds of businesses that employ tens of thousands of people locally that are not industrial, or fast food, or retail. Just look around you.

Originally Posted by Epsilon

Many people can't afford to start their own home business here because of the toppling economy, which is only getting better to those who benefit from the tax hikes. . . . How can we invest in a city with limited business?

Take your blinders off and look around! You need to take a business class and speak with people who have started their own businesses from nothing and are now millionaires. Again, the lower class benefits greatly from tax hikes.

Originally Posted by Epsilon

The only way that Cincinnati will truly improve is if the people have a voice.

But the voice needs to be realistic! It needs to pull their head outta their butt and see what's going on in the real world and get the "woe is me" attitude chip off their shoulder.

Cincinnati is like every other major city. It has good and bad. But it will never improve for those who simply want to point figures and complain.

[Crew Chief]

We moved to a Dayton suburb in 2000 but I drive all through Greater Cincy. I deliver to stores all over the area. I enjoy both it's newspapers and it's local radio. For someone who doesn't live in Cincy, I sure have developed a fondness for it. Yes, I ended up in a cushy suburb and my wife prefers it there. But if I had my druthers, I'd rather live closer to/in downtown Cincy. But that's just me. We don't have kids, so schools aren't as big a deal, Heck, I don't even care about sports. (Is that blasphemous to say so close to PBS and GABP???) But just the sight of downtown from the B.S. Bridge or the Cut in the Hill leaves me breathless. Reading other poster's memories of Cincy make me long to find out more.

I know I'D be happy in Cincy.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

Heck, I don't even care about sports. (Is that blasphemous to say so close to PBS and GABP???)

Not if you're talking about the Bungles.

[CincinnatiGirl]

Originally Posted by Run2live

I would NOT move to Cincinnati if you don't have to. I have lived here over a year and luckily I am moving soon. Crime rates are very high, the weather is very undesirable, and the people are very rude. I have lived in TN, TX, KY and loved all of them. Cincinnati is a pit and has nothing to offer. Rethink your thoughts of moving here. I don't know anyone from another state who likes Cincinnati or Ohio for that matter!

I am sorry your opinion of where you chose to live is so low. I for one like where I live and feel very safe and happy where I live. I like having four seasons, as opposed the constant heat of the south, and the constant cold of the north. As for very rude, I do have to contradict that. As for the rudeness, I believe kindness is contagious. There are rude people everywhere, but I have not really run into this here. I love living in Cincinnati, and in Ohio!!

I hope you enjoy living here too!!!

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Not if you're talking about the Bungles.

The Bungles are are a good thing for Cincy; they've turned law enforcemnet & the court system into growth industries...

[jcsoruen]

I've lived in Cincinnati from 1966-1993, then returned in 2000, and we decided to live just outside of Hamilton County in Clermont County, which is one of the faster growing areas. While we were away, the Hamilton County Commissioners behaved oddly. Our children all live in Anderson township, Hamilton County, primarily because of the excelent schools, and land values reflect that. We have a mixed racial neighborhood, with Black, Hispanic, Indians, Pakistanis, as well as those born in the US. Since we have no children, schools were not a high priority, but recently we did look at West Clermont Schools and found them to be satisfactory. People are as friendly as you want them to be - approach others, and they respond. Be hostile and be avoided. There are crazies in every area. Longview State Hospital was depopulated about 40 years ago, and while mental heallth facitilies are available, some who need them don't go.

Crime is a significant problem, and blacks murder blacks at an astonishing rate. Dr. Odell Owens, the Coroner, a black, raised in Cincinnati, who graduated from Antioch, then UC, was a respected obgyn in the area, once was President of the UC Board of Directors, stood for election, as previous coroner was neglectful, and he has recognized this, and he and those at Children's Hospital are attempting to do something about it. They bring in young people, and work with youth groups to try to cut down the murder and violence rate. Young people who get shot once are often shot again. Much of this comes from drugs, and from basic refusal to learn, for which the best schools have no defense. Drugs are a problem here as elsewhere.

We did have daytimes breakins in our area, but the Union Township Trustees were very responsive, as were the Union Twp Police, and they caught the guy, who was casing the area in his white Jeep SUV that had Florida Plates.

One should not run from police. When they stay stop, one should stop. It is not good for one's health to fire upon the police, because they will return fire.

The River is good, Kentucky has a better nght life, and Newport on the Levee is a great place to go. Union Terminal is worth the membership. The Art Museum tries hard. Good stuff at Music Hall, including the opera, Margaret Garner. Aranoff Theatre has off broadway productions. Haven't been to Playhouse in Park recently.

Bronson, Enquirer (newspaper) Columnist refers to Clermont County as Colt County, as it is the highest number of concealed carry permits in the state.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

The Bungles are are a good thing for Cincy; they've turned law enforcemnet & the court system into growth industries...

*snort* Yes, indeedy, the Bungles have been a great source of amusement for me for 30 some years ... oddly, ever since I made a conscious decision to become a Browns fan ...

[Epsilon]

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

Sorry, but your 22 year old brain does not yet have the experience or knowledge to understand the full impact of Cincinnati and it's people

Nice try with the age card, but if you're going to post based on a bias, at least make it less cliche. And as a lifelong Cincinnati native, there are a legion more of twice my youth and twice my vigor that agree with me on the state of the city.

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

If the upper and/or middle class benefits, then so does the lower class - they reap the rewards of more taxes collected from the wealthy, while they themselves pay little in the way of taxes.

I do apologize, but I cannot see the correlation here. Please explain.

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

And wouldn't that be the parents responsibility to see to it that the kiddos have something to do after school? The same issues are in the suburbs and you don't see the youth there turning to crime like in downtown Cincinnati. I don't remember, ever, a gang of thugs took over downtown Mason for a few hours, creating terror and havoc. Parental involvement and influence will make a bigger impact on our children then government ever could.

From which side of the looking glass are you seeing this? There is such a thing as the devil you DO know and the devil you DON'T. Granted, while crime in OTR is predominant and near uncontrollable, do believe that violence exists in middle/upper-class homes, since we're generalizing. And what "gang of thugs" do you speak of, may I ask? If we're referring to the April riots, then I invite you to take a different look at the situation as opposed to calling the majority of those people a "gang of thugs".

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

Again, this would be the parents job. It's the job of our politicians to bring more money into the city (and to do that, you focus on the middle & upper classes because there is where the bulk of the taxes come from).

Again, I do not see the correlation, especially with Cincinnati being the gateway for Ohio to becoming a total police state. While I wholeheartedly agree that parents need to take much more responsibility with their children, I do believe that all races and genders suffer from an immense problem with materialism. I even include myself in this mass generalization, before you decide to go there. Why are the schools so slow to be revitalized while central downtown is booming? This change could be gradual, I understand that, but what are we as PEOPLE doing to ensure that the politicians do their jobs?

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

The job of our politicians is to run the city, not give direction or drive to a college sophomores. And BTW - "collegiate burnout" hits all colleges - it's not unique to Cincinnati, nor is it the fault of our politicians.

I agree, it is NOT unique to Cincinnati, but our city is the one that is on focus here. Whoever is running the city is doing a bang-up job of screwing it up, and we, the people are surely doing a bang-up job of taking it in the hind part.

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

HELLO??? Please explain that to G.E. and Protor and Gamble who emply thousands of people in the area! There are hundreds of businesses that employ tens of thousands of people locally that are not industrial, or fast food, or retail. Just look around you. Take your blinders off and look around! You need to take a business class and speak with people who have started their own businesses from nothing and are now millionaires. Again, the lower class benefits greatly from tax hikes.

Uhm... Hi. I don't know what stance you're looking at this, but I see the situation for the socio-political crisis that it is. I can take my stand as a black man and say that my people need to take better account for their actions, but it takes a Negro to understand the Negro problem. And the Negro problem is that we lack buying power for reasons beyond crime, drugs, and lack of education. WHY do these problems exist within the black community, and what are we going to do about it? RESEARCH, TEACH, EMBRACE, EMPOWER. It takes courage to say these things to a mass of black men and women blinded by the problems of the American dream. My advice to you is not to generalize the "thug" category unless you know WHY the "thug" category exists. You have not proven that you know anything outside of your pocketbook. I suggest that YOU take a look around.

Originally Posted by Linda Pratt

But the voice needs to be realistic! It needs to pull their head outta their butt and see what's going on in the real world and get the "woe is me" attitude chip off their shoulder. Cincinnati is like every other major city. It has good and bad. But it will never improve for those who simply want to point figures and complain.

So are you saying that you're NOT pointing fingers? Do you REALLY know what's going on in the real world, or are you actually blinded by it? Don't take my militancy as a "woe is me" attitude, because I know way more than you're actually giving me credit for, and I'm willing to bet that you have an abundance of knowledge that YOU can teach ME, and I am more than willing to learn unless you slump me in the category of those who ONLY see the bad. I see the good every day I look at the skyline. I love Cincinnati as much as I hate it. I want EVERYBODY to be safe and sound in this city, not just the middle and upper class. But I want everybody to take accountability for their actions too. (I won't even get started on the politicians...) But this requires looking at the REAL ISSUES from ALL SIDES OF THE LOOKING GLASS. And there are immense repairs needed in this city no matter how much you don't want to believe it.