Shouldn't Cincinnati and Dayton be counted as one metro area? (Columbus: subdivisions, live)

[Tex?Il?]

Earlier this summer I took a trip that took me down through I-75. While, I really just drove through Cincinnati, I would like to actually explore it.

I'm from and live currently in the Chicago area, but I think the Cincinnati really stands out from other smaller midwestern big cities (more of less around 2 million or so) given its history as the "original Chicago".

The orginal midwestern meatpacking center, anyone in the 19th century would've expected Cincinnati to dominate the midwest. And if it weren't for the civil war, (when it started getting passed up by St. Louis and then Chicago.) it would at least certainly be one of the dominant midwestern cities today.

But the other reason is that what I say between Cincinnati and Dayton, was a suburban corridor, where it was difficult to tell where one town began and the next one ended. Sure there were woods and fields, but also plenty of subdivisions and strip malls.

While St. Louis and Minneapolis-St. Paul metro areas are technically bigger in the midwestern states, they are a bit more isolated, whereas the Miami valley is really a region of small and medium sized cities, where collectively it would be like 2.8 million rather than the 2 million that Cincy metro area is counted as. What do you think?

[Wilson513]

You would think since its only 42 miles, but its more like Elgin is to Chicago than Deerfield is to Chicago if you get what I mean. A Cincinnatian asks someone from Deerfield where they live chances are they will tell you Chicago. But if you ask a person from Elgin they will tell you Elgin. Same for Dayton. They do not see themselves in the orbit of Cincinnati at all.

[Tex?Il?]

Good point. But the thing is Elgin IS always counted as part of the metro area. As well as Aurora, Joliet, and Kenosha, Wis! Maybe its only a matter of time, before they are counted as one.

[Wilson513]

Hehe. I did not know Elgin was part of the chicago Metro area. I was just using that as an example because my family is all from Chicago and I noticed you were also. But you got the point even if I was wrong.

[progmac]

Daytonians are far too proud to be considered part of Cincinnati. It is a very distinct place, to be sure. One can easily distinguish an old-timer Cincinnatian from an old-timer Daytonian by speech and accent alone.

[jjakucyk]

Funny you should use Deerfield as an example, I'm originally from Highland Park. Either way, Elgin is very much a satellite of Chicago, like Aurora and Joliet, and to a lesser extent Waukegan. I would look at the Cincinnati-Dayton relationship to be a bit more like Chicago-South Bend or Washington-Baltimore. They could be considered in the same sphere, but it's a stretch.

Dallas-Ft. Worth and Raleigh-Durham are completely overlapping agglomerations tied together by many highways. Minneapolis and St. Paul are close enough to each other that they don't really even seem like a metroplex so much.

Cincinnati and Dayton, despite their relative proximity, are amazingly different. Dayton is a classic rust belt city that's been hit pretty hard, but at the same time they have a sort of progressive spirit that's in marked contrast to Cincinnati's can't-do attitude. The built form in Dayton is a lot more like Indianapolis or Columbus than Cincinnati, as is the weather. I can't speak much for cultural differences, but I get the feeling Dayton, Franklin, Middletown, Hamilton, Oxford, Springfield, Xenia, and Yellow Springs would all be onboard with combining the MSA while Cincinnati would not.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by jjakucyk

Cincinnati and Dayton, despite their relative proximity, are amazingly different. Dayton is a classic rust belt city that's been hit pretty hard, but at the same time they have a sort of progressive spirit that's in marked contrast to Cincinnati's can't-do attitude.

Funny, and very true. Dayton has taken an enormous economic hit compared to Cincinnati, yet Cincinnatians are the ones doing all the complaining.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

But the other reason is that what I say between Cincinnati and Dayton, was a suburban corridor, where it was difficult to tell where one town began and the next one ended.

So what? Dayton and Cincinnati have separate identities, economies, sensibilities, etc. They are nowhere near the same place, no matter how many cornfields are razed between them.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

So what? Dayton and Cincinnati have separate identities, economies, sensibilities, etc. They are nowhere near the same place, no matter how many cornfields are razed between them.

Eventually Dayton and Cincinnati will be one metroplex. But that has not happened yet, and hopefully will be delayed several more years. But once you cannot find a corn field in between, it will happen.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Eventually Dayton and Cincinnati will be one metroplex. But that has not happened yet, and hopefully will be delayed several more years. But once you cannot find a corn field in between, it will happen.

But the presence of shared sprawl does not mean a shared identity.