A Recent Transplant's View of Cincinnati (Columbus, Cleveland: 2013, apartments, rental)

[Kevin1813]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I make abut $60k in Indy and I don't think I'd make enough in most of the major cities to account for the COL increases.

It just depends what your definition of cost of living is. Are transportation costs included in your COL? What is the time you spend at the gym to get exercise or sitting in traffic in your commute or a trip to do something after work worth? I'll certainly agree that your $/sq ft will be lower in your Kansas City's, Indianapolis', etc. but that's hardly a full look at a true cost of living.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

This article seems to be a lot of the groupthink you see these days.

Yes, there are certain hot markets that Millenials are flocking to - Denver, Seattle, Austin, etc. Almost all of these places are far bigger than Cincinnati, and almost all are more expensive, many considerably so. If you can start out at $40k-$50k out of school in Cincinnati, vs. $50k-$60k in Seattle or Austin, are you really behind? Probably not. I'm not sure I would have included Charlotte in the list of Millenial hype. I'd rather be in Charlotte than the Midwestern cities, but it's never really been at the top of these lists.

Hype feeds more hype, and I've seen plenty of threads on this board of people flocking like lemmings to major coastal or hip cities with little regard to where they'd be better off. Portland supposedly has a very tough job market. People flock where similar people are flocking.

I make abut $60k in Indy and I don't think I'd make enough in most of the major cities to account for the COL increases.

I live in Indy and I agree with WILW, to a point about the city. I do think there is a rudeness (especially on the roads) in Indy I just haven't seen in many places. Once you get out of the metro and out into the smaller towns in Indiana, people are much more reasonable.

I can't see Cincinnati having significantly different problems that other landlocked, mid-sized Midwestern metros face. I don't think people are absolutely flocking to Cleveland, Indy, St. Louis, Kansas City, etc.

Last night I got home from work and found my personal property on the back patio at the apartment complex where I live had been tampered with and damaged. The apartment complex had some workers out there yesterday doing some work replacing 4 by 4 beams used to hold the balcony above my apartment. Looks like they decided to mess with my stuff.

I found out after I moved to Indianapolis that it has a bad reputation. Really bad. What I've found here is that the people are a lot like the contestants of the Jerry Springer TV show. Trailer trash. I lived in a Trailer park once in Minnesota and didn't have any problems whatsoever. Not maligning everyone that lives in such a park of course. But clearly the people in Indy are uncivilized based upon the experiences I've had here over the last two years. Thankfully I am almost out of here now.

Sorry to get off topic. To the OP. Don't ever move to Indianapolis. Some of the other parts of Indiana including places like Fort Wayne or Evansville seem OK for cities and many of the rural areas also. But the Indianapolis area is a real pit.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Kevin1813

It just depends what your definition of cost of living is. Are transportation costs included in your COL? What is the time you spend at the gym to get exercise or sitting in traffic in your commute or a trip to do something after work worth? I'll certainly agree that your $/sq ft will be lower in your Kansas City's, Indianapolis', etc. but that's hardly a full look at a true cost of living.

I live six miles from the office and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get in every day. If I stay within the city, I can go about ten days on a tank of gas. There are at last three gyms (YMCA, Lifetime Fitness, and a gym run by a municipal government) within ten miles of my office. From my location, I am 20 minutes or so from downtown, within a half hour of all northside suburbs, etc. It's much better than trying to commute in some much bigger city. If I do need something Indy does haven't (want to go to a hockey game, pro baseball, etc), I can go to Chicago.

Our HQ is based out of Boston suburbs and many of the employees there regularly commute over an hour each way - some upwards of two. The times I've been there, the traffic has been a madhouse, far worse than anything I've seen in Indy, Charlotte, Nashville, Cincy, etc.

For day to day living, the cheaper mid-majors are a lot easier to get by in than the hot markets.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Last night I got home from work and found my personal property on the back patio at the apartment complex where I live had been tampered with and damaged. The apartment complex had some workers out there yesterday doing some work replacing 4 by 4 beams used to hold the balcony above my apartment. Looks like they decided to mess with my stuff.

I found out after I moved to Indianapolis that it has a bad reputation. Really bad. What I've found here is that the people are a lot like the contestants of the Jerry Springer TV show. Trailer trash. I lived in a Trailer park once in Minnesota and didn't have any problems whatsoever. Not maligning everyone that lives in such a park of course. But clearly the people in Indy are uncivilized based upon the experiences I've had here over the last two years. Thankfully I am almost out of here now.

Sorry to get off topic. To the OP. Don't ever move to Indianapolis. Some of the other parts of Indiana including places like Fort Wayne or Evansville seem OK for cities and many of the rural areas also. But the Indianapolis area is a real pit.

I live in Carmel, so I can't attest to what goes on the city, but I can pretty much say I wouldn't want to live in most parts of the city. Every day, there are killings, not to mention the amount of property crime.

We went to the state fair this year and took a public shuttle. We were going through some awful looking ghettos to get there.

To me, Indy is in the same boat as Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit, etc.

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I live in Carmel, so I can't attest to what goes on the city, but I can pretty much say I wouldn't want to live in most parts of the city. Every day, there are killings, not to mention the amount of property crime.

We went to the state fair this year and took a public shuttle. We were going through some awful looking ghettos to get there.

To me, Indy is in the same boat as Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit, etc.

Lived in Indy city limits 16 out of 20 years and never had a problem. It's a large city and with that as ANY city, there will be less than desirable parts. All in all Indy is suburban in nature with lots of subdivisions and hoa's. As far as ghetto, the city has 1 or two traditional ghettos. It has some dilapidated housing tracts but ghettos not really.

If you are scared to venture south of 96th, it shows and you are a mark yet that is anywhere you go. A mark is a mark.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I live six miles from the office and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get in every day. If I stay within the city, I can go about ten days on a tank of gas. There are at last three gyms (YMCA, Lifetime Fitness, and a gym run by a municipal government) within ten miles of my office. From my location, I am 20 minutes or so from downtown, within a half hour of all northside suburbs, etc. It's much better than trying to commute in some much bigger city. If I do need something Indy does haven't (want to go to a hockey game, pro baseball, etc), I can go to Chicago.

Our HQ is based out of Boston suburbs and many of the employees there regularly commute over an hour each way - some upwards of two. The times I've been there, the traffic has been a madhouse, far worse than anything I've seen in Indy, Charlotte, Nashville, Cincy, etc.

For day to day living, the cheaper mid-majors are a lot easier to get by in than the hot markets.

Boston has some pretty bad traffic. I can recall sitting in a couple of backups on I 495 that had to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 miles long. And also heading on I 90 near Worcester to the I 84 interchange to Hartford has some really bad ties ups. And lest we forget the New Hampshire Tolls? Going into Maine can be a real nightmare with backups of 5 plus miles during many summer days!

Cincy traffic does seem to be getting worse but it still pales in comparison to the larger metro areas. But at the area sees more growth, traffic volume is going to get worse in the years ahead. Unless they can get people to use the bus, don't expect it to stabilize anytime soon.

[Coseau]

The author and the focus group put together by Proctor And Gamble is just wishing the city do some minor simple inexpensive changes that would most likely stop people like them from jetting to a different city the first opportunity they get. Its not like they are asking the city of Cincinnati to bend over backwards for them and cater to their every needs. Keep having disdain on their ideals and wonder why the city keeps losing young people just out of college to rival cities and blame it on hype and the reality of the living experience here if you want. Don't think its impossible that Proctor and Gamble's CEO won't relocate P&G out of Cincinnati if it starts hurting their bottom line due to trouble recruiting and or retaining employees because Cincy is lacking that something that similar sized rival cities seems to have. So civic leaders be proactive and adapt or don't act stunned and shocked when Proctor and Gamble announces they are leaving Cincinnati to relocate to Pittsburg, Charlotte or Boston.

[WILWRadio]

Boston is not really a rival city of Cincy. It is over twice the size in metro population. Comparable cities at least in terms of metro population are Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Milwaukee.

Bear in mind that it takes time and money to create new culture and entertainment facilities. As the region grows and the tax base expands, perhaps money can then be allocated to some of the less important or non critical desires of some of the population. Roads, police, fire etc. are where tax dollars should be spent first.

If private investors step up and invest in some of these concepts for improving the quality of life then it would be welcome relief to the already over burdened taxpayers in the region.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Boston is not really a rival city of Cincy. It is over twice the size in metro population. Comparable cities at least in terms of metro population are Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Milwaukee.

Bear in mind that it takes time and money to create new culture and entertainment facilities. As the region grows and the tax base expands, perhaps money can then be allocated to some of the less important or non critical desires of some of the population. Roads, police, fire etc. are where tax dollars should be spent first.

If private investors step up and invest in some of these concepts for improving the quality of life then it would be welcome relief to the already over burdened taxpayers in the region.

Cleveland?

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

Cleveland?

Cleveland's metro area has been losing population for a long time. Cincinnati is catching up. Cleveland is only a bit larger now.