Left Cincy after 8 years-thoughts (Cleveland, Cincinnati: crime, home, transfer)

[veejayy]

I lived in Cincy for 8 years -relocated from the east coast and now back in Philly.
Here are my thoughts for people considering the move.

The best way to characterize it in my opinion is if you are looking for a small town feel (AKA hassle free) but with all the amenities of a big city- this is a place to consider. Notice- if you love walking down 7th avenue on a Saturday in NYC or Michagan avenue in Chi town on a beautiful Friday nite or Broad or South in Philly and love the energy of the crowds maybe this city will dissapoint.

On balance you will like the city. It is a pretty city that seems to be set in a park. Great views from both sides of the Ohio river. I always thought it was a smaller scale version of the Hudson as you travel up through the Pallisades and Dobs Ferry etc.


Traffic-don't care what any Cincy folks say, there is NONE compared to NYC-Philly-Wash. I mean none. No need to listen to the radio constantly for "traffic updates". They over built the roads for the pop size which makes for hassle free driving which you will get addicted to.

The Ohio Scenic drive that you can catch right out of town is just fantastic. This is a two lane road that hugs both sides of the Ohio and the views are great.

The people are a mix of the cliquish to quite open and friendly. Remember even in Philly you have the "natives" who stick together. Just the way it is.

The "River Culture". For those west or east coasters you will not get it for a year or so but then the rhythm of the Ohio has its own allure especially the barges that go up and down. I resisted this culture but once you get into it it has its own beauty. Lots of boating.

Excitement- you will not have an arrythmia here from excitement. For me it was fine because I lived in the Philly-NYC area so been there and done that. Here the lack of "people on the street" may creep you out but again, depends on the point of view. The other attributes balance out.

For those in Philly, the city terrain resembles the area just off Montgomery avenue going west with increasingly rolling hills.

Restaurants- tough finding great Italian but the restaurants are excellent over all.

Shopping- I am not into shopping but I bought my suits in Chicago-thought Cincy was a little lacking.

Access-easly access to lakefront in Chi town (4.5 hour drive) and to Louisville, Indy and Lex.- all about 1-1.5 hour drive

I moved back to the east coast for various reasons but would have been happy to stay in Cin. Really like Philly so don't want to say that I am not happy living here.

Again- when I was transferred there we went kicking and screaming and with much fear (hey-we are arrogant east coasters) but our experience was great.

[hillside]

I wouldn't call Cincinnati a small town. It has a small town charm because of the hills and the lack of a street grid, but it is not small at all. IMO Cincinnati feels about this big, considering density, urbanity, sprawl, urban core, traffic (including the influence of downtown)...

1.New York
2.Chicago
3.Los Angeles
4.Boston
5.San Francisco
6.Philadelphia
7.Washington
8.Detroit
9.Miami
10.Atlanta
11.Seattle
12.Cleveland
13.Baltimore
14.Cincinnati
15.Pittsburgh
16.St. Louis

Without the influence of downtown...

1.New York
2.Chicago
3.Los Angeles
4.Boston
5.San Francisco
6.Philadelphia
7.Washington
8.Detroit
9.Cleveland
10.Baltimore
11.Cincinnati
12.Pittsburgh
13.St. Louis
14.Miami
15.Atlanta
16.Seattle

Cincinnati does have some snarly traffic. It isn't the same as Philly and NYC because it isn't in the middle of the BosWash corridor, and it doesn't have as many people as those cities. But i do believe it registered 7th or 8th worst in the nation.

The streets are actually fairly narrow in a lot of places, as it is an old city. The bridges and many streets are outdated and cause traffic, not the other way around. The street structure is definitely not overdone.

You are right about the crowds. It is difficult to get a critical mass of people anywhere in Cincinnati because most of the most socially attractive neighborhoods with the most potential for such are stuck in an economic canyon and suffer from crime and blight. Downtown is revitalizing, but is far from a finished product.

[LaMadden]

Originally Posted by veejayy

I lived in Cincy for 8 years -relocated from the east coast and now back in Philly.
Here are my thoughts for people considering the move.

The best way to characterize it in my opinion is if you are looking for a small town feel (AKA hassle free) but with all the amenities of a big city- this is a place to consider. Notice- if you love walking down 7th avenue on a Saturday in NYC or Michagan avenue in Chi town on a beautiful Friday nite or Broad or South in Philly and love the energy of the crowds maybe this city will dissapoint.

On balance you will like the city. It is a pretty city that seems to be set in a park. Great views from both sides of the Ohio river. I always thought it was a smaller scale version of the Hudson as you travel up through the Pallisades and Dobs Ferry etc.


Traffic-don't care what any Cincy folks say, there is NONE compared to NYC-Philly-Wash. I mean none. No need to listen to the radio constantly for "traffic updates". They over built the roads for the pop size which makes for hassle free driving which you will get addicted to.

The Ohio Scenic drive that you can catch right out of town is just fantastic. This is a two lane road that hugs both sides of the Ohio and the views are great.

The people are a mix of the cliquish to quite open and friendly. Remember even in Philly you have the "natives" who stick together. Just the way it is.

The "River Culture". For those west or east coasters you will not get it for a year or so but then the rhythm of the Ohio has its own allure especially the barges that go up and down. I resisted this culture but once you get into it it has its own beauty. Lots of boating.

Excitement- you will not have an arrythmia here from excitement. For me it was fine because I lived in the Philly-NYC area so been there and done that. Here the lack of "people on the street" may creep you out but again, depends on the point of view. The other attributes balance out.

For those in Philly, the city terrain resembles the area just off Montgomery avenue going west with increasingly rolling hills.

Restaurants- tough finding great Italian but the restaurants are excellent over all.

Shopping- I am not into shopping but I bought my suits in Chicago-thought Cincy was a little lacking.

Access-easly access to lakefront in Chi town (4.5 hour drive) and to Louisville, Indy and Lex.- all about 1-1.5 hour drive

I moved back to the east coast for various reasons but would have been happy to stay in Cin. Really like Philly so don't want to say that I am not happy living here.

Again- when I was transferred there we went kicking and screaming and with much fear (hey-we are arrogant east coasters) but our experience was great.

That was great info. Thanks. As far as the Italian food goes if I ever see another Italian restaurant after leaving the northeast it will be too soon. I love diversity in food.

[captaincatfish]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, as you spoke your mind and did it without doing a total 'rip-job' on Cincinnati.

My wife lived in the Philly area (King Of Prussia, to be exact) for almost 9 years before returning home to care for her ailing Mom...I get a kick out of watching the A&E show 'Parking Wars', which follows the day-to-day routine of the Philly Parking Authority...she can look at the area in the background and in seconds tell where in Philly the footage is being shot...she has provided me with valuable insight as to the ins and outs of the east coast vibe (as you also did quite well), to the point of stating she wouldn't mind going back and maybe living in the Philly area again---which would be something new for me, a lifelong Midwesterner (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indy, Cleveland again, now live in Middletown about 30 miles north of Cincy).

But I digress---I enjoy living here in SW Ohio right now, and I was pleased to see that somebody besides me thinks that, all things considered, Cincinnati is NOT that bad a place...it's a lot like life, and we all know life is what you make of it...good luck and Godspeed on your way back to Philly, and hopefully, you'll at least come back and visit Cincy---a lot of your positivity could go a long way

[cincyUK]

Originally Posted by captaincatfish

But I digress---I enjoy living here in SW Ohio right now, and I was pleased to see that somebody besides me thinks that, all things considered, Cincinnati is NOT that bad a place...it's a lot like life, and we all know life is what you make of it...good luck and Godspeed on your way back to Philly, and hopefully, you'll at least come back and visit Cincy---a lot of your positivity could go a long way

Don't worry man, plenty of people like living here - just so happens most people on the boards are not the people who are living here / from here who really appreciate what it's all about.

Glad to hear you both liked it OK from up north... come on back anytime!

[Traveler87]

To OP, glad to hear you like it in Cincy, and wish you best of luck back in Philly.

Captaincatfish, glad to hear you like Cincinnati and what SW Ohio has to offer. It is so true that different people have different needs and dislikes. To each his/her own.

[Cincy-Rise]

veejayy, just a couple of disagreements:

- Finding good italian food (Scotties, Nichola's, Via Vite, etc...)
- Traffic, as Cincy & STL (mid-sized cities) are usually always rated pretty poorly in avg. travel time (lack of great public transit) on a national level.
- And you will feel the impact of over 2 million people (soon to be 3) with a city sitting on the busiest interstate that goes N&S in the nation ... so a "small town" feel is far from the truth...


But that was a beautiful and genuine right up, I enjoyed reading it and for those of you that plan on re-locating here -this is pretty much right on!

Nicely done!

[purrfectplace]

hey I really enjoyed your post! I understand what you mean coming from the NYC-PA (I am from NYC) area anywhere in Ohio would feel like a small town. I mean...even if you know you are in a big city with, as someone pointed out, close to 3MM ppl. The lack of people walking the streets, and really just an understanding of the greatness of urban culture that NYC, and Chicago seem to really understand and take advantage of. People just love their subarbs it seems in Ohio! But it is good to hear that there is some culture, and like you said it is not as crazy as New york, you welcomed the change and made the best of it. The quality of life is probably much greater....you get a nice city with a more relaxed atmosphere and close to nature. Sounds good.

[Cincy-Rise]

"I understand what you mean coming from the NYC-PA (I am from NYC) area anywhere in _______ would feel like a small town."

In comparison to NYC, it should be written like this ^ ... fill in the blank!

[purrfectplace]

Originally Posted by Cincy-Rise

"I understand what you mean coming from the NYC-PA (I am from NYC) area anywhere in _______ would feel like a small town."

In comparison to NYC, it should be written like this ^ ... fill in the blank!

You are right!