Why does Cincinnati and all of Ohio have such a bad rep? (Columbus: neighborhood, high school)

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Or drug and alcohol addiction, criminal record and/or discouraged unemployed syndrome.

Yes, the whole ball of wax.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Actually, Cincinnati has a great economy. It just has a large underclass of perpetually unemployed persons that brings all of the numbers down. With a 50% minority population in Cincinnati compared with 25% in Columbus (many of whom are former Cincinnati residents working in high paying jobs for government in Columbus), and a significant unemployed Appalachian population, the numbers are really about equal when adjusted for demographic differences between the two cities.

I guess the point is that it is no fun to be unemployed and unemployable in any community. We just have more of those folks to take care of than Columbus does. For the unemployed, this is a good place to be. Most everything is cheaper here, yet we have a liberal, egalitarian community.

Valuable observations, Wilson513; observations understood all too well here in Cincinnati. For better or for worse, our city is well known as the largest corporate, manufacturing northern city in proximity to both Appalachia and the Deep South, and generous welfare benefits combined with numerous charitable organizations have enabled the city to become that egalitarian magnet for a huge jobless underclass that you mentioned--which has wreaked havoc on an otherwise robust economy. Therefore, from whichever side one may look, Cincinnati's Janus-faced, bipolar economic image is real, but not complete.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by motorman

Valuable observations, Wilson513; observations understood all too well here in Cincinnati. For better or for worse, our city is well known as the largest corporate, manufacturing northern city in proximity to both Appalachia and the Deep South, and generous welfare benefits combined with numerous charitable organizations have enabled the city to become that egalitarian magnet for a huge jobless underclass that you mentioned--which has wreaked havoc on an otherwise robust economy. Therefore, from whichever side one may look, Cincinnati's Janus-faced, bipolar economic image is real, but not complete.

Yes, I think that several generations ago when Cincinnati was the first stop for a job available to a minority person from the south, or an uneducated person from the east, we accumulated a lot of these folks. They are our responsibility now and so it must be. As long as the government perpetuates their misery with increasing entitlements, it will only expand. Its no fun to get up at 6AM to go to work and make no more than one would get for staying home and getting high and hanging out. Then go to night school and try to get a degree of some sort. Why would anyone want to do it if they did not first experience the freedom of having a valuable, sought after skill? I completely understand and sympathize with the perpetual unemployed. Its like trying to quit smoking.

I weep for the future.

[alastad]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Note: there is no such place as the "Upper Ohio Valley."

Uh, yes there is, look it up, it's called the Steubenville area.

[alastad]

Originally Posted by calpersfatcat

What exactly is the definition of an "Alastad?" I have an idea, but to state my opinion would likely be a violation of forum rules.

1. I was born in Cincinnati and lived there during all of my formative years. My upbringing was decidedly blue collar, lower middle class (barely middle class). My education was excellent. (Reading Community Schools, then 3 years in the US Army, then U of Cincinnati)

2. I landed a job in Southern California in 1990 at the age of 25. I have lived/worked in SoCal for a total of 28 years, including the 3 years in the US Army.

3. I retired last month at the age of 50. I own an apartment complex in SoCal and my 5,013 Sq. Foot, custom built home is on the market right now. I am financially "set" for life.

4. I am moving "home" to Cincinnati the split second that my California house sells.


Your idea of what Cincinnati is/isn't is widely skewed.

Alastad is the name of a fictional city I made up for a story I wrote when I was a kid. the story took place during Armageddon in the Middle East and I named the city Alastad because it sounded like it was the actual name of a Middle Eastern city. I was so impressed with my young self for coming up with such a realistic sounding name for a city that when I created my first internet account I decided to use it as my username. Second of all, I am not talking about Cincy. In fact, I never been there. I was talking about the Upper Ohio Valley AKA the Steubenville area, and from what I saw living there my idea of what Steubenville is like is not skewed. It is unfortunately very accurate.

[NDXUFan]

Originally Posted by esya

Ok maybe the dumb hillbilly rep does have its basis in fact--Ohio used to be a middle of the road, moderate sort of place and now many have leaned over toward conservativism, which really hasn't done a darned thing for their economy.

ND:
How is the 50 million on Food stamps working for you and Obama?

[NDXUFan]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Uh...by and large that wasn't seen as a bad thing in the South. Far from it. And let's not forget that it was the shenanigans in "Floorda" which helped him scam his way in the first time around.

ND:

Do some legal research and then come back to me.

[NDXUFan]

Originally Posted by Mplsite

The Ohio-West Virginia border area is Appalachian Ohio and not representative of most of Ohio.

As for the OP, look who Cincinnati voted for mayor: Cranley, the guy who tried to kill the streetcar and threw a big long temper tantrum makes it hard for other cities to take you guys seriously down there, and as for the Ohio governor: Kasich. Again. There's your bad rap and the reason why Ohio is looked down upon as backwards. So glad I got out of that state and live in a blue one where liberals actually vote so that our cities have some control over their destinies without having to fight tooth and nail with a pro-suburban-rural state that is hostile to urban interests, let alone anti-urban mayors. Not only did we vote for a female mayor, but we voted again for Al Franken. A couple of Ohio related fun facts: Dayton is our governor and for Columbusites, St Paul has a mayor Coleman too.

ND:

If you voted for Franken, you need some very basic training in Economics.

[NDXUFan]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Two out of three ain't bad. But they also elected - TWICE - a former pro wrestler as governor and not even under his real name. OTOH Paul Wellstone is still missed.
It's not much different than Ohio with Howard Metzenbaum and Jean Schmidt (to name one example.) For every great public servant there's another who makes most thinking people cringe. A downside to SC - matter of fact - is that the latter kind is routinely voted in there. "Nikki"...Mark Sanford...Lindsey Graham...and of course Strom Thurmond for eons...yeesh!
Too many Yankees behave like "ugly Americans" abroad when they venture over the Mason-Dixon line. Pushy behavior and accent mocking deserve a bad attitude in return.
I thought of this thread and had a laugh last night, when a basketball game which was being played as part of a tournament in Charleston came on TV. The tourney brackets showed that one of the invited colleges was the University of Akron!

ND:

Metzenbaum chased the Unions away from his parking lots, where he made millions. In 1969, Howard did not pay one penny of Federal Income Tax. Right before Metzenbaum passed away, he moved to Florida to escape a huge tax bill that was going to come in the mail, at the time of his death. If you know anything about the career of Metzenbaum, you will see the high liberal hypocrisy.

[jbcmh81]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Actually, Cincinnati has a great economy. It just
has a large underclass of perpetually unemployed persons that brings all of the
numbers down. With a 50% minority population in Cincinnati compared with 25% in
Columbus (many of whom are former Cincinnati residents working in high paying
jobs for government in Columbus), and a significant unemployed Appalachian
population, the numbers are really about equal when adjusted for demographic
differences between the two cities.

Non-white population (includes non-white Hispanics), 2013
Cincinnati
Black: 130,444
Asian: 6,843
Other: 6,432
Total: 143,719
Non-white population as a % of total population: 48.31%

Columbus
Black: 246,605
Asian: 44,580
Other: 35,264
Total: 326,449
Non-white population as a % of total population: 39.68%

So while Cincinnati does have a greater non-white % of population, Columbus' is WELL above 25% at this point, and the change of these demographics over time is not even remotely close.

Non-white growth 2000-2013
Cincinnati: -8,113
Columbus: +111,404

I guess the point is that it is no fun to be unemployed and unemployable in any
community. We just have more of those folks to take care of than Columbus does.
For the unemployed, this is a good place to be. Most everything is cheaper here,
yet we have a liberal, egalitarian community.

Wait, what? Are you saying that the non-white population has to be taken care of in some way? That sounds pretty racist to me, but I'll let you explain that one.