Cincinnati vs. Kansas City, MO (cost, highest, quality, Chicago)
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You guys are all stirred up but your just making my point:
Both KC and Cincy have made huge strides in reinvesting in their respective downtowns after long periods of neglect, both have seen enormous population gains. KC's downtown had fallen further, I would argue, than Cincinnati, but some of it's census tracts posted gains 200+% of population in the last decade, and there isn't much difference in the populations anymore.
Cincy's CBD has about a little more than 5000 people in a little more than 1 square mile.
KC's CBD has slightly over 6000 people in a little less than 1 square mile .
Greater Downtown Cincy ( CBD, Pendleton and OTR) has 13,000 people.
Greater Downtown KC (the Loop (CBD), River Market and the Crossroads) has 11,000 people.
They both have festivals and events, good public markets, condos, high rises, bars, nightlife, massive new developments, their both choked off from the surrounding city by expressways, they both have public squares and family-friendly events, ammenities, etc. etc.
Sorry it bugs you guys, so. It doesn't bother me at all to be a lot like Cincinnati, though I don't think its particularly sexy, and it certainly is underrated and kind of ignored or laughed at by the broader cultural arbiters of "cool". I feel like I know something they don't.
I think that's where the comparisons cease to be accurate though. Cincinnati has a strong German heritage centered around brewing and beer, and especially drinking. This is one of the most festive cities I've lived in. The culture here is almost southern, and not really midwest the way other Ohio cities are. I've lived all over the state, so I know the differences. Cincinnati just does not compare very well to mid-west/western cities, it has more of an eastern feel to it with a splash of souther charm dunked in bock.
I think that's where the comparisons cease to be accurate though. Cincinnati has a strong German heritage centered around brewing and beer, and especially drinking. This is one of the most festive cities I've lived in. The culture here is almost southern, and not really midwest the way other Ohio cities are. I've lived all over the state, so I know the differences. Cincinnati just does not compare very well to mid-west/western cities, it has more of an eastern feel to it with a splash of souther charm dunked in bock.
Seems like a more reasonable response. It is certainly noticeable more colored by German culture than KC. Milwaukee also has a bunch of German beer/brat culture and is a wonderful place for (summer) festivals...it kind of hibernates in the winter, though. You'd never guess it was a dense and lively as it can be in the summer if you were there between October and March.
I do, however, think of Cincy culture as being, solidly, 100% midwestern. There is nothing I find eastern about it, and while it certainly has some hillbilly tendencies, I think just about everywhere in the agrarian midwest does.
It would be cool if one of the serious Cincinnati people would chime in, just to make the rest of this nonsense worth sorting through...
I think KC and Cincinnati may have more similarities than we may think, however, as stated above Cincinnati just does not compare well to most other Midwest cities. Or any city really. In terms of culture the only city I feel is truly comparable is Louisville as Cincinnati is a Midwestern city with a profound Southern influence and Louisville a Southern city with a profound Midwestern influence. Both are in the Ohio River, both have large contingents of UK fans, both Louisville and UC play (well I guess played) in the Big East, both are Reds fans generally, lots of people have family in either city and etc etc. Because of our unique culture many Cincinnatians tend to be skeptical of being compared to other cities.
I will say this in the Midwest Cincinnati probably has more in common with KC than most other midwestern cities particularly those up north, but to what extent these similarities are I do not know, as I have never been to KC and I do believe Cincinnati is kind of a one off city.
Seems like a more reasonable response. It is certainly noticeable more colored by German culture than KC. Milwaukee also has a bunch of German beer/brat culture and is a wonderful place for (summer) festivals...it kind of hibernates in the winter, though. You'd never guess it was a dense and lively as it can be in the summer if you were there between October and March.
I do, however, think of Cincy culture as being, solidly, 100% midwestern. There is nothing I find eastern about it, and while it certainly has some hillbilly tendencies, I think just about everywhere in the agrarian midwest does.
Sounds like I would enjoy Milwaukee in the summer. Gotta be damned cold in the winter. I do find Cincinnati's winters refreshing after living in Colorado and north western Ohio. They are mild by comparison.
By eastern, I mean the look and feel of Cincinnati's urban core. Not so much the culture. People are a lot more friendly here than Philly, NYC, and the like. The culture is def. a mashup of southern/midwestern. But totally different from say Columbus or Cleveland. The Appalachian influence spread to most manufacturing cities during and after WW2.
I would love to spend some considerable time in KC. I've been through on several occasions. It seems like a cool place, and I am a die hard BBQ fanatic.
In terms of culture the only city I feel is truly comparable is Louisville as Cincinnati is a Midwestern city with a profound Southern influence and Louisville a Southern city with a profound Midwestern influence. Both are in the Ohio River, both have large contingents of UK fans, both Louisville and UC play (well I guess played) in the Big East, both are Reds fans generally, lots of people have family in either city and etc etc.
Though I don't know Louisville very well, I understand completely how Louisville and Cincinnati could make an interesting pair of culturally related cities, analogous to KC/Omaha or Detroit/Cleveland, but it seems to me like the large size difference would really create a pretty big gap in amenities and day-to-day city life. Not just in terms of things like Louisville has a bunch of Reds fans (because, frankly, it's too small for its own professional sports teams), but also in terms of transit usage, walkability, critical mass, museums and culture, etc. Maybe I'm just grossly underestimating Louisville (which I know kind of punches above its weight, but still...).
I'd say make a thread for it, but there are already, like, hundreds...
Though I don't know Louisville very well, I understand completely how Louisville and Cincinnati could make an interesting pair of culturally related cities, analogous to KC/Omaha or Detroit/Cleveland, but it seems to me like the large size difference would really create a pretty big gap in amenities and day-to-day city life. Not just in terms of things like Louisville has a bunch of Reds fans (because, frankly, it's too small for its own professional sports teams), but also in terms of transit usage, walkability, critical mass, museums and culture, etc. Maybe I'm just grossly underestimating Louisville (which I know kind of punches above its weight, but still...).
I'd say make a thread for it, but there are already, like, hundreds...
Louisville does punch above its weight and there are more similarities better than the Reds thing, but I digress. No need to make another Cincinnati thread at the current rate who knows what random city we will get compared to next (KC is not that random in my opinion, Seattle certainly is). I will say I'd much rather live in KC than say Seattle.
Louisville does punch above its weight and there are more similarities better than the Reds thing, but I digress. No need to make another Cincinnati thread at the current rate who knows what random city we will get compared to next (KC is not that random in my opinion, Seattle certainly is). I will say I'd much rather live in KC than say Seattle.
Same here. I have no desire to even visit Seattle.
It would be cool if one of the serious Cincinnati people would chime in, just to make the rest of this nonsense worth sorting through...
You really need to tone it down, man... Numerous "serious Cincinnati people" HAVE chimed in with sensible remarks about what makes Cincinnati different than Kansas City--maybe not greatly different in your eyes, but different, nonetheless.
You've done an admirable job in presenting broad parallels between these two cities, but you've failed to comprehend why either one of the cities will NEVER be mistaken for the other, and that's crucial. The fact that your spouse hails from "College Hill" or that you've recently visited Cincinnati doesn't automatically extend you the license to be so misinformed about the Queen City, its history, its people, or its environs.
Please stick to Kansas City and make us all believers in that city, your city. (Quite simply, tell us more about what you do know and appreciate about KC and less about about what you don't know nor appreciate about Cincy.) Obviously, KCMO is much more than many of us (myself included) ever imagined it to be, and that's fine. Just give us all a broader picture of what it really is.
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