Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a 23 year old single male who is about to graduate college in June. I'm from Cleveland, OH and currently reside in NE Ohio finishing up school.
The three (3) cities I've listed in the title are the three cities I probably have the best chances of getting a job in (for various reasons), and all three of those cities contain a university I could see myself going to law school at eventually. I'm not considering Cleveland because I'm not confident in the job market and plus I'm tired of living on the snow belt and getting hammered each Winter with tons and tons of snow.
I'm a HUGE sports fan, and all three of these cities contain good sports, whether college or pros. I don't give Cincinnati the edge here because I'm a fan of Cleveland sports teams and couldn't care less about Cincinnati pro teams, although I would go to their games if I lived there
Besides sports and milder Winters, I'm also wanting to take into account single life for a 23 year old male and other activities and such. I like going to movies, enjoy going out to eat and experiencing different types of foods, and enjoy riding my bike. Not a huge bar-goer, but once in a while is fun. But, I'm more into the low-key bars/restaurants, so I'm looking for a place that could accommodate some of those things I've listed.
Basically, I was wondering where would you rather move between those three cities, or where you would recommend me really looking into over the others? Also, I'm asking this to get feedback on personal experiences and opinions on why or why not move to one of the given cities, whether based on what I said or just your own personal opinions or experiences.
Columbus - OK City overall. Just stay away from anything below East Livingston Ave. Bad news down there. Urban blight, high crime, horrifying neighborhoods. That whole area is run down, and pretty creepy in places. However, city has a pretty nice downtown, nothing really different than any other city of its size. The north side is pretty nice.
Cincinatti - Like Columbus, and any other city in Ohio, it has nice areas, and then areas that are warzones. Haven't been there much, so I can't really say anything.
Louisville - The best out of the cities you listed, but just barely. Sure, it has some very, VERY bad neighborhoods, and it's HUGE in terms of land area, so you may have to drive to access certain areas and services, depending on where you live.
I'm from Cincinnati, currently living downtown and have lived on the westside. There are quite the plethora of restaurants and movie theatres if that is what you like. First off, there is Skyline Chili (Nothing else needs to be said). In the downtown area you can find Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Greek and Mediterranean restaurants as well as similar places in the Clifton area around the University of Cincinnati including Caribbean, Hungarian and Middle Eastern (Afghan, Israeli) restaurants. The north of Cincinnati has a large, growing hispanic population with Mexican, Guatemalan and Peruvian restaurants. I tend to stay in Ohio because in KY people still smoke like bandits in the restaurants, which is something that irritates me. But Northern KY does have Hofbrauhaus which is good, authentic German cuisine and beer. As of recently the downtown area has undergone renovation and there are lots of music/art/beer festivals in summer and fall.
Obviously Cincy has the best sports team in Ohio (ha ha), besides Reds and Bengals there is a Minor league hockey team and the teams at University of Cincinnati and Xavier. There are tons of parks with plenty of bike trails as well on every side of town, including Northern Kentucky.
Compared with Columbus though, it is much more laid back / conservative. Don't expect to find anyone with an open mind outside of Clifton or downtown. If you like low-key places, that is exactly what you will find because bars can be very dreary and uninviting, especially in the suburbs. This is not the kind of city where you can go to a bar by yourself and make a night of it, you really need to know people.
As for Louisville I cannot compare because I haven't been there.
If I had to choose between the three, based on my current interests I would choose Columbus. I moved back to Cincy 3 and a half years ago (against my own will) and if it weren't for the people I already knew it could've been rough. Although if you're going to Law school at UC you'll be fine. I frequent Columbus with my girlfriend who went to OSU and its much more modern, inviting, open-minded, especially around High St.
When I finish school next year we're going back out west or abroad.
Thanks for everyone's responses so far. Looks like Columbus is the place to be by most, but I'm def. open for more comments by anyone who wants to reply to give me their opinions on the cities. Thanks!
Oh, and cincykc, is it really as hard as most say to make friends in Cincinnati? One thing I like about the place is it's so different from NE Ohio, however I'm always intimidated by how people say it's a hard place to really break into. Any opinion on that? Thanks a lot!
People in Cincy are friendly when forced into social situations, such as at work or school. But, I would never expect to be able to strike up a conversation or make a friendship with someone if I were out by myself in a market or bar (although every place can have its exceptions). People here tend to enjoy their space and privacy and find comfort in what they are used to. Not many people who are born in Cincy ever move away from their original neighborhood area, this is why many suburban areas can feel cliquish and uninviting.
I have lived in every region of the US, except Hawaii and Alaska, and I have found many other places to be similar. In Montana I had no friends except for a few guys I worked with and my social interactions were limited to our time at work (I climbed a lot of mountains by myself). It was similar in Vermont, had there not been a bunch of international exchange workers there I wouldn't have had any friends. A lot of places in the US are this way, so I wouldn't say that Cincy should be looked at as any more intimidating or impossible than other places when referring to the social scene.
If you were to move here without knowing anyone, you would have to use you job as a method of meeting people. Or if you were to go to law school at UC, you would assuredly meet a variety of people from Cincy and elsewhere who are looking to meet people as well. Since I moved back and I'm currently attending UC, I've met lots of friendly, interesting people.
It may take some time to build a social network here, but it can be done and once it happens you may find it very comfortable here. You would just have to be diligent about it because if you don't pursue social interaction here, it definitely will not come to you.
Haha, I'll be in your predicament in about four years or so...
Anyways, I'd have to say Columbus. Cinci is a much more visually pleasing city and probably has more "stuff", because of its age, but Columbus is famous for its younger people, nightlife, and of course OSU football.
i have been in columbus most of my life, as far as places to go things to do. Columbus is more of a family type city. Cincinnati is more of a party type city and it has a lot fun places to go for the younger crowd as far as Louisville. I had a friend who went there and he left Columbus in 97 and as far as I know was during real well there until he passed away in 2012. of natural causes. But if I had to choose between the two I would do Louisville cause I never been there. and Columbus second cause it is a good town to raise a family. But if you want to get away from the wife and the children go to Cincinnati.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cols vs Cinny vs Louisville
