Why don't people criticize Cincinnati like they do Cleveland? (Akron: apartment, houses)

[motorman]

Cincinnati's diverse employment picture must include the thousands of people who work "Uptown" in the University of Cincinnati/hospital complex. Although Cleveland is further developing its own world-renowned educational/medical facilities, Cincinnati has proven itself to be formidable competitor (the student enrollment at UC, alone, is 41,000+).

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by nthomas1999

Dennis Kucinich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus give me Springer over this guy anyday of the week! You, guys keep reelecting him as a representative?

Major bonus points for Cleveland!

[UKUKUK]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Major bonus points for Cleveland!

He's done a lot of good to set Cleveland up for the kind of redevelopment it's seen. Not so much improvement in Cinci as of late. Hell, the Euclid Corridor was embraced... Where's the streetcar in the 'natti?

[decibel25]

Originally Posted by xanthines

As for your own broad generalization, I tend to agree, but it's Cleveland in particular that has an image problem. That's bad for recruiting talent here. I'm not sure why you don't see that as a problem that needs fixing. For issues like this, perception is just important, if not more so than reality.

Assuming you're replying to my post from way back...I never said it wasn't a problem that needs fixing. My comment was addressing the possible reasons why Cleveland has the image problem, not disputing whether or not there is one.

[decibel25]

Originally Posted by motorman

Cincinnati not diversified?? One of the city's strengths has been its diversity -- it has weathered larger economic downturns because it hasn't been tied to just one or two large industries (like Detroit). Cincinnati, once so well-known for its machine-tooling, now hosts everything from GE jet engines to P&G consumer products to Kroger groceries to Macys retailing, plus numerous advertising/branding/banking enterprises.

Statistically speaking, Cleveland's Metro area (not including Akron metro, which one could argue can be thrown in there) has a higher regional GDP than Cincinnati, with no companies near the size of $80B Kroger and P&G, or $25B Macy's (retail/CP). Cincinnati's economy is based on a few large employers. Granted, Cleveland has large employers in the healthcare industry, but this industry is not nearly as affected by economic downturns as retail, consumer goods, or manufacturing. Cleveland's larger employers are in a ton of different industries, so I'd say if we are trying to pin down the image problem, it has nothing to do with lack of economic diversity.

[Townes Van Zandt]

Originally Posted by UKUKUK

.. Where's the streetcar in the 'natti?

Oh boy...don't get the Cincinnati posters started.

They hate that almost as much as the whole "second city" reputation...

[Matthew Hall]

The difference between 6% growth in cincinnati and 3% decline in cleveland in the last decade is the driving force in the perceptions of locals in each city, I think. If cleveland had had cincy's demographics in the last decade it would have had 225,000 more people today instead of 75,000 fewer. Can you imagine how different life would feel in cleveland today if there were 225,000 more people driving, working, buying houses, renting apartments, shopping, paying local taxes, attending local social and cultural activities, etc. than there in fact are? I will anticipate criticism by saying that MSA regions are the areas in which people and businesses actually operate and thus are much more relevant and useful meansures that city, county, csa, etc. That is why MSAs were created in the first place.

[motorman]

Oh boy, Matthew...please don't get either the Cleve or C-Bus posters started on the MSA/CSA battle again! None of them seem to recognize (let alone accept) the emergence of the formidable "CIN-DAY CORRIDOR." Yes, Cleveland has a huge emerging commercial potential, whether S to Akron/Canton or SE to Warren/Youngstown (or both). And a Cleveland/Pittsburgh connection would be simply awesome! Meanwhile, Columbus is emerging as a retail/distribution/research center with its own commercial parameters. But the "Cin-Day Corridor" already stretches from Tipp City, OH to Walton, KY, and it cannot be dismissed as simply "sprawl" (which it is, of course). Commercial connections are being forged here every month that will further link the two cities into an MSA of 3,200,000. (The I-75/Austin Rd. interchange was the last link in this process.)

[Matthew Hall]

Do MSAs matter or not?

[Cleveland_Collector]

Let's just be honest here, neither the city of Cincinnati nor the city of Cleveland are truly experiencing "growth" right now. Cincy, like Cleveland, has been steadily losing population for decades. Cincy, unlike Cleveland, has to claim 15 counties in 3 different states and an area that encompasses close to 4,500 square miles in order to eek out a MSA lead of about 50k @ 2,130,151.

Cleveland's MSA: 2,077,240 in 4 counties, 1 state, 2,000 square miles.

Cleveland's current CSA = 2,881,937 (#15), 8 counties, 1 state, 3600 sq. miles
Cincinnati's current CSA = 2,172,191 (#21), 16 counties, 3 states, 5100 sq. miles

There really isn't much left to compare unless you want to give Cleveland the same land area that Cincy's CSA claimed. Then, the Cleveland CSA population would approach 5 million people thereby more than doubling Cincy's CSA population in the same effective land area. There's a reason Cincy is considered the "second city."