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It's geographically been designated as a Midwestern city. Ohio is in the Midwest.
So, Cleveland is in the Midwest.
From my perspective, some western NY State cities also seem Midwestern. Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Rochester. The people's accents are "midland" not North Eastern.
For one.
Similarly, with the exception of Philadelphia, most of PA seems Midwestern to me. However, it is not designated as a Mid Western state.
With the safe boundary of Pennsylvania and western NY separating Ohio from the East Coast, I would say that Cleveland is a Midwestern city, located in a Midwestern state.
There is a lot of diversity in the Midwest - rural areas, manufacturing and business centers, suburbs etc. So is Ohio like Indiana? No. Not to me. I'd say it has more in common with Illinois and Cleveland with Chicago. Just one example.
Cleveland in most aspects is clearly more Midwest then Northeastern.... these are my opinions as to why.
Cleveland housing stock is far more Singles then Row homes and Double-Homes as in PA and Pittsburgh which is more Eastern clearly. I also hear Cleveland demolished some Row home neighborhoods by downtown it once did have....
Cleveland neighborhoods also have more set-backs of housing then Eastern Row home cities.... including Pittsburgh.
Some see a Midwest Label has more a lessor status then a Eastern Status brings... But a city still has to stand on its own....
Cleveland is clearly considered as a Rust Belt city.... Technically Boston to NYC and Philly to DC are not. Though Pittsburgh is in the Rust Belt also. There is little chance of convincing Northeastern/Eastern Big city elite..... to embrace a Cleveland as a long lost cousin....
I personally think the terms Northeastern Feel or Vibe for Cleveland doesn't apply. A Historic link to New England settlers is just that.... in its long ago history. Since then the Industrial age and Appalachian and Southern Black migrations have come and gone.... the fall of manufacturing and Racial change has occurred. Now aspects of Gentrification today in the Core and neighborhoods is changing Big cities.....
To New Yorkers and even Bostonians...... Cleveland is just as FLY-OVER as any Midwestern city... even Chicago. Though a argument can surely be made is uncalled for today especially in Chicago's Downtown that had evolved to hitting ALL the bells and Whistles for Tourist and visitors to see today.....
This lessening of a Midwestern link to a more shared one toward with a Eastern one..... really is more about Cleveland seeking more respect and prestige felt..... to aspects of sophistication Eastern cities typically get...... While the Midwestern cities commonly gets a more laid-back and a lower sophistication and refinement stereotype.
The Correlation today some who see the NEW CLEVELAND with "Young Urban Professionals" have given Cleveland this less Blue-Collar feel. Therefore the EASTERN CONNECTION OF OLD MIGHT WORK FOR MORE A ACKNOWLEDGED NEW SOPHISTICATED CLEVELAND..... is and has EVOLVED..... Is a uphill battle for sure....
I believe if Cleveland begins to show a major expansion Downtown with some New highly visible Skyscrapers along with the Downtown living and a Lakefront that can be a even Greater asset with more Parkland even Amusement features. To added man-made beaches even. Could surely add to its DESIRED RESPECT AMONG CITIES to visitors....
I BELIEVE CLEVELAND HAS MUCH MORE THEN EVEN HOUSTON'S BANAL DOWNTOWN IT KEEPS BUILDINGS TO OFFER... AND BY REMOVING ITS ASPECTS OF OLD HOUSTON.... IT LOSSES MORE STREET VIBRANCY THEN ITS NEW BUILDINGS CAN EVER REPLACE AND ITS soooooo many GAWD AWEFUL BLANDEST PARKING GARAGES EVER DESIGNED HOUSTON HAS gotten built all over....
Cleveland adding New and restoring its Older can get the best of both worlds..... Do more around the Rock n Roll Museum and Lakefront too.
I surely know some Houstonians HATE to have Chicago connections of examples it could take from their Lakefront. BUT BOTH DOWNTOWNS SMACK RIGHT ON A GREAT LAKE..... makes the comparisons valid.
Cleveland has the underused land already on the Lakefront. Give visitors and locals DOWNTOWN more things to head to the Lakefront for too.... It's a great Spring through Fall asset yet still underdeveloped....
My RESPONSE here has to do with My opinions on Cleveland of today... NOT HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS OF OLD OR APPALACHIAN ONE. I focus on the DOWNTOWN and Lakefront there..... SPARE ME WHAT HOUSTON HAS ELSEWHERE IN PRESEVED FOREST ON THE LAKE TOO... ITS NOTED.
IT'S ABOUT Cleveland today and how it wants to be seen and recognized for and opinions on where more prestige can come from..... it is not going back to New England early settlers and promoting a Eastern connection today. You are NOT going to convince New Yorkers and even Bostonians of a Eastern Long Lost Cousin has arrived.... and its name is Cleveland....
This is a great post. As a transplant to NE Ohio, from Long Island (originally Brooklyn) I love it here.
There is nothing wrong with a city being called "Midwestern" and I think Easterners have to get over that "Flyover country crap".
The whole thing strikes me as silly. When Northeasterners relocate to the Carolinas, Texas, and other points south - where they are seldom welcomed - no one thinks it's strange and unusual.
I could not endure anything about the south.
I am a Northerner. And when the winter (which is no worse than most of NY and New England) gets me down, flights to Florida are dirt cheap. FL is a great place in February. In August? Not so much.
A lot of people want to feel that they are important and the center of the world. The thought that there are other areas which are independently functioning and dynamic causes a knee jerk reaction on the part of those who live elsewhere to scoff at it. This is precisely why many on the East coast scoff at cities in the interior of the USA. Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Cleveland all exist, all have arts, all have downtowns, all have universities..etc. Basically, people in the Midwest are going on with life without the involvement of people who live on the East Coast which in turn causes some people on the East Coast to just discount these places or refer to them as flyover cities. The same holds true to people discounting the south and vice versa.
That being said, this thread illustrates the need of a Clevelander to elevate his city to be a Northeastern city - to be a more hip or more sophisticated city. If people actually thought that Cleveland was a Northeastern city, would that really help Cleveland?? I mean would people start thinking that Cleveland is this dynamic progressive city sharing so much in common with Boston, New York, and DC?
Look...Cleveland is a pizza eating, beer drinking, baseball watching, American car driving, hard rock listening, movie going, amusement park visiting, buffet dining, blue collar city. Get over it.
A lot of people want to feel that they are important and the center of the world. The thought that there are other areas which are independently functioning and dynamic causes a knee jerk reaction on the part of those who live elsewhere to scoff at it. This is precisely why many on the East coast scoff at cities in the interior of the USA. Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Cleveland all exist, all have arts, all have downtowns, all have universities..etc. Basically, people in the Midwest are going on with life without the involvement of people who live on the East Coast which in turn causes some people on the East Coast to just discount these places or refer to them as flyover cities. The same holds true to people discounting the south and vice versa.
That being said, this thread illustrates the need of a Clevelander to elevate his city to be a Northeastern city - to be a more hip or more sophisticated city. If people actually thought that Cleveland was a Northeastern city, would that really help Cleveland?? I mean would people start thinking that Cleveland is this dynamic progressive city sharing so much in common with Boston, New York, and DC?
Look...Cleveland is a pizza eating, beer drinking, baseball watching, American car driving, hard rock listening, movie going, amusement park visiting, buffet dining, blue collar city. Get over it.
Not sure if you're talking bout me, since I clearly stated twice I don't think Cleveland is northeastern, but definitely has some similarities. Honestly, Cleveland has better amenities than Boston in many ways. So no, I don't want to talk down to Cleveland like its a northeastern city. Nobody actually said anything about being hipper or more sophisticated. Cleveland is not nearly arrogant enough and self congratulating to be northeastern.
But also.... Cleveland is a pierogi eating, beer drinking, football watching (and now basketball, baseball hasn't really been big for a loooong time), Japanese car driving (cheap and reliable, we're not dumb enough to buy American), cedar point visiting, lake boating, rock/punk/classical music listening (have you ever been to blossom or severance ? Better crowds than Boston symphony), down to earth city.
Not really sure what your experience in Cleveland is.
Do people really think Cleveland is "Midwestern"? Is Cleveland really more similar to Indianapolis and Des Moines than Pittsburgh and buffalo? I find this very hard to believe. The only reason it falls into that category is because fact it's in Ohio. I really don't see what's so undoubtedly Midwestern about Cleveland. nobody else wants to claim Great Lakes?
Not sure if you're talking bout me, since I clearly stated twice I don't think Cleveland is northeastern, but definitely has some similarities. Honestly, Cleveland has better amenities than Boston in many ways. So no, I don't want to talk down to Cleveland like its a northeastern city. Nobody actually said anything about being hipper or more sophisticated. Cleveland is not nearly arrogant enough and self congratulating to be northeastern.
But also.... Cleveland is a pierogi eating, beer drinking, football watching (and now basketball, baseball hasn't really been big for a loooong time), Japanese car driving (cheap and reliable, we're not dumb enough to buy American), cedar point visiting, lake boating, rock/punk/classical music listening (have you ever been to blossom or severance ? Better crowds than Boston symphony), down to earth city.
Not really sure what your experience in Cleveland is.
Do people really think Cleveland is "Midwestern"? Is Cleveland really more similar to Indianapolis and Des Moines than Pittsburgh and buffalo? I find this very hard to believe. The only reason it falls into that category is because fact it's in Ohio. I really don't see what's so undoubtedly Midwestern about Cleveland. nobody else wants to claim Great Lakes?
I was referring to the person who started this thread. That being said, its now time to address you.
The Great Lakes belong to Michigan and Ontario - then there are some other cities which have been fortunate enough to share some partial views of them. Trust me, we don't mind in Michigan if Cleveland wants to consider itself a Great Lakes City -but I don't think people are on pins and needles waiting to hear the answer. Milwaukee and Chicago have been accepted into the fold - they have done well psychologically and have not suffered trauma with the term. So make up your mind Cleveland. Are you Northeastern or Great Lakes or Midwestern? I'm getting confused - I guess it's because ONLY some people in Cleveland are confused about this issue. Countless threads on this issue.
Regarding your comment about people in Cleveland are "not dumb enough to buy American"..hmm...I wonder what effect that has on all the American car manufacturing plants in Ohio. But as you said, people in Cleveland are not dumb so they know what they are doing...I guess. This brings me to another point. I wonder how all those Clevelanders who believe that Cleveland is a Northeastern city pronounce the word car. Since Cleveland might be Northeastern, do they pronounce it more like a Bostonian or a Toledoan? Do they even try to mock the accent a bit for authenticity? Let me know. Mimi on the Drew Carey show didn't have one.
Cleveland is a great lakes city. And I'm sure a much larger % of people in Cleveland buy American cars vs other cities. Buying American keeps our country stronger than buying cheap imported junk.
Location: Cleveland, OH USA / formerly Chicago for 20 years
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Republic of Michigan
I wonder how all those Clevelanders who believe that Cleveland is a Northeastern city pronounce the word car. Since Cleveland might be Northeastern, do they pronounce it more like a Bostonian or a Toledoan? Do they even try to mock the accent a bit for authenticity? Let me know. Mimi on the Drew Carey show didn't have one.
This Clevelander regularly practices speaking with a proper Transatlantic accent (see American movies and newscasts from the 1930s through early 1960s... see also Orson Welles, Katharine Hepburn, etc.). I think it sounds very refined and sophisticated and should be the standard American accent.
Cleveland is a great lakes city. And I'm sure a much larger % of people in Cleveland buy American cars vs other cities. Buying American keeps our country stronger than buying cheap imported junk.
Even if it's made in Marysville, Ohio (like Honda is)? American cars are largely sub-par, in my opinion, but you are certainly allowed to buy them. I guess I'll change my prior answer, I do agree Clevelanders probably actually do buy American more- close to Detroit, Ford plant right there. But I have seen a fair share of Hondas and Toyotas, much like anywhere in the country. Most people prefer foreign cars because they work better. What a concept.
Economic nationalism... we benefit from international trade, tremendously. But that's another topic.
The Midwest is more than flat plains and cornfields. The Northeast has NYC and It has Maine. Why can't the Midwest be diverse enough to hold both Detroit and Des Moines?
The Midwest is more than flat plains and cornfields. The Northeast has NYC and It has Maine. Why can't the Midwest be diverse enough to hold both Detroit and Des Moines?
Maine is not a major city. If you wanna compare rural life on any region, it's all the same except weather. I think we're talking about the anchor cities here. New york, philly, dc, boston, all have similarities despite yes being different. But they're closer to each other than to any other group of cities.
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