Cincinnatti and Columbus (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo: fit in, crime, transfer)

[crystalblue]

What can you tell me about them?

whats their politics?
social atmosphere?
better for singles?
cheaper!?

[dyt937]

cincy is a mostly conservative city unlike to columbus
columbus is the capital as you know and politics is a huge thing like all capital cities
i'll say cincy has better nightlife, and social atmosphere
lots of clubs,bars,etc.

[crystalblue]

Originally Posted by dyt937

cincy is a mostly conservative city unlike to columbus
columbus is the capital as you know and politics is a huge thing like all capital cities
i'll say cincy has better nightlife, and social atmosphere
lots of clubs,bars,etc.

see, i dont see why so many people keep saying cincy is so conservative

it has lots of strip clubs and naughty book stores, which you normally dont find in a conservative area?

makes no sense!

[dayton_ohio]

A lot depends on what lifestyle you want to live.

Columbus seems to have more young people, maybe because of Ohio State (which is enormous) and more high tech companies in the area. There are a lot of young professionals, because there are a lot of entry-level jobs in government and business. Columbus feels newer and somewhat cleaner than Cincinnati -- more like a city in the Southeast than a northern, industrial, urban area.

Cincinnati has more history and better amenities -- parks, museums, interesting neighborhoods, scenic areas, major league sports, a better airport. You can find anything you'd want there -- young professionals in Hyde Park or Mason, college students in Clifton, families in West Chester or Loveland, etc. But, Cincinnati has some grimy industrial zones, rising crime in some areas, and other problems of large, old, northern industrial cities.

[LancasterNative]

Cincinnati is definitely more conservative than Columbus—especially on the social/values issues, but also just politically in general. All the strip clubs, porn shops, and other naughtiness you see in Cincy only exist there despite the strong opposition of most of the community. Columbus is very tolerant of everybody except conservatives, Christians and country folks.

I for one, happen to love that about the 'Nati! Although I live in Cols. now, I've always known that as conservative as I am, I'd fit in much better down there in Cincy. Maybe someday... <sigh> But I digress...

Socially, Cincinnati is much friendlier. I think part of that is due to its historic affinity and physical proximity to the South (which I find to be the friendliest part of the country, bar none). It's often described as Ohio's "most Southern" city. Cincy's pleasant, neighborly disposition could also stem from the fact it's a more "neighborhood-based" city to begin with, where family ties run deep and everything's not so transient. Columbus, by contrast, is full of self-important yuppies and rude people, mostly transplanted here and impatiently awaiting their next transfer up the corporate ladder and off to some other city's sprawling suburbs.

If Columbus does have any edge in the realms you listed, it may well be better for singles due to the large Gen-X and Gen-Y populations that are here thanks to OSU. Of course, I've had to look long, high, far and wide to find myself a good conservative gal around here; they're mostly self-centered, high maintenance, liberal drama queens.

On cost of living, I really don't know how Cols. and Cincy stack up side-by-side, but I can tell you either of them would be alot easier on the pocketbook than most of the other 50 largest U.S. metros. Ohio cities are dirt-cheap compared to the Eastern seaboard and West coast metros.

[maestro]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

What can you tell me about them?

whats their politics?
social atmosphere?
better for singles?
cheaper!?

I've lived in both cities (though I'm not an Ohio native), so my "outsiders" take is that Cincinnati is more conservative then Columbus, though I Columbus isn't exactly left-wing San Fran or something. It's still Ohio, after all.

As far as the social scene for singles, they are quite similar. Columbus' scene tends to be more college based because of the strong presence of Ohio State Univ, but Cincy has their fun younger scenes too (Mt. Adams, Mt. Lookout, Clifton, etc.).

The only real difference that I've noticed is that Cincy tends to feel older, more traditional while Columbus is more suburb-ish with new shopping areas and trendy places popping up. Old is Out in Columbus, whatever is New is great. Again, that's just my view.

[JoeP]

Columbus is very tolerant of everybody except conservatives, Christians and country folks.

That is inaccurate. Liberals areas struggle with the conservative value of intolerance. So yes liberals areas are intolerant of intolerance, but that is not the same as saying that conservatives are not tolerated. The Christian part of your statement is truly amazing since many Christians don't follow the right wing mold. And there are differences between the city and the country... by definition....

It's often described as Ohio's "most Southern" city.

It is Ohio's most southern city.

I've had to look long, high, far and wide to find myself a good conservative gal around here; they're mostly self-centered, high maintenance, liberal drama queens.

Given that statements and statements like it. I can see why you are having a challenging time....

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by LancasterNative

All the strip clubs, porn shops, and other naughtiness you see in Cincy

Dude. Those are in Kentucky.

I've always known that as conservative as I am, I'd fit in much better down there in Cincy.

I can introduce you to Simon Leis if you want!

Cincy's pleasant, neighborly disposition could also stem from the fact it's a more "neighborhood-based" city to begin with, where family ties run deep and everything's not so transient.

I have friends who wouldn't dream of living more than a few blocks away from their parents, let alone across town. Relationships in Cincinnati are very tight, and some people might think that means that newcomers would have a hard time making friends or fitting in, but I had an easier time finding a niche in Cincinnati as an adult than I did in my own hometown.

On cost of living, I really don't know how Cols. and Cincy stack up side-by-side, but I can tell you either of them would be alot easier on the pocketbook than most of the other 50 largest U.S. metros.

I think Cincinnati might be a tad less expensive, but I could be wrong. Cincinnati is a city of neighborhoods, and within those neighborhoods are housing pockets. Walk five minutes in any direction, and you're in a pocket that's got a different look and feel to it (and price range) than the one you just left. It's one of the things I liked about living there.

[Pilliod Njaim]

Metro Cincinnati is by far the most conservative part of Ohio. Hamilton County was the only urban country in Ohio that voted Republican in 2006. Columbus is moderate, though media there is heavily conservative. The only heavily Democratic areas in Ohio are Cleveland (most liberal suburbs) and Toledo (most liberal media). Most of Ohio is moderate (Columbus and Dayton) or conservative (Cincinnati, most rural areas in the southern and western parts of the state).

Strip joints and adult book stores exist everywhere. It has nothing to do with conservative/liberal. Though I'd suspect many people in metro Nati would like to ban them for good. Most the smut is actually in Kentucky though. Toledo has always been the hub of smut in Ohio, not Cincinnati.

Nothing in Ohio is too great for singles. The state's big cities lack consolidated nightlife, though I guess Columbus would be better than Cincinnati in that regard due to more young professtionals and 20-something bars. Cincinnati nightlife is very spread out, and downtown lacks a solid district.

[Subway]

Originally Posted by Pilliod Njaim

Hamilton County was the only urban country in Ohio that voted Republican in 2006.

For the statewide races, that's correct. However, Democrats took control of the Hamilton County Commission for the first time in decades, and eastern Hamilton County, which constitutes the western end of Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, voted for Democrat Victoria Wulsin over Republican Jean Schmidt (who was reelected). Also, Hamilton County voted for the minimum wage increase (which passed statewide) and for allowing slots machines at race tracks (which failed statewide). In addition, George Bush received a smaller share of the Hamilton County vote in 2004 (52.5%) than he did in 2000 (54%) despite the fact that he received a larger share of the national vote in 2004 than he did in 2000 (when he lost the popular vote). My point: it appears that the stronghold conservatives/Republicans have had on Hamilton County is slipping away. The surrounding counties, however, will probably remain conservative/Republican strongholds for a long time to come.