Best city in Ohio?

[Hey_Hey]

With a little more reseach here's what I found. The latest population estimate by the Census Bureau for Delaware County was in 2007. Between the years 2000 and 2004 Delaware County ranked 11th in the country in terms of percentage growth. Growth between 2000 and 2007 ranked it 22nd in terms of percentage. The

110,000 people lived in Delware Co in 2000.
119,000 in 2001 +8.2%
127,000 in 2002 +6.7%
135,000 in 2003 +6.3%
142,000 in 2004 +5.2%
149,000 in 2005 +4.9%
155,000 in 2006 +4.0%
161,000 in 2007 +3.9%
165,000 in 2008 +2.5%

Clearly, it's a rapidly growing county, especially for a state like Ohio. The rapidity of its growth has slowed in recent years, however. The high rankings for growth appear to be driven by the numbers in the early 2000s as its growth substantially slows later in the decade. When considering year to year growth it was near the top in the country 5-8 years ago. In the last 2-4 years that growth has subsided and it is no longer ranked among the top in the country.

So I guess it depends on how you define it. Using current year to year figures it is nowhere near the top 100. Using a span of years beginning in 2000 will rank it among the top 100 fastest growing counties.

http://www.odod.state.oh.us/research...0/Delaware.pdf

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

As of this 2006 article on CNN Money, no counties in Ohio rank in the top 100 fastest growing counties. In fact, there is only one county in the top 100 that lies outside of the South or West, and it is found in the Chicago area.

100 fastest growing counties - Mar. 16, 2006

I need to correct this. I meant to say there is only one county outside of the South and West in the top 10 and none in Ohio ranked in the top 10. Delware County is on the list for the top 100 for 2004-2005.

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

I need to correct this. I meant to say there is only one county outside of the South and West in the top 10 and none in Ohio ranked in the top 10. Delware County is on the list for the top 100 for 2004-2005.

I think even being in the top 25 is good. I mean if its anywhere but the South or West.

[nickolaseposter]

Dayton isn't that bad. It has charm. It is basically a smaller version of Cincinnati.

[jam40jeff]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

Between the years 2000 and 2004 Delaware County ranked 11th in the country in terms of percentage growth.

Yay for suburban sprawl! If only the whole US looked like Polaris and Jackson Center! Oh, wait, most of it does now!

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by jam40jeff

Yay for suburban sprawl! If only the whole US looked like Polaris and Jackson Center! Oh, wait, most of it does now!

LOL you know whats pathetic though, you go down south or out west and look at the city centers (via satelitte) then scroll out for miles upon miles and see the nasty urban sprawl that takes up the landscape.

[tgasper]

I live in Dayton and wouldn't live anywhere else. We're close enough to the larger cities (one hour to Cincy or Columbus) without the day to day traffic congestion and hassles. We have WPAFB which brings in a lot of highly intelligent engineers, researchers, scientists. And there's something for everyone - historic districts close to the urban core and some great suburbs. Plus you can get just about anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less, so you're not spending your life in a car.

Our Arts & Culture scene is unbelieveably great for a city our size. We have 24 colleges & universities in the region. UD Basketball is considered our "professional sport" and draws 13,000 people consistently to all its home games. Dayton Dragons have been sold out for eight consecutive years.

As a former GM town, we are going through a real renaissance right now and it's so easy for people to plug in and make a difference. I could live anywhere in the world, but I just can't find the quality of life we find here. And the cost of living is so good that we can afford to travel whenever we need a change of scenery.

What I love most is that Dayton is small enough that when you're out and about, you're likely to run into someone you know; but it's large enough that it doesn't happen all the time.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by tgasper

I live in Dayton and wouldn't live anywhere else. We're close enough to the larger cities (one hour to Cincy or Columbus) without the day to day traffic congestion and hassles. We have WPAFB which brings in a lot of highly intelligent engineers, researchers, scientists. And there's something for everyone - historic districts close to the urban core and some great suburbs. Plus you can get just about anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less, so you're not spending your life in a car.

Our Arts & Culture scene is unbelieveably great for a city our size. We have 24 colleges & universities in the region. UD Basketball is considered our "professional sport" and draws 13,000 people consistently to all its home games. Dayton Dragons have been sold out for eight consecutive years.

As a former GM town, we are going through a real renaissance right now and it's so easy for people to plug in and make a difference. I could live anywhere in the world, but I just can't find the quality of life we find here. And the cost of living is so good that we can afford to travel whenever we need a change of scenery.

What I love most is that Dayton is small enough that when you're out and about, you're likely to run into someone you know; but it's large enough that it doesn't happen all the time.

UD does a lot of great things for the city and the campus itself is seeing a lot of really nice additions.

Fifth-Third Field is gorgeous and I love the Oregon District.

[JohnDBaumgardner]

The best city in Ohio? HMmmmmmmmmmm ...
I'm a native of Cleveland and I have lived the majority of my life there, including the vast suburban areas surrounding it.
I would have to say that "Cleveland" unequivocally is the best city in the state of Ohio ... and one of the best in the U.S.
Cleveland is the only Ohio city "that truly feels and looks like a major city".
Cleveland boasts an interesting and beautiful skyline, it has a vast metropolitan area that includes many spacious and affluent suburbs too. It's the only Ohio city that offers a plethora of cultural riches: The Cleveland Museum Of Art ( One of the best in the world ), Cleveland Orchestra, professional sports teams ( even tho the Browns suck! ), a wide variety of ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts ( Cedar / Fairmount, University Circle, Coventry Village, Little Italy, Shaker Square, Chinatown, Tremont and Ohio City, just to name a few ).
Cleveland has the best healthcare in the state and indeed the entire country with both the esteemed institutions of "Cleveland Clinic Foundation" and the equally impressive "University Hospitals", just two of several impressive healthcare systems based in the city.
Clevelands physical setting is also very beautiful ... it's location on the shores of Lake Erie and it's gently rolling and wooded hills and canyons.

I am now residing in Columbus, Ohio ... it's an impressive city for a variety of other reasons tho. Columbus is newer, and is generally cleaner looking in appearances as you approach it from most any freeway. Columbus also has excellent healthcare, a few nice suburbs and an excellent and diversified job market. Columbus feels more like a west coast city ... it's vibrant and is still experiencing vast growth as is evidenced every time a census is undertaken. The skyline is somewhat bland for a city it's size ... but overall it is still attractive.