Sorry, found Ohio not so appealing... (Columbus, Cleveland: ski resorts, sale, new home)

[paintballer1708]

^It has been quite warm down here in SW Ohio. Around the upper 70s lower 80s the last few days. It usually does stay warmer down here. But not by much. We dont get near as cold as Minnesota or Wisconsin though.

[OneWayOut]

We are expecting snow in toledo at the end of the week, already. What a crap-shoot. The summer takes it's sweet time getting here but the winter sure comes in a hurry . The weather was decent this past weekend though, almost perfect. Oh well, leaving for an Atlanta visit on Sunday for a week.

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by OneWayOut

We are expecting snow in toledo at the end of the week, already.

Now I really know why I don't want to live in Toledo.

Not to worry, sit back and have a pop. I was in a small store today and the woman running the place said she could not find the sweeper. It is spreading. Good culture is difficult to contain.

[OneWayOut]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

Now I really know why I don't want to live in Toledo.

Not to worry, sit back and have a pop. I was in a small store today and the woman running the place said she could not find the sweeper. It is spreading. Good culture is difficult to contain.

Lol, Yeah, I just got back in today and its 66 degrees. There is sposta be a high of 43 tommorrow== ugh.... Then snow flurries and freeze all weekend.

I give up, I think Ill just drink water from now on and hire somebody to swee..I mean vacuum my house.

[HAS]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

Now I really know why I don't want to live in Toledo.

Not to worry, sit back and have a pop. I was in a small store today and the woman running the place said she could not find the sweeper. It is spreading. Good culture is difficult to contain.

I don't mean to sound rude, but I just have to ask: what is wrong with calling it pop? And what is so wrong with calling it a sweeper? Why do you continue to poke fun at the way Ohioans talk and the words in which we use when I am sure that YOU do/say things that I would find laughable? Why can't you guys just get over the pop and sweeper things?

[the_most_fabulous_jen]

I'm wondering if the reason you keep getting "yep" as a response has something more to do with your manner towards Ohioans than their manner towards you?

At any rate, I used to live in NW Ohio, and my husband grew up there in Napoleon, went to Bowling Green, worked in Toledo, etc. I am not Toledo's number one fan, but from my experience the people there are not fake or rude, particularly when compared to those in other areas of the country I have lived. Here's a list, so you can see I have a pretty fair basis for comparison:

- Pennsylvania (my birthplace)
- Arkansas (absolutely beautiful)
- Chicago, IL (best restaurants in the country, and great museums)
- Oklahoma (surprisingly nice place to live, it's pretty cool to see buffalo and prairie dogs running around)
- Houston, TX (best Mexican food anywhere)
- Columbus, Ohio (not as cool as Cleveland or Cincinnatti, but still pretty nice for a large town)
- Athens, Ohio (my undergrad alma mater, and throwers of the best Halloween parties on the planet)
- Napoleon, Ohio (met my husband here through a mutual friend - this is the kind of town that people are born in and never leave - the people are genuine - the world's largest Campbell's Soup plant is located here and it keeps most of the town employed)
- Miami, FL (You've never felt heat or mugginess until you've been to Miami - also probably the most fake place on earth, with the possible exception of Los Angeles - great city to visit, but I would never live here again)
- San Diego, CA (somewhat fake, but so laid back no one cares - it's definitely on my top 5 list of US cities - I've lived there twice - it's proximity to Mexico is a bonus)
- Northern Virginia/Metro DC area (can be fake for political reasons, but for the most part people here are friendly and down-to-earth - best place in the country job market-wise)

I think I've got the country pretty well covered, and have a good mix of rural and city areas. I can tell you that NW Ohio would not be at the top of my list by any means, but I have considered living there again. Ohio in general is one of the most down-to-earth places in the country. I'm not sure where you were living in Maryland, but from my experiences there I've found it to be remarkably similar to Ohio (with the possible exception of the weather).

"Pop" is a regional thing. Growing up my family referred to everything soft-drink related as a "coke," whether it was coke, pepsi, orange soda, ginger ale - it didn't matter. They're from Western Pennsylvania. I usually say "soda," since no matter where I am in the country people know what I'm talking about. Regional differences (like calling something "pop" or "sweeper" instead of "soda" or "vaccuum") are what make up the "culture" you find lacking but appear to have overlooked in Toledo. You rail against cookie-cutter chain stores, yet have no appreciation for regional language and cultural differences. I have to wonder at that, as well.

Have you ventured out of your "ghetto bubble" at all to experience any of the wonderful small town communities in your area? Ever been to a polka-fest? What about Party in the Park? I seem to remember some pretty rockin' (and FREE) concerts there.

Best of luck in your search for a new community - I'm sure both you and the people ofToledo will be the happier for your move.

[htlong]

how about calling a refridgerator a ice box,or a frigidare i think that those and sweeper came from the old days a sweeper was a mechanical thing that sweeped the carpet before the vacuoom was invented,still used in many theaters today
george carlin asked why we say refrigerator freezer, instead of a firgideezer???

[HAS]

Originally Posted by the_most_fabulous_jen

I think I've got the country pretty well covered, and have a good mix of rural and city areas. I can tell you that NW Ohio would not be at the top of my list by any means, but I have considered living there again. Ohio in general is one of the most down-to-earth places in the country.

I completely agree. I'm not saying we're the most glamorous state to live in, but there's CERTAINLY nothing wrong with Ohio. As you said, it's pretty much one of the most down-to-earth states in the country.

[paintballer1708]

I agree a lot with what some of you are saying. Ohio is a great place to live considering the two states that i lived in before Ohio. I know so many people that have moved to Ohio and love it here, and then describe the problems that they faced in other parts of the country that we dont have to worry about here in Ohio. No place is perfect. The whole thing about Maryland. Maryland is a great state no doubt. It also has its problems. It has a higher crime rate than most states, but it has some great scenery in the western panhandle. And i really like Baltimore's Inner Harbour. But the rest of the city, you are taking your life into your own hands. Ohio and Maryland do have a lot in common. As a former resident of Pennsylvania, visiting Maryland was not uncommon. I would go there all the time, and i still visit quite often. Maryland is a great state. It faces its problems just like every other state out there as well.

[OneWayOut]

Originally Posted by the_most_fabulous_jen

I'm wondering if the reason you keep getting "yep" as a response has something more to do with your manner towards Ohioans than their manner towards you?

At any rate, I used to live in NW Ohio, and my husband grew up there in Napoleon, went to Bowling Green, worked in Toledo, etc. I am not Toledo's number one fan, but from my experience the people there are not fake or rude, particularly when compared to those in other areas of the country I have lived. Here's a list, so you can see I have a pretty fair basis for comparison:


I think I've got the country pretty well covered, and have a good mix of rural and city areas. I can tell you that NW Ohio would not be at the top of my list by any means, but I have considered living there again. Ohio in general is one of the most down-to-earth places in the country. I'm not sure where you were living in Maryland, but from my experiences there I've found it to be remarkably similar to Ohio (with the possible exception of the weather).

"Pop" is a regional thing. Growing up my family referred to everything soft-drink related as a "coke," whether it was coke, pepsi, orange soda, ginger ale - it didn't matter. They're from Western Pennsylvania. I usually say "soda," since no matter where I am in the country people know what I'm talking about. Regional differences (like calling something "pop" or "sweeper" instead of "soda" or "vaccuum") are what make up the "culture" you find lacking but appear to have overlooked in Toledo. You rail against cookie-cutter chain stores, yet have no appreciation for regional language and cultural differences. I have to wonder at that, as well.

Have you ventured out of your "ghetto bubble" at all to experience any of the wonderful small town communities in your area? Ever been to a polka-fest? What about Party in the Park? I seem to remember some pretty rockin' (and FREE) concerts there.

Best of luck in your search for a new community - I'm sure both you and the people ofToledo will be the happier for your move.

To summarize, I guess the whole area in general just does not appeal to me. I feel detached here, an unable to connect with the area nor able to call it home.

My employment takes me all over the state (usually NW Ohio, elsewhere regularly), sometimes for two or three days. I have experienced much of the small town culture here and events. What does not appeal to me mostly about the activities here is the monotonous nature of them. It seems mostly what goes on here is the same old same old--been there done that; do not get me wrong here, I do enjoy some of the festivals, for example Waterville's Roche De Bouef, and Toledo's Party in the Park. I also enjoyed visiting Put-in-Bay, Lake Erie fishing, and Middle Bass Island's Lon's Winery. As far as the same old same old goes, all of these little festivals seem to revolve around craft sales, and bunch of people getting fall-over drunk, if not that, family events; which are ok if you have the wife and kids to take along. It seems alcohol is the main attraction here, and there is not much to do without it, which is a huge disappointment to me. I have some very good friends here who I hang out with on a regular basis, whom are natives, and say the same things.

I grew up in MD, and for those 26 years I had many diverse choices of activites, outdoors, the ocean, bars, clubs, festivals, etc, etc, all pretty much a stones' throw from my home town of Annapolis. There was always something different going on, and I could always find what I was looking for at that particular time.

I am going to see the comedian Ron White this evening which should be a great time. I almost fell over when I heard he was coming to Toledo. Usually I have to drive to Detroit or Cleveland to catch a venue such as this, and sometimes make a weekend trip out of it.

As far as the pop/sweeper/yep language thing goes, it does not bother me that much, just something I was not used to. I actually find it interesting.

I have two trips planned to other cities for some exploring. This coming Sunday I am leaving for Atlanta for a week to check it out. I will be staying in the Buckhead area. We will see how it goes. For Christmas/new years, its back to MD for Christmas with family, then the day after to Los Angeles for 2 days, then Phoenix, Az for the Scottsdale new years festival. I am very much looking forward to being outside in a T-shirt in December too. Very excited, and will hopefully come out with a new place to live. I also have a trip planned early next year to Salt Lake City, UT, and Denver.