Why I"m Leaving Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland: homes, school district, pros and cons)

[maaci]

Vagabond,

As much as I hate to agree with you, your points are valid also for Lucas county. Ohio is pretty crappy... I too will be leaving soon. I don't hate OHIO, I just don't want to raise my son here.

[west5548]

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Name a few places that are better? Everyone says the same stuff just like you..........I have lived in Ohio while in college and it's no diff from IL.

Well of course Ohio and Illinois are no different, same latitude so same miserable climate which would be cold for 6-8 months and then maybe squeeze out a nice summer.

I got transferred here from NC and Ohio is perhaps the most miserable area I have lived in and 80% of it is the lousy weather in this state. The sun hardly comes out, it's cold most of the time, snows more than I care to see it snow, and when it's not snowing it's raining. Here it is almost Memorial Day weekend and I still need to run the heat???? Ohio cities are dirty, crime is extremely high in most major areas of the state, and there is no form of major public transport, especially Columbus. I can't wait until 3 years from now when I can leave and move back to the southeast where you have modern cities, beaches, beautiful weather, and good high paying jobs.

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by west5548

Well of course Ohio and Illinois are no different, same latitude so same miserable climate which would be cold for 6-8 months and then maybe squeeze out a nice summer.

I got transferred here from NC and Ohio is perhaps the most miserable area I have lived in and 80% of it is the lousy weather in this state. The sun hardly comes out, it's cold most of the time, snows more than I care to see it snow, and when it's not snowing it's raining. Here it is almost Memorial Day weekend and I still need to run the heat???? Ohio cities are dirty, crime is extremely high in most major areas of the state, and there is no form of major public transport, especially Columbus. I can't wait until 3 years from now when I can leave and move back to the southeast where you have modern cities, beaches, beautiful weather, and good high paying jobs.

Oh yeah, Durham, Charlotte, Wilmington, etc. are so safe!!!!!!!! My brother lives in NC and i didn't think Wilmington was any cleaner than any city that i've been to in Ohio.

BTW, Cleveland has an excellent transportation system..........do any cities in NC have rail???

There are also good, high paying jobs in Ohio, you just have to have the education and experience to get them.

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

Oh yeah, Durham, Charlotte, Wilmington, etc. are so safe!!!!!!!! My brother lives in NC and i didn't think Wilmington was any cleaner than any city that i've been to in Ohio.

BTW, Cleveland has an excellent transportation system..........do any cities in NC have rail???

Actually, Uptown, South Park, & South Charlotte are quite clean, even with the massive amounts of construction going on in Uptown. I've not had any vexing travel on foot in those areas. As Dilworth, Elizabeth, and NoDa may be slightly less kept, I've had no trouble there, either. There are parts of Wilkinson Blvd., Tuckaseegee Rd., and Freedom Dr. that get a little shaky, but few have business being there are night anyway.

I couldn't start to compare this with Cleveland, as I was a child the last time I was there. I wouldn't be able to give it a fair comparison.

Yes, Charlotte does have rail. It's called the LYNX with its first leg (the Blue line) that opened just recently. It extends from I-485 to 7th street in Uptown, and is quite reasonably priced ($2.60 round-trip). They're planning on building more as time goes on, and with its increasing popularity, I doubt plans will fall through. They stations are also decked out with artwork. It's a lot better than the dilapidated platforms I've seen in New Jersey (NJ Transit), that I can say for sure.

They also have bus lines (CATS), and a "trolley" that runs through Uptown. While I'm not sure of the rail situation in Raleigh/Durham, I know they do have buses.

[CortlandGirl79]

I didn't say Charlotte wasn't clean. I just implied that they have pretty bad crime too.

Not all of Ohio is the same and you can't judge all of NC by one city either. West is making it sound like the entire state of Ohio is a crime-ridden and has horrible transportation.

[Stephan_K]

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Hell, many of those things you listed are in Chicago and many other cities, small and large. I can understand wanting to leave Ohio but just remember Ohio is not unique as it relates to the issues you listed. No matter where you go, you may not have this exact same list but you most certainly will have a list.

No matter where one goes they will always come up with a "list". But the one most important fact you and others with this same argument are not considering when comparing lists is that the very same item from the new list will almost never impact your life as severely as the very same item has on the OH list !

I don't care how much anyone cheers for OH or shows how pretty it is or states how things will get better and such... OH will always be exactly what it is until big changes take place. And as for what OH is, OH is pretty close to the top of the list when it comes to loosing key economic drivers and is one of, if not the, largest welfare state in the country because of it. And throw in the fact that the State and many local gov's refuses to adjust to the decrease in economic drivers and tax revenue quarter over quarter and year over year, you have the economic train wreck that is OH.

No matter how you cut it, OH is not the easiest place to support the standards of life one feels they have to live up to, especially young people starting out. When looking at OH compared to just about anywhere else (other than the rust belt areas) the bar is set very LOW and you can throw a dart at the US map and find a place where the grass IS greener, some places maybe not by much but greener.

Yes I love OH as I am born and raised here. It pains me to see what has happened to it over the last 30 years and that it is time to move on and leave it. This State resembles nothing that it once did nor does it's track record or current status prove that it is on the correct path for future success especially in this "global market" we are all part of as far as I am concerned. OH will never return to manufacturing stardom that it once had but I do think it is poised to be a big manufacturing State again once the bottom is reached with all the low income people living here. 10 years from now when the bottom is near and certain changes have forced their hands, you will probably see a small turn around in OH for the better manufacturing wise.

Until then I refuse to sugar coat things. Call a spade a spade ! OH looking all pretty and sounding all good and being full of supposed goodness doesn't pay the bills or fund ones retirement sufficiently enough ! Money talks bulls*it walks... if you choose to take part in a fast economic driven lifestyle, OH is not the best place to have a go at it. But if you want to live on a shoe string... OH is the best place to be for sure !

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I didn't say Charlotte wasn't clean. I just implied that they have pretty bad crime too.

Out of a whole post, you respond to a mere sentence? That, CG, is spin doctoring. I know you're better than that.

I'm well aware of Charlotte and Durham's reputation for crime, and know enough that it, too, is as confined to pockets as much as it is in Ohio. In fact, 9 months ago on this very thread I said:

"This is a more localized issue. There are plenty of low-crime areas in Ohio. Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of other crime ridden areas of America."

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

Not all of Ohio is the same and you can't judge all of NC by one city either.

I suppose so, however, I've been around NC enough to give you more information than you've previously provided. You did request it, after all.

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

West is making it sound like the entire state of Ohio is a crime-ridden and has horrible transportation.

One could make the strong argument you did just that with Wilmington, Durham, and Charlotte. As far as West is concerned, it's obvious he has larger issues and feels more comfortable taking it out on an inanimate object and its citizenry.

I've made my position quite clear on Ohio when the OP first casted his stone, and have no reason to modify it. It's still quite a fair and constructive opinion. No matter how many times people come on here get bent out of shape about Ohio, I know better. I can't change them, and doubt anyone else can either.

[CortlandGirl79]

Art, relax, i wasn't directing anything at you anyway. I was just saying that West should look at his own state and see that they have some of the same problems. I wasn't saying Ohio was any better, just that North Carolina has lots of crime in its cities too. Most states have high crime rates in their big cities.

As for cleanliness, i only commented that I thought Wilmington wasn't any cleaner than any city I've been to in Ohio. I"m not saying Wilmington or any other city in NC is a dump.

I do appreciate the answer to the transportation question. I was just trying to get West to realize that some Ohio cities do have good transportation systems, well, maybe only Cleveland. haha!

I can't help it that West got transfered to my least favorite Ohio city, but not all of Ohio is like C-Bus.

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

Art, relax, i wasn't directing anything at you anyway. I was just saying that West should look at his own state and see that they have some of the same problems. I wasn't saying Ohio was any better, just that North Carolina has lots of crime in its cities too. Most states have high crime rates in their big cities.

As for cleanliness, i only commented that I thought Wilmington wasn't any cleaner than any city I've been to in Ohio. I"m not saying Wilmington or any other city in NC is a dump.

I do appreciate the answer to the transportation question. I was just trying to get West to realize that some Ohio cities do have good transportation systems, well, maybe only Cleveland. haha!

I can't help it that West got transfered to my least favorite Ohio city, but not all of Ohio is like C-Bus.

Relax? I'm always relaxed. I'm as cool as a cucumber.

Well, we both know it's all relative. Who's relative? That's the bigger question. Furthermore, why do they keep getting invited for Thanksgiving? They ALWAYS want to bring that salad no one ever eats and it ends up sitting in the refridgerator for weeks. Now that's just bad form.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say that, in the end, it'll take much more than a discussion thread on CD to change that guy's mind. It seems pretty fixed at the moment.

[Clevelander17]

If you work at it hard enough, you can come up with a list of reasons why no city/area is worth living in. Personally I can't wait to get back to Ohio where the cost of living isn't through the roof and everyone isn't house-poor/car-poor because they're trying to keep up with the Joneses. I think the positives far outweigh the negatives and with the right leadership, Ohio can and will thrive again. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen.