Whats the difference culturally between Northeast Ohio and Northwest Ohio? (Ashtabula: population, map)

[gaebie]

Northeast Ohio (outside of major cities) has a more New England flavor with the Western Reserve, while Northwest Ohio feels more midwest.

[Tobias C]

It depends on how you define culture. I grew up in rural NW Ohio and lived in the urban centers my whole adult life so I understand lifestyles here pretty well.

I would say there's more "culture" in the North East because there's more everything there, besides farmland. The urban centers of Toledo and Akron are fairly comparable but Cleveland makes the difference.

NW Ohio isn't very diverse ethnically or religiously. There's a decent amount of Hispanic people both in the cities and the country. Black people are mostly just in Toledo and some of the bigger-small cities. Politically were majority conservative and/or Republican. The Toledo metro area is majority Democrat and/or liberal though. Financially, I think you'll find NE Ohio more affluent than here just because there's so much more business up that way. We have some relatively affluent suburbs but not in the numbers that the northeast does.

[Dayton Sux]

Northeast Ohio (outside of major cities) has a more New England flavor with the Western Reserve, while Northwest Ohio feels more midwest.

bingo!

(...and this "New Englandy" feel is quite noticeable if one does country road riding in the Western Reserve. Not sure how sociologically cultural the difference is, but the "cultural landscape" is certainly different)

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by gaebie

Northeast Ohio (outside of major cities) has a more New England flavor with the Western Reserve, while Northwest Ohio feels more midwest.

Agreed. Far eastern Cleveland suburbs: Chagrin Falls and some other nearby areas look like straight out of Connecticut. I also agree with the multicultural aspect.

Cleveland is easily the most culturally diverse city between Chicago and New York (Detroit has the most diverse metropolitan area, but Cleveland has more intact "ethnic villages"). It has the largest Italian population, with a little Italy bigger than Chicagos version.

Although, I wouldn't really call suburban/exurban Cleveland as hilly-hilly. I mean its not Cincinnati. But yes, compared to NW Ohio, which is flatter than a pancake, NE Ohio is hilly.

[dodeca]

This is an interesting discussion. Several years ago, the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a story about the "Five Ohios" that gets at some of these perceived differences.

http://www.cleveland.com/fiveohios/images/0704a.gif

In sum, NW Ohio is one of the "Other Two Ohios" - Appalachian/SE Ohio and NW Ohio are quite different from the Three Cs - fewer college educated residents, more religious, lower incomes. NW Ohio itself can be divided into two: the western half is VERY rural, very religious, very conservative. The eastern half (I-75 south to BG, then following a line through Fostoria toward Columbus) is slightly more balance between Dems and Republicans - the areas closer to Lake Erie are more industrial, slightly more liberal. NW Ohio is about as diverse as the state as a whole, though less so than NEO. There are substantial populations of Mexicans and Arabs/Lebanese in the northern reaches of NWO. Culturally, I'd agree that NWO is more midwestern than NEO, meaning greater religiosity, heavier reliance on agriculture, smaller communities, lower population density (among the lowest in the state), and less cultural, linguistic diversity.

[Tobias C]

I agree with dodeca.

[Peregrine]

The difference?
About 110 miles.

Ba doom boom,

[City Boy Columbus]

So you are wanting to know the difference between a bigg ohio city and a mid siZe ohio city. Cleveland is a metropolis and has a way more diverse population than Toledo.

[warren zee]

More hills in the east. More ethnics but still, plenty of WASPS and "born agains".
I like the topography of the east more. Also that New England flavor.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by ohazco

I grew up in rural NW Ohio, and I have felt very little commonality with NE Ohio at all. I think its probably more the fact that NE Ohio is very much urbanized, where NW Ohio has alot of small towns and farmland, having a slower pace of life, friendliness, gun ownership and acceptance, conservativeness, etc. People from Toledo probably have a completely different point of view of NW Ohio than I do. In the country, we were very midwestern, where many in NE Ohio don't even consider themselves midwestern (if that doesn't show a cultural difference I don't know what does).

Then again, what do I know, I'm just a backward, overweight, drug addicted rural idiot too stupid to vote democrat like the brilliant minds of our time do (aka remembermee). Wow, of all the arrogant, demeaning posts I have read on this site I think that took the cake!

There is nothing urban about Ashtabula.