What does Ohio think of Southwest Ohio? (Cincy, dayton....ect. (Cleveland: crime, restaurants)

[Dayton Sux]

From Dayton, Cleveland is about as far as Chicago. Where would I rather go? lol (actually Cleveland is a good cheap rustbelt getaway)

Seriously, Cleveland and that whole NE Ohio scene is almost like you are in a different state...even the countryside looks different.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

And to TomJones' point about Hamilton County swinging to the Dems, that is actually somewhat the point of this aggregation, in that it wasnt just the core county, but what was also happening in outlying suburban areas, that was determining the political orienation. Yeah, sure both Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties went for Obama...went Democratic...but in NE Ohio there was enough Democratic support outside of the center city and core county to swing the metro blue.

That is why I'm thinking this is a good measure of relative conservatism of a region.

I dont think there should be much discussion that at least pollitically SW Ohio is fairly conservative (and I think culturally, too).

I would never deny that the region, even including the Dayton metro is conservative. Really, two Democratic cities surrounded by Republican suburbs.

What I will refute are blanket statements, not made by you of course, such as the following:

Originally Posted by Cleverfield

I am from, and am currently living in Cleveland.

For Cincinnati: very insular. People from there think it's the best city around, mostly because that's the only place they've ever lived. It's also very conservative, and not very hip or stylish. I don't know why, but I have a somewhat better impression of Dayton for some reason. It strikes me as more similar to my native Cleveland, or perhaps Youngstown in its industrial roots, and current state of post-industrial economic depression. It seems like a city that's trying to reinvent itself, like Northeast Ohio is.

This statement is loaded with wrong impressions from someone who has never set foot in the region. Dayton is a black/briar ghetto that is steadily sinking deeper into a pit of economic depression and vacancy. Cincinnati is under HEAVY redevelopment in the urban core and uptown. Cincinnati has many neighborhoods that are very cool, with thriving business districts. You would be hard pressed to find a thriving business district in Dayton. Even Belmont's district is mostly dead, but at least there is one.

Dayton is by far the more insular city. I dealt with that first hand. My two years in Dayton were not very much fun. I was an outsider and people there held me to it. In two and a half years in Cincinnati I have an extensive network of friends and contacts. Meeting people here has been a breeze. I do understand that Cincinnati does have it's provincial side, and I'm not denying that. But if you don't want to deal with that there are plenty of neighborhoods to live in where it's not a problem.

I'm going to go on a limb here, but I doubt that Dayton and Cleveland are similar. Cleverfield has no idea how run down and backwards Dayton really is. I know first hand from living in east Dayton and experiencing Dayton in all of it's glory as a resident. Cleveland strikes me as a real city that has a LOT of potential, and is fighting hard to make a comeback. Dayton is dead and in desperate need of help, but let's face it, there is no corporate clout to turn Dayton around and the residents are mostly low income.

He obviously hasn't a clue about Cincinnati either.

On a side note, I have a friend who is a Realtor and works mostly in OTR. He told me there is a 4% vacancy rate in OTR. They can't develop it fast enough because the demand is so high. This in turn is starting to push people into the uptown neighborhoods, where housing is already tight because of UC and the student population. As OTR redevelops and fills in, there will be more demand for surrounding neighborhoods. That's why it's so important to keep the urban core intact and vibrant. That's how cities are built in the first place. I am glad to see Cincinnati is doing it the right way.

[Dayton Sux]

.....but I have a somewhat better impression of Dayton for some reason. It strikes me as more similar to my native Cleveland,

I wish Dayton was more like Cleveland, becuase it would be a more interesting place and maybe a place with more hope.

Cleveland for all its faults has a lot of people pushing back against decline or trying to re-invent the place. There is more of an appreciation of urbanism and progressivsm there. Things like that Green City/Blue Lake initiative, and so forth....

The thing that sells Cleveland for me..that sort of closes the deal for the local vibe...is that the Visible Voice Bookstore is able to survive and act as sort of a community center. A place like Visible Voice would be unthinkable in SW Ohio...in Dayton, and, yes, Cincinnati.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

A place like Visible Voice would be unthinkable in SW Ohio...in Dayton, and, yes, Cincinnati.

Unthinkable? Are you kidding? Something like this would thrive in OTR.

[ProkNo5]

I'm confused. What makes Visible Voice great? Honest question, because the pics make it look like a typical bookstore.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by ProkNo5

I'm confused. What makes Visible Voice great? Honest question, because the pics make it look like a typical bookstore.

What does an atypical book store look like? They ALL look the same.

Visible Voice is an anchor in Tremont. It's got a lot of events- concerts, talks, wine tastings (you can buy wine there too), and it's in a good location. Lots of local books, pretty nice atmosphere and I think they even have a patio. It's a pretty pleasant building.

I'm not really a huge fan though. Maybe if I wanted to meet a lot of mid to late 30s women, it'd be nice. But I don't. As a book store though, they do have a decent selection.

[motorman]

I'm also confused and skeptical. Exactly what does Visible Voice today offer (except for maybe "wine tastings") that the now defunct Cincinnati New World Bookstore in Clifton or the Crazy Ladies Bookstore in Northside didn't decades before? (We've all been down this road before; little more than yesteryear's retailing concepts warmed over and repackaged, perhaps.)

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by Cleverfield

So you can't know anything about a place unless you've been to a place? I guess books and all are useless to you then. I have read things about Southwest Ohio, I have spoken with people from Southwest Ohio about Southwest Ohio. I have learned about the area, and while I'm no expert on it, I think I'm informed enough to know the general political and social climate down there.

And here's what we're reading today of what happened in NE Ohio just outside of Cleveland:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/ed...ents.html?_r=0

Nut jobs are everywhere. I certainly don't hold this one against Cleveland.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by abr7rmj

And here's what we're reading today of what happened in NE Ohio just outside of Cleveland:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/ed...ents.html?_r=0

Nut jobs are everywhere. I certainly don't hold this one against Cleveland.

These might be your sentiments, abr7rmj, but they're neither mine nor (hopefully) Cleverfield's! After all, my man--if the Creation Museum can define Cincinnati's "whatever," then Oberlin College must define Cleveland's "whatever," right? Case closed; what else can be said about these two sorry Ohio cities?

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by abr7rmj

And here's what we're reading today of what happened in NE Ohio just outside of Cleveland:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/ed...ents.html?_r=0

Nut jobs are everywhere. I certainly don't hold this one against Cleveland.

Haha Oberlin is "just outside of Cleveland" the same way the Creation Museum is "just outside of Cincinnati." Oberlin is a good 35 miles from the center of the city and 15 miles from the closest Cleveland suburb.