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I know, it's a weird thing to say. Nobody thinks about minneapolis outside of minnesota, maybe western wisconsin. It's more or less a regional capital. Not a national player by any stretch of the imagination. Which is fine by the way.
I know that since coming here, I've thought about MSP a LOT more than I ever would have, or ever wanted to. I don't come to the Ohio forum to talk about f*8ing Minneapolis and find it pathetic how many discussions are intentionally derailed by it because of one ultimate fan. Whatever I once thought of the city, I have a decidedly negative view of it now.
We have been living here for three years, and we are very happy. I can't say that "Ohio is a better state to live in than most other US states". Each state has it's own advantages and disadvantages.
If you are looking for a humid sub tropical climate, OH will not deliver.
As with other populous states, there are many different "Ohios".
I moved here from the North Shore of Long Island, which has a huge New England colonial influence. North Eastern Ohio was settled by people from Connecticut - "The Connecticut Western Reserve" and you will find a New England influence through out much of Ohio. Especially the North East and the nicer Cleveland suburbs.
You will see this in the architecture, and landscape, lush green springs and the glorious foliage of fall.
Ohio values higher education and we are home to some of the best colleges and universities in the country - Oberlin, Case Western Reserve, Kenyon, Ohio State University, Dennison, Ohio Wesleyan, College of Wooster and many others. Our daughter is graduating from a public high school and was able to take many AP courses, as well as interesting extra curricular activities.
After leaving Long Island we lived in PA for a few years and we did not enjoy it. In comparison to Ohio, it was insular and xenophobic. PA residents were hostile to outsiders, and monolithic in their right wing politics and gun culture.
If you love hunting, you will easily find people who share your passion. However, if you are not interested in it, Ohioans will not make deride you for your disinterest.
Politics here are moderate. There are Republicans and Democrats and we coexist peacefully.
People are less extreme in their views, or less vociferous in their expression of those beliefs.
We like that.
In terms of materialism, Ohioans are moderate. I know many woman who take good care of themselves and wear stylish clothes. However, the pressure to out do one another is not at all a feature of life in most of this state.
Recently, we joined a country club because we enjoy golf and tennis. We also have access to a pool and many social events. In comparison to a Long Island country club (I grew up with my parents as members) it is low key and less snobbish.
If you enjoy boating or fishing, you will not be alone. There are many lakes and fishing and boating are popular activities.
Although, we are not on the ocean, we do have a glorious coast - the North Coast of Lake Erie.
It has a very nautical feel, and there are many sea food restaurants and wineries, which make for fun summer day trips.
Winter is slightly snowier than Long Island or coastal Connecticut, as you might expect. However, it is not noticeably colder.
I don't always agree that you get what you pay for. Had I known that Ohio was this nice, I'd have moved here 25 years ago.
I hope that this helps. If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to message me.
I cannot give you enough rep. What great and balanced post! My father went to OSU and I am always looking at opportunities to move to Columbus. Hopefully some day soon.
Cleveland's history as a great ethnic melting pot isn't belittled in Cleveland, it is celebrated. Is there anything like this anywhere else in the U.S., or even the world?
We immerse ourselves in the cultures of the world, even our highly respected foodie scene is rooted firmly in ethnic and mod ethnic traditions. This tradition is anchored by the West Side Market, the largest surviving, pure food public market in the U.S.
Surrounding Cleveland to the south and east is Ohio Amish Country, the largest Amish community in the world. If you want preserved cultural traditions, where else in the U.S. can you best escape to the 19th century than eastern Holmes County?
Make no mistake that just like in Texas and a few other states, football is much more in Ohio than a spectator sport. It's an often shared experience of sharp physical activity on crisp falls days and even in deep snow. If you don't believe that football is a cultural experience in Ohio, you truly lack a grasp of the meaning of "culture."
What's your definition of culture: country music to the exclusion of the entire rest of the human experience? Admittedly, in much of Ohio, country music isn't that popular.
You seem to believe that a multifarious culture that incorporates a vast array of the human experience is inferior to a homogenous culture perhaps as you experienced in TN. The logic of that type of thinking escapes me, and I can only assume it's rooted in hubris and bias, explaining the contorted reasoning and angrily dismissive tone of your posts on this topic.
Just because many Ohioans prefer marching bands, Mozart, and a polka Happy Hour to the Grand Ole Opry, doesn't mean that they are less cultured than a condescending Tennessee transplant. In fact, because few of us would dismiss country music given our eclectic tastes, and actually enjoy visits to Tennesse's great music cities, many might consider us much more cultured in the true sense of the word.
I can't give you any more rep but what a great post. Thank you.
Thought I might add my opinion and see if it helps. Here's the deal about Ohio:
Cleveland is on Lake Erie and connected by Route 20 all the way along the Lake, across the whole North Coast, as it were. The climate is about the same, meaning that one can drive from Cleveland up to Buffalo, NY (and beyond) on the East and through Toledo on through South Bend IN up to Chicago. I mention this to give you the flavor of the people -who settled in the area and worked in the steel mills and auto factories in its heyday -- hard working, blue collar families who sent their kids to parochial schools so they could get good white collar jobs, (eastern european: Polish, Slavic, Russian) along with German, Irish Catholic "ghetto" type neighborhoods. That's the same type of folks you'll find in Chicago and Buffalo as well. (As well as die hard fans of the Bears, The Browns, and the Bills :-).
I'm painting broad strokes as it were, as there are also many many other cultures that have moved into Cleveland in the last 20 years, making it a little more cosmopolitin, IMHO than the other two big C's (Columbus, Cincy). Because of this location on the map, Cleveland (and Northern Ohio) historically leans more to the Democrat side of politics. Rockefeller started his empire here, before his family moved to NYC and WV. Clevelanders see themselves as "on par" with Chicagoans and New Yorkers in this regard (even though those in NY and Chi-town might not feel on par with Clevelanders, but that's another thread.
If you are from the West Coast, and lean liberal, you might feel more at home in Cleveland. Spring, Summer and Fall seasons are beautiful there with no shortage of things to do in the Metroparks and local festivals. The downside is that, like Chicago and Buffalo, winters can be brutal. Seriously, if you've never seen snow, I'd either brace myself for c-o-l-d, or find a home further south.
So Cleveland: great by the lake, generally leans Democrat, great food and sports, and the arts, three seasons = awesome. Nicer suburbs: Westlake, Avon Lake, Lakewood (younger, hipper crowds) and Wickliffe, Mentor on the Lake. Further south, North Ridgeville, Chesterland, Berea, Strongsville, and Solon: excellent schools.
If you're still with me, we are done with Cleveland for now. Go to the Rock amd Roll Hall of Fame amd hope on Interstate I-71, South to Columbus. From your perspective, this three hour leg is "God's country," nothing but farms and flat land. Drive straight into Columbus. You'll notice I-70 cuts right through town, running East and West.
You can drive straight across the country either way (hence Ohio's old slogan, "the heart of it all"). When you've crossed I-70, that's generally where the Democrat's influence ends and the GOP's begins. North of 70? Blue. South of 70? Red. I say this because Columbus is the capital, home of the Ohio Assembly, and the majority of this assembly has been Republican for 30 years. That's three-zero. If you are an atheist, good luck in Ohio. That stuff doesn't fly here. If you want resonable laws to limit guns carried into schools, good luck with that. That won't fly here either.
You get my drift. If none of that matters and you are looking for nightlife, Columbus has it in spades -- with any Ohio State event comes lots of social life happening around the outskirts of campus. Jobs seem to be more plentiful there - at least for now, and it's got a younger vibe, with lots of family friendly things to do on weekends. For bachelors /bachelorettes, this is the place to be, from Polaris for concerts to German village for saurkraut to shopping at East Town Center. Oh, and you can also find good jobs at the statehouse. Good suburbs: Dublin, Pickerington, north Columbus is where you'll find the Zoo and Airport. Further north, towards Granville, you'll find very nice zip codes.
Follow Cleveland and Columbus nightlife on Twitter for more information. Columbus has a great jazz scene; Cleveland outranks all in Performing arts.
Thought I might add my opinion and see if it helps. Here's the deal about Ohio:
Cleveland is on Lake Erie and connected by Route 20 all the way along the Lake, across the whole North Coast, as it were. The climate is about the same, meaning that one can drive from Cleveland up to Buffalo, NY (and beyond) on the East and through Toledo on through South Bend IN up to Chicago. I mention this to give you the flavor of the people -who settled in the area and worked in the steel mills and auto factories in its heyday -- hard working, blue collar families who sent their kids to parochial schools so they could get good white collar jobs, (eastern european: Polish, Slavic, Russian) along with German, Irish Catholic "ghetto" type neighborhoods. That's the same type of folks you'll find in Chicago and Buffalo as well. (As well as die hard fans of the Bears, The Browns, and the Bills :-).
I'm painting broad strokes as it were, as there are also many many other cultures that have moved into Cleveland in the last 20 years, making it a little more cosmopolitin, IMHO than the other two big C's (Columbus, Cincy). Because of this location on the map, Cleveland (and Northern Ohio) historically leans more to the Democrat side of politics. Rockefeller started his empire here, before his family moved to NYC and WV. Clevelanders see themselves as "on par" with Chicagoans and New Yorkers in this regard (even though those in NY and Chi-town might not feel on par with Clevelanders, but that's another thread.
If you are from the West Coast, and lean liberal, you might feel more at home in Cleveland. Spring, Summer and Fall seasons are beautiful there with no shortage of things to do in the Metroparks and local festivals. The downside is that, like Chicago and Buffalo, winters can be brutal. Seriously, if you've never seen snow, I'd either brace myself for c-o-l-d, or find a home further south.
So Cleveland: great by the lake, generally leans Democrat, great food and sports, and the arts, three seasons = awesome. Nicer suburbs: Westlake, Avon Lake, Lakewood (younger, hipper crowds) and Wickliffe, Mentor on the Lake. Further south, North Ridgeville, Chesterland, Berea, Strongsville, and Solon: excellent schools.
If you're still with me, we are done with Cleveland for now. Go to the Rock amd Roll Hall of Fame amd hope on Interstate I-71, South to Columbus. From your perspective, this three hour leg is "God's country," nothing but farms and flat land. Drive straight into Columbus. You'll notice I-70 cuts right through town, running East and West.
You can drive straight across the country either way (hence Ohio's old slogan, "the heart of it all"). When you've crossed I-70, that's generally where the Democrat's influence ends and the GOP's begins. North of 70? Blue. South of 70? Red. I say this because Columbus is the capital, home of the Ohio Assembly, and the majority of this assembly has been Republican for 30 years. That's three-zero. If you are an atheist, good luck in Ohio. That stuff doesn't fly here. If you want resonable laws to limit guns carried into schools, good luck with that. That won't fly here either.
You get my drift. If none of that matters and you are looking for nightlife, Columbus has it in spades -- with any Ohio State event comes lots of social life happening around the outskirts of campus. Jobs seem to be more plentiful there - at least for now, and it's got a younger vibe, with lots of family friendly things to do on weekends. For bachelors /bachelorettes, this is the place to be, from Polaris for concerts to German village for saurkraut to shopping at East Town Center. Oh, and you can also find good jobs at the statehouse. Good suburbs: Dublin, Pickerington, north Columbus is where you'll find the Zoo and Airport. Further north, towards Granville, you'll find very nice zip codes.
Follow Cleveland and Columbus nightlife on Twitter for more information. Columbus has a great jazz scene; Cleveland outranks all in Performing arts.
Hope this helps.
Actually much of Ohio isn't very flat, but is characterized by the rolling Appalachian foothills. This is especially true in eastern Ohio. Yet the highest point in Ohio is Bellefontaine, northwest of Columbus. A great place to experience Ohio's rolling hills dotted with beautiful fields of grain is at Malabar Farm State Park, just off I-71 southwest of Mansfield.
Brandywine Falls in CVNP generally is considered the most spectacular waterfall in Ohio, and northeastern Ohio has several nice waterfalls as water descends from the Appalachian Plateau into Lake Erie. The Lake Erie shoreline east of Sandusky becomes elevated and is characterized by bluffs above the beaches.
Among the most beautiful places to explore Ohio topography in addition to Cuyahoga Valley National Park are Holden Arboretum in Kirtland and the Hocking Hills near Logan southeast of Columbus. Holden Arboretum has 500 feet of elevation within its boundaries and is one of the largest and best in the U.S. and contains a National Natural Landmark (as does Mohican State Park). The Hocking Hills was named by Fodor's as one of the best state (not national) parks in the U.S.
Of course, Ohio waterfalls pale against those found in New York, whether Niagara Falls or the likes of Taughannock Falls near Ithaca.
Mountain biking is popular both in Mohican State Park southwest of Mansfield and in Great Seal State Park southeast of Columbus.
It also should be noted that Columbus is a Democratic Party stronghold and the Barrack Obama twice carried Ohio. The Republicans have extensively gerrymandered Ohio, greatly increasing their legislative influence. E.g., Congressional districts in northern Ohio lump together Democratic precincts in Cleveland with those in both Toledo and Akron. It's an embarrassment for representative democracy.
Ohio has very conservative major newspapers, as demonstrated in the last gubernatorial election when the major newspapers launched what many considered a lynching of Democratic Party nominee Ed Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, an ex-FBI agent and an accomplished administrator of Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, had some personal flaws. Most notably, the Republicans illegally tapped into his motor vehicle records and released information that he hadn't had a driver's license for several years. However, the Columbus Dispatch and especially the Plain Dealer in Cleveland concocted and emphasized an unsubstantiated insinuation that Fitzgerald had engaged in a tryst with an Irish trade delegate. Meanwhile, the major newspapers largely ignored Kasich programs such as the leveraging of the Ohio Turnpike (a long-term noose over the northern Ohio economy), the diversion of billions of state liquor funds into the secretive Jobs Ohio, the failure of Kasich to deal with the ongoing massive pollution of Lake Erie, the gutting of state services and the local government fund. Kasich policies have raised sales taxes and indirectly local real estate taxes throughout Ohio.
Ohio newspapers tragically haven't yet even reported the Kasich environmental time bomb resulting from the injection of radioactive fracking waste under high pressure in much of the state. Much of the fracking waste water actually is shipped into Ohio from other states, such as PA and WV, that largely ban the injection wells. Kasich also signed a bill permitting fracking in Ohio state parks, largely never mentioned by the newspapers in the last governor's race.
Actually much of Ohio isn't very flat, but is characterized by the rolling Appalachian foothills. This is especially true in eastern Ohio. Yet the highest point in Ohio is Bellefontaine, northwest of Columbus. A great place to experience Ohio's rolling hills dotted with beautiful fields of grain is at Malabar Farm State Park, just off I-71 southwest of Mansfield.
Brandywine Falls in CVNP generally is considered the most spectacular waterfall in Ohio, and northeastern Ohio has several nice waterfalls as water descends from the Appalachian Plateau into Lake Erie. The Lake Erie shoreline east of Sandusky becomes elevated and is characterized by bluffs above the beaches.
Among the most beautiful places to explore Ohio topography in addition to Cuyahoga Valley National Park are Holden Arboretum in Kirtland and the Hocking Hills near Logan southeast of Columbus. Holden Arboretum has 500 feet of elevation within its boundaries and is one of the largest and best in the U.S. and contains a National Natural Landmark (as does Mohican State Park). The Hocking Hills was named by Fodor's as one of the best state (not national) parks in the U.S.
Of course, Ohio waterfalls pale against those found in New York, whether Niagara Falls or the likes of Taughannock Falls near Ithaca.
Mountain biking is popular both in Mohican State Park southwest of Mansfield and in Great Seal State Park southeast of Columbus.
It also should be noted that Columbus is a Democratic Party stronghold and the Barrack Obama twice carried Ohio. The Republicans have extensively gerrymandered Ohio, greatly increasing their legislative influence. E.g., Congressional districts in northern Ohio lump together Democratic precincts in Cleveland with those in both Toledo and Akron. It's an embarrassment for representative democracy.
Ohio has very conservative major newspapers, as demonstrated in the last gubernatorial election when the major newspapers launched what many considered a lynching of Democratic Party nominee Ed Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, an ex-FBI agent and an accomplished administrator of Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, had some personal flaws. Most notably, the Republicans illegally tapped into his motor vehicle records and released information that he hadn't had a driver's license for several years. However, the Columbus Dispatch and especially the Plain Dealer in Cleveland concocted and emphasized an unsubstantiated insinuation that Fitzgerald had engaged in a tryst with an Irish trade delegate. Meanwhile, the major newspapers largely ignored Kasich programs such as the leveraging of the Ohio Turnpike (a long-term noose over the northern Ohio economy), the diversion of billions of state liquor funds into the secretive Jobs Ohio, the failure of Kasich to deal with the ongoing massive pollution of Lake Erie, the gutting of state services and the local government fund. Kasich policies have raised sales taxes and indirectly local real estate taxes throughout Ohio.
Ohio newspapers tragically haven't yet even reported the Kasich environmental time bomb resulting from the injection of radioactive fracking waste under high pressure in much of the state. Much of the fracking waste water actually is shipped into Ohio from other states, such as PA and WV, that largely ban the injection wells. Kasich also signed a bill permitting fracking in Ohio state parks, largely never mentioned by the newspapers in the last governor's race.
This started out as a good informative post. But you let your personal political views and opinions derail it!
If you want resonable laws to limit guns carried into schools, good luck with that. That won't fly here either.
Are you referring to laws that prevent law abiding citizens from carrying guns into schools, or laws which prevent criminals from carrying guns into schools?
Actually much of Ohio isn't very flat, but is characterized by the rolling Appalachian foothills. This is especially true in eastern Ohio. Yet the highest point in Ohio is Bellefontaine, northwest of Columbus. A great place to experience Ohio's rolling hills dotted with beautiful fields of grain is at Malabar Farm State Park, just off I-71 southwest of Mansfield.
Brandywine Falls in CVNP generally is considered the most spectacular waterfall in Ohio, and northeastern Ohio has several nice waterfalls as water descends from the Appalachian Plateau into Lake Erie. The Lake Erie shoreline east of Sandusky becomes elevated and is characterized by bluffs above the beaches.
Among the most beautiful places to explore Ohio topography in addition to Cuyahoga Valley National Park are Holden Arboretum in Kirtland and the Hocking Hills near Logan southeast of Columbus. Holden Arboretum has 500 feet of elevation within its boundaries and is one of the largest and best in the U.S. and contains a National Natural Landmark (as does Mohican State Park). The Hocking Hills was named by Fodor's as one of the best state (not national) parks in the U.S.
Of course, Ohio waterfalls pale against those found in New York, whether Niagara Falls or the likes of Taughannock Falls near Ithaca.
Mountain biking is popular both in Mohican State Park southwest of Mansfield and in Great Seal State Park southeast of Columbus.
It also should be noted that Columbus is a Democratic Party stronghold and the Barrack Obama twice carried Ohio. The Republicans have extensively gerrymandered Ohio, greatly increasing their legislative influence. E.g., Congressional districts in northern Ohio lump together Democratic precincts in Cleveland with those in both Toledo and Akron. It's an embarrassment for representative democracy.
Ohio has very conservative major newspapers, as demonstrated in the last gubernatorial election when the major newspapers launched what many considered a lynching of Democratic Party nominee Ed Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, an ex-FBI agent and an accomplished administrator of Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, had some personal flaws. Most notably, the Republicans illegally tapped into his motor vehicle records and released information that he hadn't had a driver's license for several years. However, the Columbus Dispatch and especially the Plain Dealer in Cleveland concocted and emphasized an unsubstantiated insinuation that Fitzgerald had engaged in a tryst with an Irish trade delegate. Meanwhile, the major newspapers largely ignored Kasich programs such as the leveraging of the Ohio Turnpike (a long-term noose over the northern Ohio economy), the diversion of billions of state liquor funds into the secretive Jobs Ohio, the failure of Kasich to deal with the ongoing massive pollution of Lake Erie, the gutting of state services and the local government fund. Kasich policies have raised sales taxes and indirectly local real estate taxes throughout Ohio.
Ohio newspapers tragically haven't yet even reported the Kasich environmental time bomb resulting from the injection of radioactive fracking waste under high pressure in much of the state. Much of the fracking waste water actually is shipped into Ohio from other states, such as PA and WV, that largely ban the injection wells. Kasich also signed a bill permitting fracking in Ohio state parks, largely never mentioned by the newspapers in the last governor's race.
Thanks for this input. It is sad how news media fails to serve the public. Great that you brought awareness to such issues via your balanced and informative posts.
As with other populous states, there are many different "Ohios".
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12
After leaving Long Island we lived in PA for a few years and we did not enjoy it. In comparison to Ohio, it was insular and xenophobic. PA residents were hostile to outsiders, and monolithic in their right wing politics and gun culture.
This is ironic on multiple levels.
First of all, if populous states can have many different subregions therein, then it's pretty damn stupid to conflate one ****ty neighborhood or borough with an entire Commonwealth of nearly 13,000,000 people. There are many different "Pennsylvanias" too, and you're the one being narrow-minded if you refuse to acknowledge this. Second of all, you talk about the "monolithic right-wing politics" where you lived, but you lived near Scranton, right? Scranton is located in Lackawanna County, which Barack Obama won by a huge margin in both 2008 and 2012. We're talking almost a 2:1 margin. And if you lived in Luzerne County, Obama won it by a margin higher than the national margin in both 2008 and 2012. So much for monolithic right-wing politics.
I'm glad you're enjoying your life now, but the double standard in your post was impossible to miss, and too flagrant to let it go.
I cannot give you enough rep. What great and balanced post! My father went to OSU and I am always looking at opportunities to move to Columbus. Hopefully some day soon.
Thank you so much for your kind comments!
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