I like Cincinnati but my wife likes Columbus (Cleveland, Toledo: low income, 2015)

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by Kamms

How long have you been considering a move to Ohio?

We started looking last fall.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by motorman

What are your family's employment circumstances and expectations, including driving times?

I essentially work from home. I require office space but only sporadically. My wife is in sales and travels nationwide but spends most days working from home.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Hmm there are some wonderful areas of Cincinnati and some rather drab areas of Columbus. I feel like maybe she hasn't really been to enough of either city. Not sure what makes Columbus more family friendly though. What does she mean "feels" unsafe?

I lived in Columbus from 2008-2012. It certainly has some good areas. Grandview, Arena District, German Village, Short North, Victorian Village, Clintonville are all cool spots. However, if I didn't live in one of these areas, I wouldn't want to live in Columbus. I share the sentiment that Columbus can be bland, i.e. too many people "passing through" for college and government jobs, and a decent number of country people who move to the city for opportunities but aren't really all that connected to it. I find a lot of the new developments really alienating too in terms of architecture. It's also not far south enough to really have a minimal winter (like Cincinnati) and not far north enough to have a real winter (Cleveland). In terms of sports, since you mentioned it, Ohio State football is fantastic and honestly more worth watching and following than the Bengals. However, the Blue Jackets are awful and nobody really cares about them (I doubt if you asked any random Columbus residents on the street if they could name 3 players on CBJ that they could) and MLS is just not the same thing as the MLB.

Cincinnati has some incredibly charming areas in my opinion. I've been there many times (granted, not for the last two years though) and didn't really find people to be provincial or insular. Sometimes people confuse that with just having a regional culture. Parts of the city are definitely gritty and not the safest, but I don't think you'd be in danger of accidentally moving there or wandering through late at night. In my opinion, that's a non factor.

I'd choose Cincinnati. Though there are certainly worse places to be than Columbus.

How different are the winters really? Just a bit of temp and snow difference or more like a longer winter in Columbus?

[Buckeye614]

Like another poster suggested I would look into specific communities within both of the cities and metro areas and then compare them from there. Both Cincy and Columbus have interesting urban neighborhoods with a ton of development, hopeless ghettos, old money suburbs, suburban sprawl etc.

Columbus is definitely not a bland city and is currently exploding with growth and development. The Short North, Arena District, German Village, Grandview and Victorian Village are neighborhoods in the city limits that I would recommend spending time in if you want to experience vibrant urban environments that are unique to Columbus.

If you're looking for things to do in the area there is literally a large festival every weekend this time of year. So far we've had Arts fest, Pride, Community (Comm) Fest, Park Street Fest, Red White and Boom and the Dooh Dah parade. Coming up we have the Jazz and Ribs festival, the food truck festival, the state fair etc. There are outdoor concerts at the Columbus Commons downtown every weekend as well.

For beautiful parks check out Goodale Park, Schiller Park and Whetstone Park of Roses. Alum creek is close by and is the closest thing in Central Ohio to a beach, Hocking Hills is a close drive away as well if you like to hike and Franklin Park Conservatory is a beautiful botanical garden.

Columbus is a great city, I'm sure Cincy is a well. Honestly you can't go wrong with either city if you pick the right neighborhood for you and your family.

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by Ignatius J. Reilly

You're probably right on the sports thing. It is more of a way to feel as part of a city - being a fan and living there.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking Cincinnati, I just prefer Columbus. You are not going to have any noticeable difference in your life if you live in a mcmansion in Mason or one in Hilliard or in Pickerington (or for that matter, Beavercreek or Strongsville).

As I said in another post, only a handful of cities in the United States offer any kind of lifestyle or amenities that one could call unique. Most of the rest of the cities are all basically the same. And of that second tier of cities that are all basically the same, the three C's (Columbus, Cincinnati/Dayton and Cleveland) are all solidly above-average cities and easily in the top of that second tier. (The metro areas, that is.)

The major league teams in Cleveland and in Cincinnati are covered almost like local teams by the Columbus media. And if you are into Cincinnati teams, 700 WLW booms into Columbus like a local station as does AM 850 WKNR from Cleveland.

The only knock I have against Cincinnati other than the fact that they are a little backward when it comes to racial relations, but not too bad (and again this is from a guy for whom that is not too much of a priority, I just want to be left alone), is that it is more redneck-ish than the Columbus area is. Part of that is because 1/3 of the population in that market is south of the Ohio River in Kentucky. Columbus is going to be more consistently Midwestern maybe with a touch of Madison Wisconsin thrown in.

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by Ignatius J. Reilly

How different are the winters really? Just a bit of temp and snow difference or more like a longer winter in Columbus?

It's a tad warmer and Cincinnati and there's a tad less snow, but nothing so significant that it would be a determining lactor. Now if you are comparing Cleveland to either Columbus or Cincinnati, that's a completely different story.

I thought of one reason that might be a deciding factor for you. If you are going to be living in Mason, it is going to be a little bit of a haul to get to the airport because it is in Kentucky. Most of the comfortable suburbs in the Columbus area are a shorter distance to the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus.

[Kamms]

[quote=Ignatius J. Reilly;44757345]I'm not sure where you came up with that. Why would I waste my time on such nonsense? If I wanted to flame a board I could be much more impactful than my original post.[/QUOTE

Maybe 'cause you stated in another thread that after visiting the Midwest you came to appreciate Florida so much more...smooth roads and all that, Florida is so neat and clean (compared to the Midwest)...etc

Plus your initial post in this thread sounds a bit too contrived and on point with the usual attributes people like or dislike about Cinci and Columbus. Things you and wife independently came up by visiting these two cities; each of you complete polar opposites for each city.

Just not buying this thread...but continue on. I won't chime in anymore.

Btw, sounds like your ''How is Columbus so family friendly'' didn't answer that topic sufficiently.

Carry on...

[ZnGuy]

I lived in COL and CLE many years and visit CIN 7-8 times a year. I prefer CLE , CIN over COL. If you factor in weather then go with CIN.
Most importantly you must remember..'happy wife, happy life'..

[Petrielover]

I lived in a nice, quiet suburb of Dayton and would visit both Cinci and Columbus frequently. It was only an hour drive to each and I enjoyed all the benefits of both towns.

[abr7rmj]

I live in the Dayton area and I go to Cincinnati far FAR more than Columbus. It has amenities galore and feels like a much more major city. When we have visitors in from out of town we will always take them to Cincinnati. The city is literally dripping charm. Better sports (except college football), better restaurants, many more interesting and eclectic neighborhoods, multiple universities, superior scenery, slightly friendlier weather. Just since April I've seen - in Cincy - Billy Joel, Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, Dixie Chicks, Guns n Roses and Paul McCartney, so they get more concerts. I did see Garth Brooks in Columbus. Kings Island is awesome, but so are the waterparks in Mason.

And the streetcar is about to debut as well.