I am thinking about relocating to Kent or Athens Ohio (Columbus: neighborhoods, movie theaters)

[William S]

I live in South West Missouri and I am thinking about relocating to Kent or Athens Ohio.I like to live in an area where their is shopping ,dining , movie theaters, culture, cultural events, music events,great local music scene, public radio stations, and people who are intelligent and can intelligent conversations.
I prefer college towns.I am not to sure about Job opportunities. I am getting tired of South West Missouri.
I want to be where the cool people are. College towns seem to be where it is at.

[ferraris]

I would choose Kent over Athens based on what you said. Kent is much more integrated into the Cleveland/Akron metro areas, providing a lot more things to do outside of the college town itself. Athens is pretty isolated, and life there may be strange if you aren't affiliated with the university somehow.

Bowling Green is another one of the larger college towns in Ohio.

You may also want to consider Cleveland Heights, which is basically the college town for Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic/University Hospitals medical residents. Specifically the Coventry, Cedar-Lee, and Cedar-Fairmount neighborhoods.

[joe from dayton]

I've never heard anyone use "Athens" and "culture" in the same sentence. If you are interested in Ohio, I would also look at Columbus and Cincinnati. The Dayton area is also a solid choice, IMO. If you want a hippy college town, look at Yellow Springs.

[ohio_peasant]

What limited exposure I have to SW Missouri, gave me cause to feel more respect for most of Ohio, as a relatively more progressive and pluralistic place. That being "relative', of course.

For the OP, why not relocate to the St. Louis area? It's not terribly distant, and the cultural opportunities would vastly improve.

As concerns Ohio itself, the best choice for the OP's purposes would be the cores of Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland and their more affluent suburbs. I would avoid the secondary cities (Dayton, Toledo,...). The isolated college towns, as noted already, are very small, and a newcomer's experience would presumably differ greatly, depending on whether one is part of the univeristy community (student, staff, faculty) or not.

[216facts]

Originally Posted by joe from dayton

I've never heard anyone use "Athens" and "culture" in the same sentence. If you are interested in Ohio, I would also look at Columbus and Cincinnati. The Dayton area is also a solid choice, IMO. If you want a hippy college town, look at Yellow Springs.

Athens punches above its weight in culture due to the presence of OU. Its got a few museums, a few great microbreweries. It doesn't compare to the 3Cs, but it is a decent choice if you're more into nature hiking, etc. and not in need of all the options the 3Cs offer.

BTW, for the real culture gurus, there are only 2Cs in Ohio. I agree with the poster above, Kent would be a great choice. I have lived in Athens and Cleve Hts. and can attest that there is not much of a comparison between the 2.

[bjimmy24]

Kent is a great spot. Great town on its own, but you also have your choice between Akron, Cleveland, Youngstown when you want to venture out a bit.

[WRnative]

With the likes of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Music Center, Playhouse Square, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland is the best cultural hub in Ohio and among the best in the country.


Many of the counties in northeast Ohio have significant and very good metropark systems, as do all five counties in Greater Cleveland, Summit County (Akron), and Portage County (where Kent is located). There also is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Lake Erie.


Kent is an hour from Cleveland, just over 1 1/2 hours from Pittsburgh, and two hours from Columbus. It's in the heart of Ohio Amish Country. And nearby Wooster in the summer has the Ohio Light Opera, among the better light opera venues in the U.S.


https://ohiolightopera.org/


The Butler Institute of Art in Youngstown is the oldest and one of the better museums of American art.

[SlideRules99]

Given the priorities you’ve outlined, Kent wins in a head-to-head against Athens.

Live music is a particular strength of Kent / Akron / CLE. It has all the other features on your wish list as well.

Is there a reason you are selecting OH? All good…but there are ump-teen other college towns with the attributes you seek as well.

[TheYO]

I love Athens. I went to college there and have nothing but fond memories of my time there. But based on what you're looking for, Kent wins easily. It's a slightly larger city, and closer to Cleveland than Athens is to Columbus. You'll need to visit one of the "big 3 Cs" (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati) for most nationally touring music acts, larger cultural events, etc. I prefer Cleveland to Columbus (and also Cincinnati over Columbus).


TBH, I agree with the above poster who recommend Cleveland Heights. You'll be much closer to the action while still having a smaller, suburban feel.

[ohioaninsc]

Kent wins by a landslide over Athens here...even though Ohio University is a better school than Ken State.