Ohio in general?

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by db108108

There are some really cool things in Ohio, and the people are nice and usually genuine. But in all of the "Ohio is the best rah rah rah" banter, people lose sight that no, Ohio is not the best and that it is falling behind many other states in SO many areas. People need to take off the rose-coloured glasses and figure out how to fix things. There's something fundamentally wrong with a state where 9 out of 10 and 12 of 15 of its largest cities had a smaller population in 2008 than they did in 1970 (the ones with growth are Columbus, Lorain and Mentor, BTW). Cities are the life-blood of any state, yet most of Ohio's have been sent off to sink for decades.

a) People everywhere have pride in their home town/state.

b) All of Ohio's metropolitan areas are larger today than they were in 1970. People aren't moving away, people are simply moving to the suburbs and beyond. People that do move away are being replaced by people that move in--not to the cities--but also to the suburbs. That's what the United States has become in the past few decades. I guess we could go the Toronto route and have our big cities combine with its suburbs, but I think the jury is still out on that solution.

[Clevelander17]

Call someplace "paradise," kiss it goodbye.

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by Clevelander17

a) People everywhere have pride in their home town/state.

b) All of Ohio's metropolitan areas are larger today than they were in 1970. People aren't moving away, people are simply moving to the suburbs and beyond. People that do move away are being replaced by people that move in--not to the cities--but also to the suburbs. That's what the United States has become in the past few decades. I guess we could go the Toronto route and have our big cities combine with its suburbs, but I think the jury is still out on that solution.

Some people only look at certain facts, they do not go through and read them all. Like Ohio's metro area populations. 85% of them are larger today than they were even back in the 80s, and its not a matter of economics, its called "suburban sprawl." Every state in the nation is facing it. People are leaving the cities, and heading for the suburbs where they can have a yard, and everything else away from the city. Things are changing though, and lofts and warehouses are being transformed into living spaces. Since 2000, Cleveland's Downtown population has grown by 32.5%! Cleveland was recently named by Brookings Institute, one of America's fastest emerging downtowns.

Ohio still has yet to see its official population decline yet. Meanwhile, Michigan and Rhode Island have been watching theirs drop for a couple of years now.

Ohio has a diverse economy, which I think helps offset the other industries that are struggling, and not just in Ohio, but all over the nation. A lot of people who leave Ohio, end up coming back after 5 or so odd years of living away. I have noticed it on a number of occasions. Ohio does have a lot to offer, and I think it is good for people to go out and explore what else is out there, but the truth is, Ohio brings a lot to the table, and people see that. I am not originally from Ohio, so I can give my biased opinion.

I have noticed more and more each year people moving here from Florida. If people move because of the weather, that is fine, but people realize that a lot of the south is overrated, and has terrible crime and drug problems, the school systems are terrible, and the growth is putting a huge damper on things. The only state that I will give credit to is South Carolina. Their cities have been declining for a really long time, and didnt experience the growth that all the other southern cities were, and now Columbia, Greenville, and Charelston are showing o.k. signs of growth, and thats how it should be. Charlotte is growing way too fast. Columbia and Greenville are very livable cities. I just hate all the cops in Columbia once you get from I-77 to I-26, and I-26 is has some spots on the freeway worse than Michigan roads.

The next decade looks very promising for Ohio. With the changes in the economy, going green, the new urban living, the new styles in development, Ohio is on the forefront of a lot of great things. Remember, 2000-2009, the nation faced two recessions. This wasnt a good decade for any state if you ask me. Look at the current numbers out there.

Ohio has a lot to discover, and is a very livable state. We have great cities new and old, and we have a diverse population, a lot of great people, and I for one like the change of seasons.

[aquila]

Originally Posted by db108108

Ohio's population is in decline....

Not true. Ohio's population has increased steadily over the years, and is projected to continue growing through 2030.

Please make sure you check your facts before posting such misinformation.

Originally Posted by db108108

Also to note - almost every single one of Ohio's major cities has been in population/economic decline for the past 30 to 40 years, with the exception of Columbus.

Not entirely true. The actual city of Cincinnati itself was indeed in decline for a while, but its metro area consistently grew - and in fact the city itself has recently started making a comeback regaining some population. Cleveland is still bleeding population. Now....Cleveland's metro area still maintains the largest population entirely within the state of Ohio, but Cincinnati's metro population has steadily increased in population and, in totality, has recently become the largest metro population out of any other Ohio city metro area. That indicates that the Cincinnati area is nothing to sneeze at. Both Cincinnati and Cleveland maintain a significant lead over the Columbus area.

Originally Posted by db108108

-There are lots of professional sports teams here, but the Ohio State Buckeyes rule above everything else.

That's a highly subjective opinion.

Originally Posted by icy1007

I currently live in Las Vegas, NV and I am currently looking to move to Ohio. The weather being one of the main reasons. Family in the Akron area being another big one. I've lived in Las Vegas for about 23 years now and I am really getting sick of the temperature being over 100F every day from mid-May through the end of August and Super low humidity (less than 20% most of the time) I've been to Ohio many times in every season, only northeastern Ohio though. I find the weather in Ohio to be, in every way, better than where I currently live.

The whole weather thing is obviously subjective. I would rather put up with super-low humidity any day as opposed to dewpoints which are nearly the same as the temperature. A 100F day with 20% humidity is FAR FAR more comfortable than an 85F day with 65% humidity - trust me. I think you might quickly find you're missing those 100F days of low humidity after you've experienced a week of oppressive mugginess where you towel off after a shower and still feel wet - or your shirt is soaking wet 5 minutes after you go outdoors.

[tgasper]

Don't overlook Dayton - we're an hour's drive from Cincy or Columbus, but don't have the day to day hassles and traffic congestion. This truly is a great place to raise a family and if you are into soccer, you'll find an abundance of options. And we have a lot of colleges and universities in the area. What I love about Dayton is we are on the western edge of the Eastern time zone (same as New York) so it stays light later here.

Yes, Ohio has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs, but most cities, especially Dayton, are going through a real renaissance and it's very easy to get connected and make a difference. In fact, one of the candidates running for Mayor is originally from England.

It can get hot & humid here in the summer, but not necessarily for long stretches of time. I think we only broke 90 degrees (sorry, don't know the celsius equivalent) a few times last summer. Just a word of caution, if you select someplace around the Great Lakes, you'll want to watch out for "lake effect snow" in the winter, especially on the eastern side of Lake Erie. My sister lives in Cleveland and it's nothing for them to get a foot of snow at a time. That's considered a MAJOR snow storm in Dayton (south west part of the state).

As for crime - as with any city in any part of the world, there are good parts and parts no one would want to wonder into. Sometimes downtown Dayton gets a bad reputation, but it actually has the lowest crime stats in the City. And we have an abundance of historic districts, although ours aren't as old as yours are! My favorites are the Oregon District and South Park (www.historicsouthpark.org). The latter is special to me because I grew up there and I've been working hard to revitalize it the past several years. It is Dayton's largest historic district and might possibly be the largest in the entire state. My company site is www.fullcircledayton.com.