What will Toledo, Ohio look like...in say 10, 15 or 20 years ? (Columbus: appointed, lease)

[Hey_Hey]

Toledo isn't as bad as everyone puts it, but it is by no means great. To be honest, the lifestyle in Toledo is similar to that of other Ohio cities (C'bus, Cleveland, Dayton, etc). Jobs are scarce in most of Ohio, and Ohio is largely stagnant (Cleveland is noticeable declining, Cincy and C'bus are slowly growing, Dayton, Toledo, and Akron are all just flat).

Toledo's success depends on a few things: 1. Will the US auto industry crumble? If so Toledo will decay rapidly. If not it will live to survive another day. 2. Will solar and alternative energy become an economic force to be reckoned with? If so then Toledo stands to benefit greatly because the University of Toledo is one of the top 5 or so universities in the world when it comes to developing solar energy and other alternative energies. There are already several new startups in the area, and if a boom happens in the coming years Toledo will stand to grow. 3. Will the University of Toledo continue to grow? The new merger of MCO and UT has dramatically improved UT as an institution, and if this growth continues good things will come for the city. 4. Will Toledo take advantage of its logistics potential? With major shipping, rail, air, and highway facilities Toledo can benefit from globalization. Ironically, the very entity that killed Toledo's growth could be its savior in years to come.

[WeSoHood]

Toledo has never been anything but flat and uninspired. And no, it's lifestyle doesn't compare to Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincy's. A few suburbs are nice, but the area in general is just bland.. like a tasteless soup... it just needs something added.

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by Tyger1906

I was born in Toledo, went to college in MI and lived in the DC area for 2 yrs and came back (better job)...now I want to move again (Houston).....

Toledo has a lot of potential however most of it is not realized b/c

1. it is not a progressive city....in fact OH is not a progressive state....there are a lot of cities that are smalller than Toledo yet seem to me much more "together"
2. stagnant growth
3. loss of population

most of the large cities in OH (Cleveland, Cincy, Dayton, Toledo, Akron) are losing people by the thousands b/c the job market is lousy..

At least Cleveland has quite a few fortune 500's, a major medical center, and 2.3 million people (suburbs plus Akron-Canton)...but where do you draw the line...where does cleveland metro stop..?

Cincy's core population has declined however the metro population has increased quite a bit....but it includes OH, KY, IN.....i mean where does it stop....some of these places are 40 or so miles out from Cincy....

toledo would be well over 1million if you included every thing 40 miles around it....but you hit the detroit burbs at mile marker 36 (75 north from the OH border)...so you could say toledo is a "part" of metro detroit ala the metro plex...!

I wont even begin to compare toledo-detroit to dallas-fw

I agree completely about the MSA and metro areas. You should join the discussion in the thread "Cinci/Dayton" something metro...

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

Toledo has never been anything but flat and uninspired. And no, it's lifestyle doesn't compare to Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincy's. A few suburbs are nice, but the area in general is just bland.. like a tasteless soup... it just needs something added.

I couldn't disagree more with the tone of this post. It is fairer to say that Toledo has suffered from poor leadership and the union mentality of many of its residents. "Flat" is an accurate description of the region's topography only. Saying "uninspired" and "bland" neglects to consider the area's proud history and significance to this country's past (Jeep and WWII, Champion and Libbey), as well as the permanent imprint immigrants to the region have left (Middle Eastern, Polish, etc.).

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by Tyger1906

most of the large cities in OH (Cleveland, Cincy, Dayton, Toledo, Akron) are losing people by the thousands b/c the job market is lousy..

At least Cleveland has quite a few fortune 500's, a major medical center, and 2.3 million people (suburbs plus Akron-Canton)...but where do you draw the line...where does cleveland metro stop..?

Cincy's core population has declined however the metro population has increased quite a bit....but it includes OH, KY, IN.....i mean where does it stop....some of these places are 40 or so miles out from Cincy....

• The city of Cincinnati is growing (not "losing people by the thousands").
• Cincy's metro is also growing.
• Cincinnati has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any city in the US (which explains the population growth). We're transitioning into a white-collar workforce.
• Most of Cincinnati's MSA resides within a 25 mile radius of Fountain Square.

Next ...

[movingtohouston]

Originally Posted by Vision-Quest

I agree with you %100 on where Toledo is going what has happened to it, but I would at least go back and see my family.

I just relized this post was 1 year old. HA!

Well I actually went back last week and if anything it has gotten worse. Most of family has ties to the auto industry, working there, retired from there or in related fields. Everyone is worried for their jobs and their future. A good friend of the family owns a restaurant close to where the old jeep plant was (can't believe they knocked it down I thought they were going to use it for a painting plant or something) and he has lost a tremendous amount of business from loss of traffic.

Took a tour of downtown, a virtual ghost town, no nightlife. It just makes you sad. I hope the city officials can figure out a way to entice some sort of business back or the town is going to collapse.

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

\ And no, it's lifestyle doesn't compare to Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincy's.

I've lived in small cities of less than 10,000 people, middle cities and large cities. I've lived in Toledo for 3 years. I've lived in Columbus for a while in the middle of my time in Toledo. My lifestyle has not dramatically been different in any of the places. If I suddenly moved to Cleveland tomorrow my life would not change, and if someone moved from Columbus to Toledo tomorrow their life would not change (I've got several friends from Columbus who would say the same thing).

There's nothing really that any of the "Three C's" offer that Toledo/Akron/Dayton don't have. Sure, there may be more restaurants, but there are still the same types of restaurants in all the cities in regards to ethnic food or the range in prices/atmosphere. Toledo has its own ballet, opera, symphony, art museum, zoo, regular concerts, Broadway productions, etc. All of which the average person only attends sparingly anyway. Roughly the same range of shopping experiences are available in each city (I don't consider having 4 Dillards instead of 2 a major difference). Movie theaters in Toledo are the same as Cincy. A doctor in Dayton is generally the same as a doctor in Cleveland. Driving around Maumee is no different than driving around Parma, and houses in Perrysburg are largely the same as houses in Avon Lake. The ghetto in Toledo is pretty similar to the ghetto in Cleveland. Educational offerings in the cities are all roughly equivalent. If you want an inner-city school with low standards you can get it. If you want a solid suburban school you got it. If you want a mid-priced Catholic school you got it. If you want an extraordinarily overpriced private school you got it. Want to attend a comprehensive four-year research institution? Got that as well.

If you honestly look at how people live in any Ohio city you'll find that there isn't that much difference. Especially when you compare Toledo to Cleveland or Akron to Cincy or Dayton to Columbus (or any variation thereof). Toledo/Akron/Dayton are large enough to provide virtually everything that the Three C's offer, and the Three C's aren't large enough to offer amenities that are available in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, NYC, Boston, and DC.

[WeSoHood]

Everything you are saying is subjective. For my lifestyle, I simply could not live in Toledo. I could however find the same things to do in Cincy, Cleveland, and Columbus. And I've lived in NYC, DC, and Cleveland... and true, NYC and DC offer more to do, Cleveland still holds fairly well in comparison to DC.

And I'm confused what you mean by not large enough to fair well against DC or Boston...? Do you mean metropolitan areas or the actual city? Washington DC is not much larger than Cleveland, neither is Boston. CSA wise, Cleveland is the 14th largest in the nation. And Washington DC isn't loaded with things to do, but it does have an awesome metro area, the NoVA area to be exact.

And in regards to your ghetto comments- surely most ghettos are similar. But Clevelands is much worse. If you actually base it on poverty and crime... I still don't understand some of your arguments but oh well.

Basically what I'm saying, is everything you are talking about in regards to just Ohio cities, applies to EVERY metro area in the nation... don't think Washington DC, or Boston are that different in regards to "bad inner city schools, good suburban schools" or "similar ghettos" or "Opera, ballet, theatres" etc.. all major metro areas have the same amenities and problems. Albeit, just at different degrees... which is what separates the Three C's from other Ohio cities.. much like NYC separates itself from Cleveland.

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by Cincy-Rise

• The city of Cincinnati is growing (not "losing people by the thousands").
• Cincy's metro is also growing.
• Cincinnati has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any city in the US (which explains the population growth). We're transitioning into a white-collar workforce.
• Most of Cincinnati's MSA resides within a 25 mile radius of Fountain Square.

Next ...

Cincy JUST stopped losing thousands of people per year.

FORTUNE 500 2006: Cities

^ Fortune 500 city rankings.. Cleveland, Cincy, and Columbus are all on there.. which is pretty impressive. So don't get all ego driven on us

[sfs08]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

Cincy JUST stopped losing thousands of people per year.

FORTUNE 500 2006: Cities

^ Fortune 500 city rankings.. Cleveland, Cincy, and Columbus are all on there.. which is pretty impressive. So don't get all ego driven on us

The city just stopped losing people. The metro area has been constantly gaining population.