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I think one of the biggest determinants of whether a City is viewed as "friendly" or "welcoming" is the percentage of non-native born residents. Cities like Nashville or Columbus are often described as welcoming. A contributor to this is hardly anyone that resides in these cities is actually from there. Instead they are transplants. Fellow transplants tend to be more empathetic to the newest crop of new-comers. A good portion of Cincinnatians never leave or if they do leave they soon return. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It speaks to the attachment to the City. However, the result is if you grew up in Cincinnati you likely have family around and an existing circle of friends. You are much less likely to seek out new members to your clique vis-a-vis a place like Nashville where hardly anyone there is from there and it is necessary to go out and seek new friends, etc.
The University of Cincinnati is booming and the urban core of Cincinnati is experiencing a renaissance. This is likely to result in attracting and more importantly retaining more non-native Cincinnatians. Over time it is safe to say Cincinnati will experience some of the de facto 'welcoming' that other cities have experienced that contain a large non-native population.
I don't know much about UC (sorry, not from here, and my college days are long ago) ... but I wonder that just because UC is booming, doesn't actually mean its booming with transplants? (as the earlier piece suggests it is the # of transplants relative to the total population that give an area a "welcoming" feel).
Most of the "young" people who start at our company from UC are in fact local to Cincinnati (3rd/4th/5th generation) who went to UC. I am not seeing a lot of "Actually, I'm from NY - but I went to UC".
I know anecdote =/= data, but just stating that simply because a college is expanding its reach, doesn't necessarily mean its going to transform the area it resides in.
Similarly with the urban core experiencing a rennaisance. If the people moving to the urban core are millenials from Mason, that's not actually changing the area demographic.
If they are people decamping from Boston to OTR, then that would (under your scenario) make a difference.
I agree that large colleges can (over time) make a big difference -- Ann Arbor MI is an incredibly diverse town with a huge influx of out-of-state folks, many of whom stay in the area after college to either work at, or start their own - local businesses.
I would assume Columbus has that affect as well among others.
But UoM and OSU are HUGE universities, and have been huge for decades and as a result the effect has amplified itself over that amount of time. Even if UC is exponentially growing, it could be decades before that would have any significant effect on the population trends of Cincinnati.
I have no idea about this project they've cooked up. Personally I think forced expressions of interest are insincere and silly, but I suppose if this is used as a "wake-up" call then its possible it will do some good.
I would agree with the results of the 2012 survey this is supposedly in response to, in which transplants rated the city as "cliquish".
I am not sure that that matters much at this point, as new transplants aren't coming here (generally) without a reason. If the economy is booming, and the cost of living is reasonable, people will come - and over time as the population of transplants organically increases, the cliquishness will become dilute
I think one of the biggest determinants of whether a City is viewed as "friendly" or "welcoming" is the percentage of non-native born residents. Cities like Nashville or Columbus are often described as welcoming. A contributor to this is hardly anyone that resides in these cities is actually from there. Instead they are transplants. Fellow transplants tend to be more empathetic to the newest crop of new-comers. A good portion of Cincinnatians never leave or if they do leave they soon return. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It speaks to the attachment to the City. However, the result is if you grew up in Cincinnati you likely have family around and an existing circle of friends. You are much less likely to seek out new members to your clique vis-a-vis a place like Nashville where hardly anyone there is from there and it is necessary to go out and seek new friends, etc.
The University of Cincinnati is booming and the urban core of Cincinnati is experiencing a renaissance. This is likely to result in attracting and more importantly retaining more non-native Cincinnatians. Over time it is safe to say Cincinnati will experience some of the de facto 'welcoming' that other cities have experienced that contain a large non-native population.
This is completely true...Charlotte when I moved there was very welcoming...but in my large social circle of friends there, maybe 2 out of the 15 were actually born and raised there...many moved there w/in a few yrs either before or after I did...for crying out loud, I was in charge of finding a place that could hold 500 or more people for Ohio State Football game watches w/ all the OSU alumni there and who belonged to the Charlotte chapter of the Alumni Association....so these "welcoming" cities are welcoming because they have mostly newcomers in them already.
Cincy and Cleveland will see this happen in the coming years.
Cincinnati would be a lot more welcoming if the natives accepted the fact that there is a world beyond I-275.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goyguy
("Where did you go to school?" "I graduated from UC" "No, I mean high school" "I went to Shokwahomie Township Regional High School in suburban Philly " "Oh. So you're not from here .")
Bwah! That's so spot on. I soon learned to answer the question with "I'm not from around here." People were so disappointed because they didn't get to say it themselves.
I don't know much about UC (sorry, not from here, and my college days are long ago) ... but I wonder that just because UC is booming, doesn't actually mean its booming with transplants? (as the earlier piece suggests it is the # of transplants relative to the total population that give an area a "welcoming" feel).
Most of the "young" people who start at our company from UC are in fact local to Cincinnati (3rd/4th/5th generation) who went to UC. I am not seeing a lot of "Actually, I'm from NY - but I went to UC".
I know anecdote =/= data, but just stating that simply because a college is expanding its reach, doesn't necessarily mean its going to transform the area it resides in.
Similarly with the urban core experiencing a rennaisance. If the people moving to the urban core are millenials from Mason, that's not actually changing the area demographic.
If they are people decamping from Boston to OTR, then that would (under your scenario) make a difference.
I agree that large colleges can (over time) make a big difference -- Ann Arbor MI is an incredibly diverse town with a huge influx of out-of-state folks, many of whom stay in the area after college to either work at, or start their own - local businesses.
I would assume Columbus has that affect as well among others.
But UoM and OSU are HUGE universities, and have been huge for decades and as a result the effect has amplified itself over that amount of time. Even if UC is exponentially growing, it could be decades before that would have any significant effect on the population trends of Cincinnati.
I have no idea about this project they've cooked up. Personally I think forced expressions of interest are insincere and silly, but I suppose if this is used as a "wake-up" call then its possible it will do some good.
I would agree with the results of the 2012 survey this is supposedly in response to, in which transplants rated the city as "cliquish".
I am not sure that that matters much at this point, as new transplants aren't coming here (generally) without a reason. If the economy is booming, and the cost of living is reasonable, people will come - and over time as the population of transplants organically increases, the cliquishness will become dilute
I don't disagree. It will take time. Point remains, if current trends continue the culture will gradually change. As for UC and U of M. They are actually quite similar in enrollment. Both are over 40,000. The big difference is Ann Arbor is a city of a few hundred thousand whereas Cincinnati is an MSA of a few million. Of course given two colleges of equal size the one in the larger population center is more likely to have a higher proportion of students from the region. Ohio State has a load of Columbus MSA kids and even more from the Columbus viewing area (Circleville, Mansfield, Zanesville, Mount Vernon, Lancaster, etc.) but Ohio State is pushing 60,000 total students.
The subjective feelings that people have about whether they are welcomed or not, are truly pointless.
All of the friendliest cities are in the south or the southwest. Duh! Who would have ever guessed that. Southern folks pride themselves on their friendly demeanor. "No one a stranger." But, I guaranty you that a gay Jewish doctor from Boston is not joining many golf clubs in Savannah.
Cincinnati is what I call a democratic society, or better yet, egalitarian. It may help you to have gone to the right high school for whatever group you are trying to become bonded to, but other than that, there are very few demographic cliques.
The Southern Cities are way more friendly than Cincinnati. Cincinnati people are super conservative but without the Southern Hospitality.
Discussions like this are pointless. You can't paint a broad brush over an entire population. To one person, "Cincinnati" may be hostile and mean, to another it may be very friendly and welcoming. It all depends on the people you are with and the situation you are in.
Keep in mind one factor can be changed, but the other cannot. That's why excellent public spaces and community amenities to draw people near each other towards common goals are imperative for creating a positive culture. Want a good example of this in action? Look at college campuses. What makes Cincy States culture different than UC? I bet a lot of it has to do with the way the campus makes individuals interact with each other.
People, however, are a different story. I like to believe we are all basically the same, with a few personality modifications and environmental influences layered over top. I don't believe southerners are any different than Cincinnatians. Because plenty of southerners fit the Cincy stereotype, if there is one, and vice versa.
Cincinnati would be a lot more welcoming if the natives accepted the fact that there is a world beyond I-275.
Bwah! That's so spot on. I soon learned to answer the question with "I'm not from around here." People were so disappointed because they didn't get to say it themselves.
I learned to answer, "I went to a Catholic High School." Often the conversation moves on after that because there are so many Catholic schools around here they don't really care which one. Works like a charm.
Cincinnati would be a lot more welcoming if the natives accepted the fact that there is a world beyond I-275.
Bwah! That's so spot on. I soon learned to answer the question with "I'm not from around here." People were so disappointed because they didn't get to say it themselves.
However, if you live in one of the conservative suburbs outside of I-275, it's rare to meet anyone from Cincinnati. More folks from Bombay than the Westside. If you dislike Cincinnatians move to the outer-ring.
This is VERY true. When I lived in Chicago I was labeled "gay" instantly and was pretty much quarantined to the gay ghetto of Lakeview. Milwaukee I was one of those dirty, rotten bicyclists who belonged in Riverwest. Here, I'm just me and I'm free to do whatever the heck I want.
Hey, why don't you go back to Clifton where you belong.
Actually (outsider here yet went to Miami U------NOT a part of Cincy despite how many times I saw Oxford on the TV weather, it ain't, folks-----and lived in Middletown----also NOT part of Cincy----would argue a lot about this), Cincinnati is interesting when compared to other towns. A bit Southern but not really, even a little East Coasty-on the East Side of town (but still not really), and suburban like Columbus and Indy. Friendly, yes, but definitely parochial and regional. And they kinda don;t know what to do with outsiders. Welcoming, sure, but not really accepting. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.
However, if you live in one of the conservative suburbs outside of I-275, it's rare to meet anyone from Cincinnati. More folks from Bombay than the Westside. If you dislike Cincinnatians move to the outer-ring.
Actually, where I am (Loveland-Mason area), there are quite a few Westside transplants.
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" "Oh. So you're not from here 
.")
