Moving to Cincinnati from Los Angeles

[ProkNo5]

I don't think you should discount Oakley in your search. There are a lot of young professionals that have similar interests to you out there.

[Drift&Drift]

Many bikers of all varieties like to ride 52 along the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Ripley, a small town in Brown County. They might ride farther than that, but I know the biker gangs like to stop along Main Street in Ripley.

Ohioans tend to advocate pro-gun's rights laws, so you will fit in that regard.

Like others have said, I think you'd do well in Northside, OTR, Clifton.. Oakley is getting somewhat of a start as an entertainment district. If you want to be in the urban core you might feel just a little more isolated there. Mt. Adams would be great after your 3 years are up and you decided you wanted to stay in Cincinnati.

If you're also a craft beer fan (like me) then Cincinnati is beginning to get itself on the radar. Many new breweries opening up and you can find a pretty decent selection of local/out-of-state microbreweries.

Another topic people here glossed over as I don't think they really want to touch it, or maybe just don't have much knowledge/interest (or maybe even yet, there might be a rule against it, I don't know), is that you will have to say goodbye to the marijuana prescription. Polls say the majority of Ohioans want medical marijuana and there's a chance it could be voted on this year, but at this time possessing 100grams or less carries the consequences of a fine and 6 month DL suspension.

If you do want to smoke the occasional joint still, you will probably notice the variety of 'strains' is very significantly lesser and the product is generally not as good. There is stuff just as good as LA (and may even come from California), but you might end up looking hard for it and paying higher than you're used to. Of course settling in a circle of college-age friends this might not be much of an issue.

[ohioaninsc]

If you love cooking...and you love foods from around the world, you will frequent Jungle Jims Market in Fairfield a lot.
Party Source across the river in Newport, KY will carry many brands of Scotch and Bourbon for you to buy by the bottle.
You're salary is going to get you a very nice place in Cincy...I also agree that OTR sounds great for you...as does Mt Adams, Hyde Park, Clifton Gaslight and downtown itself.

[shoenberg3]

I am a Northern California native and visited LA many times. I've lived in Cincinnati for one year in 2013. Here were my honest impressions, particularly compared to California:

-You will solely miss the food. Chinese restaurants are few and generally not authentic. You are going to miss Korean BBQ. Forget trying to find fresh Sushi. Your best Mexican food option is Chipotle. Taiwanese? No Taiwanese food at all that I can recall. There is one place near the university that had bubble tea but I threw it away after taking a sip. Indian food is actually not so bad, though.. and BBQ is a strong suit.

As far as I know, there is only one Asian market in greater Cincinnati area (excluding 3 other very small mini-marts selling mostly Korean stuff).

-If you are used to hanging out with bunch of Hispanics and Asian-Americans in LA, you will be in a quite different environment, culturally and demographically. Cincinnati is primarily white and African-American population. Depending on the person, you might feel out of place -- at least at first.

Also, I would say, perhaps partly due to smaller city size, it would not be as easy to find young people that you could hang out with. Most young people congregate around the U of C campus and, unless you attend the school, it could take a while before you find a group of friends.

-Industrial blight is prevalent, particularly around Mill Creek (I-75). I know parts of LA like South Central are dangerous, but I felt that parts of Cincinnati feel more depressing, particularly in older, crumbling areas with low vacancy. I think the cloudier and colder Midwest weather also contributes to the gloomy mood. Certainly by the wintertime, you might be missing the sunny California weather and pristine beaches. You should not underestimate how the environment and the climate may affect your daily mood and attitude.

-While Cincinnati has a more interesting topography than most Midwest cities, it really cannot compete with LA when it comes to nearby attractions. I will point out the attractions I consider worthwhile within 2hr drive and outside the city proper: Hocking Hills (very nice indeed and something you can't find in California); Kings Island Amusement Park (almost as good as Magic Mountain; The Beast is a legendary coaster); Natural Bridges (Hocking Hills is better IMO).

But besides these, there wasn't much to see, for me. Mostly farmland and Kentucky.

-I would also say the industry is much less diverse and thriving than in LA. Cincinnati hosts HQs of some major companies but, beyond these, I would say the opportunities are less apparent in Cincinnati.

---------

Sorry if I sound so negative, but I feel compelled to share my perspectives before you make an important decision. On the other hand, here are a few things that I liked about Cincinnati, in comparison to California.

-You will unshackled from the awful traffic in LA.

-Strangers are friendlier to each other. Some people were extremely helpful and kind -- for instance, when I was attempting to dig my car out of the snow!

-Gas and housing prices are less expensive. Depending on where you came from in LA, potentially much less expensive.

-I liked having four seasons. Autumn is a beautiful time and I enjoyed Winter -- although it was often too cloudy.



Hope this helps.

[RustBeltOptimist]

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

I am a Northern California native and visited LA many times. I've lived in Cincinnati for one year in 2013. Here were my honest impressions, particularly compared to California:

-You will solely miss the food. Chinese restaurants are few and generally not authentic. You are going to miss Korean BBQ. Forget trying to find fresh Sushi. Your best Mexican food option is Chipotle. Taiwanese? No Taiwanese food at all that I can recall. There is one place near the university that had bubble tea but I threw it away after taking a sip. Indian food is actually not so bad, though.. and BBQ is a strong suit.

As far as I know, there is only one Asian market in greater Cincinnati area (excluding 3 other very small mini-marts selling mostly Korean stuff).

-If you are used to hanging out with bunch of Hispanics and Asian-Americans in LA, you will be in a quite different environment, culturally and demographically. Cincinnati is primarily white and African-American population. Depending on the person, you might feel out of place -- at least at first.

Also, I would say, perhaps partly due to smaller city size, it would not be as easy to find young people that you could hang out with. Most young people congregate around the U of C campus and, unless you attend the school, it could take a while before you find a group of friends.

-Industrial blight is prevalent, particularly around Mill Creek (I-75). I know parts of LA like South Central are dangerous, but I felt that parts of Cincinnati feel more depressing, particularly in older, crumbling areas with low vacancy. I think the cloudier and colder Midwest weather also contributes to the gloomy mood. Certainly by the wintertime, you might be missing the sunny California weather and pristine beaches. You should not underestimate how the environment and the climate may affect your daily mood and attitude.

-While Cincinnati has a more interesting topography than most Midwest cities, it really cannot compete with LA when it comes to nearby attractions. I will point out the attractions I consider worthwhile within 2hr drive and outside the city proper: Hocking Hills (very nice indeed and something you can't find in California); Kings Island Amusement Park (almost as good as Magic Mountain; The Beast is a legendary coaster); Natural Bridges (Hocking Hills is better IMO).

But besides these, there wasn't much to see, for me. Mostly farmland and Kentucky.

-I would also say the industry is much less diverse and thriving than in LA. Cincinnati hosts HQs of some major companies but, beyond these, I would say the opportunities are less apparent in Cincinnati.

---------

Sorry if I sound so negative, but I feel compelled to share my perspectives before you make an important decision. On the other hand, here are a few things that I liked about Cincinnati, in comparison to California.

-You will unshackled from the awful traffic in LA.

-Strangers are friendlier to each other. Some people were extremely helpful and kind -- for instance, when I was attempting to dig my car out of the snow!

-Gas and housing prices are less expensive. Depending on where you came from in LA, potentially much less expensive.

-I liked having four seasons. Autumn is a beautiful time and I enjoyed Winter -- although it was often too cloudy.



Hope this helps.

I'm not going to dispute much of this as you're definitely better off coming in with a realist rather than idealist take, but as somebody who's actually lived in both cities for over five years each, I can tell you that LA is much more dangerous, it's just easier for people to avoid the dangerous sections if they wish.

I've found a handful of Mexican places better than Chipotle, but none of them are cheaper than Chipotle, so it's not like you have your King Taco or Chano's sort of cheap and good taqueria around here. Taqueria Mercado is probably your best bet if you live near downtown.

Too true on the Korean BBQ front, and Thai food is also a step or three down from what you get in Thai town. Also no Cuban bakeries like Porto no Armenian roasted chicken like Zankou and not even chicken and waffles like Roscoes (but there are some tasty enough variants here.)

On this front, I think it's important to remember that LA is a global city, Cincinnati is not. Certain selection in amenities that only global cities have will not be available to you here. As far as opportunity, however, I think it's just as available, and the cost of entry is far lower.

[Drift&Drift]

Essencha in Oakley has good bubble tea in my opinion.

My (ex-)girlfriend travels across the country with the circus and says she hasn't yet found a place with masala chai ('spiced tea') as good as Essencha.

No, I don't work there. I just thought I would give the place an honorable mention while we're on the topic.

[AlexandraDKat]

I'll be visiting during the next two weeks and would like to meet to discuss opportunities. Can anyone recommend recruiters/staffing agencies/hiring managers?

I want to move to the Cincinnati area from Los Angeles. Thanks.