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To put it bluntly, she's right. And she was being VERY modest in her critique of Cincinnati. If I were in her position and had the freedom to write such an article I would have been significantly harsher.
Cincinnati does a lot of things well, but there's so many more things it does poorly when it comes to not only millennials but every generation. It's almost as if OTR, Northside, etc. have to fight vehemently for their existence, and from being squashed. And even at that, the problems in OTR and other places like Clifton are horribly evident from the downright incompentent policing, homelessness, etc. strategies this city chooses to employ. That paired with the lack of progressive thought, excessive homer-ism, and true lack of understanding of the world by the born and bred Cincy squad (at least those of beliefs similar to Mayor Cranley - of which there are many) are destroying the city.
From the article:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatima Hussein
The solutions people came up with were unpredictable and fresh, just to name a few:
• Transforming a single corridor, such as Madison Road, through a beautification project to unite neighborhoods and encourage walkability.
• Holding a contest to find ways to be the first U.S. city to eliminate homelessness.
• Creating an online social group that acts as a city welcoming committee that connects newcomers with locals who can show them around. Such a group has already launched; you can find it on Twitter @connect4cincy.
During that short period, we were asked to become Cincinnati’s fixer-uppers.
And it dawned on me then that young professionals here are a desired breed that garner a greater appreciation in Cincinnati than in other locations, where we are a dime a dozen.
We’re the big fish in the little pond, the underdogs and misfits that are giants in a place that needs us. You couldn’t get the opportunities to shine in a bigger city where millennials flock for a cooler music scene or better shopping.
Ultimately, we all want to live in a place that feels like home and welcomes us.
Those ideas aren't radical, new, or even "unpredictable or fresh" as the author describes. They are based on tried and true success stories from other cities, often very similar ones.
Like the corridor idea - look to Euclid Ave in Cleveland or Woodward Ave. in Detroit
The homelessness idea - Dayton would be a good lead. Panhandlers are required to have a permit, and numerous social service agencies ensure the homeless have a play to stay that's not on the street.
Or the welcome wagon - most all cities now have at least one strong YP group. Same goes for professionals and people of other age brackets and interests. If Cincy does not, then that needs to be solved now. Seriously.
But the old order continues to squash it down. Like the first comment on that article:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Deiters
Whenever I see articles like this or similar comments on articles in this paper I come away with the sense that the writers feel that the sole purpose for the exitence of this city, it's amenities, and what the amenities that in their mind should be is to service to desires and needs of one generational slice....one particular generation....theirs.
The needs and considerations of generations that have preceded them and following them and what they can bring to the table don't seem to be in the mix since they are totally focused on their nexis. It always seems to have a bit more than a whiff of entitlement permeating the whole tone.
Which basically states that he thinks we as YPs are entitled just because we want to feel like we belong in Cincinnati.
Also....
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant
What I can't understand is, if someone has a full time job that he or she takes seriously, how does he/she find time to wallow in "night life"?
Honestly, it's part of the game to make friends. Millennials are expected to be "ON" 24/7.
Work Hard, Play Hard - it's not just some fraternity's motto, it's how we have to live to make friends, build the connections we need to be successful in the professional world, and meet the needs of our employers and families.
As you allude to, those jobs most of the time aren't just 40 hrs/wk, they are 50, 60, 70+ hours and only growing (like those 80/90 hr weeks Consultants work). And our parents still expect us to be their kids and come home and our friends expect us to hang out and spend time with them regularly or else you "aren't a good friend anymore" and we have to further our professional education by doing Graduate courses part time at night, etc. After all of that, we really need a place to relax close to our homes where we can spend time with some good friends/family/whatever and have some fun.
We aren't lazy. We just have to be more regimented than generations past. Life demands every second.
Does anyone have any data to show the alleged net migration of college graduates from the Cincinnati region? Heard the same thing was happening in Pittsburgh and that was the case for many years. But recently that has changed and now the Pittsburgh area is retaining and attracting college graduates simply because of the city's comeback and also some jobs that require college educated people. I suspect Cincinnati is turning the corner in this respect because there is little doubt now that job creation is on the upswing in the Cincinnati area.
My personal experiences while in the Cincinnati area overall have been pretty good over the years. Granted I don't live there right now but I have spent enough time there in the last three years since I bought my home in Covington to get a feel for the place. I don't get harassed in NKY or Cincinnati like I do in the Indianapolis area. I have not perceived any threats against my person in NKY or Cincinnati like I have in the Indianapolis area. I don't have people getting into my personal space or violating my personal space in NKY or Cincinnati like I've had in the Indianapolis area. Restaurants are good in the Cincinnati area. Have not had a single bad meal yet while I've had numerous bad meals in the Indianapolis area. Any place where people don't screw with me and stay out of my space I like. Cincinnati and NKY is OK in my book. If these experiences become negative then I will speak up and against the Cincinnati region.
I'm a firm believer in a person creating their own enjoyment and not sitting back and waiting for others to do it for them. I could move to a rural area in the middle of nowhere and still manage to enjoy life simply because I have a lot of hobbies and interests. Even if I can't find other people to share them with in the immediate area I then travel to where family or friends are and can share that time. With that in mind, it seems to me that some of the newcomers to the area should try to form a group for social engagements or professional purposes. All it takes is a couple of people to form the group and then they can go out and recruit people through existing organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, area churches, or even running an ad in the local newspaper outlining the club and its goals. In fact something like City Beat might even run a article for free. Example:
In the late 1990's I helped form a national organization to promote the need for local radio service to return to our communities. That decade saw so much consolidation in radio that live and or local radio service was wiped out in a lot of areas and replaced by satellite radio feeds at most stations. By using the internet and forums such as this one we were able to recruit hundreds of members around the country and eventually thousands of supporters. I was able to get the Hartford Advocate newspaper to write an article about a small conference I set up where potential members from the New England states would attend and learn more about the group and its goal. Eventually we partially succeeded and non commercial LPFM (low power FM) radio service was established. Many of us hoped for both a commercial and non commercial service but we were unsuccessful with convincing the NAB and supporters in Congress to support it.
In a nutshell. People that complain about not being able to meet other people that share similar interests or can't find activities to keep them entertained need to realize it takes some work and have to learn to be more independent and become a self starter if they want to enjoy life. In other words, if society does not offer what you need in your current location, either create it yourself or relocate.
What exactly is causing these things to happen in Indy? I visited Indianapolis last month and thought that the people were no less friendly than in Cincy. We enjoyed the visit very much.
What exactly is causing these things to happen in Indy? I visited Indianapolis last month and thought that the people were no less friendly than in Cincy. We enjoyed the visit very much.
I have heard even Cincinnati natives say their city is too slow to evolve and embrace change, Nashville used to be like this but we are getting more progressive now. I like conservative cities in nature meaning family oriented but I like cities that can be open minded and change with the times as well. I like Cincinnati but its not my favorite city.
What exactly is causing these things to happen in Indy? I visited Indianapolis last month and thought that the people were no less friendly than in Cincy. We enjoyed the visit very much.
Who knows? They start rumors and unfortunately people believe them. I've been called countless things that are false. They lie. And the backstabbing is really bad too. My brother is also here and has had similar problems. On a superficial level the people are friendly. But if you are an outsider living here unless you conform to their lifestyles they do not accept you. It has gotten so bad here that it has reached a point where I try to do most of my shopping early in the morning when the stores are empty and I can use a self checkout. After being insulted constantly by so many cashiers I'd rather not have to use them if possible. They play stupid infantile games and I did not have to deal with this when I was in New England. The women here are particularly nasty. I avoid them completely when I am not at work and during work keep my interaction with them to a minimum. I actually had someone tell me recently that I was too laid back and they did not like me for that. LOL. I'm a stodgy New Englander that minds his own business and these people being over bearing and busybodies don't like it. Their problem, not mine.
Can't wait to leave. And that time is coming soon. Perhaps I should just move back to New England or maybe NY. These problems ended by the time I was out of high school for the most part and certainly by the time I hit my 20's.
Cincinnati is more conservative than Indianapolis and that may be a contributing factor to fewer issues cropping up in Cincy.
Back on topic now. People need to realize that the Cincy metro area has around 2 million people. It is not going to have the sheer number of entertainment or cultural institutions that a city like Boston, Miami, Houston, Chicago and other large metro areas will have.
Does anyone have any data to show the alleged net migration of college graduates from the Cincinnati region? Heard the same thing was happening in Pittsburgh and that was the case for many years. But recently that has changed and now the Pittsburgh area is retaining and attracting college graduates simply because of the city's comeback and also some jobs that require college educated people. I suspect Cincinnati is turning the corner in this respect because there is little doubt now that job creation is on the upswing in the Cincinnati area.
I have not heard of any great migration to Pittsburgh. Maybe it is the hub for those who grew up in western PA.
I have not heard of any great migration to Pittsburgh. Maybe it is the hub for those who grew up in western PA.
As a matter of fact that would likely be correct. A decade ago I studied net migration patterns in some different metro areas and states. I learned that western PA had the highest percentage of people born and raised there, still living there of any region within a state. I don't recall the exact percentage but I think it topped 70 percent. Minnesota, as far as states go, had the highest retention rate of residents at 90 percent. Clearly people born and raised in Minnesota love the place and never want to leave. Not sure what Cincinnati was at that time because I don't seem to recall looking into that type of data for the region. I figured the area was more transient than some of the other places I was looking at at that time.
As a matter of fact that would likely be correct. A decade ago I studied net migration patterns in some different metro areas and states. I learned that western PA had the highest percentage of people born and raised there, still living there of any region within a state. I don't recall the exact percentage but I think it topped 70 percent. Minnesota, as far as states go, had the highest retention rate of residents at 90 percent. Clearly people born and raised in Minnesota love the place and never want to leave. Not sure what Cincinnati was at that time because I don't seem to recall looking into that type of data for the region. I figured the area was more transient than some of the other places I was looking at at that time.
From what I understood it's a migration solely consisting of college educated, "creative class" people. It's a good point that many might be from Western PA. The incredible thing is that the city has become a very competitive one despite being originally based on industires that have disappeared entirely. Rust belt Pittsburgh is not. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the large amounts of money in PA. Pittsburgh and Philly should be complete disasters. Sure, they both have their issues but they've bounced back from the end of the Industrial Age very well considering how dependent both were on industry.
This article seems to be a lot of the groupthink you see these days.
Yes, there are certain hot markets that Millenials are flocking to - Denver, Seattle, Austin, etc. Almost all of these places are far bigger than Cincinnati, and almost all are more expensive, many considerably so. If you can start out at $40k-$50k out of school in Cincinnati, vs. $50k-$60k in Seattle or Austin, are you really behind? Probably not. I'm not sure I would have included Charlotte in the list of Millenial hype. I'd rather be in Charlotte than the Midwestern cities, but it's never really been at the top of these lists.
Hype feeds more hype, and I've seen plenty of threads on this board of people flocking like lemmings to major coastal or hip cities with little regard to where they'd be better off. Portland supposedly has a very tough job market. People flock where similar people are flocking.
I make abut $60k in Indy and I don't think I'd make enough in most of the major cities to account for the COL increases.
I live in Indy and I agree with WILW, to a point about the city. I do think there is a rudeness (especially on the roads) in Indy I just haven't seen in many places. Once you get out of the metro and out into the smaller towns in Indiana, people are much more reasonable.
I can't see Cincinnati having significantly different problems that other landlocked, mid-sized Midwestern metros face. I don't think people are absolutely flocking to Cleveland, Indy, St. Louis, Kansas City, etc.
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