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I've been given the option of having a job in one of the 3 cities listed. I do not have the funds or time to visit each one and compare/contrast. WHAT SAY YOU INTERNET??
Note: This is not so much a "which is your favorite" thread. Please consider the criteria below when voting. Definitely feel free to interject with commentary and expanded answers, but please vote according to my criteria. Thanks!
Info Dump of Criteria That's Important To Me: *I'm a parent, so areas with top-notch and varied school options are great. *I'm 30-something and single. I would like to date again some time this century, so areas high in 25-40 year olds would be nice. *I'm eccentric, so areas fairly high in Weirdness Factor are ideal (I've heard this is hard to come by in the midwest?). *I have varied and varying interests, so areas with lots of different options are ideal (amusement parks, malls, museums, orchestras, water parks, plenty of unique shopping options, historical sites, public parks/hiking areas, near to camping sites, etc.). *Cities with an extensive network of biking lanes or at least wide sidewalks. We are not uber bikers, but when we do bike, I'd like to do so w/o fear of having to dodge pedestrians on narrow sidewalks. *I'm a gamer. I know that both Columbus and Indy have gaming cons. What of Cleveland? *I'm Buddhist. I don't need a shrine around every corner, but areas that have a sizable Buddhist populace would be swell. *I'm an entrepreneur. I have no idea how that would tie into a city, but I know it when I see it. Perhaps a city with lots of emphasis on small biz development, such as non-profit business incubators, etc. *I'm in the IT industry (mostly), so areas high in IT would be nice if I had to find other work. *I get that every city has good areas and not so good areas, but I would like to avoid areas that are overly crime ridden.
I think that's about it...
Thoughts?
Votes?
EDIT: I see Indy is slightly higher than Columbus in the population department //www.city-data.com/forum/city-...estimates.html I assume that means it's the most "city"ish city? Did that even make sense? And Cleveland is the least city'ish?
EDIT: I see Indy is slightly higher than Columbus in the population department //www.city-data.com/forum/city-...estimates.html I assume that means it's the most "city"ish city? Did that even make sense? And Cleveland is the least city'ish?
Actually it's reserve order of "city-ish" and "big city feel."
I've been given the option of having a job in one of the 3 cities listed. I do not have the funds or time to visit each one and compare/contrast. WHAT SAY YOU INTERNET??
Note: This is not so much a "which is your favorite" thread. Please consider the criteria below when voting. Definitely feel free to interject with commentary and expanded answers, but please vote according to my criteria. Thanks!
Info Dump of Criteria That's Important To Me: *I'm a parent, so areas with top-notch and varied school options are great. *I'm 30-something and single. I would like to date again some time this century, so areas high in 25-40 year olds would be nice. *I'm eccentric, so areas fairly high in Weirdness Factor are ideal (I've heard this is hard to come by in the midwest?). *I have varied and varying interests, so areas with lots of different options are ideal (amusement parks, malls, museums, orchestras, water parks, plenty of unique shopping options, historical sites, public parks/hiking areas, near to camping sites, etc.). *Cities with an extensive network of biking lanes or at least wide sidewalks. We are not uber bikers, but when we do bike, I'd like to do so w/o fear of having to dodge pedestrians on narrow sidewalks. *I'm a gamer. I know that both Columbus and Indy have gaming cons. What of Cleveland? *I'm Buddhist. I don't need a shrine around every corner, but areas that have a sizable Buddhist populace would be swell. *I'm an entrepreneur. I have no idea how that would tie into a city, but I know it when I see it. Perhaps a city with lots of emphasis on small biz development, such as non-profit business incubators, etc. *I'm in the IT industry (mostly), so areas high in IT would be nice if I had to find other work. *I get that every city has good areas and not so good areas, but I would like to avoid areas that are overly crime ridden.
I think that's about it...
Thoughts?
Votes?
EDIT: I see Indy is slightly higher than Columbus in the population department //www.city-data.com/forum/city-...estimates.html I assume that means it's the most "city"ish city? Did that even make sense? And Cleveland is the least city'ish?
Cleveland meets all of your criteria, some of which in spades. I'll try to give some more detail for your criteria.
1) Schools: Cleveland has excellent public school options (Shaker Heights, Westlake, Beachwood, Avon), as well as some very highly regarded private schools (Hawken, Gilmore, University School, Hathaway Brown, Laurel, Ratner). There are also alternative school options like Montessori, and Cleveland Public Schools offer some very good magnets that are open to everyone, even those that don't live in the city.
2) Not too familiar with the dating scene for 30-somethings, but I think it's probably average for a city its size. If Hot in Cleveland has any basis in reality, you'll be fine.
3) Cleveland has the most "Character" out of any other city I've been to in the midwest. There are a lot of quirky folks and attractions here, but those types of folks tend to gravitate towards certain areas, like Detroit Shoreway and Lakewood. Both of these places have a lot of people in your age demographic, a lot of professionals, and a lot of odd-ball types, as well as (unsurprisingly) large gay populations.
4) Ever hear of Cedar Point? Cleveland is the closest major metro to what is commonly considered the best (thrill-focused) amusement park in the US. For culture, our Art Museum and Orchestra are truly world class, and blow anything in C-bus or Indy totally out of the water. We have some fantastic history as well, being a once thriving industrial empire that attracted the likes of John D Rockefeller, Glidden, Sherwin and Williams, whose names grace many of the products we use today. It was the birthplace of president James Garfield, was a major point of entry for European immigrants, and was home to some of the most notorious mafias (Danny Green), and crime fighters (Elliot Ness) in history. If you come here, definitely check out Lake View Cemetary, where nearly all of the significant famous figures in Cleveland's History, including President Garfield are buried. For nature, we also have a fantastic 20,000 acre metro-park system, and a gorgeous, and very accessible 20,000 acre national park that runs between the southern Cleveland metro and Akron.
5) Cleveland is gradually becoming a very bike friendly city. There are dozens of bike paths and/or lanes along major routes in the city. There is also a bike garage downtown where business people or residents can park their bikes, take a shower, and get their bikes fixed.
7) Can't really comment, but I have seen buddhist temples around, so I know they exist.
8) Lots of business incubators have been popping up around the city. There is a small but healthy, and growing entrepreneur culture here, and our city could certainly use, and would welcome, more of it.
9) Plenty of jobs in IT from Progressive Insurance, to Eaton Corp, to Key Bank, to Safeguard Properties, to the Cleveland Clinic. You should have no problem finding work in that field.
10) Plenty of places in greater Cleveland and Cleveland proper that are perfectly safe. Just use common sense.
You have a lot of different things listed, so I'll try my best to answer based on what I know about all three cities.
Weirdness Factor: I'm pretty sure that Columbus would be considered the winner in this category simply based on Ohio State being located there. It makes the city feel a little less Midwestern because so many people from across the country/world go to Ohio State.
Varied Interests: I would give this to Cleveland based on its' Lake Erie waterfront location and its' proximity to Cedar Pointe amusement park. Indianapolis and Columbus are both roughly the same distance to King's Island near Cincinnati, but I think Cedar Pointe is superior. As far as shopping goes, I haven't seen anything that shows me any one of these cities is vastly superior to the other. Indianapolis is only a three hour drive from Chicago if you'd ever want to take a short trip up there for a more unique shopping experience.
Biking: I'm not sure the exact bike lane/trail milage that each city has, but Indianapolis seems to be impressing people across the country with the cultural trail Downtown. The trail is 8 miles long and most of it has a median to create separate sides for walkers and bikers. There are also numerous other trails and bike lanes around the city. Link for trail information below: Home - Indianapolis Cultural Trail : Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Entrepreneurial/IT: I'm not sure that any city has a clear advantage in either area, but maybe someone else has statistics showing something otherwise. I believe that overall, Indianapolis and Columbus are both stronger economically, and I know that they are both growing faster than Cleveland.
City'ish: Indianapolis and Columbus are both much larger geographically than Cleveland, because they have both annexed a ton of land. Most of Indianapolis and Columbus are suburban areas, while most of Cleveland is urban. People on this forum seem to think that Columbus is far more urban than Indy is, but I don't really think either city is particularly urban feeling. So if I were to rank them by their City'ish feel:
1. Cleveland
Huge Gap
Huge Gap
Huge Gap
2. Columbus
Tiny Gap
3. Indianapolis
I guess to suggest what city would fit you best just depends on what your priorities are. Cleveland is a very historic rust belt city that feels very urban. Downtown Cleveland has also really turned around in the last decade to become a cool area.
Columbus and Indianapolis are both incredibly different from Cleveland. They are probably the two most similar cities in the Midwest (maybe even the country). They are both largely suburban and car-oriented, but this is changing quickly in both cities.
I agree with a lot of the previous comments. Cleveland has the most "city-ish" feel by far, especially considering the fact that it once had over 900,000 people in a third of the land area of modern day Columbus. Yes, it has some large swaths of abandoned places, but the intact neighborhoods are quite urban. It also has a large heavy/light rail system for a city of its size, and it has a higher walk score, bike score, and transit score than the other two cities.
As far as entrepreneurial scene goes, Columbus benefits from having one of the largest universities in the country right in the middle of the city. However, Cleveland has more venture capital investment than the other two cities by a comfortable margin. The Cleveland Clinic and Case Western are also major sources of spin-off companies in the health-tech field.
I'd say you'd find most of what you're looking for in Broad Ripple in Indianapolis. The weirdness factor is achieved. Many people in your age range, more so in condos and apartments, but some of the home owners as well. There are 74 miles of bike lanes total in Indianapolis with plans to get that up to 200 in the near future. Plus, you could live off the monon trail and bike as far north as Carmel and as far south as downtown, connecting to the cultural trail. Broad Ripple is in the Indianapolis Public School district, and while some of the IPS schools are not reputable, the magnet program is excellent. Here's the link to the IPS magnet program with listings categorized by elementary, middle, and high school. Magnet & Options
Note: This is not so much a "which is your favorite" thread.
You must be new here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emrak
Info Dump of Criteria That's Important To Me: *I'm a parent, so areas with top-notch and varied school options are great. *I'm 30-something and single. I would like to date again some time this century, so areas high in 25-40 year olds would be nice. *I'm eccentric, so areas fairly high in Weirdness Factor are ideal (I've heard this is hard to come by in the midwest?). *I have varied and varying interests, so areas with lots of different options are ideal (amusement parks, malls, museums, orchestras, water parks, plenty of unique shopping options, historical sites, public parks/hiking areas, near to camping sites, etc.). *Cities with an extensive network of biking lanes or at least wide sidewalks. We are not uber bikers, but when we do bike, I'd like to do so w/o fear of having to dodge pedestrians on narrow sidewalks. *I'm a gamer. I know that both Columbus and Indy have gaming cons. What of Cleveland? *I'm Buddhist. I don't need a shrine around every corner, but areas that have a sizable Buddhist populace would be swell. *I'm an entrepreneur. I have no idea how that would tie into a city, but I know it when I see it. Perhaps a city with lots of emphasis on small biz development, such as non-profit business incubators, etc. *I'm in the IT industry (mostly), so areas high in IT would be nice if I had to find other work. *I get that every city has good areas and not so good areas, but I would like to avoid areas that are overly crime ridden.
As far as the schools - Indianapolis Public Schools offers several magnet programs. I am also a parent, though not of school age yet. There are also several excellent charter schools. A previous poster mentioned several "Cleveland" public schools, best I can tell none of them are actually in the city of Cleveland. Just something to take note of; not sure if city only options are what you are after. I know it can be difficult to get actual useful info on the city data forum, and the general us city v city forum is probably though, about the worst place to ask this question if you are serious about getting info about schools.
^ Sorry, Indy and Cbus, but on a Cleveland sub-forum of 5-24-14 the OP posted information about both her move there in August and June/July visit to that city to check out prospective living arrangements.
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