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But this is the problem, Columbus may very well feel like Indianapolis... but is that anything like Cleveland or Cincinnati? Nope. A large portion of Ohio is straight up Appalachia. You cannot tell the difference between Ohio/WV/PA anywhere within 50 miles of the Ohio River.
Starting with Clermont county, every county in Ohio along the Ohio river going east is in Appalachia. Starting in Canton, Ohio and going south along I-77 it is very hilly.
Starting with Clermont county, every county in Ohio along the Ohio river going east is in Appalachia. Starting in Canton, Ohio and going south along I-77 it is very hilly.
Actually, Ashtabula County, Ohio is included in the ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) and is listed as an economically stressed area.
Starting with Clermont county, every county in Ohio along the Ohio river going east is in Appalachia. Starting in Canton, Ohio and going south along I-77 it is very hilly.
Yep. And yet, somehow this idea persists that Ohio is basically the Great Plains, even on this forum of people who should know better.
I'm convinced almost nobody has actually been to Ohio, but for whatever reason feel 100% comfortable commenting on it.
Actually, Ashtabula County, Ohio is included in the ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) and is listed as an economically stressed area.
That means nothing. Some counties in northeastern Mississippi are included in the ARC region too, and the Appalachians don't go there. The terrain near Tupelo has about as much relief as the terrain near Akron. It's not until you get into northwestern Alabama that the terrain gets more difficult.
Indiana is like a Northern extension of Kentucky. You only find that vibe in the far Southern reaches of Ohio and culture quickly changes as you move northward. It’s hard to to say one state that’s totally like Ohio. It’s unique in a lot of ways.
I wanted to say Illinois, but after further review OH and IL aren't as similar as I first thought they would be. IL is dominated by Chicago, and OH has 3 major cities. None of them are comparable to Chicago, but conversely Illinois doesn't have a major city comparable to Cincinnati, Columbus, or Cleveland (unless you count St. Louis, but people don't really associate STL with IL even though 1/3 of the metro is in IL). IL is definitely a professional sports state, and Ohio State is arguably OH's most popular team. IL isn't particularly close to either the Ozarks or to the Appalachians, and is less rugged than OH (the eastern part is included in Appalachia). IL is the western fringe of the Rust Belt, OH is the heart of it.
I think a state that might be more comparable to Ohio is Upstate New York. Both are firmly Rust Belt, both are partially Appalachian in culture, both have respectably large cities (Buffalo and Rochester are both 1M+ metros, and until maybe 50-60 years ago, were peers of Cleveland and Cincinnati). They also share a Great Lake (Erie) and are fairly similar politically.
That means nothing. Some counties in northeastern Mississippi are included in the ARC region too, and the Appalachians don't go there. The terrain near Tupelo has about as much relief as the terrain near Akron. It's not until you get into northwestern Alabama that the terrain gets more difficult.
There is a commission that creates the definitions for including specific counties, so it is unusual that Ashtabula County would be included as it does border Lake Erie. Northeast Mississippi is actually more aligned with Appalachia as it is closer to the Cumberland Plateau subregion.
I went with Indiana, though Ohio is quite a diverse state.
The part of Ohio that I would say is most unlike Indiana is the industrial and hilly northeastern/eastern part of the state. But, NW Indiana is loosely similar in terms of having a blue collar industrial heritage.
I would argue that Southern Ohio and Southern Indiana are quite similar; though Indiana doesn't have the "Appalachian" flavor of Ohio - but it's not that different, really.
The fact is, massive swaths (the majority) of both states are mostly flat, open farmland dotted with small towns.
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