Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Orlando can never be compared to an established city like Cleveland. Orlando is shopping centers and parking lots. Posting a picture of malls and cookie cutter homes does not change that. If you like that type of city then you may like Orlando. Its the only city I have been to that does not revolve around its city center but around an amusement park.
Exactly it is what it is. And some people like that, I agree with you. But my thing is, how do people try to say things like Cleveland is a REAL city because of certain things like density, and public transit and what not, that's all great, but not everyone prefers a REAL city. The problem I have is people try to sell it like it's the way of life EVERYONE should live by. I don't know how to explain myself. What I mean is, people on C-D act like if you prefer the NEWER cookie-cutter cities of the sunbelt, the people who prefer the more dense cities act as if YOU'RE in the wrong for prefering the newer cities. As if that is the WRONG way of life. They try to sell it like it's FACT, like THIS is how a city should be, and THIS is how it shouldn't be, like there is soem handbook. They interject there preferences of city, say it as if MY city should be like theres. Im not saying YOU in particular, that is just what I observed by people on C-D. YOUR city is like THIS, and MY city is like THIS, therefore YOUR city sucks. Things like that. Not you, just EVERYBODY in general.
Hmm, I think density does mean something if the market is big enough so that there is possibility that you can walk around and get everything you need. But apart from NY, Chicago, Boston, SF, Seattle and Portland I don't see anywhere that succeeded in this. There are some other cities that have such market potential, like LA, Atlanta, Phoenx and Dallas but didn't go that way so they kinda lack that kind of life style. For cities like Orlando or Cleveland, density doesn't count much. The most important is you can get what you want. I think orlando provides a little more and has higher potential. Cleveland is already losing people. Contributing to its density include many empty storefronts and apartments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by polo89
Exactly it is what it is. And some people like that, I agree with you. But my thing is, how do people try to say things like Cleveland is a REAL city because of certain things like density, and public transit and what not, that's all great, but not everyone prefers a REAL city. The problem I have is people try to sell it like it's the way of life EVERYONE should live by. I don't know how to explain myself. What I mean is, people on C-D act like if you prefer the NEWER cookie-cutter cities of the sunbelt, the people who prefer the more dense cities act as if YOU'RE in the wrong for prefering the newer cities. As if that is the WRONG way of life. They try to sell it like it's FACT, like THIS is how a city should be, and THIS is how it shouldn't be, like there is soem handbook. They interject there preferences of city, say it as if MY city should be like theres. Im not saying YOU in particular, that is just what I observed by people on C-D. YOUR city is like THIS, and MY city is like THIS, therefore YOUR city sucks. Things like that. Not you, just EVERYBODY in general.
Well, what one person considers a city another person considers a town
It is all personal preference
I consider Orlando to be a small city
I agree. That is YOUR opinion, and it's all good. But when people try to sell there opinion as FACT or as a GUIDELINE for a city, that's when it gets a little annoying. Not saying you in particular. But that's what's been going on in C-D for a while.
Even if they were the same size. Cleveland has a bigger skyline, better transit and is less sprawled, which gives the illusion and feeling that Cleveland is bigger
Why do people on this site take this so personally? No Orlandoer is going to convince anyone that isn't stuck there that Orlando isn't anything but crime ridden urban sprawl with no history or identity, and cookie cutter homes. Ride down the 408 from Orlando to the turnpike out to clermont, and look at the black roofs built right next to the road with 4 foot lot lines. If that isn't the ugliest stretch of road in America I don't know what is. Also who wants to live in Florida and not be ten minutes from a beach, never understood that one. The ocean is the only nice looking thing about Florida. Real grass doesn't grow even grow there. It's a panacea if you love heat and humidity. There is also a reason Cleveland is called the mistake by the lake. I've never understood why people get so angry (possibly because there is a hint of truth to what you are saying), simply because you don't agree with them. NYC1DAY has the right idea, spare yourself and don't live in either of these places, although I love the beer and food at Great Lakes Brewery in Cleveland.
Fake grass, fake trees, fake houses, fake city? What is up with people from the "REAL" cities calling everything fake. Is everyone living down here in the sunbelt living inside the MATRIX or something? LOL. Show me how deep the rabbit hole goes up there in the north, in those "real" cities.
I seriously doubt you've ever been to suburban Cleveland to make such an uninformed statement as this... To the east of downtown Cleveland, the Heights area (including top-shelf Shaker Hts), coupled with those of the Chagrin Valley, are among the most diverse (racially, housing wise, architecture, esp.) yet qualitative of any city in America of any size. To the West, you have attractive lakeshore suburbs like Lakewood (w/ it's Chicago-like Gold Coast high-rises along Lake Erie) and Rocky River, among others. Clevelands suburbs are comparable to those of NYC's Westchester or Long Is.
Having spent some time in Florida, I'd say Miami/Miami Beach- Dade/S. Fla is the only traditional type city-metro area in Florida -- Greater Miami FEELS like a city; not Orlando, and Miami has more in common w/ Cleveland (ie museums/culture, mass transit, etc)... Cleveland, even in its current depressed economic state, still has many more vibrant walking districts both w/in the City (including downtown) and the close-in suburbs, like Lakewood & Cleveland Heights...
The operative word is "character", which Cleveland oozes w/ but is in short supply in Orlando. And is there anything anywhere comparable to Shaker Square or Ohio City in Orlando? I think not.
Character in WHO's eyes? What may be character to one, may not be to another.
Character in WHO's eyes? What may be character to one, may not be to another.
In terms of what MOST people see as quality, I think more would see character in the old, New England-y suburbs of Cleveland (Chagrin Falls, Gates Mills, Hudson), old-Colonial/Euro shopping areas (Shaker Square), old Victorian neighborhoods (Ohio City, Tremont), and even a classic New York-Central Park-type area loaded w/ top flight, international museums and educational institutions (University Circle),... as opposed to Orlaondo's endless shopping Malls and cookie-cutter faux Spanish-resort buildings-- Orlando's interchangable with Tampa-St. Pete, Daytona and Ft. Lauderdale, but, ... oops, those areas have a leg up w/ ocean-side beaches, with sand, and palm trees and... and Orlando? -- well, there's always Mickey!
... and 5Lakes' great photos are barely scratching the surface in terms of the many, many faces of Greater Cleveland. (you should check out the urbanohio.com Cleveland photo gallery where these shots came from)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
