Columbus(OH) and Oklahoma City(Ok) (rates, comparison, Atlanta, Los Angeles)

[WeSoHood]

Here are some shots of both downtowns:
Columbus
http://savmasymposium2009.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/skyline.jpg (broken link)

OKC


And my one negative about Columbus is the downtown area.. It has the potential to be a lot better, but it really feels small in comparison to the city. I know it's still growing and new buildings are popping up though.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

People are forgetting that Columbus is in the top 20 for city population in the US and it is still a very livable city at that with some very good schools within city limits. It has Ohio State, is the state capital, Nationwide Insurance and is the headquarters for other companies. So, Columbus is continuing to grow in a way that many cities, regardless of region, are growing. Like others said, it wasn't truly a Rust Belt city and has always been more of a service based economy city.

Also, it is a city where Blacks are influential, in spite of being about 25% of the city's population. That is rare to find a city that isn't predominately Black and Blacks still have a highly positive influence on the city. I think for that alone, Columbus should get some "love".

Oh I wasn't aware of the prominent African American Community
out there in Columbus Ohio ,however your decision on what city
you choose depends on 'your' "age"....and what you want out of
life.I made a statement eariler saying it was Columbus 1St Tulsa 2Nd
and OKC 3Rd well that was under the Condictions of me being in
my 20's somethings or at the most 30's and not having any Relatives
in either of the (3) cities.....That's not the case I'm a 57 years YOUNG
African American Male who's does 57 push up's every morning to
Celebrate my 57 years of LIFE and if someone was pointing a GUN
at my HEAD making me choose A CITY I would "hands DOWN" choose
TULSA because there is CLEAN AIR & environment northwest of the city..
I've been LIVING IN A ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER ZONE KNOWN AS CALI
and I have to BALANCE out the 2Nd Half Of My LIFE with a CLEAN ENVIR..
and be around my BLOOD RELATIVES..Vast Majority In TULSA some in OKC
Which is separated from Tulsa by the 85 Mile Long Turner Turnpike.....
Now That Wouldn't Apply To Anybody Else But Me....Oh By The Way Take
A Look At These URBAN SKYLINE THREADS They Will Blow Your Socks OFF!!!

TULSA OKLAHOMA METROPOLITAN AREA
- City Skyline Photography Prints, Canvas, Digital Stock - Black & White or Color Digital Stock Art

OKLAHOMA CITY METROPOLITAN AREA
Oklahoma City Oklahoma - City Skyline Photography Prints, Canvas, Digital Stock - Black & White or Color Digital Stock Art

COLUMBUS OHIO METROPOLITAN AREA
Columbus Ohio - City Skyline Photography Prints, Canvas, Digital Stock - Black & White or Color Digital Stock Art

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

Here are some shots of both downtowns:
Columbus


OKC


And my one negative about Columbus is the downtown area.. It has the potential to be a lot better, but it really feels small in comparison to the city. I know it's still growing and new buildings are popping up though.

The only thing that you have to do is say that Columbus was
the top Honorable Mention World Class City in the 2008 Ranking
and is probably a Gamma World Class City As We Speak. Here is
the Link to back it up......and Oklahoma City didn't make the
Ranking however Tulsa did in a lower tier........

LINK Columbus Ohio Honorable Mention World Class City
GaWC - The World According to GaWC 2008

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by th3vault

OKC..... Columbus is ok for now, but in the future the Sun Belt is going to have better prospects than the Rust Belt will....

Considering the fact that little ol Columbus is growing nicely, is attracting large business, etc, is testament to the fact that areas of the Rust Belt are beginning to turn around. And unlike the Sun Belt (s/b called the sweat belt), there are not tens of thousands of homes for sale, and people arent watching their home values depreciate by 30-50% like is common in the Sweat Belt. The Sweat Belt is attracting bogus jobs, I dont see lots of Fortune 500 companies flocking to places like Amarillo or Lafayette or Memphis, etc. THe only Sun Belt state that seems to be growing correctly is Texas, the rest are absolutely unimpressive.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Considering the fact that little ol Columbus is growing nicely, is attracting large business, etc, is testament to the fact that areas of the Rust Belt are beginning to turn around. And unlike the Sun Belt (s/b called the sweat belt), there are not tens of thousands of homes for sale, and people arent watching their home values depreciate by 30-50% like is common in the Sweat Belt. The Sweat Belt is attracting bogus jobs, I dont see lots of Fortune 500 companies flocking to places like Amarillo or Lafayette or Memphis, etc. THe only Sun Belt state that seems to be growing correctly is Texas, the rest are absolutely unimpressive.

I'm not buying this for a CHICAGO Second.....Arizona Texas New Mexico
and especially Oklahoma...Oklahoma City recently was America Third
Strongest Metro Economy and Tulsa Oklahoma was America Seventh
Strongest Economy...go figure will ya........

Forty Strongest U.S. Metro Economies: Employment and Economic Muscle - BusinessWeek

[city_data91]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Considering the fact that little ol Columbus is growing nicely, is attracting large business, etc, is testament to the fact that areas of the Rust Belt are beginning to turn around. And unlike the Sun Belt (s/b called the sweat belt), there are not tens of thousands of homes for sale, and people arent watching their home values depreciate by 30-50% like is common in the Sweat Belt. The Sweat Belt is attracting bogus jobs, I dont see lots of Fortune 500 companies flocking to places like Amarillo or Lafayette or Memphis, etc. THe only Sun Belt state that seems to be growing correctly is Texas, the rest are absolutely unimpressive.

No, but they're flocking to places like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by city_data91

No, but they're flocking to places like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta.

Fortune 500 corp's are vital and important to a Metro local
economy and to that economy well being , but it's the 'small'
businesses that employ the vast 'majority' of citizens in any
Metropolitan Area....Not The Fortune 500's , so you can have a
Lot Of Fortune 500's and still have a VERY HIGH UMEPLOYMENT LEVEL.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Considering the fact that little ol Columbus is growing nicely, is attracting large business, etc, is testament to the fact that areas of the Rust Belt are beginning to turn around.

Columbus's economy wasn't built heavily on manufacturing like other cities in the Rust Belt, so I'm not sure if it's the best example to hold up here. Pittsburgh is a much better example of a true Rust Belt city that's experiencing a resurgence.

The Sweat Belt is attracting bogus jobs

What "bogus jobs"? If you're talking about construction, Florida, Phoenix, and Vegas have already paid the price for that. Finance, biotech/high tech, energy, etc. are far from being "bogus jobs" and the Sun Belt has them aplenty.

I dont see lots of Fortune 500 companies flocking to places like Amarillo or Lafayette or Memphis, etc.

And I don't see them flocking to Toledo, Flint, and Cleveland either. See, we can both cherry pick cities to make a point rather stupidly. How about mentioning Raleigh, Nashville, and Dallas?

The only Sun Belt state that seems to be growing correctly is Texas, the rest are absolutely unimpressive.

"Growing correctly"? Not sure exactly what that's supposed to mean, but it would be a property more so of metro areas as opposed to states; Texas just happens to have the majority of its metro areas experiencing the most stability in the midst of this global recession. The rest don't have to be impressive to you; only to industry and businesses.

[goolsbyjazz]

Looking at the most current statistics it appears that Oklahoma is the better choice. It's economy is still fairly strong and it has a great upside for future growth. The weather, however, can be a bit sketchy at times. Good luck.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

Columbus's economy wasn't built heavily on manufacturing like other cities in the Rust Belt, so I'm not sure if it's the best example to hold up here.

It's not. Columbus is not a rust belt city--and it never has been. The economies of cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit are based much more significantly on manufacturing and industry than Columbus's is.

Columbus actually compares much more favorably with sun belt cities than ones in the rust belt.