Would Cleveland/Northeast Ohio Be Better Off if it Were Its Own State? (Columbus: transplants, crime)

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

The lack of statewide unification is a good reason why we have so many problems. Do you think a state like Texas has this problem?

Absolutely. Probably even more so than Ohio.

[1watertiger]

if the counties of N.E.Ohio became its own state, it would take about half the current population from the rest of ohio. (roughly 5.2 mil. people)

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

Absolutely. Probably even more so than Ohio.

Really? I've never gotten that. If anything, it's an overall sense of "Texas is awesome" more than "Austin is awesome". And a lot of other people seem to believe it considering domestic immigration.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Clevelander17

Maybe...except few other cities (save Cincinnati) put as much in the kitty and get as little in return. In fact there are undoubtedly a lot of cities around the state that may be able to complain about state policies on other things, but can't really complain about the amount of return they get on their state tax dollars sent to Columbus.

Have you been able to find evidence for question 1 yet?

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

I also find it interesting that there are several people who refer to the rest of the state as "podunk" when it is so often the Cleveland area that gets the most negative attention from outsiders.

First off calling the rest of Ohio "podunk" was really just playful teasing.
But Cleveland was an industrial powerhouse back in the day. We had factories and made stuff here. WAY more then anywhere else in this state.
Cleveland became industrial while Columbus just annexed more farm land and made suburbs while Cincy focused on finance and banking and working with the state across the river.

And WHY does Cleveland get all the attention? Because it is much more known then anywhere else in Ohio. I bet if you asked 100 people from Atlanta to name one city in Ohio, 80% would say Cleveland. If not more. Unless you have some personal connection with Ohio, Cleveland is much more closely associated with this state.

At the very least I have always thought Cleveland was much more worthy of being the capitol, and that's not playful teasing.

[OhAcid]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

At the very least I have always thought Cleveland was much more worthy of being the capitol, and that's not playful teasing.

Indeed. If Columbus were not home to OSU and the capital then it would have nothing other than being "nice" - which speaks for Anytown, USA in terms of significance. Same with Cincinnati actually; other than the beautiful topography I'm not really sure what the claim to fame is with this city. Cleveland has the history, the lake, and the population (especially regional, as stated above and if you exclude the fact that Columbus just annexes anything touching it every few years, 216 square miles vs. the 82 that is Clelveland).

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

Have you been able to find evidence for question 1 yet?

Yes, all of the high-paid employees that live in (or spend significant time in) Columbus are a net gain for Central Ohio and net loss for every other area of the state. Northeast Ohio would be better off--financially and overall--if those people were based here and able to be more in touch with and focused on our problems.

[Peregrine]

Happened to catch this pic last night.

NBC Nightly Newscast.
Don't almost all weather maps by the national media look like this? Why?
Because Cleveland is the most well known city in Ohio. This is no disrespect to anywhere else in Ohio. It just is.
That's why the magnifying glass is always on us. I assume it is a holdover from "the old days" when Cleveland was the 5th largest city in the country.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

First off calling the rest of Ohio "podunk" was really just playful teasing.

I have no doubt that some people actually do believe that.

But Cleveland was an industrial powerhouse back in the day. We had factories and made stuff here. WAY more then anywhere else in this state.
Cleveland became industrial while Columbus just annexed more farm land and made suburbs while Cincy focused on finance and banking and working with the state across the river.

First, at the peak of manufacturing, all 3-C's had economies that were over 20% based on manufacturing. It's not as if Cleveland did it all. It's just that the decline there was much more severe because that's all there was. Columbus and Cincinnati had more diverse economies from the beginning. It's taken Cleveland 50-60 years to diversify to the point where it's now seeing some decent redevelopment.

And WHY does Cleveland get all the attention? Because it is much more known then anywhere else in Ohio. I bet if you asked 100 people from Atlanta to name one city in Ohio, 80% would say Cleveland. If not more. Unless you have some personal connection with Ohio, Cleveland is much more closely associated with this state.

Getting attention, however, is not always positive. People know Cleveland, sure, but you also have to ask why they know it. It's probably not because it was once the largest city. Too much of that attention is negative.

At the very least I have always thought Cleveland was much more worthy of being the capitol, and that's not playful teasing.

Why is it more worthy, exactly? Columbus, like Indianapolis, was specifically founded to be the capital. It did not exist at all before that. Cleveland had decades of head start, was easily the largest city in the state by the 1950s... and your leaders let it all slip away through refusal to adapt to new economic realities, poor planning, corruption, etc. Cleveland is finally getting out of that shadow, but I don't see it being any more worthy than any other city in the state.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

Why is it more worthy, exactly? Columbus, like Indianapolis, was specifically founded to be the capital. It did not exist at all before that. Cleveland had decades of head start, was easily the largest city in the state by the 1950s... and your leaders let it all slip away through refusal to adapt to new economic realities, poor planning, corruption, etc. Cleveland is finally getting out of that shadow, but I don't see it being any more worthy than any other city in the state.

It would have been a lot easier to weather the storm (like Columbus has) were it the state capital.