Is Columbus the best city in the Midwest? (Cleveland, Cincinnati: neighborhoods, schools)

[dustin183]

I know this is somewhat subjective, but do you feel that Columbus is the best city in the Midwest?

I feel that it is. Why?

A few reasons:
It is the number one (or two) top city in terms of growth.
It has has a diverse and stable economy.
It has a great array of restaurants and other food brands like Jeni's.
It has great parks and museums.
It has great sports options.
It has a diverse and friendly community.
It offers something for everyone.
It offers great educational opportunities.

[greenvillebuckeye]

Originally Posted by dustin183

I know this is somewhat subjective, but do you feel that Columbus is the best city in the Midwest?

I feel that it is. Why?

A few reasons:
It is the number one (or two) top city in terms of growth.
It has has a diverse and stable economy.
It has a great array of restaurants and other food brands like Jeni's.
It has great parks and museums.
It has great sports options.
It has a diverse and friendly community.
It offers something for everyone.
It offers great educational opportunities.

tOSU runs that town sports wise. So I don't know about "options". I mean unless you believe the Clippers and Blue Jackets can compete for a fair share of the Cbus sports market. Now that Vegas has an NFL team, Columbus is the second largest metro area other than Austin, TX to NOT have an MLB, NFL or NBA team.

I'm a buckeye fan but to say Cbus has sports options might be a stretch.

[gt87]

When it comes to large(ish) cities I think Columbus is definitely the best in the Midwest.

[Frank Purlin]

I have lived here for 30+ years.

I freaking hate the crappy weather. Outta here- heading south.

But I agree with nearly all of the OP's points.

[sub]

Columbus might be tops on in terms of growth, but it's not alone in the other categories.
Don't get me wrong. It seems like a perfectly nice city and I'd choose it over a few of the other midwest cities.
If you don't like "crappy weather", go west, not south. It only gets worse down there.

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by greenvillebuckeye

tOSU runs that town sports wise. So I don't know about "options". I mean unless you believe the Clippers and Blue Jackets can compete for a fair share of the Cbus sports market. Now that Vegas has an NFL team, Columbus is the second largest metro area other than Austin, TX to NOT have an MLB, NFL or NBA team.

I'm a buckeye fan but to say Cbus has sports options might be a stretch.

Sports:
Basketball - OSU Buckeyes
Football - OSU Buckeyes
Soccer - Columbus Crew
Hockey - Bluejackets
Baseball - Columbus Clippers

So yeah, albeit not every team is "pro" - all of the bases are covered. Those are all exciting atmospheres as a spectator. I've been to every one.

I think they should turn the Clippers into an MLB team.

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by Frank Purlin

I have lived here for 30+ years.

I freaking hate the crappy weather. Outta here- heading south.

But I agree with nearly all of the OP's points.

Yeah, that's why I was comparing it to the midwest overall, where the weather is about the same.

[greenvillebuckeye]

Originally Posted by dustin183

Sports:
Basketball - OSU Buckeyes
Football - OSU Buckeyes
Soccer - Columbus Crew
Hockey - Bluejackets
Baseball - Columbus Clippers

So yeah, albeit not every team is "pro" - all of the bases are covered. Those are all exciting atmospheres as a spectator. I've been to every one.

I think they should turn the Clippers into an MLB team.

In 2019 the Clippers had the 2nd highest attendance (8,500) of any minor league team in the country. The Miami Marlins had the LOWEST fan attendance of any team in MLB at 10,000 fans. The U's football team is trash these days and Miami's metro population is 3x that of Columbus. Columbus just isn't a baseball town. I guarantee the Bucks spring game brings in more fans than the Clips do the entire month of May.

I'd be curious what the Clipper's attendance figures look like in June / July versus August / September as Buckeye football gears up.

Columbus Crew was 4th from the bottom in MLS attendance in 2019.

Of the 31 NHL teams, Columbus was 23rd in attendance during this shortened 2019-20 season..

In 2019 Buckeye football average 103,000 fans in attendance, 3rd best in the country.

In 2019 Buckeye Men's Basketball average 13,000 fans in attendance, 19th in the country.

Cleveland has hockey too. The Lumberjacks, but I guarantee there are people in Cuyahoga county who don't even know they exist.

My point is there are "options" yes you got me, but lets not pretend here. Ohio State, more specifically Bucks football runs that town.

[TheProf]

I have a problem with this thread on a number of levels, not the least of which is the title and fact that "best" is subjective in an overall sense. In terms of preferences, Columbus doesn't even rank first in Ohio: I prefer both Cincinnati and Cleveland over Columbus in terms of urban form -- the other 2 Cs are stronger imho, cultural sophistication and, yes, sports -- outside of big-time college sports, of course. I like Cleveland the best for these, and a number of other reasons, including better mass transit, more diverse quality neighborhoods (including a wider range of high-quality housing), better overall walkability (please, no walk-score stats) and greater, more diverse, more beautiful natural areas and more interesting typography.

But in terms of the OP's specific breakdown, my responses comparing Cleveland are these:

A few reasons:
It is the number one (or two) top city in terms of growth. -- yes, Columbus is hard to beat, here.

It has has a diverse and stable economy. More stable, yes probably, it's newer, more white-collar and state-govt driven. Diverse, no. Cleveland still has some industrial prowess that Columbus never has had. Cleveland whips Columbus on the medical piece. And I believe Cleveland is stronger in terms of its diverse corporate structure and power.

It has a great array of restaurants and other food brands like Jeni's.
Cleveland is a growing national foodie city supported by a wide array of quality restaurants. Columbus is not in the conversation.

It has great parks and museums. Re Parks, Cleveland has a lake with some high-quality parks and beaches, a national park and Emerald Necklace system of parks Columbus which lacks. Columbus also has no answer to Rockefeller Park and it's Cultural Gardens. In terms of museums: Cleveland in a walk. It has museums of national and international stature. Columbus has none at that level.

It has great sports options. Ohio State and nothing close. The Blue Jackets are nice and have developed a powerful team (good for them!), but the NHL still takes a backseat compared to the other 3 major pro sports and Cleveland is rep'd by all 3 while Columbus has none.

It has a diverse and friendly community. Cleveland is more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity. I don't know how to define a "friendly community" so I can't answer this.

It offers something for everyone. Again, this lacks clear definition beyond answering

It offers great educational opportunities. it depends on what you're talking about. Yes, in terms of public K-12 schools, Columbus is probably better than Cleveland because Columbus is a newer major city without an industrial past, which has decayed in Cleveland and other similar cities in our more post-industrial climate. In terms of higher education? Case Western Reserve U ranks higher than Ohio State in terms of research universities. Obviously OSU sheer size gives it a lot of umph, but that doesn't always translate into quality.

[bjimmy24]

Bad public transit, B-level cultural institutions, pro sports nobody cares about, relatively low density, lack of history/identity, disproportionately white collar (and accompanying homogenous sensibilities.), etc.

Sorry, just felt this thread needed a reality check. It's not a bad place, but I think it is the 3rd or 4th best city in Ohio, let alone the midwest.