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THe designation of east or midwest only goes so far. One must look beyond that. People who reference a source that lumps Ohio in the midwest or someone who says Ohio is eastern time zone are over simplifying the matter. Ohio is a bit of a confluence. In parts of southern Ohio there is an Appalachian feel, in parts more of a slower southern feel. In Columbus there is midwest feel - along with other newer midwest cities. Toledo has a lot in common with other rust belt cities and a manufacturing hub. Finally- Cleveland. One cannot deny the influence of the north east. Townships such as Chagrin falls, Bedford, Hudson, etc. are laid out in classic New England fashion. They have a town green, a church, city hall. The town green serves a central part. There are many architectural references. Traditional New England culture has changed in many ways due to immigration (as has Ohio). Many parts of the midwest have lagged Cleveland and the east in terms of immigration. Due to immigration both modern day New England and modern day Cleveland have changed. In fact, the way many perceive New England is somewhat antiquated. My point is that the modern day Cleveland does not resemble most peoples' notions of New England, and in a lot of ways modern day New England doesn't either. If you look at the longtime Cleveland families they do resemble New Engenders more than other old families in other midwest states. They share in many of the same values.
Institutions and Education
NEO has a strong philanthropic nature which is similar to the East. Our institutions (Orchestra, Museum, and Education) are similar to that of the East. Only in NE and Hudson will you have an old prep school campus and town run together. Western Reserve was set up after Yale. Its early presidents and professor came from Yale. The Harkness, Stone, and Mather families are had close ties to both schools (and Harvard) and gave generously to Yale and Western Reserve.
Very few places in the midwest have had the influence on America the way Cleveland (and to a lesser extent Detroit) and East Cost cities have. Cleveland was the economic center of the United States, the City Club is still one of if not the most prestigious speaking engagement in the US.
While Ohio may be part of the midwest, its NE roots are undeniable.
PS: Talking about the topography has nothing to do with it. The glaciers came through here and made it flat. Yes, Southern Ohio is hilly. This is irrelevant.
Maybe this would be a good way to compare. This map classifies by among other thing local relief (difference in elevation between the highest and lowest point within a short distance) and % of local that is steeply sloping.
Southeast Ohio gets a "3" for local relief — much of the interior Northeast is "4" and even "5" ("6" is only found in the western US). But it gets a "D" for most of the land not having a gentle slope, a lot of the hilly Northeast doesn't get. So, while southeast Ohio's hills are small, there's very little flat around; it's hilly almost everywhere.
It's a not perfect classification, too much gets lumped together but you have to draw the line somewhere.
Oh man, I love that map. I will be staring at it for hours.
I'll repost it as an image, because it deserves to be seen.
To me, Northeast Ohio seems more similar to Michigan than the Northeast.
Yes, the towns mentioned as similar to New England have too many differences to me. A lot has changed between the two regions, and I think some outsiders view of New England is a bit inaccurate and leaning towards too cutsey. For example, many New England have a few old brick mill buildings, but that's not the first that comes to mind for people elsewhere. Many of those Ohio towns look too spread out — but of course not every New England town is the same, some are more spread out than others.
Yes, the towns mentioned as similar to New England have too many differences to me. A lot has changed between the two regions, and I think some outsiders view of New England is a bit inaccurate and leaning towards too cutsey. For example, many New England have a few old brick mill buildings, but that's not the first that comes to mind for people elsewhere. Many of those Ohio towns look too spread out — but of course not every New England town is the same, some are more spread out than others.
I have to agree. Some people seem to be equating Northeast Ohio not only with the Northeast but New England in particular. The Connecticut Western Reserve lasted for only a brief period of time and ended in 1800 when the population of the entire state of Ohio was still only 45,000. So while the Connecticut Reserve does have some influence in the settlement of NE Ohio, IMO the connection to New England is being exaggerated to some extent.
Now the decades after 1800 the Ohio population climbed rapidly (from 45 thousand in 1800 to 581 thousand in 1820) and much of that population growth came from the Upper Northeast (New York and New England). So there really is a good connection with Ohio and the Northeast. But lets not exaggerate it either.
A connection with western NY is more plausible than New England
Correct. For example, I think Ashtabula county, OH has quite a bit in common with Chautauqua county, NY. Both have similar population sizes, both have economies that have similar types of issues, both have similar ancestry percentages, both have viticulture has a common rural agrarian land use activity. Both are in the Snowbelt as well.
Institutions and Education
NEO has a strong philanthropic nature which is similar to the East. Our institutions (Orchestra, Museum, and Education) are similar to that of the East. Only in NE and Hudson will you have an old prep school campus and town run together. Western Reserve was set up after Yale. Its early presidents and professor came from Yale. The Harkness, Stone, and Mather families are had close ties to both schools (and Harvard) and gave generously to Yale and Western Reserve.
That's the case for a lot of colleges though. Many of the early college presidents at various institutions (Chicago, UGA, UNC-Chapel Hill, Florida, Cal Berkeley, South Carolina, Ole Miss, etc.) were graduates of Ivy League colleges and other New England schools. And HYP grads probably hog up a disproportionate number of faculty positions at colleges all over America.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 11-03-2014 at 07:30 AM..
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