or country, what would you say?

Surprisingly diverse.

Cleveland/Akron/YTown = NJ/NY. Snooki would feel right at home.
Appalachian Ohio is as country as any place in the US - it's more West Virginia than WV.
Cincinnati could be in in Alabama and never miss a lick.
Western Ohio looks, smells, and tastes like Iowa or Minnesota.
Columbus is just weird - and proud of it.

Hey, its better than Michigan.

Cat Food Flambe';459886 wrote:Surprisingly diverse.

Cleveland/Akron/YTown = NJ/NY. Snooki would feel right at home.
Appalachian Ohio is as country as any place in the US - it's more West Virginia than WV.
Cincinnati could be in in Alabama and never miss a lick.
Western Ohio looks, smells, and tastes like Iowa or Minnesota.
Columbus is just weird - and proud of it.

Agreed except Columbus. It seems awfully white bread to me: not sure what is so weird about it. Maybe I'm partial to the middle class areas on the periphery (Dublin, Hilliard, Worthington) but it seems to me like the largest white, middle class city in the country. Granted you have the short north and whatever exists in Gahanna/Reynoldsburg but that's nothing unusual for larger communities.

I will say that it is a perfect meeting place for leftists in the NE and conservatives in the SW.

Desolate. It's like your granny's vagina. Everybody knows how to get there, but why would anybody go?

Cat Food Flambe';459886 wrote:Cleveland/Akron/YTown = NJ/NY.

haha ... what? This is the first time I have ever heard New York being compared to Cleveland. Don't tell me, Paris is like Dayton? Barcelona is like Toledo?

All kidding aside, Ohio was MUCH different than I expected when I moved there in 1993 to attend OSU. I asked my Dad what a "Buckeye" was and he erroneously said "a crop, popular in the Midwest." haha. I thought Columbus would be more "hee haw," but it surprisingly was a fun city. My friends were shocked when I called it a "cute town," but growing up near NYC, it felt small to me, and I enjoyed that. Many of the people are much, much more conservative than me, but Columbus was pretty diverse. Not much of a cultural hotbed, but nothing beats OSU football Saturdays.

-we have 4 seasons; winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction
-our flag is different than your flag (except nepal)

Cat Food Flambe';459886 wrote:Surprisingly diverse.

Cleveland/Akron/YTown = NJ/NY. Snooki would feel right at home.
Appalachian Ohio is as country as any place in the US - it's more West Virginia than WV.
Cincinnati could be in in Alabama and never miss a lick.
Western Ohio looks, smells, and tastes like Iowa or Minnesota.
Columbus is just weird - and proud of it.

Minus the diverse part, this is a lot like how I describe it as I travel around the country. To me, it is a state with no identity of its own. Toledo is little Detroit, Cleveland can't hack not being Pittsburgh, Cincinnati is really Kentucky (according to the airport), and Columbus fancies itself all sophisticated but is really just a mecca for the surrounding hillbillies. And my corner is West Virginia. There's nothing really good going on here.

Three words — hardworking, alpha male, jackhammer. Merciless. Insatiable.

enigmaax;460004 wrote:Cleveland can't hack not being Pittsburgh

I hate you

BigAppleBuckeye;459916 wrote:haha ... what? This is the first time I have ever heard New York being compared to Cleveland. Don't tell me, Paris is like Dayton? Barcelona is like Toledo?

All kidding aside, Ohio was MUCH different than I expected when I moved there in 1993 to attend OSU. I asked my Dad what a "Buckeye" was and he erroneously said "a crop, popular in the Midwest." haha. I thought Columbus would be more "hee haw," but it surprisingly was a fun city. My friends were shocked when I called it a "cute town," but growing up near NYC, it felt small to me, and I enjoyed that. Many of the people are much, much more conservative than me, but Columbus was pretty diverse. Not much of a cultural hotbed, but nothing beats OSU football Saturdays.

BAB - maybe it's just the time I spent in greater NYC area - while I was born there, I didn't spend any time beyond the age of reason until I worked for a trucking company at their NYC terminals. Cleveland is a LOT like Maspeth, Jamaica, and Carlstadt - which were the parts --I-- got to see! Manhattan, not so much. But the attitude and ethnic variety seemed very similar to our NE Ohio people.

Ohio is a lot more than meets the eye. Many fine universities and colleges, magnificent agricultural riches, wonderful sleepy little towns, cultural centers, great entertainment venues such as marvelous amusement parks, professional sports teams, (and we won't force you to count the Indians),and many very friendly and caring people. Ohio is a great place to raise a family and settle into a very comfortable existence.

Swamp Fox;460060 wrote:Ohio is a lot more than meets the eye. Many fine universities and colleges, magnificent agricultural riches, wonderful sleepy little towns, cultural centers, great entertainment venues such as marvelous amusement parks, professional sports teams, (and we won't force you to count the Indians),and many very friendly and caring people. Ohio is a great place to raise a family and settle into a very comfortable existence.

Nice.
This guy needs to be the state PR man.

When I lived in San Fracisco area, I used to tell people just to look around and imagine trees... lots and lots of trees.
(eastern OhiA)

Because the hills are there, just like the Ohio Valley, only there's only a handful of trees per hill.

I have not lived anywhere other than Ohio... so it is hard to compare other than stereotypes for me. I think Ohio is a wonderful place to raise a family... or else I would not be here.

It sure is struggling right now to "re-invent" itself with the economic downturn in the auto and steel industries. The days of a person graduating High school and working for the same factory until retirement are pretty much over. Is that different in other states? My guess is that most states are like us in the upper midwest. The shrinking population would be the only real reason I would ever consider leaving... just to better the career position.

Poking fun at ourself... a couple of jokes people say about the weather in Ohio?
If you don't like the weather... stick around ten minutes.

If God was going to give the world an enima... He would stick the hose in Ohio... LOL

But I thank God to be a Buckeye... It is a very culturally diverse state with distinctly different ways of life. From the industrial/metroplitan areas to the farm areas, to the Amish region. From the flat farmlands to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. We have a very nice State with many wonderful people, many ethnic influences, and plenty of things to do within a short drive. We have some of the best golf courses in the world, and we have the awesome opportunity for public golfers to play great courses at an incredibly affordable rates.

Oh yes... I forgot about the Amish Fry Pies. WOW!

While we're at it, another thing about Ohio that I have always found particularly charming are the wonderful county fairs where even an old codger like myself can be a kid again. My wife and I always go every year and now we go twice because Senior Citizen Day gets us in free so we break open our piggy bank and pay for one day's admission. We always go to the food place supplied primarily by the ladies of the church and boy can those ladies cook. Tremendous!! i can't imagine living anywhere else. I've lived in Los Angeles. You can have it.

I have lived or had extended stays in about 20 states in the US and also about 8 different countries in Europe. Ohio is the best place I have been to live. There are many places that may be nicer for a short visit (ie Vegas) but none so far that are better to live in. JMO

tsst_fballfan;460262 wrote:I have lived or had extended stays in about 20 states in the US and also about 8 different countries in Europe. Ohio is the best place I have been to live. There are many places that may be nicer for a short visit (ie Vegas) but none so far that are better to live in. JMO

I love ohio as much as anyone, but i respectfully disagree.


As for the topic:

Ohio is a great state. It is a microchasm of the USA as a whole. In the north, you have the New England states, busy, hardworking, dangerous at night. In the West you have the wide open spaces of the Great Plains, it's so flat, that you can watch your dog run away for 2 days.. In the deep south you have white trash, bumpkins, cousing loving, Ford hating, hilljacks. And in the southeast you have Florida, where wierd shit happens, like drug busts involving retirees, a "stationary," faux boat sinking, and a dead man being served drinks at a bar for 3 hours before someone noticed he was dead.

I would tell them I love it here and if they don't like it fuck off.

j_crazy;460272 wrote:I love ohio as much as anyone, but i respectfully disagree.


As for the topic:

Ohio is a great state. It is a microchasm of the USA as a whole. In the north, you have the New England states, busy, hardworking, dangerous at night. In the West you have the wide open spaces of the Great Plains, it's so flat, that you can watch your dog run away for 2 days.. In the deep south you have white trash, bumpkins, cousing loving, Ford hating, hilljacks. And in the southeast you have Florida, where wierd shit happens, like drug busts involving retirees, a "stationary," faux boat sinking, and a dead man being served drinks at a bar for 3 hours before someone noticed he was dead.

Pretty damn good and funny description.

Fab4Runner;460303 wrote:I would tell them I love it here and if they don't like it fuck off.

Seems pretty accurate to me.

From having lived in Ohio for thirty years, then Seattle for five, and now Charlotte, I can say that Ohio was a great place to grow up. I lived in Columbus for three years and did enjoy it, there was enough to do to keep busy most times. Not a fan of the weather though. When people ask me about Ohio I usually say pretty good things about it, other than SE Ohio

mattinctown;460546 wrote:Not a fan of the weather though.

I have to agree. I LOVED my time in Ohio, but the weather (especially from late fall through early March) is just brutal and depressing. I think the Columbus weather alone helped contribute to my love of grunge music haha

I would agree with the word diverse. I live fifteen minutes away from the heart of Amish Country and a little over an hour away from three professional sports teams (Cleveland teams, so using the word professional quite liberally). I can cut firewood in the afternoon and enjoy dinner at a very nice eatery all in the same day. Ohio is the home of high school football bar none.

Yeah the weather sucks sometimes, but at least we don't get snow like they do in Green Bay, or hurricanes.

mattinctown;460546 wrote:When people ask me about Ohio I usually say pretty good things about it, other than SE Ohio

GTFO! That's the best part of this great State!