Columbus, Ohio?

[Enzyte Bob]

Trying again:

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
What corporation?
Used to be the Wolfs and Lazarus. Not so much anymore. Les would like to lay claim, but I don't think he's there either.

I've been to Pittsburgh, Philadephia, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Jew York City, Baltimore, Nashville, Birmingham, Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-West Palm, Jacksonville, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Charlotte, Columbia, Indianapolis, Toledo, Akron, Canton, Fort Wayne, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Wheeling, Richmond, Charleston, Atlanta, Washington, Youngstown, Toronto, LA, San Francisco, Louisville, Denver, South Bend, Santa Fe and Windsor.

I don't care about "things to do". I'm talking about everyday life, livability, every-day amenities and curb appeal. From that standpoint, here is my list.

The only cities on that list that I think are clearly better than Columbus are Toronto (which is really just a big Columbus with an international flavor), San Francisco (for obvious reasons) and maybe Denver. I wasn't impressed with Denver overall, but I understand the attraction to the mountains and the lifestyle.

I would probably add Ft.Lauderdale-West Palm due to the sheer wealth and curb appeal down there. For me, all the annoying Jews from New York would make that area unbearable. Santa Fe, NM is a niche selection, but I also loved it.

The only cities on that list which I felt were on par with Columbus are Charlotte, Charleston and maybe Fort Wayne. Charlotte has big traffic issues, a worse freeway system and more rednecks, but also a USAir Hub. Fort Wayne is very much like Columbus in my opinion, just a smaller smaller version with lots of Amish and fewer people with graduate-level and doctoral degrees. Also not as many Muirfield style communities .. but the area around the University of Saint Francis rivals Bexley ... overall very nice and clean. Fort Wayne is a gem, believe it or not.

The following cities are in the same ballpark as Columbus, except maybe being just a notch below:

-the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Suburbs
-Nashville
-Indianapolis - Both Nashville and Indy cities are merged with the county which is why I believe they have an icky feel to them.
-Cincinnati minus most of Kentucky (some parts of KY are nice, though)
-Dayton Suburbs
-Birmingham -??
-Tampa-St. Petersburg - Much better curb appeal, but the old areas look awful. Its still not like being here.
-Toledo suburbs

The following cities are clearly inferior to Columbus. Some of these are large cities and are going to have more wealth and more amenities, both overall I wasn't very impressed.

-Cleveland-Akron-Canton city limits
-Pittsburgh - nice downtown, but the bad areas are just plain bad. There's a special kind of decline you see only in Pittsburgh and Eastern Ohio that you see nowhere else in America.
-Baltimore - It's very Cleveland-esque.
-Detroit-Wayne Co.- Just plain sucks.
-Buffalo - Ditto
-Philadephia - more wealth and high-end amenities than Columbus, also more blight. I put it on par with the Cleveland Area.
-Jacksonville - Take Dayton and lump in a few of the older suburbs and move it South. Another one of those merged city-counties.
-Miami and Dade Co.- it just plain sucks.
-Columbia - unimpressed with the sunbleached nature of buildings put up in the 1970's
-Toledo city
-Wheeling
-Richmond

Big cities where people would disagree, but I would take Columbus over any of these places:

-Jew York City - In a class of its own, but I wouldn't live there.
-Chicago - Ditto. Lots of wealth and amenities there. Lots of blight, too.
-Washington - Ditto. Wealthiest metro in the USA, especially in the burbs.
-Atlanta - Lots of upscale stuff, and the 10 lanes in each direction along I-75 is impressive. But at the end of the day most of it is just ugly sprawl.
-LA - just plain sucks

Not enough information to form an opinion on Louisville, South Bend (looked kind of grungy on the wrong side of Notre Dame) and Windsor.

[Enzyte Bob]

Now this comment will make more sense:

The point of the previous list was to show that I think what we have here stacks up pretty well with the rest of the country. We should be very proud of this area and what it has become.

[gokeefe]

Enzyte Bob wrote:

<quoted text>
Are you kidding? Compared to it's peers (i.e. other American metro areas), it's about an 8.

I'll still take Chicago over Cbus anyday in terms of transportation availability, nightlife, restaurants/cuisine, and overall culture.

Maybe me, but I love Chicago. Boutique hotels, much better shopping, nightlife is awesome. Crime is the issue here, but all large cities have their seedier sides.

I'd only give Columbus a 5 or 6. All Columbus has going for it is OSU, its economy, and its cost of living. Entertainment, lifestyle, restaurants, etc. are only so-so.

[Hugh Victor Thompson III]

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
OK--here's a little something that the media never investigated either. John Maloney Health Center. Built under Mayor Lashutka. City-owned. Prices allegedly kept low by using donated goods and cutting deals with unions on labor costs. The Contractor was George Voinovich's brother.
Construction was so poor that the building was condemned and had to be torn down a few years back. Think maybe there was some skimming going on? Or just basic incompetence?
Might want to look into the curb-cuts under Lashutka as well.

The stories about Voinovich's V Group were well known to those with friends and relatives who worked in construction or for state and local government. And totally unreported by the media.

[Enzyte Bob]

Forgot to add the Detroit suburbs outside Wayne Co. to the list. Lots of money there.

[Enzyte Bob]

gokeefe wrote:

<quoted text>
I'll still take Chicago over Cbus anyday in terms of transportation availability, nightlife, restaurants/cuisine, and overall culture.
Maybe me, but I love Chicago. Boutique hotels, much better shopping, nightlife is awesome. Crime is the issue here, but all large cities have their seedier sides.
I'd only give Columbus a 5 or 6. All Columbus has going for it is OSU, its economy, and its cost of living. Entertainment, lifestyle, restaurants, etc. are only so-so.

First, big cities don't count which is why I put Chicago in a special category with all the other big cities. Second, depends what you're looking for. I don't care about clubs and botiques. My everyday life revolves around my house, my business, trips to the various big box stores, exercise and the occasional dinner. I think most people's lives are the same.

Aside from the big 5 cities on that list, is there any one of those that head and shoulders better than Columbus? I don't think so. Among its peers (non-big cities), I still think greater Columbus is easily an 8.

[Enzyte Bob]

Forgot to add Vegas to the list. Suburban Vegas toward Red Rock Mountain looked good ... I couldn't imagine living there, though.

[Enzyte Bob]

The question again is this. Look at the list below. This is a new list. Excluding the largest cities from the previous list, is there any city on this list that you're going to say is better than Metro Columbus?

Maybe one or two of them, but overall I think you'd be hard pressed to do so. That's why Columbus gets an 8, in my opinion.

Pittsburgh
Philadephia
Detroit
Cleveland
Buffalo
Baltimore
Nashville
Birmingham
Miami
Jacksonville
Tampa-St. Petersburg
Charlotte
Columbia
Indianapolis
Toledo
Akron
Canton
Fort Wayne
Cincinnati
Dayton
Wheeling
Richmond
Charleston, SC
Youngstown
Louisville
Denver
South Bend
Minneapolis
Lexington
Grand Rapids
Raleigh-Durham
Kansas City
St. Louis
Memphis
New Orleans
Milwaukee

[Enzyte Bob]

Put another way, here are the top 75 metro areas by population. How many on there would you rather live in? Just look at that list!!!

Yes kids, Columbus is an 8.

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington , PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
Washington-Arlington-Alexandri a, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI MSA
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA
St. Louis, MO-IL MSA
Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA

Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO MSA
Pittsburgh, PA MSA
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA
Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Rosevi lle, CA MSA

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA
Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN MSA
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH MSA
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA
Columbus, OH MSA
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN MSA

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesbor o–Franklin, TN MSA
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI MSA
Jacksonville, FL MSA

Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA
Oklahoma City, OK MSA
Richmond, VA MSA
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA

New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA
Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA
Salt Lake City, UT MSA
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY MSA
Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA

Rochester, NY MSA
Tucson, AZ MSA
Honolulu, HI MSA
Tulsa, OK MSA
Fresno, CA MSA

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA
Albuquerque, NM MSA
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA MSA
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA
New Haven-Milford, CT MSA

Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA
Dayton, OH MSA
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA MSA
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA
El Paso, TX MSA

Baton Rouge, LA MSA
Worcester, MA MSA
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI MSA
Columbia, SC MSA

Greensboro-High Point, NC MSA
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL MSA
Knoxville, TN MSA
Akron, OH MSA

[-The-Artist-]

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, some of those bedroom communities could merge with the city. But I don't see that happening.

Remember, we still have two towns that almost entirely survive from speed traps.

But the idea is that people in the surrounding area that commute are paying taxes, but cannot vote. It's very clearly taxation without representation. Either the taxes should be abolished, or the commuters should get two votes.

[-The-Artist-]

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Trying again:
<quoted text>
I've been to Pittsburgh, Philadephia, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Jew York City, Baltimore, Nashville, Birmingham, Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-West Palm, Jacksonville, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Charlotte, Columbia, Indianapolis, Toledo, Akron, Canton, Fort Wayne, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Wheeling, Richmond, Charleston, Atlanta, Washington, Youngstown, Toronto, LA, San Francisco, Louisville, Denver, South Bend, Santa Fe and Windsor.
I don't care about "things to do". I'm talking about everyday life, livability, every-day amenities and curb appeal. From that standpoint, here is my list.
The only cities on that list that I think are clearly better than Columbus are Toronto (which is really just a big Columbus with an international flavor), San Francisco (for obvious reasons) and maybe Denver. I wasn't impressed with Denver overall, but I understand the attraction to the mountains and the lifestyle.
I would probably add Ft.Lauderdale-West Palm due to the sheer wealth and curb appeal down there. For me, all the annoying Jews from New York would make that area unbearable. Santa Fe, NM is a niche selection, but I also loved it.
The only cities on that list which I felt were on par with Columbus are Charlotte, Charleston and maybe Fort Wayne. Charlotte has big traffic issues, a worse freeway system and more rednecks, but also a USAir Hub. Fort Wayne is very much like Columbus in my opinion, just a smaller smaller version with lots of Amish and fewer people with graduate-level and doctoral degrees. Also not as many Muirfield style communities .. but the area around the University of Saint Francis rivals Bexley ... overall very nice and clean. Fort Wayne is a gem, believe it or not.
The following cities are in the same ballpark as Columbus, except maybe being just a notch below:
-the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Suburbs
-Nashville
-Indianapolis - Both Nashville and Indy cities are merged with the county which is why I believe they have an icky feel to them.
-Cincinnati minus most of Kentucky (some parts of KY are nice, though)
-Dayton Suburbs
-Birmingham -??
-Tampa-St. Petersburg - Much better curb appeal, but the old areas look awful. Its still not like being here.
-Toledo suburbs
The following cities are clearly inferior to Columbus. Some of these are large cities and are going to have more wealth and more amenities, both overall I wasn't very impressed.
-Cleveland-Akron-Canton city limits
-Pittsburgh - nice downtown, but the bad areas are just plain bad. There's a special kind of decline you see only in Pittsburgh and Eastern Ohio that you see nowhere else in America.
-Baltimore - It's very Cleveland-esque.
-Detroit-Wayne Co.- Just plain sucks.
-Buffalo - Ditto
-Philadephia - more wealth and high-end amenities than Columbus, also more blight. I put it on par with the Cleveland Area.
-Jacksonville - Take Dayton and lump in a few of the older suburbs and move it South. Another one of those merged city-counties.
-Miami and Dade Co.- it just plain sucks.
-Columbia - unimpressed with the sunbleached nature of buildings put up in the 1970's
-Toledo city
-Wheeling
-Richmond
Big cities where people would disagree, but I would take Columbus over any of these places:
-Jew York City - In a class of its own, but I wouldn't live there.
-Chicago - Ditto. Lots of wealth and amenities there. Lots of blight, too.
-Washington - Ditto. Wealthiest metro in the USA, especially in the burbs.
-Atlanta - Lots of upscale stuff, and the 10 lanes in each direction along I-75 is impressive. But at the end of the day most of it is just ugly sprawl.
-LA - just plain sucks
Not enough information to form an opinion on Louisville, South Bend (looked kind of grungy on the wrong side of Notre Dame) and Windsor.

Ever been to Calgary, Vancouver BC?

[Enzyte Bob]

Here are the 10's:

Washington-Arlington-Alexandri a, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA

Here are the 9's (some debateable):

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO MSA

Here are the cities that suck, but have a lot of wealth and things to do just by virtue of being big ... the 8 1/2's:

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington , PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL without Miami
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI MSA (suburbs only)

Here are the 8's:

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA (maybe)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA (never been there)
Columbus, OH MSA
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA (never been there but everybody raves about it)
Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA (Ditto)

Here are the 7's:

Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN MSA
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH MSA (suburbs only)
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN MSA
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesbor o–Franklin, TN MSA
Dayton, OH MSA
Akron and Canton, OH MSA (Suburbs)

I stopped there.

I believe we are very competitive. Especially when you consider all the other places that in MSA ranks 76 to 366.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_S...

[Enzyte Bob]

-The-Artist- wrote:

<quoted text>
Ever been to Calgary, Vancouver BC?

Nope, but my cousin says about a third of the people who live in Vancouver are sl0pe heads.

[-tip-]

Bob...you should apply to work for Coleman ASAP.
What an impressive cheerleader you are.
Looks like you're team captain of a squad of one.

[Enzyte Bob]

-tip- wrote:

Bob...you should apply to work for Coleman ASAP.
What an impressive cheerleader you are.
Looks like you're team captain of a squad of one.

Like I said, let's look at this objectively. You tell me which places are more desirable than Columbus. Here's the list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_S...

[-tip-]

Enzyte Bob wrote:

<quoted text>
Like I said, let's look at this objectively. You tell me which places are more desirable than Columbus. Here's the list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_S...

Well...desirability is not at all objective.
For example, I prefer all of these areas to Columbus, OH:

Charleston-Summerville, SC
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Aiken, SC-Augusta, GA
Charlotte, NC-Gastonia-Rock Hill, SC
Asheville, NC
Raleigh-Cary, NC
Wilmington, NC
Nashville-Franklin, TN
Knoxville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Charlottesville, VA
Richmond, VA
Lexington, KY

But good for you for loving on Columbus.

[Enzyte Bob]

-tip- wrote:

<quoted text>
Well...desirability is not at all objective.
For example, I prefer all of these areas to Columbus, OH:
Charleston-Summerville, SC
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Aiken, SC-Augusta, GA
Charlotte, NC-Gastonia-Rock Hill, SC
Asheville, NC
Raleigh-Cary, NC
Wilmington, NC
Nashville-Franklin, TN
Knoxville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Charlottesville, VA
Richmond, VA
Lexington, KY
But good for you for loving on Columbus.

You're from the south so you would have an affinity for those places. The Columbus MSA is superior or equal to most of those listed, IMO. Not Columbus the city, but the MSA taken as a whole.

[-The-Artist-]

Enzyte Bob wrote:

<quoted text>
Nope, but my cousin says about a third of the people who live in Vancouver are sl0pe heads.

Vancouver BC is a land of potheads and high earning Third Worlders that brought way too many third world practices from.

Nice place, but wrong population.

Calgary has parts of that, but IMO is the best city in Canuckistan.

[Enzyte Bob]

http://goo.gl/oH7Cb

FINALIST
Columbus, OH
Best big cities rank: 8
Population: 730,700

1 Colorado Springs, CO
2 Austin, TX
3 Mesa, AZ
4 Raleigh, NC
5 San Diego, CA
6 Virginia Beach, VA
7 Omaha, NE
8 Columbus, OH
9 Wichita, KS
10 New York, NY

[-The-Artist-]

Enzyte Bob wrote:

http://goo.gl/oH7Cb
FINALIST
Columbus, OH
Best big cities rank: 8
Population: 730,700
1 Colorado Springs, CO
2 Austin, TX
3 Mesa, AZ
4 Raleigh, NC
5 San Diego, CA
6 Virginia Beach, VA
7 Omaha, NE
8 Columbus, OH
9 Wichita, KS
10 New York, NY

Hey look at that CO Springs, one of our most right wing cities is #1