Unlucky25

Thank you all for your suggestions!! I am thinking about going with Cleveland; because then I'd be closer to family & friends. I still have a while to mull this over, but I'll give all of your suggestions equal thought. thanks :)

What are the best places in Ohio for a single, 20-something gay person to live? I am going to college in NYC for Communications (graduating next year) but I am sick of the city- the thought of actually living here gives me nightmares. I miss Ohio, where the cities are much cheaper & quieter. But one thing I remember about Ohio is how difficult it was for me to meet other gay people. I mean, I left when I was 18 having gone to one club in Youngstown with my lesbian friend and thought "Damn, I have to get out of Ohio if I ever want to meet other gay people who aren't old or pervy" (Now I just realize that I thought this because Youngstown tends to have more older people than young and its smaller). After moving to NYC and going through a HORRIBLE relationship & breakup, as well as being diagnosed with multiple anxiety problems because of how badly my small-town upbringing prepared me for city life, I've decided to come home to Ohio to wind down. I do still keep in touch with some friends & of course family, and I figured I may as well approach the question of gay Ohio life with more maturity than I did as a wide-eyed 18 year old. Obviously, I grew up in NE Ohio and so I never really had any issues with my sexuality (mainly because I have a strong support system, plus I don't show it at all) but Cleveland never struck me as a gay friendly place. I mean, I hear there are clubs in Cleveland/Akron and the Positively Cleveland site really tries to market the city to gays but I never thought of it as being a "gay" place. Am I wrong? Are there lots of gays in the Greater Cleveland area? Columbus is a plus but because of my nebulous age I'd be too old to chill with the 50,000-strong OSU college crowd, and the 10-11 times I've been there it seemed like a suburban area with a nice downtown. However I keep hearing everybody say that it is the 2-nd best place for gays in the Midwest besides Chicago. so: -What place has the best gay scene for a younger person? (Clubs, churches, bars) -If I opt to live outside of the city: where can I live that's near a city/ in a city (30 minute drive max) that's quaint/quiet but not out in the sticks? -Overall LGBT population for Columbus vs. Cleveland? -Personal opinions/experiences preferred- I wouldn't be asking here if I didn't want them, I would google it if I wanted something from a tourist brochure. :-) Thanks!