February 26, 20169 yr Cleveland is notably less overcast than the rest of the state, so there's that. Nice little bonus to weigh against the extra snow. Weather stats disagree with that. https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-sunshine-by-city.php I'm from Cleveland and live in Cincy now. Cleveland definitely isn't more clear than here.
February 26, 20169 yr ^There are 15 more clear days in (81) Cincinnati than (66) Cleveland; an increase of 22.73%
February 26, 20169 yr Not sure "clear days" is the best measurement. We usually have some clouds here, just not as much overcast. Wineries are concentrated along the Erie coast to take advantage of this.
February 26, 20169 yr Not sure "clear days" is the best measurement. We usually have some clouds here, just not as much overcast. Wineries are concentrated along the Erie coast to take advantage of this. The proximity to the lee of lake causes more cloudiness (partly or overcast). Look up minutes of sunshine. Proximity to the lake is also why wineries are there. It's because of the longer growing season influenced by proximity to the lake water that takes longer to cool down in the fall than the air. Didn't you grow up here? How could you not know this?? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 26, 20169 yr I grew up in Central Ohio, known for being especially overcast. This link was the quickest explanation I could find, and although it focuses on Lake Ontario, the graphic is helpful. Same thing happens here. http://rhpweatherblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-lake-shadow.html
February 26, 20169 yr I would say it ranges quite a bit in Northeast Ohio for sunny days. Ytown is very low and getting towards Sandusky is very high well over 100 days according to one website(169 sunny days!!) I'd imagine Lorain communties probably experience close to 100 sunny days. Lake effect isn't just snowfall but cloud cover.
February 26, 20169 yr As an elaboration, "clear days" in that chart refers to any day with less than 30% cloud cover. Basically it's referring to days that aren't overcast. So Cleveland, according to that, still has quite a bit more overcast days than Cincy and slightly more than Columbus.
February 26, 20169 yr Ohio has the worst quality of life in the Midwest, and is quickly becoming one of the worst in the US. We are a high tax state with minimal income growth, horrible infrastructure (we all know it's a nationwide problem, but Ohio's compared to other competitor states is bad) a polluted environment, and no economic growth. Not to mention a rising poverty rate and an overall population that is not satisfied with their quality or life (Ohio ranked 47th I believe for where people were happy) For a state that spends absolutely no money on other forms of transportation our roads are atrocious. Cedar Road in Cleveland for such a high traffic count is doing nothing but destroying your car. It's not just Cleveland, but Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, Dayton, the entire state is suffering. I travel to other states and I see what they are doing and it amazes me how Ohio just can't keep up. I was in Indiana last week and was so surprised by how well kept the pavement was on residential streets compared to most areas in Ohio. Things just seemed cleaner and much more well kept. I live on the PA border and it's like night and day between how things are run, and in the last couple years you can tell where citizens are doing better and where they are hurting. I am sure others here have noticed how much better other states are doing, too. Ohio isn't really going anywhere, and it's great to champion the little urban growth that is happening in Ohio's cities, but it pales in comparison to other states' urban growth. Milwaukee is booming and is actually building highrises, not just talking about them like in Cleveland. Even little Iowa has impressive urban growth. Maybe someday Ohio can champion the state's comebacks, but it won't be happening anytime soon. Meanwhile, the governor runs for a presidential bid he has no chance at winning. That seemed kinda out of the blue. I disagree with most of what you say. The grass is always greener on the other side. People complain about the roads in Cincinnati all the time, but I really don't have much of a problem. The only time I have a problem is when I'm going through a construction site. Which is expected. And Cincinnati is building a lot downtown lately and adding a lot of jobs. Other states have much higher taxes (Pennsylvania and Illinois come to mind). And if you leave Indianapolis and venture out to Ft. Wayne, Evansville, or Lafayette, Indiana isn't all peaches and cream. Kentucky and West Virginia are messes with unemployment and drug addiction, and Michigan has huge infrastructure problems (unfunded highways, Flint water crisis, Detroit's massive vacant housing issue). How was it out of the blue? Read the post before that; it went along with what was being mentioned. What all is Cincinnati doing downtown? I am curious really. It didn't seem like a lot was happening when I was there in October... GE to The Banks seems like the biggest deal. Even following the SW section here, it seems like it has really slowed down in the last year or two. Cleveland seems to be the leader in downtown development in Ohio at the current moment. Read up on the water crisis in Sebring, Ohio or the Lake Erie algae blooms. Ohio isn't "peaches and cream", either. Ever notice how Indiana's smaller cities and towns have much better intact downtown districts? For all the comparisons made between Indy and Columbus, I certainly think Columbus could learn a few things from Indy. It wasn't out of the blue. I work for one of the county landbanks here in Ohio and I see the issues on a daily basis. Trust me, I know the grass is not greener. I moved out of state once and came back to Ohio because I realized it was better here. But I also realize many states are doing far better than Ohio, and they are right in our own backyard. Ohio needs some serious policy changes, and it needs to start with our urban areas. I am just being matter-of-fact, and I will not sugarcoat the issues Ohio is facing.
February 26, 20169 yr ^In Cincinnati the entire Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is being redeveloped into a thriving neighborhood that boasts some truly unique architecture. It's far from finished, but will become one of the prime tourist destinations in Ohio. The pace of redevelopment in OTR is staggering. The Banks is finishing the GE building, a new 300-unit apartment building at The Banks, redeveloping 2 more buildings into hotels, and another large apartment building is set to open. I'm sure others on this site have a thorough analysis of the projects in development downtown.
February 26, 20169 yr Right now, with just 3CDC alone, there is about $250 million dollars in investment right now or starting in the next few months in OTR and the one tower on 8th and Sycamore. Then you can count the, I would say close to 50 small to medium sized rehabilitation and and new construction in OTR going on, which probably amounts to another $100 million at least, but probably closer to $200 million. Then you add the big projects downtown, which we've listed before, but you are talking about 900 new units in the pipeline or under construction, plus about 300 more at least in projects that are still in development, all on 4th street or below. Plus the GE building and numerous companies coming back downtown or to downtown in the first place. It really is some big investments going on and will only accelerate once the streetcar is up and running. That said, I don't know a lot about Cleveland but it does look like they are working on a lot of projects right now as well. And it seems like there is a new project popping up in Columbus every week or so judging off this website.
February 26, 20169 yr Between Downtown, Over the Rhine, and Pendleton there are around 3,000 residential units under construction or planned in the core of Cincinnati. Then on top of this the handful of new hotels that have opened recently and several more in various states of planning/construction. GE bringing 2,000 high paying jobs is a HUGE deal for Downtown. 84.51º has also recently moved into their new $200+ million office building which houses their continually growing company. Last year in OTR alone over 50 new businesses opened up in the neighborhood. The streetcar is almost ready to open and begin running. New construction infill in OTR has accelerated dramatically in recent years as have renovations. OTR has around 400,000 square feet of office space planned in the upcoming year or so between a handful of projects, both new construction and conversions, which will bring literally thousands of high paying workers to the neighborhood furthering daytime activity. The riverfront has transformed from a series of parking lots to a mixed-use neighborhood and one of the best parks in the country in a short period. There are two skyscrapers under construction/planned in Downtown with several more rumored to be on the way. Add on top of this thousands of new housing units opening up around UC in the last few years with enough new housing for around 2,000 people under construction or in the pipeline in Uptown. The entire area around UC has exploded with redevelopment recently. UC itself has continued to be a gigantic force within Cincinnati growing from 35,000 students to around 46,000 students in a decade. The medical campus continues to expand and has invested literally billions in new buildings in the decade I've lived here. Hell, I just went back into the SW Ohio boards an saw Children's has announced a $300 million expansion. Mt. Adams has seen tons of new construction along the hillside overlooking Downtown and continues to be a real estate powerhouse for the region. Oakley has come into its own as a desirable neighborhood with hundreds of units of housing built in the last couple years with hundreds more planned. Hyde Park continues to be strong with continued renovations of historic homes and new construction like 2770 filling the multi-million dollar condo needs. I could go on but I think this gets the point across. I don't post as often in the NE Ohio topics, but I'm from Cleveland originally so I follow them incredibly closely. Cleveland does have more large scale conversions of skyscrapers, but Cleveland also doesn't have a single neighborhood that's comparable to Over the Rhine or Pendleton. A ton of Cincinnati's economic success in terms of redevelopment has been historic building stock, not skyscrapers or large-scale developments so it might not be as obvious to an outsider. But I urge you to go to Google Streetview, drop the little dude into OTR, and use the "time machine" button to go back to 2007 and other dates and check out how much OTR has changed in a short period. Areas are unrecognizable from just two years ago. For example, spin around these two views, 8 years apart, of this one intersection in OTR. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1108394,-84.5154099,3a,75y,163.87h,79.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sogSFLeb7APQG4dB0Qa9QLg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664 https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1108409,-84.5154103,3a,75y,163.87h,79.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9jJNm0mUT2XTkFj-hzfm1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 That type of redevelopment might not necessarily be obvious to someone who hasn't followed it closely since it's not large scale, doesn't alter the skyline, looks like it has always possibly existed, etc. Another point to make is that Cleveland fell way further than Cincinnati ever did. When you fall a lot further there's more room for reinvestment later. Cincinnati's less dramatic population loss has turned around and we're slowly gaining people again. The same can't be said for Cleveland which is still hemorrhaging people which will offset a lot of Downtown's success unless it can be slowed/reversed. Cincinnati has thankfully already reached that point and it's showing its benefits in things like huge budget surpluses. The last two years have seen a combined $30 million surplus which can then be reinvested in the city in some manner. Not trying to start a city vs. city since I love both cities, but Cleveland is not trouncing Cincinnati and is not leapfrogging Cincinnati's development pace like some would like to believe.
February 26, 20169 yr I'd say one reason the roads are better in Cincinnati is that the water has an opportunity to run off due to the hilliness. It doesn't just sit there soaking into imperfections like in other towns.
February 26, 20169 yr That's a good run down jmicha GCrites: That's a good explanation for the road conditions. Another argument I would put further there is that the temperature is fairly moderate, so there doesn't need to be tons of salt on the roads which does a lot of damage to concrete. You also don't have the freeze, thaw, re-freeze, thaw cycle, and with the hilliness it runs off fairly quick. Also in more northern cities, the snow blanket stays for long periods of time and just adds and adds and adds, then it starts melting and causes flooding, or it melts slowly, then freezes overnight, then melts, and it's a long, long cycle for some northern cities before all the snow is gone. This has a devastating affect in roads. If you go to further southern states, like Alabama, all the roads are really nice. I always wondered what the average city budget amount for road repairs in a city like Cedar Rapids, IA compares to Huntsville, AL. Probably something like 25-35% of annual operating costs in Cedar Rapids and 5% in Huntsville. I am sure that is fairly easy to look up, but that is just one of the challenges northern cities face. Cincinnati likes to complain that the roads are in horrible shape, and really they aren't at all. I can't remember the last time I hit a massive pothole. The last time I was in Indy, I hit about 15 just driving the 5 miles from the interstate to my girlfriends apartment. And in IA, the roads were even more horrible. It was like, make sure you have your lid on your coffee or at least you drank 3/4 of it before you drive off.
February 26, 20169 yr I would love to see Cleveland do what Cincinnati's doing-- on many levels. To the extent that we have anything like OTR, much of the leadership here can't wait to get it torn down.
February 26, 20169 yr Another reason for better roads in Cincy is that the roads in Cincy are generally a lot narrower. When you have roads 1.5-2 times as wide in most of your city that's a lot more to maintain. Cincy's Downtown has very few large roads whereas Downtown Cleveland has quite a few huge roads. All that pavement costs extra to maintain.
February 26, 20169 yr Yeah, let's not get into comparing cities. Each city has things significantly better than the other city. You can throw Columbus and Pittsburgh in there too. Big picture, We are all the Same boat. We all have liabilities and we all have things that are great/unique. I really don't see a winner until we all address our shortcomings that are significant.
February 26, 20169 yr Yeah, let's not get into comparing cities. Each city has things significantly better than the other city. You can throw Columbus and Pittsburgh in there too. Big picture, We are all the Same boat. We all have liabilities and we all have things that are great/unique. I really don't see a winner until we all address our shortcomings that are significant. Pittsburgh has too damn many Stoolers fans. Otherwise, as you say everyone else has strengths and weaknesses....
February 27, 20169 yr Note that 3 of the 10 most distressed large cities in the USA are in Ohio.... Despite recovery, 50M remain in distressed communities - @InnovateEconomy https://t.co/IFhe2orAKx https://t.co/0FEJft7S8D Perhaps more telling, five are Great Lakes ports. This article from CityLab actually shows the rankings of the Distressed Cities. I don't understand the methodology...how does Cleveland rank 2 and Detroit 10? Cleveland has 77% of the populous in "distressed areas" versus Detroit's 99%... http://www.citylab.com/politics/2016/02/mapping-distressed-communities-in-the-us/471150/
March 1, 20169 yr Medical Mutual's headquarters is in Cleveland but has significant office facilities in most Ohio cities. HealthSpan is HQ'd in Cincinnati. Medical Mutual may be consolidating other offices around Northern Ohio including its downtown Cleveland headquarters that's in an historic office building, ripe for a housing conversion, into a new office tower. This large acquisition may affect that.... Medical Mutual to acquire HealthSpan insurance customers By Casey Ross, The Plain Dealer on March 01, 2016 at 1:48 PM, updated March 01, 2016 at 2:50 PM Medical Mutual of Ohio said Tuesday it will acquire the 105,000 members in the group and individual health insurance units of HealthSpan Partners. The deal will further consolidate the health insurance industry in Northeast Ohio, where Medical Mutual is already the biggest player. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company's chief communications officer, Jared Chaney, said in a statement that that the deal calls for HealthSpan to continue to insure its members enrolled in employer-sponsored plans through their renewal date or August 31, whichever comes first. Individual members will be insured by HealthSpan through their renewal date or the end of the year. MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2016/03/medical_mutual_to_acquire.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 8, 20169 yr Unfortunately Ohio isn't one of them.... America’s most successful cities, states and firms are leaving the rest behind http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21694356-inequality-between-states-has-risen-most-past-15-years-americas-most-successful "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 8, 20169 yr Unfortunately Ohio isn't one of them.... America’s most successful cities, states and firms are leaving the rest behind http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21694356-inequality-between-states-has-risen-most-past-15-years-americas-most-successful And what about this do our Ohio leaders not understand? Invest in education and infrastructure to keep up in the 21st century....
March 29, 20169 yr Fifth Third hiring for 100+ IT jobs: $100,000+ salary packages By Olivera Perkins, The Plain Dealer on March 28, 2016 at 7:00 AM, updated March 28, 2016 at 8:48 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio – Fifth Third bank is hiring for 120 newly-created positions in its Information Technology division, aimed at meeting the increasing demand for mobile banking. The openings include those for developers, business systems analysts and project managers. The bank is recruiting in Cleveland, Dayton, Louisville and Indianapolis for positions at its Cincinnati headquarters. More than 100 of them offer salary packages of more than $100,000 each. The new slots will expand the tech team, which is now at 750. Fifth Third has made 80 tech hires in the past five months. Bank officials want to employ more than 1,000 technology employees by the end of the year -- a 27 percent increase since 2012. MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/03/fifth_third_hiring_for_100_it.html#incart_river_index "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 14, 20169 yr Looks like "flyover country" between the coasts is no place for software venture capitalists... The geography of high-tech industries is more diverse than you might expect http://trib.al/gX4QhV4 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 14, 20169 yr ^How annoying and belittling: The fact that Cleveland made it as a top 10 city for one of their lists (Leading Metros for Biomedical Investment) made them feel compelled to explain why Cleveland was on the list, whereas no "justification" was provided for any other city on their list. "The geography of the biomedical industry (which includes medical devices and equipment) is similar to biotech. But now Boston bests San Francisco, with $370 million (or 15.8 percent of the total investment). San Francisco is second, with $366 million (15.6 percent), followed by San Jose, with $228 million (9.7 percent), and Los Angeles, with $216 million (9.2 percent). Other leading centers include Minneapolis-Saint Paul, San Diego, New York, Raleigh in the North Carolina Research Triangle, Atlanta, and Cleveland, largely due to the cluster surrounding the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. "
April 14, 20169 yr Yeah, that sounded almost apologetic -- like, "we can't understand how Cleveland made this list, and you probably don't either, so we did some checking and we're surprised to find out why..." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 14, 20169 yr ^^Isn't that just common sentence structure to round out a list by elaborating a bit about the last thing in the list? I think you guys are being a bit over-sensitive :lol:
April 15, 20169 yr I wouldn't have if it were my paragraph. If I didn't explain it for all cities, I wouldn't have explained it for one. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 15, 20169 yr Likewise. I'd only qualify something if such needed an explanation, otherwise its actually imbalancing the sentence. One would say, "Pineapples and oranges are fruits, as well as grapes, apples, pears, and strawberries." You wouldn't say: "Pineapples and oranges are fruits, as well as grapes, apples, pears, and strawberries, with strawberries being red and smaller than apples."
April 15, 20169 yr i thought cle was doing very well in biomedical venture funding and it is, but good lord boston and sf are doing 7x better in that area? boston ok its a big college town and lots of doctors in training, but sf? really? i guess everything funding-wise clusters around silicon valley tech world no matter what field it is.
April 15, 20169 yr ^The annual report that is widely circulated in CLE that shows how great we are, is the MIDWEST investment report. It acts as if the rest of the country doesn't exist. Who cares how CLE compares to Indianapolis or Detroit when there are things like Boston out there? Cleveland truly needs to up its game.
April 15, 20169 yr Oddly, that report (even the full length version) never describes what years the investment data cover, or at least I couldn't find it. Presumably its a multiyear data set, which would smooth over some of the lumpiness, but we can't be sure. Also, an important thing to keep in mind is this is just VC investment, so doesn't include investments in and by large, established firms. It doesn't include the $Bs that big pharma has spend in recent years on giant new facilities in the Bay Area or Cambridge, for example. If we looked at bigger industry cluster tests, Cleveland might look even further behind the big players. Hopefully the VC investments are a leading indicator, and a few of these start-ups catches fire and grows in place.
April 15, 20169 yr ^ locally case and the cancer center are an $800M+ investment via the clinic, so that is something. the global center/med mart counts too i would think. so cle aint exactly sitting still in this non-venture capital investment area, either. not sure where else there is to go from here though without more from the business end, like big pharma investments and startups striking gold with some miracle cure. i always figured the med mart would help inspire more growth in practical medical materials, like medical equipment and facilities and the like, ie., more invacare type businesses. i can see that taking off as there is less big pharma presence.
June 13, 20169 yr Yep, all those Ohio companies who moved their HQs to the suburbs in recent decades are really on the cutting edge of talent acquisition.... McDonald's makes it official: HQ to move downtown by spring 2018 By Samantha Bomkamp Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune June 13, 2016, 10:27 a.m. McDonald's is moving to Chicago's Near West Side. The world's largest burger chain made it official Monday, announcing plans to move its headquarters from its sprawling Oak Brook campus to the former site of Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios in the West Loop, a site that is owned by developer Sterling Bay. The move will take place by spring 2018, the company said. McDonald's didn't receive any incentives from the city for the move. McDonald's, which has called Oak Brook home since 1971, says the move to Chicago is part of an effort to attract and retain more top talent, specifically younger workers who prefer living in the city. Rumors the company was considering a move have been swirling for months. MORE: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-mcdonalds-chicago-headquarters-0614-biz-20160609-story.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 16, 20168 yr Startup job and spending numbers skyrocket in JumpStart survey July 15, 2016 By CHUCK SODER Here’s a surprisingly large number. The 270 startups who responded to a survey conducted by JumpStart spent $777 million on labor and other goods and services in Ohio last year — nearly triple the $279 million figure from the 2014 survey. Whoa. Those companies, who work with JumpStart and 14 other local organizations that receive state funding, also employed 2,313 Ohioans in 2015, up from 1,490 last year, according to economic impact reports based on those surveys. So some of those businesses must be growing by massive leaps and bounds, right? True, but least a few larger startups that didn’t respond to last year’s survey submitted data this year. MORE: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160715/NEWS/160719855/startup-job-and-spending-numbers-skyrocket-in-jumpstart-survey "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 24, 20168 yr I was spending my daily 15 sec on MSNBC when I saw a headline, "The Geography of Poverty." I was curious, and yes, it's what I thought it would be. http://www.nbcnews.com/specials/geographyofpoverty-heartland-1
October 24, 20168 yr What an awfully written article. Completely unbalanced, like everyone in Northeast Ohio is straight from a 21st century Dickens novel.
October 24, 20168 yr What an awfully written article. Completely unbalanced, like everyone in Northeast Ohio is straight from a 21st century Dickens novel. Instead of "heartland" they should have just used "flyover country."
October 25, 20168 yr What an awfully written article. Completely unbalanced, like everyone in Northeast Ohio is straight from a 21st century Dickens novel. This idiot, and I do men first class unprepared, non researching, negative idiot, Trymaine Lee wrote this story.
October 26, 20168 yr "Here in hardscrabble Mississippi, where the textile mills have all shut down..."
October 30, 20168 yr Uncertainty, backsliding in Ohio's renewable energy policy driving homegrown innovations out of state: Doug Herr and John Colm (Opinion) http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/10/uncertainty_in_ohios_renewable.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 10, 20168 yr Top 25 U.S. Residential Markets with Highest Rent Increases Revealed Residential News » Cincinnati Edition | By Michael Gerrity | December 7, 2016 8:15 AM ET According to data provider RentRange, U.S. 'Rust Belt' markets showed strength in single-family rental price growth while retaining strong yields in the third quarter of 2016. Florida rental markets' pricing also continued to normalize. There was a notable departure from the past several quarters' trend of Sun Belt strength. The Q3 RentRange data identified emerging rental rate increases among the Rust Belt in areas like Pittsburgh, St. Louis and a trio of Ohio markets: Cleveland, Cincinnati and Canton. Interestingly, Florida and California, whose markets have long dominated the ranking of highest increases, saw their top 25 list representation reduced by half in Q3 2016 compared to Q3 2015. Florida, in particular, is seeing rent increases finally stabilize nearly a decade after the housing crisis. One trend that remains the same, however, is the notable single-family rental rate growth in already expensive areas with robust, expanding economies and tight inventory. Seattle, San Francisco and Portland all moved up on the list despite discussion of rents and real estate markets having plateaued, for example. MORE: http://www.worldpropertyjournal.com/real-estate-news/united-states/cincinnati/rust-belt-rental-housing-market-report-single-family-rental-market-investors-wally-charnoff-rentrange-data-services-single-family-housing-rental-data-2016-10162.php "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 14, 20178 yr Ohio offering $3.5M for redevelopment of former gas stations Developers interested in remaking former gas stations into useful projects can get up to $500,000 from the state. The Ohio Development Services Agency has $3.5 million available for its latest round of grants to fund the cleanup of sites that used to house gas stations. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2017/02/14/ohio-offering-3-5m-for-redevelopment-of-former-gas.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 20, 20178 yr Fascinating article in yesterday's LA Times. A Tale of Two Cities: What happened when factory jobs moved from Warren, Ohio, to Juarez, Mexico By KATE LINTHICUM Chris Wade reached into the darkness to silence his blaring alarm clock. It was 4:30 on a frigid winter morning in Warren, Ohio, and outside a fresh layer of snow blanketed the yard. Thank God, Wade thought to himself. He would be able to get out his plow and make some quick cash. Money never used to be a problem for Wade, 47, who owned a house with a pool back when he worked at Delphi Automotive, a parts manufacturer that for years was one of the biggest employers in this wooded stretch of northeastern Ohio. But 10 years after taking a buyout as part of Delphi’s ongoing shift of production out of the United States and into Mexico and China, the house and the pool were gone. Berta Alicia Lopez, 54, is the new face of Delphi. On a recent chilly morning, she woke before sunrise on the outskirts of Juarez, Mexico, and caught an unheated bus that dropped her an hour away at the Delphi plant. http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-us-factories-20170217-htmlstory.html
February 21, 20178 yr Outside coastal bubbles, to say 'America is already great' rings hollow Beyond successful neighborhoods in DC, New York City and elite college campuses is an America that has been on a downward trajectory for decades. Anthony Rice’s house in Youngstown, Ohio is a mile away from a river valley once filled with factories offering jobs. Many of those left in the 1980s, and with them, many residents. His home is one of the few occupied on the street. Empty lots or boarded-up homes make up most of the block. He points to those remaining, listing his neighbors and their age. They are all over 70. “This neighborhood is okie-dokie, although not much goes down here”, he says. “Stores used to be all around here, but they mostly gone. The people left are either too old to move or waiting for someone to buy them out.” The road itself is a patchwork of potholes. “This street hasn’t been paved in like forever. They just don’t care about us. But we used to that.” Youngstown is the largest city in Mahoning County, Ohio, where Donald Trump narrowly lost a county Barack Obama won twice easily. That was partly because turnout in Youngstown – which is lower income, younger, and close to half African American – dropped by roughly 15%. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/21/outside-coastal-bubbles-to-say-america-is-already-great-rings-hollow
February 21, 20178 yr Outside coastal bubbles, to say 'America is already great' rings hollow https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/21/outside-coastal-bubbles-to-say-america-is-already-great-rings-hollow I saw this article this morning and my first reaction was the same one conservatives utter to persons on welfare -- what are you (cities) doing to better your own situation? Why should anyone invest in you (cities) if you aren't willing to help yourself first? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 22, 20178 yr Outside coastal bubbles, to say 'America is already great' rings hollow https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/21/outside-coastal-bubbles-to-say-america-is-already-great-rings-hollow I saw this article this morning and my first reaction was the same one conservatives utter to persons on welfare -- what are you (cities) doing to better your own situation? Why should anyone invest in you (cities) if you aren't willing to help yourself first? I know Youngstown has been a cesspool of corruption. It's a legacy that lives on in many forms, as apathy and dysfunction still plagues the local government. And then there's the violent crime...it took my friend getting shot twice before he finally left his lifelong home for greener pastures. I suppose a longer article could have delved deeper into what's obviously a very complex problem. I've read the comment section and it's always interesting to see what people all over the world think of Ohio, and the U.S. in general. Constant warfare is behind most of the other problems. Ds and Rs don't want to fund schools that teach science and math, don't want to fund roads and infrastructure. But they always find money to invade Viet Nam or Iraq or Somalia. ... I live in one of these dying little towns where most of the downtown is boarded up. The town is about 95% white. I'm tired of hearing excuses why people stay in places like this and why they are unemployed...The government will help pay for it, but nobody wants to learn job skills. There are two colleges within thirty miles, but people here don't trust college educated people. ... America is a hollowed-out husk of its former self, thanks to Reagan et al. Just like many places in The UK. See the amount of red in the electoral map? That's how many places have a significant proportion of the population without any hope. But who cares, eh? Wall St and the City are doing great! ... So not everyone benefited from globalization? Who would have thought.
February 22, 20178 yr I would say the issue is related to lack of upkeep for infrastructure and sprawl. Youngstown and Warren sprawled out quite a bit even while it was dealing with their steel jobs going away. It hollowed out the core of the cities. If there were a reason to be near the city centers like train stations that actually had passenger rail, they would still be viable places. If the main jobs of Youngstown are gone and the people that can move do move further away, then what is left but minimum wage jobs at walmart and dollar stores or driving trucks or trying to get in at GM Lordstown? There is not much value in being in or near downtown Youngstown in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s. I imagine there may be some kind of added value by now with urbanism creeping in. If there were trains to commute to Cleveland and Pittsburgh every day, there would be less value to live further out. One could then theoretically be a 1 or no car household which would save a lot of money. People in Pittsburgh with nice jobs could live near downtown Youngstown in their mansions for 1/5th of the price of one in Pittsburgh. That obviously would raise the land values which would be a good thing which would attract more businesses. Or people that found a job in downtown Cleveland wouldn't have to move away to Cuyahoga county.
February 22, 20178 yr Outside coastal bubbles, to say 'America is already great' rings hollow https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/21/outside-coastal-bubbles-to-say-america-is-already-great-rings-hollow I saw this article this morning and my first reaction was the same one conservatives utter to persons on welfare -- what are you (cities) doing to better your own situation? Why should anyone invest in you (cities) if you aren't willing to help yourself first? I thought the same thing. The heartland continues to elect backwards politicians stuck on trying to keep America in the 50's. Meanwhile their brightest young minds leave for Chicago, New York and LA.
February 22, 20178 yr Outside coastal bubbles, to say 'America is already great' rings hollow https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/21/outside-coastal-bubbles-to-say-america-is-already-great-rings-hollow I saw this article this morning and my first reaction was the same one conservatives utter to persons on welfare -- what are you (cities) doing to better your own situation? Why should anyone invest in you (cities) if you aren't willing to help yourself first? I thought the same thing. The heartland continues to elect backwards politicians stuck on trying to keep America in the 50's. Meanwhile their brightest young minds leave for Chicago, New York and LA. Great point. It comes to mind that education should play a much larger role from a practical standpoint. The heartland schools should have the resources, the ability to do more. But I'm not sure what options exist, especially when curriculum is becoming more homogenized across the U.S. Then again, if your parents don't have the means to set your course in life, you're statistically hopeless. One of the comments was from a European who said "American schools don't train their students for the scenario of Youngstown. They graduate and are set adrift in the American economy without any guidance or support. Sink or swim."
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