Didn't realize KeyCorp wasn't Fortune 500, but according to Wikipedia they are currently sitting at 521.

 

What is amazing is that there are 12 states that have zero fortune 500 companies which says a lot for Ohio having as many as it does.  I also noticed that there are a lot of other companies in the general Ohio area that are listed in the 1000 list.  Some just out of reach sitting in the 500's like KeyCorp and many others. 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/06/09/ges-headquarters-hurt-ask/28739015/

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said he was on the phone with Immelt's assistant hours after news broke about his unhappiness over the tax situation. Is in the process of making a large pitch and incentives package to lure GE to Cincinnati.

Didn't realize KeyCorp wasn't Fortune 500, but according to Wikipedia they are currently sitting at 521.

 

What is amazing is that there are 12 states that have zero fortune 500 companies which says a lot for Ohio having as many as it does.  I also noticed that there are a lot of other companies in the general Ohio area that are listed in the 1000 list.  Some just out of reach sitting in the 500's like KeyCorp and many others. 

 

Well, whatever our national reputation may be, we still are the 7th largest state in the union, with the employers and companies to support that population.

And 5th regarding number of Fortune 500s, behind New York, California, Texas, and Illinois.  That is quite impressive.

Considering the enormity of New York, California, and Texas, I imagine the only state we could hope to pass would be Illinois, but overall Ohio is growing slower than the country, and so I doubt our reign at 5th will stay there for too long.

Certainly don't agree, but worth noting:

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/move-out-of-dayton-was-a-great-move-for-ncr-ceo-sa/nmYxx/

 

IMO the sooner NCR is dead the better. It's been the tech sector's Kmart for 20 years running.

Considering the enormity of New York, California, and Texas, I imagine the only state we could hope to pass would be Illinois, but overall Ohio is growing slower than the country, and so I doubt our reign at 5th will stay there for too long.

 

Well I will consider two things regarding Illinois:

 

1.  Ohio has been growing faster than Illinois from the 2010 census up through 2014.

 

2.  The state of Illinois is a financial mess, and judging by their current credit rating, things don't look to be getting better anytime soon.

 

I also wouldn't put much into population growth when it comes to where companies are based.  You have pretty powerful companies in states like Ohio or New York which are slower growing states, but they have still managed (for years) to stay ahead of more quickly growing states in terms of fortune 500 based companies.  New York still beats Florida, and Ohio beats North Carolina.  The fortune 500 list changes drastically year-over-year no matter how fast a state is growing.  I would be interested in seeing all 50 states and where they rank for 2014.

 

Here's an interesting chart:

 

http://www.ceo.com/entrepreneurial_ceo/two-charts-showing-states-with-the-most-fortune-500-companies/

^What are the largest private companies in Ohio? They are not listed in the F1000 rankings, because they are private companies and not traded on the stock market.

Based on this list - Ohio has 2 in the top 100.  HCR Manorcare and Aleris.

 

http://www.forbes.com/largest-private-companies/list/

Also don't forget companies like Eaton Corp. in Cleveland which have all of their HQ operations stateside but are technically "based" in countries with lax business taxes, like Ireland or the Cayman Islands.

 

 

Here's a great expose from Fortune Magazine on that:

http://fortune.com/2014/07/07/taxes-offshore-dodge/

 

 

Anyways..... why do you all care?

This kind of mentality is the exact kind that starts the poaching and tax increases and stupidity in the first place.

 

Let's cheer on Connecticut and be proud they host GE's HQ.

And let's condemn idiots in places like Georgia that can only seem to think economic success can come in the form of stealing companies which were nurtured and prospered in other states.

 

 

I look forward to the day when serious corporate tax incentive reform can be accomplished in this nation.

It's ridiculous the amount of welfare these corporations receive shuffling around the nations from the backs of people like you and me.

 

 

^Don't know if I'd call them idiots if they engineered the stealing of a fortune 500 to their region and moving of high paying jobs that will provide income tax for years to come.

^What are the largest private companies in Ohio? They are not listed in the F1000 rankings, because they are private companies and not traded on the stock market.

 

Nationwide is #85 on the Fortune 500 and is privately held, so it seems privately held companies are allowed if they disclose financial information. Of course many don't.

Nationwide as I understand it isn't privately held by a family or group of investors, it's 'owned' by the customers (this is the meaning of 'mutual') - that might be the difference.

 

http://www.nationwide.com/about-us/history.jsp

 

We’re still owned by policyholders, but we protect a lot more than just autos owned by Ohio farmers. We’re a Fortune 100 company that offers a full range of insurance and financial services across the country, including car, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, pet, farm, life and commercial insurance, as well as administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and specialty health services.

The size of Ohio's economy in proportion to other states...

 

This brilliant map re-sizes each state proportionally to the size of its economy. (@businessinsider) http://t.co/IMxVC3BmVR

^Punching above our weight seems to be a recurring theme.

The size of Ohio's economy in proportion to other states...

 

This brilliant map re-sizes each state proportionally to the size of its economy. (@businessinsider) http://t.co/IMxVC3BmVR

 

Interesting that Ohio, Virginia, Florida, and California come closest to filling out their exact geographic size.

^Punching above our weight seems to be a recurring theme.

 

Not necessarily. Ohio's economy is still pretty sluggish compared to the US and some of our neighboring states....

 

Ohio gains 12,000 jobs in May; unemployment rate remains 5.2 percent

By Teresa Dixon Murray, The Plain Dealer

on June 19, 2015 at 8:45 AM, updated June 19, 2015 at 1:28 PM

 

PNC economist Kurt Rankin said it's also concerning that Ohio's job growth lags growth in Michigan and Indiana. "Those states are gaining jobs that Ohio is not," he said.

 

This marks the 31st consecutive month that Ohio has lagged the U.S. growth rate, Zeller said.

 

In addition, the gap between Ohio and the United States has broadened. The U.S. growth rate improved from April to May, while Ohio's growth rate slowed.

 

This means that Ohio has not yet recovered the jobs that it lost since

2007, stemming from the housing- and bank-driven collapse of 2008-09.

 

"Further," Zeller said, "Ohio has still not recovered the jobs that it previously lost since 2000 as a result of the 2000-2002 national recession."

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/06/ohio_gains_12000_jobs_in_may_u.html

Ohio places in the top 10 for best, coming in at 9th.

 

The best and worst states for making a living in 2015

 

SKYE GOULD, Business Insider

 

Choosing a place to live where you can find good, well-paid work and stretch your paycheck to cover your costs can be difficult.

 

To help you out, the personal finance site MoneyRates used several data sources, including the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, to determine the best and worst states for making a living in 2015. The ranking is based on five factors: average wages, state tax rates, cost of living, unemployment rates, and incidents of workplace injuries.

 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-and-worst-states-to-make-a-living-2015-6#ixzz3elIlgeHn

Here's some great news of a rapidly expanding local company :)

 

Quadax expands again, this time on site touted for more development

By Grant Segall, The Plain Dealer

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on July 03, 2015 at 8:00 AM, updated July 03, 2015 at 8:10 AM

http://www.cleveland.com/middleburg-heights/index.ssf/2015/07/quadax_expands_again_this_time.html#incart_river

 

Quadax, already Middleburg's third biggest employer and one of the nation's leading medical billing companies, bought a former Ernst and Young training center at 17010 Bagley Road on mostly vacant land between Fry Road and Interstate 71. According to the Cuyahoga County website, the building and its immediate 6 1/2 acres of grounds were sold last month by Fairmount Properties for $1.5 million.

 

John Leskiw, president of the privately held Quadax, said he would not have time to comment until Monday. But Mayor Gary Starr said Quadax plans to put 200 new workers in the 30,000-square-foot building.

 

...

 

Last year, Paul Volpe of City Architecture drafted a master plan for the property. "This is prime real estate in a community that warrants investment," Volpe told the Chamber of Commerce. "The conditions are right for something of lasting value."

 

He said the site might eventually host more than 1,800 jobs in more than 450,000 square feet of buildings costing more than $95 million.

 

The scary thing about Ohio's job situation right now (and scarier that John Kasich is going to try and paint it as some sort of success story) is that while other states are seeing complete job recoveries from the recession and a growing workforce, Ohio is so far behind the pack and only getting further.

 

Ohio lost almost 2,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate stayed at 5.2%:

 

http://www.ohio.com/business/ohio-unemployment-rate-holds-steady-even-as-jobs-fall-1.609132

 

Look at the pathetic "recover" Ohio has made:

 

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST390000000000006?data_tool=XGtable

 

I have been back in Ohio for about 3 years now, but it looks like I will be trying to find a job somewhere in another region of the country come December.  So while Kasich announces his bid to run for president, it will not take much for people to dig up how bad Ohio's economy really is.

^^More proof we are being left courtesy of backwards politicians in Columbus who are trying to keep Ohio in the 1950's rather than planning for the future. 

 

I'm interested to see how Kasich spins this to defend his policies.

Employment is up since Kasich took office in early 2011. I'm sure that's what he'll point to.  Note, this is just an answer to the spin question, not a defense of Kasich's policies.

Ironically, Kasich touts the job gains in Ohio the same way Obama does for the nation.  Specifically, he focuses on private sector job gains, even though there is a significant offset from public sector losses.  The only difference is that Obama can and does decry the public sector losses.  Kasich is pretty much prohibited from doing so, if for no other reason than a lot of those losses are the result of his policies.

^The other difference is that Obama has had to work with an opposition-controlled legislature for most of his tenure.

 

EDIT: I know that's besides the point you were making, so not really sure why I mentioned it. And in fairness to Kasich, the OH legislature is batsh!t crazy, even if in the same party as he is.

^The other difference is that Obama has had to work with an opposition-controlled legislature for most of his tenure.

 

But not his first two years, so that has to be considered somewhat of his own doing.

 

In good news for the Kasich campaign, the Ohio Democratic Party is putting together materials related to same.  They are, after all, so effective at opposing him....

But not his first two years, so that has to be considered somewhat of his own doing.

 

That's a twist on the truth.  Obama was sworn in to office January 2009.  Scott Brown won the special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat in January 2010.

 

Regardless, his first two years were spent trying to absorb the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  Kasich's took office after the national economy had largely recovered. 

Read about the states & metro areas championing the next generation of economic development http://t.co/mPdH5SLToT. http://t.co/ptb7y8ARSo

Marcy Kaptur ‏@RepMarcyKaptur  2m2 minutes ago

Great news for AK Steel & Ohio steel workers! "US Wins Trade Enforcement Challenge to China’s Duties on Steel"

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2015/july/us-wins-trade-enforcement-challenge

Quebec to Ohio

 

"PolyOne Corp. is closing a plant in Quebec and adding capacity at a plant in Ohio as it continues to integrate the assets of Spartech Corp.....The Quebec closing will result in 70 job cuts and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Capacity will be added at PolyOne’s sheet plant in Greenville, Ohio. "

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150819/NEWS/150819781/polyone-to-close-quebec-plant-shift-production-to-ohio#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-dailynews&utm_campaign=ccl-dailynews-20150819

 

Greenville is not Cleveland, in fact its closer to Indianapolis than it is to CLE, but nice to see a move stateside, and to Ohio to boot, even if not Cleveland....

Greenville is closer to Dayton & Cincinnati then it is to Columbus or Indianpolis.

^true. but its closer to Indy than CLE---my point is that it won't directly benefit CLE---but its still good for Ohio.

^true. but its closer to Indy than CLE---my point is that it won't directly benefit CLE---but its still good for Ohio.

 

There's an Ohio business thread:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2526.0.html

 

And a Dayton business thread:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,1243.0.html

Youngstown Vindicator reports on weak job growth in #Ohio on #LaborDay2015 http://t.co/xA933J8S9z

 

Phenomenal summary of what ails workers in #Ohio and the nation on #LaborDay2015 from Akron Beacon Journal http://t.co/TVIhYe3G7y

 

The terrific Toledo Blade sums up our labor pains on #laborday2015 in #ohio @ohiodems @dkushma1 http://t.co/YiOpKmTuXE via @po_st

So who's getting the fruits of Ohio's production?

 

Ohio incomes flat, poverty up over last five years, Census snapshot shows

By Robert Higgs, cleveland.com Columbus bureau chief

on December 10, 2015 at 7:00 AM, updated December 11, 2015 at 7:05 AM

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New census data shows stagnant incomes and an increase in poverty across much of Ohio for the past five years and reinforces a correlation between education and earnings.

 

The data is part of the 2015 update of the American Community Survey, a database compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data provides a look at people, places and their economies over rolling five-year periods.

 

Among its findings for Ohio:

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/12/ohio_incomes_flat_poverty_up_o.html#incart_river_index

 

 

Ohio leading region for GDP growth

Dec 10, 2015, 3:48pm EST

Evan Weese

Staff reporter

Columbus Business First

 

Ohio’s economy hasn’t been a picture of health climbing out of the Great Recession, but it’s now growing at the region’s fastest clip, according to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

 

Among Great Lakes states, Ohio and Michigan tied for growth of gross domestic product in the second quarter at 4.5 percent, the bureau found in its new report measuring the economic output of all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

 

MORE:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/12/10/ohio-leading-region-for-gdp-growth.html

So who's getting the fruits of Ohio's production?

 

Ohio incomes flat, poverty up over last five years, Census snapshot shows

By Robert Higgs, cleveland.com Columbus bureau chief

on December 10, 2015 at 7:00 AM, updated December 11, 2015 at 7:05 AM

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New census data shows stagnant incomes and an increase in poverty across much of Ohio for the past five years and reinforces a correlation between education and earnings.

 

The data is part of the 2015 update of the American Community Survey, a database compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data provides a look at people, places and their economies over rolling five-year periods.

 

Among its findings for Ohio:

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/12/ohio_incomes_flat_poverty_up_o.html#incart_river_index

 

 

Ohio leading region for GDP growth

Dec 10, 2015, 3:48pm EST

Evan Weese

Staff reporter

Columbus Business First

 

Ohio’s economy hasn’t been a picture of health climbing out of the Great Recession, but it’s now growing at the region’s fastest clip, according to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

 

Among Great Lakes states, Ohio and Michigan tied for growth of gross domestic product in the second quarter at 4.5 percent, the bureau found in its new report measuring the economic output of all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

 

MORE:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/12/10/ohio-leading-region-for-gdp-growth.html

 

Thank you, statehouse leadership, for keeping Ohio in another century.   

 

This area is ripe to attract new young talent.    A shift of priorities to give Ohio's cities some parity would go a long way.  Jobs, education and transit are a good start.  But they'll probably worry about tax cuts and the right to carry an AR-15 to Wal Mart.  :shoot:

Replace "Kansas City" with an Ohio city's name and read on...

 

http://www.startlandnews.com/2015/12/regional-venture-capital-and-why-valley-firms-moved-to-the-midwest/?platform=hootsuite

 

This article asked four companies why they moved to Colorado from California. Their reasons can give Kansas City insights on what draws companies away from the sunny west coast startup scene (hint: talents a big factor).

 

Companies will move for:

 

A work hard/play hard mentality and the Midwest work ethic.

Natives that are familiar with their respective industries.

A steady stream of top talent from nearby world-class universities

Overview of the Amazon projects happening in Ohio.  And it doesn't even count an Amazon air cargo operation that is likely moving into Wilmington - more about that in the Wilmington thread:

 

Amazon Looks to Deliver Big Profits in Ohio

 

Amazon plans to develop a windfarm in northwest Ohio to help power a $1 billion project to build three data centers near Columbus for its web services subsidiary.  The 48 wind turbines are expected to be built in Paulding County in northwest Ohio that will generate up to 100 megawatts of electricity ... and would cost between $175 million and $200 million.  Amazon hasn't set a start date for construction, but is pushing to have the site running by May 2017.

( . . . )

The wind farm plans represent that latest project announced in Ohio by the company over the last year.  Amazon first announced last spring plans to build three data centers near Columbus to provide cloud storage, database and analytic services through Amazon Web Services.  Six months later, officials announced that Amazon would also open two fulfillment centers in central Ohio.  Those would total more than 1.8 million square feet and employ about 2,000 people.

 

The Paulding County project will be Amazon Web Services' third wind farm.  The company has put a high emphasis on using electricity from renewable sources for its services ... and expects to surpass a goal of using 40 percent renewable energy globally by the end of the year, said Jerry Hunter, vice president of infrastructure at Amazon Web Services, at the time of the announcement.

 

MORE: http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/amazon-looks-to-deliver-big-profits-in-ohio/27151

How are Ohio metros doing in terms of economic growth compared to others nationwide? Except for Columbus, mediocre. And in a few cases, poorly...

 

Growth, prosperity, and inclusion in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas

The Metro Monitor aims to advance new ways of measuring economic success in metropolitan America with in-depth analyses of regional economic trends. Updated throughout the year, these analyses will seek to help leaders understand the factors and trends that contribute to or hinder progress toward increasing growth, prosperity, and inclusion and how new models of economic development can help deliver an advanced economy that works for all.

 

http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/metro-monitor#V0G10420

How are Ohio metros doing in terms of economic growth compared to others nationwide? Except for Columbus, mediocre. And in a few cases, poorly...

 

Growth, prosperity, and inclusion in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas

The Metro Monitor aims to advance new ways of measuring economic success in metropolitan America with in-depth analyses of regional economic trends. Updated throughout the year, these analyses will seek to help leaders understand the factors and trends that contribute to or hinder progress toward increasing growth, prosperity, and inclusion and how new models of economic development can help deliver an advanced economy that works for all.

 

http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/metro-monitor#V0G10420

Replace "Kansas City" with an Ohio city's name and read on...

 

http://www.startlandnews.com/2015/12/regional-venture-capital-and-why-valley-firms-moved-to-the-midwest/?platform=hootsuite

 

This article asked four companies why they moved to Colorado from California. Their reasons can give Kansas City insights on what draws companies away from the sunny west coast startup scene (hint: talent’s a big factor).

 

Companies will move for:

 

•A work hard/play hard mentality and the Midwest work ethic.

•Natives that are familiar with their respective industries.

•A steady stream of top talent from nearby world-class universities

 

They

Replace "Kansas City" with an Ohio city's name and read on...

 

http://www.startlandnews.com/2015/12/regional-venture-capital-and-why-valley-firms-moved-to-the-midwest/?platform=hootsuite

 

This article asked four companies why they moved to Colorado from California. Their reasons can give Kansas City insights on what draws companies away from the sunny west coast startup scene (hint: talent’s a big factor).

 

Companies will move for:

 

•A work hard/play hard mentality and the Midwest work ethic.

•Natives that are familiar with their respective industries.

•A steady stream of top talent from nearby world-class universities

 

Something missing here:  the article focuses on what Colorado had over other considered options.

 

Little to no discussion of why they chose to move in the first place.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/11/investing/oil-price-crash/

 

At $25 a barrel, fracking only breaks even and the Marcellus economic engine slows down dramatically.

Routine jobs, automation, job growth and politics...

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republican-leaning-cities-are-at-greater-risk-of-job-automation/

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

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.

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. 

My quality of life is extremely high in Ohio. Of course it's all about lifestyle. As for Iowa, Milwaukee and Pennsylvania. I've spent way too much time in those places in the last couple years. Philly and Madison being the exceptions, I'll pass

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).

I saw that on the distressed communities.  Let me say this:

 

I currently live in Cincinnati but I am in Indianapolis quite a bit.  I am also from Iowa and I know people are talking about this now.

 

In Indianapolis, there are vast swaths of that city that are very downtrodden and depressing.  The road quality, on a scale of 1-10, has to be around a 5 and downright horrible on some stretches, especially on the far northern side, actually in areas where there is some significant wealth.  On the near east side of the city, the roads are horrible, talking of the main ones, and the never ending sprawl and flatness definitely can get a bit depressing.  Also, they have hardly any sidewalks on the residential streets and the residential streets are really in bad shape pavement wise.

 

In Cincinnati, the roadways are actual quite nice all over.  I think Cincinnati really rakes high on this distressed list for the city itself but for the metro area, Cincinnati is a small part of it.  I assume that's the same for Cleveland, not certain about Toledo.  Cincinnati holds around 300k people in a metro of about 2.1 million people.  In Indianapolis, the city limits are huge and while downtown and the areas around Butler, the North side of the city limits has a lot of wealth, but there are huge areas in Indianapolis that are in really rough shape.  I think the Center Township, which is the old city limits before they annexed large portions of the suburbs, has lost 57% of it's population since 1950, from 337k people to now 146k, which really isn't any different than a lot of Midwestern cities.  Point being, I enjoy Cincinnati so much more than Indianapolis and even though downtown Cincinnati isn't on the same level as Indianapolis in regards to cleanliness, it has tons more potential and the neighborhoods knock Indy out of the ballpark.  I have heard a lot of people say the same thing, including people who moved from Indy to Cincy.

 

I grew up in Iowa, and spent most of my time in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls/Waterloo area, and outside of Des Moines, there isn't really a lot going on.  Cedar Rapids has some decent growth going on, but it really is a smaller metro with Iowa City, and isn't growing very quickly at all.  They have some decent urban infill going in their downtown and areas that were hit hard by flooding, but it isn't really the type of urbanism you see in Ohio or near the level.

 

Des Moines is a nice clean city, but it's about the size of Dayton.  They have some good things going on in their core, but having spent some decent time there recently, it is still more of a wide open, western type city like Omaha or maybe even a mini - Indy.  They have really nice suburbs there and public schools, but it is definitely more of a family city than a super exciting urban area.

 

I think the level of investment happening in Cincy's core is pretty incredible at the moment.  There are so many smaller projects going on in OTR to move along with the big projects, and then you have the Banks starting to fill in quickly, and also some big projects in the pipeline downtown (PNC Annex Building (sp.?), hotel project on 4th, other various buildings).  You also got some decent work going in around Rookwood Commons, Oakley area is growing, and same with Walnut Hills, which has a long ways to go.  Mt. Lookout and Hyde Park seem to be at their peak point for the most part, but are very stable neighborhoods with very low crime.

 

I think Indianapolis has a lot of stuff going on in their downtown, but for the most part, Indy doesn't have the level of NBD to come close to Cincy.  Also, the other small towns in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, etc. can't hold a candle to the diversity of Cities in Ohio.

 

All said and done, I really enjoy my quality of life in Ohio and the only complaint I would have is it is overcast throughout the winter for the most part, and allergies kick my a$$ most of the year in Cincy.  But the warmer average temperatures are so much better in Cincy than they are in Iowa, which I love.  I no longer need to wear Long John's and a massive carhart, stocking cap, heavy boots and heavy gloves 3 months out of the year to stay warm.

Cleveland is notably less overcast than the rest of the state, so there's that.  Nice little bonus to weigh against the extra snow.

 

When comparing metros, Ohio doesn't give itself a chance with its balkanized urban counties.  We are paying for those in so many ways, it's just sickening.  Everyone points to Columbus as a success story and the reason for that is clear.  It's hard to imagine a reform more necessary or more obvious.

Yeah, getting the sunshine makes a big difference in the drab winter months.  My brother lives around the Denver area, and he loves how even though it's cold, they have a ton of sunshine.  That can make a big difference in overall mood level for residents, and even though Denver is a sprawled out, bigger city (though I don't think tons bigger than Cincinnati really, and not even close to the level of traditional urbanism), people move there in droves.  I think the climate is obviously a big part and also because people love the mountains and the progressive attitude there, but not a whole lot of the urban form impresses me much.  Also, marijuana is legal there so that's another big thing for a lot of people.  I really think it could help out a lot of Ohio cities if that came to pass, and would actually improve quality of life and also tourism from nearby states (MI, PA, Indy, KY)