A poll

The problem with this poll is that it suggests that UrbanOhio only discusses Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus when there are plenty of other discussion regarding small towns, Dayton, Toledo, and a resurgent Akron.  I would LOVE for more discussion on Canton, Elyria, Springfield, etc but we have to have the people from those places join up and interact more.

UrbanOhio is certainly about all of "Urban Ohio".  The key is that we need people from the smaller cities to join up and post.  It's hard to have a lively discussion about Toledo issues if there are only one or two Toledo forumers.  It might be productive to start a thread where we can brainstorm ideas for increasing participation from non-3-C cities.

Bingo.

I've found that the people from the smaller cities actually post a comment when a topic is directed toward that city. I'm from Akron and I try to write in every Akron related topic. There is not a lot of Rubber City representation on here. The 3 c's have topics with a lot of views but comments posted @ 5-10%. (Not exact for every topic)

 

 

 

Shocking how most of the conversation on Urbanohio would be about the three most urban cities in the state.

 

It's simple demographics, more people live in those three metro's than in any other part of the state, so more people post on here about them.

 

I'm sure the Scranton people on UrbanPA complain that everybody talks about Philly and Pittsburgh; such is life.

Its about parochialism too.  The board seemed more "statewide" (or more interest in each others cities) back in 2004 and 2005.  Now the interaction is more on common topics like politics or certain transportation issues.  Of course back in 2004 and 2005 there was a smaller pool of content providers, so maybe more interaction.

 

Now, it would be possible to break off an Urban Cincinnati and an Urban Cleveland & Vicinity and each board wouldn't notice the other one was missing.

 

^That's your opinion - a lot of us are interested in what's happening across the state. Just like on the forum, there's plenty of cross-pollination; a lot of us have friends, occasionally visit other cities in Ohio, etc. so we pay attention to what's going on. We may not post on every thread since - what would be the point other than boosting our post count? I regularly check out Akron, Cincy, Youngstown threads and not because I'm an Admin keeping tabs. On the other hand, we can't hold a gun to someone's head and say "check out this thread that you aren't interested in!".

 

With all due respect, this poll honestly has a sour grapes tone - you can't expect Dayton (a smaller area) to have as many people and as many topics as the 3-C's - it's simple demographics - nothing more, nothing less. As X said, I think a thread for brainstorming to boost membership (and more importantly, participation) from smaller areas would be terrific.

 

 

 

I regularly post information about many smaller cities -- Portsmouth, Ironton, Stubenville, etc., although that has fallen off as my workload has increased.

I don't post anything about anywhere smaller than Columbus. In fact, I rarely post any factual information at all. Actually, come to think of it, I recently posted my desire that everyone in Dayton actually move to Cincinnati, so the region could be more competitive.

 

Maybe I should leave this thread now...

If everyone from Dayton moved to Cincinnati.. what would happen to Dayton?

^That's your opinion

 

Looks like slightly over half of the pollees agree (so far).

27 people out of 3352... yeeeeah.

 

  I like the Dayton threads, though I am not so familiar with Dayton.

^I was going to point out SSC's Toledo folks. 

 

Again, simple demographics.  Hell, I'm from Dayton (and I don't agree with Civvik that people from Dayton should move to Cincinnati; Cincinnati people should move to Dayton to add more Dewey's :D) and I wish we had more people from here discussing POSITIVE Dayton things (same with Toledo, Akron, Youngstown, Marietta, blah blah) but we have to find ways in adding folks.  Perhaps city sub-forums?  I have no clue how to add folks...that's youse guyses jobs!!! ;)

And instead of pointing out an obvious answer in this poll about this place becoming more provincial in city-states, how about we discuss ways in being more inclusive to places that don't get much shine here as I would like them to (Hamilton, Elyria, Lorain, Middletown, Lima, Springfield, blah blah, let alone Dayton/Toledo/Akron/Youngstown...hell, even Columbus!).

So Jeffrey...ideas?

And instead of pointing out an obvious answer in this poll about this place becoming more provincial in city-states, how about we discuss ways in being more inclusive to places that don't get much shine here as I would like them to (Hamilton, Elyria, Lorain, Middletown, Lima, Springfield, blah blah, let alone Dayton/Toledo/Akron/Youngstown...hell, even Columbus!).

 

Where are these places?  :wtf:

whats wrong with circle jerks? 

Have to do something in Harrison.

And instead of pointing out an obvious answer in this poll about this place becoming more provincial in city-states, how about we discuss ways in being more inclusive to places that don't get much shine here as I would like them to (Hamilton, Elyria, Lorain, Middletown, Lima, Springfield, blah blah,

 

Stay tuned for some stuff on Middletown.  I'm getting interested in the place as part of this "Cin-Day Metroplex" thing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

whats wrong with circle jerks? 

 

It's up to forumers to generate lively discussion.  I don't have time to go around and research stuff going on outside of Cincinnati any longer.  So I just rep the 'nati, but if you want there to be more Dayton (or wherever) discussions then post articles, photos and other items like you often do.  Encourage others from Dayton (or wherever) to join up and keep the conversation going.  The forum is completely user-driven and right now it's Cleveland and Cincinnati loaded with some Columbus people mixed in.  The rest is fairly weak and could be pumped up for sure.

"It's up to forumers to generate lively discussion."

 

Aka "be the change you want to see" :-)

This thread's premise is pretty negative. I check out threads on developments in other regions of the state and love it anytime a non-3C photo thread pops up and plenty of people from the 3Cs do too. There is a lot more discussion about Cincinnati and Cleveland here than Columbus, but hey, that's the makeup of the majority of people on this site.  Problem I have with those cities is that you have several pages and have to dig for any conceptual or before/after pics. I wouldn't know where to start to attract non-3C members and all I could suggest for current members is to do some traveling within the state when possible. And take pictures!

Have to do something in Harrison.

 

Yes this is true.  Except I do not and have not lived in Harrison for 6 years.  I would never ever ever live there.  I am currently in Indianapolis. 

Have to do something in Harrison.

 

Yes this is true.  Except I do not and have not lived in Harrison for 6 years.  I would never ever ever live there.  I am currently in Indianapolis. 

 

another piece of the crazy atlas puzzle is put into place.

I'm sure Harrison is relieved.

Have to do something in Harrison.

 

Yes this is true. Except I do not and have not lived in Harrison for 6 years. I would never ever ever live there. I am currently in Indianapolis.

 

Broad Ripple?

I'm not going to lie ... I'm primarily interested in the 3 Cs. And to be completely honest, I'm primarily interested in one particular C. There are topics that transcend my municipal interest, like state budget issues or rail plans or preservation credits or (particularly) anything to do with arts policy (e.g. I love all of your Dayton creative workforce stuff and have followed those off and on for years). But the fact of the matter is that I find news about Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Detroit to be more relevant to my work and interests than what's happening in Columbus or Dayton or Cincy. It's not that I don't want to see those places succeed; I just find both the challenges and strategies being employed in northeast Ohio tend to be dramatically different than elsewhere in the state, and so I do feel less affinity for specific real estate, economic development, neighborhood, etc. strategies outside of my region.

 

That being said, I would love to see more coverage of Youngstown and Akron. To me, Youngstown's strategies represent some of the most innovative and far-reaching in terms of urban policy statewide (check out this amazing trailer to see what I mean ... Goosebumps), and yet this is generally not reflected in coverage by forumers here.

 

http://vimeo.com/5686360

The most interested/motivated/activated/engaged parties will steer the conversation; nothing could be more normal. You'll see this within the 3Cs: there are always more Cleveland discussions than Cinci discussions, and the fewest Columbus discussions of all. Columbus forumers are simply less engaged with their city, or rather, are nowhere near as passionate as Clevelanders are. Cinci seems to fall in the middle--until a Clevelander challenges them. Seriously: when was the last time you saw a Columbus versus ANYBODY brawl around here?

I am guilty of being Cleveland centric but I am also interested in other places where I have a familiarity with such as Youngstown, Columbus and Athens/SEO. I really just don't have any frame of reference for Dayton or Toledo or some of the small cities.

 

BTW: I realize I kind of just clump Akron with Cleveland because I work in Akron and live in Cleveland. Yeah I am living the dream house in a streetcar suburb and a job in a highrise downtown. But it really is a nightmare because they are in two differents frickin' cities 45 miles apart...

Wait... There's more Ohio between Kings Island and the Ohio Turnpike? :?

 

[ducks]

Wait... There's more Ohio between Kings Island and the Ohio Turnpike? :?

 

[ducks]

 

No need to duck, I've said the same thing many, many, many, many times.

 

Should I include a graphic?  LOL  >:D

Funny thing is, I grew up in Cincinnati and visit frequently. I've also been through northern Ohio about a dozen times on trips between Chicago and the East Coast. But with the exception of one 2-hour layover at the Columbus airport, I don't think I've never set foot anywhere in Ohio north of Kings Island or south of the turnpike.

I lived in Columbus for a while and I really liked it when I lived there. So I am not going to knock it.

 

It has some great neighborhoods.

 

I think that the problem that Columbus has passion wise is that very few people (relatively speaking) have families that  are from there. Whereas Cleveland and Cincy you have more entrenched family histories and it shows. Most people that I know that grew up there had parents from other cities usually out of state.

The odd aspect of Columbus is that it doesn't have the intense city hating suburbanites that Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo do, but that also means that Columbus' identity doesn't always garner the same kind of focus. The culture like the city is just more diffuse.

OSU is the lens for Columbus' passion, and, well, it's only a university, itinerant by nature and seasonal by design. Nobody consciously settles in a college down; they get stuck there, and even though Columbus has plenty to offer, I don't get the sense that a lot of OSU students really appreciate it. I guess Chicago is just more alluring post-graduation.

Well, it looks like the voting is nearly tied, with "3-C" in a slight lead.

 

As for Columbus I think it was Columbusite who has been posting those pix of the "other Columbus", places like Milo-Grogan and that neighborhood south of German Village, where you can see how Columbus is also the Midwest factory city as well as "college town".  Nice to see those posts as it is a contrarian POV to the stereotyple of Cols.

 

 

I love Columbusites' series as well. I can guarantee you few OSU students and none of their parents have ever ventured to these places, and you'll never see them featured in the Discover Columbus visitor's guide--they lack the visual panache the Columbus PR engine desires. These odd and forgotten neighborhoods, as it happens, are my favorite aspects of Columbus. Minerva Park, for example, has a thriving Somali community with dozens of small businesses along Cleveland Avenue between Morse and 161 and one of my favorite dining destinations is along the amorphous border between Columbus and north Upper Arlington where, if you look past the Texas Road House and Cosi, you'll find a phenomenal Indian Restaurant, an international bakery, an Asian Market, a Turkish restaurant, and a decent (but not spectacular) Chinese place, along with all kinds of interesting little shops, locals bars and tanning salons (so many tanning salons in Columbus). A potent antidote to a neighborhood called Italian Village where not a single Italian dwells.

I think that the problem that Columbus has passion wise is that very few people (relatively speaking) have families that are from there.  Whereas Cleveland and Cincy you have more entrenched family histories and it shows.  Most people that I know that grew up there had parents from other cities usually out of state.

 

I think CBC is on point.  Columbus has the nation's largest college campus (50,000+) within its borders.  Columbus is also the state capital.  That's alot a people coming in for academic reasons and for state jobs.  And the Columbus economy has been Ohio's strongest regional economy for the past few decades.  Those jobs attract more immigrants into central Ohio and Columbus.  Alot of those people probably don't feel a burning need to defend Columbus with the same intensity as posters from Cleveland and Cincinnati. 

 

And yet I've heard people who moved into Columbus say over and over that they enjoy living in Columbus.  If this is a "problem", its a "problem" I'm glad Columbus has.  Having the problem of fewer posters on a website is not the worst problem a city could have!

 

As for Jeffrey's original objection to the 3C's having more messages then other cities.  If you think your city is underrepresented - do something about it!  Link an article, take a picture, post a comment.  If other posters join in the conversation - great.  If not - its their loss.

I posted like 5,000 new items under Ironton Development and News, but rarely does anyone reply :P

Jeff, I updated the Shawnee State Unviersity (Portsmouth) thread:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,12028.0.html

Heh, Looks like Urban Ohio won over 3-C Circle Jerk...by one vote. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nope ... tied again :)

3-C's?  I assume we are talking about Chardon, Canton, and Centerville

3-C's?  I assume we are talking about Chardon, Canton, and Centerville

 

This place would get a lot more Columbus activity if it weren't for ColumbusUnderground.com.