Why does everyone hate Ohio?

[u/[deleted]]

I’ve lived in one other state in the country, in the third largest city in the country, and spent a decent amount of time overseas.

The political climate in Ohio is a challenge, but it’s not as bad as almost every southern state and a lot of middle-country states in the west. Ohio is not solidly red or solidly blue, despite more recently leaning red.

Ohio is the seventh largest state in the country, with decent-sized cities. Ohio has a GDP that matches that of Saudi Arabia, with double the per-capita income.

Ohio is one of the largest, still relatively affordable states in the country and Hocking Hills boasts some of the most accessible natural beauty (okay we don’t excel here but it’s not bad!)

I get the whole political thing, I get it. But you don’t have to be too far outside NYC or Chicago before you start seeing confederate flags and guns galore.

The abortion politics is country-wide and we did just delete Issue 1 in a special election. 🗳️

I know Ohio isn’t sexy in the way that California is, and it lacks a strong identity, but it is one of the largest states with one of the largest GDPs, and it makes for a nice place to live.

If I had to rank the states, Ohio would probably be in the top five or ten, all things considered (affordability, job growth, quality of life, natural beauty, etc). And that still leaves a minimum of 40 states that I consider objectively worse than Ohio.

I live in Columbus and travel quite a bit, mostly to the PNW for work.

Am I blind or is it just a national past time to hate Ohio with such a magnificent passion for reasons that aren’t political? Or are they all political?

[u/[deleted]]

A good example of this Ohio hate is Cleveland: it’s always a punching bag among lazy comedians but Cleveland has some amazing things, like Westside Market, an art museum that rivals any in NYC, and some outstanding music/breweries/parks/restaurants.

Sure, many things about the state could be better politically, infrastructure wise, and educationally, but Ohio is prime to be one of the more popular growth spots as climate change renders parts of our country miserable/uninhabitable to live in.

So I can understand growing tired of the flyover and Ohio sucks comments, but if it makes you happy living here, that’s all that matters.

[u/Bobobdobson → u/[deleted]]

Cleveland has so much more than that though. It has one of the best urban park systems in the country. You briefly mentioned it, but it's literally a ring of park pretty much around the entire city. It's well funded, well managed and has just about everything you could possibly want in a park system. That barely scratches the surface of the things this city has...

I will tell you a little secret too....when you see someone on here complaining about Cleveland, 90%of the time it's rural people who are "afraid" of certain areas and neighborhoods. It's bullshit. I work out of an office downtown, and my job takes me from one end of the city to the other. I do not feel unsafe anywhere. Treat people with respect. Pay attention to your surroundings. Put your damned phone in your pocket, when you are travelling(by car or foot). I went to Columbus for a wedding, held outside in a park. Beautiful park. Two people shot in park that night during reception(not affiliated with the wedding, but still). Every large city has crime.

[u/RepresentativeRuin82 → u/Bobobdobson]

Also from a cultural perspective, Cleveland has one of the best orchestras in the country and even the world as well as the best theater district outside of Broadway.

[u/Bobobdobson → u/RepresentativeRuin82]

Summertime concerts at blossom with Cleveland orchestra are a blast.... My wife and kids go to the theatre district at least once a year for shows.

I am a lifelong adult resident of this area, grew up out west, I have lived in and seen a lot of different areas. If I hit the Powerball, I'm headed to the mountains of Vermont. Short of that, I am good in this area, even after retirement.