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The thread title is in jest. I'm from Michigan, and would have never dreamed I'd consider living in or around an Ohio town........due to the obvious rivalry between the 2 states.
That said.....Cincinnati/NKY seems to have it going on, and it's piqued our interest. We live in northern Michigan and are seeking to relocate to a much larger midwestern metro for a variety of reasons. I realize Kentucky is technically the south, but you get the jist.
I have always loved the beauty of NKY, and downtown Cincy has really seemed to come alive with new construction and activity the past few years......or at least it seems that way from afar. I was always impressed witht he Cincy layout even back in the day, but I'm really likin' it now.
My wife has always wanted to live in the south, but I lived in the south for 30 years and vowed I'd never do it again. Nothing against the south, I'm just a midwesterner at heart. Working in the Cincy area and living in NKY could be the compromise we're looking for, though.
We're also condiering Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. We make around 75K combined up here, and in the end, we want to be in a large, vibrant, yet affordable metro which we can raise our family in (3 boys, newborn to age 8). We have all but ruled out Chicago because of the COL factor. I am a medical imaging professional, my wife's a cosmetologist.
I'm looking for input from families who have made the move to the Cincy area. Where did you come from, how was the transition, and how do you like it thus far? Is this Michigan man destined to put down stakes in an Ohio metro?
Others must respond from the transplant view. I can only tell you this, the one thing you will not like about Cincinnati is the summers. Hot and humid. Today we are looking at 91 and 60% humidity (that is good). It is when the humidity exceeds the temperature we swealter.
Other than the summers you should love it here. The COL compared to Chicago - a fraction. You can experience the flavor of the south without really being in the south and the same thing for the north.
Looked up your current location. Appears you have to be into boating big time or why be there? I can enjoy an occasional outing on a boat, but I decided long ago I would not let it dominate my financial future. If you decide to come to Cincinnati, welcome.
The thread title is in jest. I'm from Michigan, and would have never dreamed I'd consider living in or around an Ohio town........due to the obvious rivalry between the 2 states.
That said.....Cincinnati/NKY seems to have it going on, and it's piqued our interest. We live in northern Michigan and are seeking to relocate to a much larger midwestern metro for a variety of reasons. I realize Kentucky is technically the south, but you get the jist.
I have always loved the beauty of NKY, and downtown Cincy has really seemed to come alive with new construction and activity the past few years......or at least it seems that way from afar. I was always impressed witht he Cincy layout even back in the day, but I'm really likin' it now.
My wife has always wanted to live in the south, but I lived in the south for 30 years and vowed I'd never do it again. Nothing against the south, I'm just a midwesterner at heart. Working in the Cincy area and living in NKY could be the compromise we're looking for, though.
We're also condiering Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. We make around 75K combined up here, and in the end, we want to be in a large, vibrant, yet affordable metro which we can raise our family in (3 boys, newborn to age 8). We have all but ruled out Chicago because of the COL factor. I am a medical imaging professional, my wife's a cosmetologist.
I'm looking for input from families who have made the move to the Cincy area. Where did you come from, how was the transition, and how do you like it thus far? Is this Michigan man destined to put down stakes in an Ohio metro?
I'm not really in the category you asked about, given that my husband and I were retirees when we came here 12 years ago, and given that I grew up in the area. That said, I can address a few things you touched on.
Yes, the amount of re-development activity in the downtown area has really taken off lately. I think it's just about gained critical mass and will only get better from here on. There are quite a few hospitals here, including the large and nationally known Children's, which ought to offer you some decent job opportunities. And last, I know a bit about the MSP area. I PERSONALLY (caps intended to try to stave off the inevitable flames from some regulars who get upset when people express opinions that are negative in any respect about Cincinnati) think the MSP area would have a better quality of life than Cincinnati in just about every respect I can think of EXCEPT for the cost of living. Which is mostly why I'm here instead of there. I guess it's like everything else; you get what you pay for.
i grew up in northern ohio and moved here eventually via overseas and then colorado and now here. the people here are the friendliest of anywhere i've ever lived. if you put yourself out there a little bit, the payback is huge. other places i've lived, i've put myself out there only to have no one ever reciprocate anything. that hasn't at all been my experience here.
regarding northern kentucky, we have very few posters here from the south side of the river. carpathianpeasant is one, but i think he is an ohioan at heart. i have some friends that moved here from the south and they stayed on the kentucky side of the river, some in fort thomas and some in fort wright. they seem quite happy.
Welcome to Cincinnati! Having spent time in MSP, I think your wife will much prefer the Cincinnati area - the winters are much MUCH friendlier here, the COL is lower here, Cincinnati has a more interesting topography and layout (though fewer lakes) and we're not as isolated in relation to the rest of the country as MSP is. Both are large vibrant cities with all the amenities. And Pittsburgh is very similar to Cincinnati in many ways.
Others must respond from the transplant view. I can only tell you this, the one thing you will not like about Cincinnati is the summers. Hot and humid. Today we are looking at 91 and 60% humidity (that is good). It is when the humidity exceeds the temperature we swealter.
Other than the summers you should love it here. The COL compared to Chicago - a fraction. You can experience the flavor of the south without really being in the south and the same thing for the north.
Looked up your current location. Appears you have to be into boating big time or why be there? I can enjoy an occasional outing on a boat, but I decided long ago I would not let it dominate my financial future. If you decide to come to Cincinnati, welcome.
The summers I can handle. I lived in Houston for 7 years and Atlanta for 20. My wife and kids who have lived up here their whole lives on the other hand.........ha ha. They'll get used to it.
Northern Michigan is a great place. One of the best kept secrets anywhere. There is almost no crime at all. People are laid back and easy going because of the super slow way of life. It's a good place to live. That said, I do not boat (an occasional outing, like yourself), I do not hunt, I do not ski.....I do not go looking for morel mushrooms. You get strange looks up here when you tell natives you don't do any of that stuff. Of course I utilize the lakes for swimming and the occasional snorkeling venture, but that's it. One thing I definitely don't like about living here is the fact that EVERYONE knows EVERYONE, which means everyone is in everyone else's business a good bit of the time. I can't go a day at work without seeing a patient that has a brother, a daughter, an uncle, a friend who works at my hospital, and it's almost like they're trying to be threatening when they tell you this, as in "You better do a good job, because I know someone who works here." That gets old real quick. The worst thing, though, is the economy up here. Michigan is always bad, but up north Michigan is even worse. Our hospital had to be sold recently to ensure its survival, and another one in the region actually closed, only to reopen a few weeks later with a fraction of the services. I want to work in a vibrant enviornment for a successful, well managed company. It's a risk I could afford to take when I moved up here as a single guy in his prime, but now with a wife & kids I am looking for something a LOT more stable.
While I've certainly enjoyed my time up here, the fact is that I grew up in or near big cities, and I want my kids to do the same. While many here swear by it, it's very hard for me to picture my family living here for the long haul. There's only so many trips to the state park beach or ice cream shop you can do before it gets a bit monotonous, and of course things REALLY shut down in the winter. The last couple have been fairly mild by our standards, but we usually get well over 100 inches of snow. I love snow, don't get me wrong, but I'm ready for that to be scaled back a bit!
I think Cincy fits our bill in many ways. Solid, 4 seasons, active and upcoming downtown area (I'm from Detroit originally, no more dead, decaying cities for me, please), good sports scene, nice scenery with the rolling landscape and rivers, one of the best amusement parks around (Kings Island) for the kids, and, of course, pretty darn affordable according to my intitial research. I'm still wondering about the food scene (don't need worlds of gourmet, but would like a high class change up now & then), theater circuit, symphony, etc.? These are all things I'm looking forward to checking out.
Last edited by Tyryztoll; 06-19-2012 at 02:06 PM..
I PERSONALLY think the MSP area would have a better quality of life than Cincinnati in just about every respect I can think of EXCEPT for the cost of living. Which is mostly why I'm here instead of there. I guess it's like everything else; you get what you pay for.
I won't lie, Sarah, MSP is far and away our preferred destination as of this writing. That area has just about everything we're looking for, and I love the fact that it's renowned for its educated populace. Matter of fact, you could almost say that MSP would be like living in northern Michigan, only with a couple giant cities smack in the middle of it all. The only drawbacks for us to MSP are indeed a slightly higher COL, and being a fairly good distance our families. These latter factors are the reason I am investigating other places such as Cincinnati at the moment. Lower COL, and right on the I-75 corridor, which is signifigant because we have family in Michigan and Georgia that are constantly going back & forth between the two, and we would see them much more often as a result.
Pittsburgh is very similar to Cincinnati in many ways.
Yes, it is. I keep hearing how affordable Pittsburgh is, but I have not been impressed at all with the real estate prices over there. The few houses I do find in our price range look old and dumpy. We probably can't afford a brand new house, but I'd like to find one 10 years old or younger if possible when we do buy (we'll rent first, wherever we wind up). Pittsburgh is a beautiful town, but a lot of the roads there are really old and really narrow. Doesn't bother me, but my wife hates that, epsecially having to navigate that very hilly terrain, which is otherwise gorgeous. Cincinnati has a much newer and more organized freeway system from my experience.
If you do come to the Cincy area, it sounds like you would really enjoy most of the communities in Northern Kentucky. Beautiful well kept neighborhoods, low crime rates, fantastic schools, midwest/southern feel, and only 10-15 minutes from downtown. There are some really great hospitals in the area, and several hospitals in Cincy are undergoing huge expansions/renovations.
Also, you mentioned things to do such as a symphony. Cincinnati is one of 13 cities in the US with ballet, opera, museums, symphony, and theatre. “Cincinnati is one of only 13 US cities...
@The Northerner - I grew up and lived in MI for many years and now have lived in Cincy for a couple of years, so I might be able to help. I grew up near Lansing and then moved and lived in Grand Rapids for about 12 years. You might be able to find more stable work in Grand Rapids than up north as they do have quite a few good hospitals including the whole Metro Village thing. I wouldn't stear you away from Cincinnati though either. My wife and I decided we liked it enough down here, and thought our career options good enough to buy a house and try to put roots here. We just moved in a few weeks back.
There has been what seems like a lot of progress in Cincy even in our couple of years here. There are lots of hospitals who have or are about to start expansions, and I can tell you that althought the economy isn't great here, it is way better than it is anywhere in MI.
We also like living here. The river is great, and both sides (KY and OH) are doing things to take advantage of it. The landscape is beautiful. To us it is like a mix of parts of upper MI and parts of California. What I mean, is there is lots of vegetation, but the hills remind us of the hills around Los Angeles. They aren't as long lasting or dramatic, but looking into the hills at night and seeing the lights in them reminds us of our trips out West. There is also a nice arts scene, some great food, sports, etc.
Don't get me wrong. Cincy isn't perfect. There are pockets of crime like any medium to larger city has, and traffic on the expressways does get crazy. Although if you lived in Houston and Atlanta you are used to that. Something I should mention as well, is that when we first moved down here, we lived on the KY side. Mostly becuase I was going to grad school at NKU and I wanted the instate tuition rate. Now we live on the Ohio side and I can tell you there are differences between how the neighborhoods are structured. I think it is mostly becuase the hills are more dramatic on the KY side, but the neighborhoods on the KY side are more broken up. They weren't what we were used to in MI. While KY is beautiful (so is southern OH) we realized when we looked at houses, that we would prefer to live on the OH side mostly because of the how the hills affect things on the KY side. One example that used to drive me nuts was all the dang stop signs we had just to get out of our neighborhood. There are tons of them in NKY becuase of the hills. It drove us nuts, especially coming from GR which had some hills but not like they are down here.
If you have any specific quesitons, I will try to answer them for you.
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