1,243 Comments

  1. Here’s the thing: until the Democrats get their act together there won’t be any real competition. It is easy to say Ohio sucks and quite another to change something. Liberals here love to scream and complain but they haven’t done a very good job of convincing others or of getting people elected.

  2. I have lived in NE Ohio all my life and it sucks more and more each day! To be honest we moved to Florida for 6 months and just returned here. Why? For one reason and that is because my kids missed their school. As soon as they graduate I will never even drive through this state. I will fly over if I have to. lol We’ve already applied for Canadian citizenship.

  3. I hear ya on this one!!!
    I have lived in the deep south and the north but Ohio surpasses any state on the map !The legal system is nothing more then a corrupt money making business.They cash in on human misery every day.God help the people in authority there.They are surely hellbound for what they do.

  4. I just recently got back to my home on the east coast from a trip to missouri. I rode in a car there and back, and we traversed the width of Ohio twice. I have decided, definitivley, that ohio is the worst state in the union, right up there with idaho (thank you for the heads up, maddox) for starters brian peppers is from ohio, if you dont know him, look him up. Ohio, blows. Dont go there. youll either get raped by a trucker, run over by a combine, or die from allergies. Dont stop to eat there, pee there, drive through it, or look at it on a map. If you are from ohio, kill yourself. the other 7 natives wont miss you.

  5. Depressing Ohio is the anus of the world! I’ve lived in several states, so I know. The place is brimming with white-trash rednecks and trailer-felons! The biggest ‘industry’ here is tattooing! Even the dogs and cats here are sad and dejected! And if you don’t like OSU, you are considered a terrorist! LOL.

  6. IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT MOVINIG TO OHIO, RECONSIDER…

    I just moved back to Ohio to work on a degree… And the funny thing is you don’t realize how much OHIO SUCKS until you’ve lived elsewhere and then you come back. The only people who seem to know what I’m talking about are people who have moved elsewhere and come back for a time.

    The people of Ohio are ignorant, opinionated, rude, ugly/homely looking, small-minded… The economy here is terrible… Most people in their 20’s-30’s are working multiple call center jobs (if they’re lucky) or mutliple jobs at all the freakin franchise businesses in this state. Speaking of franchises… OHIO FOOD SUCKS. People here think good Italian food means Olive Garden. The only people with money in Ohio are all the retired/soon to be retired boomers, and even they are fleeing for the sunbelt.

    Driving in Ohio sucks because its a police state. The expressways are all speed-traps… When I drove back into Ohio from Pennsylvania, the first thing I noticed was State Troopers pullinig people over every 3 miles.

    TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS…. I’m someone who notices the cultural nuances of the places I live and visit. OHIO SUCKS. OHIO SUCKS. OHIO SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS.

    Have a nice day,
    Mike

  7. Almost forgot… OHIO WEATHER SUCKS. Gloomy, overcast skies for at least 6 months of the year. Summers are hot, humid, sticky, and smoggy.

    Recreational amenities? We have none. Erie is polluted, any other lakes are resivoirs (aka.fake lakes), the hiking sucks, the skiing sucks, oh and did I mention that the water is full of pesticides???

  8. I lived in Columbus, OH for 37 years, and it does SUCK. I now live in Myrtle Beach, SC where there’s beautiful weather, friendly people and wonderful beaches. If you can get out of Ohio, do it before you die a sad, depressing death there!

  9. Hey guys. My name is Glickman, but the people that I consider my friends (even though they don’t consider me theirs) call me Harbor Buckeye. I am a total fag and I love Ohio. Here are some of my favorite things about Ohio:

    The fact that Ohio is the only state in the Union with two cities where every single citizen is white trash. They are Dayton and Toledo.

    I love to lick Clarett’s balls.

    Our school sucks so we’re trying to make it sound prestigious by always saying “The” prior to “Ohio State.” Little do we know that people think we’re even stupider than before we opened our mouths.

    The Ohio Toll Road — quite possibly the most boring, ugliest stretch of highway in the entire nation.

    The Bengals stretch of years without making the Playoffs. What better to signify us all as losers?!? Too bad they choked and made the Playoffs in ’05. Better luck in ’06. Carson’s knee injury should help!

  10. I have lived in Ohio my whole life and i want to leave. As soon as i graduate im out of this hell whole. I would rather live in Detroit than this place. Living by Youngstown is like living in eastern Europe. Nothing changes. And the weather sucks. And trust me dont stick up for PA cause PA sucks worse than Ohio. Trust me the good places to go to are Florida and out west.
    I will be moving to Florida when i graduate. But i am leaning more towards Arizona. I have stuck up for Ohio my whole life. But why would i do that? Ohio does suck. And i realized that this week. We have bad luck writen all over us. When i go to Florida to visit my smart family that moved i am actually embarresed to say im from Ohio. See before my parents got divorced we were ready to move to North Carolina but they got divorced and we had to sell the house that we bought down there. Ohio does suck and there is nothing good about it. Maybe Cedar Point lol but thats it.

  11. Oh ya and one more thing the sports teams suck!!!!! Browns lol the Clowns and the Bengals cant beat the Steelers what a joke. Ohio will never ever change.

  12. Now that i think about it and i have read stuff about other states people across the nation thinks their states suck too. Im not gonna sit here and try and change peoples opinions but Ohio isnt really that bad. Every state has its bad parts and its good parts. And we have good sports teams. The Browns pretty much have changed their whole team. I just watched ESPN and the Reds beat the Pirates 6-2. The Indians beat the Braves. The Cavs just beat the Bobcats. And look at the Bucks.
    And look at all our amuesment parks in this state. Two of them bring in some of the most visitors across the world than most except Walt Disney which isnt really fun unless your like 10. But we have Paramounts Kings Island and Geauga Lake and last but not least Cedar Point. Ohio brings in some of the highest tourism dollars out of the 50 states. 12.7 billion a year. And we have one of the fastest growing cities in the midwest (Columbus). And look at Cleveland…. It has been voted Most American City 5 years in a row. Cleveland has some awesome beaches along Lake Erie. And dont say Lake Erie is polluted cause that was back in the 60s and 70s. Edgewater State Park has some awesome beaches and awesome views of the Cleveland skyline. And some pretty awesome parasailing too. Cincinnati has many projects underway and that are planned to get started. Ohio is spose to creat 850,000 jobs between 2005 and 2010. And many residents have moved to Ohio from Michigan, PA, and West Virgina for jobs, better cost of living and just to get out of one of those states.
    Like Michigan which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Detroit has an unemployment rate of 14% compared to Clevelands 7.5%. Detroit is also Murder Capital USA. And Michigan has crime rate out the roof. Many young West Virginians have moved to Ohio for better jobs. They came to cities like Columbus and Cincinnati. Trust me wether you believe me or not or even if you want to believe it Ohio is getting better.
    It is not uncommon for people to not like the state they live in. I have seen people that live in Florida even want to get out and leave. I will soon be moving to the Cleveland metro. Westlake, Ohio. And since i have been to the area alot i have seen alot of new things around that area. They have lots of new housing units. And i met my new neighbors that i would be living by and they are from Albany, NY. So people do want to move to Ohio believe it or not. And Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is going under a 1.6 billion dollar expansion. We are home to the tallest building between Chicago and New York. And Canton has the Pro Football Hall of Fame Cleveland has the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Ohio is alot better than alot of other states out there even if you dont want to believe it. It is natural for people to hate the state that they live in. But once you see how people in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hate their states for their weather and other sucky reasons you will find that there are other states out there that suck too.

  13. I know most probaly are sitting there saying well Florida doesnt suck neither does out west. But plenty of other states (countless numbers of them) the residents living in them think they suck too. Ohio just like other states are trying to work out their problems. I read from this one guy who lived in Philly but now lives in LA said
    ”Most people in PA move out if they were the smart ones, if they failed in school they married the girl they went to prom with had 2 kids at age 25 and lived on the same block as they grew up in and they were working at Wal-Mart. People all across the country think their states suck too. Even in the Sunshine State.
    But every state is messed up in one way or another. You have Florida with their hurricanes every year and people keep moving there and some times their houses keep getting destroyed every year. California with its earthquakes and wild fires. Colorado with its freakin cold weather and rediculus snow fall amounts. And Texas and Oklahoma with its tornados. I realize Ohio has that really crazy winters and hot summers. But alot of people like the changes of seasons. But im done now and im sure your all happy. But before you say Ohio sucks think of some other states and what they are going through cause theres some states out there with worse problems than the Buckeye State.

  14. This kid sits next to me in class and he is from Ohio. All he talks about is how he loves having sex with men at truck stop, what he affectionately calls “tea parties”. I have also been forced to drive through Ohio once and take a business trip there once, both times leaving me on the verge of suicide. The girls are nasty rugby lesbians, the men are faggots, the weather sucks, the water polluted, the scenery miserable and everything else unmentionable.

  15. Ohio is the armpit of the nation.

    If Ohio had a penis, it would be small.

    Ohio needs some Viagra.

    Correction, a lot of Viagra!

    Ohio smells worse than my mother’s %*$&$%.

    Oh yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

    But really Ohio is lame, its boring, its ugly stick houses in farm fields, its crowded highways, its smelly, its too big, its boring, its got no big city, it is stupid, it is a bad place to raise a family and I don’t like it here.

  16. I lived in Ohio for twelve years in a sewer of a city called Norwood and you ever noticed that once you get a Norwoodian outside of that ghetto surrounded by ghettos that they turn into complete assholes and act like they own the place starting fights mugging people grabbing other peoples women and it always takes five of them to fight one and they always wonder why the rest of America has a low opinion of them. Second if you get fired from your job forget about drawing unemployment becuase if the company is justified in firing you you can kiss it goodby and since there’s no right to work laws not only can a union run you off but a temporary service can to so to put it in a nutshell yes not only does Ohio suck but it blows.

  17. I don’t know about Ohio being so lame. I like living there a lot, but I do think you have to know where to live and go out. There are beautiful homes in a lot of areas, good schools, terrific museums, great restaurants and things to do year round. The key is to probably live within the major metropolitan areas. And if you don’t like where you live there are perfect places for people seeking any lifestyle in Ohio. Like I said, I think the key is you have to know where to be, but it really isn’t that hard.

    I am from Cleveland, and love to travel. I’ve never actually been anywhere that would make me want to live there. I have really high standards like a lot of people I know from Cleveland and we have never been to ant Olive Garden in our lives, have no interest in visiting a cheap and crummy place in South Carolina or Floridia. Although Clevelanders do like Miami Beach, and Clevelanders did in fact found Miami Beach. I guess I also stayed at a nice resort in Naples and the Keys. But the rest of that state is really just a sleazy, cheap, and touristy. In addition to Miami Beach I along with many Clevelanders like Scottsdale, Manhattan, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Boston, Paris, Milan, Rome, French Riviera, Monte Carlo, D.C., Berlin, London, Vienna, and Madrid. But those are just places we like to travel. We don’t necessarily consider them superior place to live. We like living in Greater Cleveland were we shop at Saks, Nordstroms, Crate and Barrel, Brooks Brothers, and our terrific upscale grocery store unique to Northeast Ohio called Heinen’s. There is hardly a museum that Cleveland doesn’t have, and they are extremely underrated. We enjoy the highest rated orchestra in the country, and one of the top five hospitals in the country. We enjoy our suties and season tickets at Jacobs Field, Q Arena, and Brown’s Stadium. We send our children to primary and secondary schools costing over 25K, but some of the suburban school districts are rated in the top 200 public school districts in the country. I live within 30 minutues of a state park, a national park, and one of the largest county-wide parks in the country called the Metroparks. There are many yacht clubs, marinas, and a surprising amount of top notch country clubs. There are excellent festivals, and Artwalks in the city year round that draw large crowds. We have little traffic, low cost of living, lack of natural disasters, and no security or safety threat.

    I’m not saying that the economy hasn’t been poor, or that everyone is so rich and cultured, but it is entirely possible and perhaps more so than many other places to make Ohio a great place to live and work. All of my house guests over the years from all over the country and world have all loved Cleveland. It was no surpirse to me that the prestigeous research group called the Economics Intelligence Unit based in London recently ranked Greater Cleveland as the highest quality of life in the United States, and lateter on being one of the top five places to take a business trip.

    The key is to really have extensive knowledge of other places in the world, and really look at things cumulatively and objectively.
    People who complain about Ohio simply don’t know really know Ohio and want to try and blame Ohio for their own lack of culture and motivation.

    I find it funny that people are considering these very second or third rate communities in Ohio where they are from or where they have been as indicative of “Ohio”. If you are from Youngstown, Toledo, or Stowe I would encourage you to drive through Shaker Heights, Hudson, Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, Gates Mills, Hunting Valley, Beachwood,Chagrin Falls, Westlake, Solon, Rocky River, Pepper Pike, etc. and enjoy the beautiful scenery, nice homes, shops and restaurants, and try telling any one of those residents that they aren’t sophisticated. Downtown Cleveland, University Circle, Little Italy, Tremont, and Ohio City are also a happening urban neighborhoods with upscale restaurants, art galleries, cultural institutions, beautiful buildings, and nice hotels. But I guess no one has even heard of these places. Well guess what? That is Ohio, and only in Ohio.

    In addition I will tell you that what I consider the sewage of American society ends up moving to the South, Sun Belt, or West Coast. As a Clevelander, I would be embarrassed to actually live in those places.

  18. Ohio is the only state in history to ever have one of its RIVERS catch fire. Thats all I have to say about that place. Why is Indiana so much better?

  19. My friend moved back to Ohio becuase he could not afford to buy a house in California. He has become increasingly conservative, bitter, critical and disrespectful to his best friends in CA as a result. Housing may be affordable in Ohio but salaries are much lower than in CA. So what is the point of living in a cultural wasteland? In a land of unsophisticated, ugly, fat, religious nuts?

  20. God i can not believe i actually stood up for Ohio a few posts ago. OHIO SUCKS!!! The sooner i get out of here the better. Ohio has the fastest migration of people moving out than any other state. Ya New Jersey had its underground fires and its polluted beaches but Ohio just smells like the factory smoke as soon as you walk out the door. Maybe thats because there is a factory right by my development. I said living by Youngstown is like living in eastern Europe. Well it is like that. A stagnant economy and the weather is always overcast. As i type this it is raining. It has been for 5 freakin days. Dont stick up for Ohio cause everone knows it sucks here. I plan on moving to Chicago or North Carolina somewhere. They say Michigan is in worse shape than Ohio. I dont believe that one bit. Ohio has screwed itself over and it will never be able to fix itself.

  21. Bobby,

    Make up your freakin mind. OK.? Stick to the program. Ohio has plenty of negatives.

    1.) Highly conservative red state.
    2.) Full of trailer trash and ugly lesbians or soon-to-be lesbians.
    3.) Queerer than a 3 dollar bill. It’s gotta be 50% in some places. I think they inherit it from in-bred relatives. Definitely an argument for the genetic basis of homosexuality.
    4.) What industry? Insurance, government and the University? Buckeye Steel went belly-up.
    5.) Weather sucks.
    6.) Lake Erie stinks like sulfer and shit.
    7.) The only friends you make here are either mentally ill or complete degenerates. This I know from long experience. The good ones head for the coast immediately. No one fuckin wants to live here.
    8.) The general environment is deadening.
    9.) Buckeye Fans are a plague.
    10.) There’s nobody you can have an intelligent conversation with outside of a classroom.
    11.) Origin of the Bush family dynasty.

    Here are the positives.

    1.) Columbus State. Really a nice place. I didn’t realize it until I graduated from Ohio State. They often hire actual professionals there not retarded student TA’s.
    2.) OSU Graduate schools and the OSU student experience.
    3.) The people passing through to get #1 and #2.

    OK that’s it. Those 3 things kept me in Ohio for the better part of the 20th century. Not happy about it either. Now I’m so into PERS I wonder if I’ll die here.

    B.T.W. I kind of like coastal Carolina too. There’s more sunshine and natural beauty there in 1 day than a whole lifetime of O-H-I-O

    I’m serious. You’re gonna hate yourself for staying. It’s like having a co-dependent mentally ill wife. You have a couple good days without getting screamed at and you think you’re in heaven. Then it all starts up again. Ohio’s like that. It gives you a couple good days and then it sticks a knife in your back.

    So Bobby, to quote a famous house
    “GET OUT!!! GET OUT!!! GET OUT!!!!”

  22. Although being a red state is one of Ohios few positives there are a few more negatives to add. 1. Xavier university nothing but a bunch of punks. 2. Norwood although just like Xavier in the punk department but they are considered respected members of the community.3. You can’t even protect yourself in a fist fight without being acussed of assualt and when the perpertraiters are cuaght they’re usually let off with a fine or a slap on the wrist no wonder people are leaving.

  23. For many reasons, Ohio is frequently referred to as the Ukraine or Russia, of the US. In quality of life surveys based upon education, opportunity, weather, crime, pollution, culture, politics, employement, income levels, recreation, etc.; Ukraine ranks 98th out of 111 countries surveyed. Russia is 105th. The only worse place to live would be some of the African countries caught up in civil wars or, of course Iraq. Ohio should be made into a vast penal colony. Similar to the Utah concept, it would also be well suited as a state for evangelicals to exhile themselves and build their new mega-churches far away from the civilized members of this great country. Escape while you can…..

  24. Ahhhhh…lovely Ohio! The land of………..uhhh……the land of…uh.. hmmmmm…..wait let’s see here…….what?… is good about this place anyways? Someone help me please, I’m struggling here….They gots religion, incest, mullets, tweekers, big trucks, rednecks, white trash, yeah…..noooo…apparently that does not cut it in today’s world…….but then there’s.. noooo…wait a second, there’s got to be something interesting, fun, stimulating or original. There has to be some great contribution to society. Buckeyes maybe? Yeah that’s it. Those little fucking peanut butter and chocolate candies.

  25. I just returned from my first trip through Ohio and I was inspired to start a website to provide a forum for people to discuss how much Ohio sucks. I was so happy to find this discussion here so that I could join the chorus. It really does suck.

  26. I just yesterday met a guy from Ohio in his late 40’s …now this guy really sucks as well as the stinking shithole called Ohio.
    Sorry that all the good people have to be associated with such an asshole. William Buckley is his hero, still thinks the Bush \Cheney is a great presidency ….please good people of Ohio don’t let this type of vermin reside and cast votes.
    Change conservative Ohio

  27. Trust me Earl i think every freakin day on getting out of this hell hole. Your right one day its fine. But that one day is out weighed by like 55 other days of sucky weather, no jobs, hicks, and nothing to do. Im looking into North Carolina. My family almost moved there. Damn why didnt we move. God OHIO SUCKS!!!! Dont even come on vacation here. Theres nothing to do. The winters are too cold and the summer and its humidity. Cleveland doesnt rock. Columbus is a city full of nothings. And Cincy is sitting on the polluted Ohio river decaying everyday. Charlotte, North Carolina here im come.

  28. Let’s get some things straight. It’s impossible for anyone who’s spent time in Upstate New York to think of Ohio as the butthole of the nation. To say nothing of Indiana, the only state in the country where the Ku Klux Klan once dominated all three branches of the state government.

    But why does Ohio suck so bad? Perhaps it’s because of all the unspent potential. There are first-rate schools all over the state. It boasts more big (or sort of big) cities than almost any other state. Cincinnati has the most gorgeous urban scenery anywhere inland, and a fabulous night scene (when the cops aren’t breaking it up). Columbus has a gi-normous state university and a host of filthy-rich companies to work for. Cleveland could be the rival of Philly and Boston in its cultural life.

    But somehow Ohio ends up being — well, insert your own rude word here.

    The people who’ve made all the bizarrely homophobic comments here are unintentionally revealing the single suckiest aspect of their state. In 2004, the Buckeye State scared off the few remaining productive people willing to settle within their borders, with a piece of legislation so obnoxiously bigoted that it made Kentucky’s look moderate. Great job. As Randy Newman said, Burn on.

  29. What keeps us all here is low-income and poverty. A tough
    cycle to break, especially when you have children to consider. Say what you will about “potential”/”potentiality”; we rank 49th (second only to Mississippi) w/regard to our population of uneducated citizens (stupid people) and we put NO money into public education where it can best be utilized. Hillbillies abound because in the 30’s many people from TN, PA, and WV came here for jobs because of the industrial revolution. And here they remained, along with the stilted mentality. The cost of living is reasonable and housing is VERY affordable, once you have lived other places or even do some minor research (what you get for the money). Someone else on this site said it: people who have been born and raised here and who have never left have no CLUE! There is another world out there, filled with open-minded, kind (jesus…KIND!!!)
    educated, creative, and caring people. The irony is, educated people earn more money….can afford more HOUSE….can live in the affluent, cultured, and more lovely and less polluted areas of the USA. Go to http://www.myspot.com and find your spot (MA? Lakewood, CO? Portland? Burlington VT?). GUAM has a higher standard of living and better educational system than OHIO. GO BROWNS (burp) Just kidding………

    OHIO BLOWS, SUCKS, and is a hell hole. Get out while you can still BREATHE.

  30. I have lived in Ohio my whole life (52 years) and I can say without a doubt that it bites, sucks, blows and chokes on its own bullshit. Growing up in Cleveland was hell. We are all victims of pollution, fast food, bad grammer and people who are proud to be ignorant. I recently asked a woman from Maine why she was moving back and she said that it is called the ” Mind Your Own Business State”. I asked what wasOhio’s state motto and she said without hesitation. It’s the ” That’s Not How We Do it Here State”. I grew up with that attitude and it is what sets Ohio apart from other places. People rationalize their sucky life here. “Oh, we have the Orchestra and the Rock Hall and the…WE HAVE SHIT! Sucky, stilted, religious, bigoted,” proud to be Umericun”, self rightious (right!), brown and orange loving dumb basturds. They deserve Ken Blackwell and George Bush. Oh, and if you don’t have sinus problems when you get here…

  31. I would like to respond to “Johnny Downtown”. Obviously, since he can spell and has reasonably good grammar, he is in the 2% minority of nearly educated Clevelanders. Yes, Cleveland has many great things to offer. Nice museum….when it is open. But it is a “been there/done that” deal…nothing like Museums in Chicago or NYC. We have a good zoo, if you appreciate looking at old, forlorn creatures entrapped out of their native habitats. Not for me.
    “Johnny Downtown” is fortunate enough to live in Gates Mills or the Heights or some other affluent pocket of Cleveland (all surrounded by crap, crap, and MORE crap) and when he cited Lakewood, Rocky River, and
    other west side areas as “great”, I scoffed. I grew up in Bay. If anything, the west side is even more “butt-in-ski-ville” than the eastside (where it is downright stuffy, snooty, and unfriendly). I have lived in Chagrin, Euclid, Seven Hills, and Lakewood. While there are WORSE places to live in this state (country/world) no matter where you plant yourself, if it is in OHIO, you are surrounded by a palpable resonance of IDIOCY, narrow mindedness, and lack of progress. The fact is, there are only two reasons to stay here. If you have a great job and make tons-o-cash and can afford to live in the best area possible (like Johnny) good for you. If you are stuck in Lakewood where, even in the best areas you are able to hear your neighbors sneeze, burp, and fart (the homes are so close together and most people do NOT have central A/C) and it is non-stop sirens, mowers, blowers, fireworks (year round) kids screaming and the yelps of domestic violence,….well, it does not matter how gosh darn good the ART MUSEUM is! And Johnny…WHAT good schools? Mayfield? Great rating, as is Solon’s, but again, it is a matter of choosing between living in shopping HELL (strip mall after strip mall covering a 14 mile radius) or living in STEPFORD…a cookie-cutter community of newly wealthy who, although they may be a bit more educated, still perpetuate the stereo-typic, Drew Carey, CLEVEburg mind-set. Burlington Vermont, here I come!

  32. Ooops, I forgot reason #2 to stay here. If you are fortunate enough to have a sound and healthy family or vast network of interesting and reasonably astute friends to offset the large assortment of “bad”, then you can create a community feel and support system even in the middle of shitsville Alabama. My family all moved away (or died trying) one by one and now, stuck due to finances and terrified of making a mistake, here we are. We know where it is WORSE;;;;Detroit, New Orleans, L.A., anywhere in KS or OK.
    To “joi” (#30)….you are correct. Finances (and fear) keep people trapped here.

  33. I grew up in the average ohio town in NE ohio. I always thought that was how the whole country was except for california. After high school I traveled around the world. I was schocked to see how bad my area was. After doing what most ohioans do (work ina shitty factory and attempt community college) i left for Chicago to go to school. My world was shattered. No longer was i around abandonned buildings and trailers with overgrown lawns and 80,000 dollar homes. I was surrounded by the america i was told existed, by tv. Well i moved back to ohio, i have been here for a month. I hate it. The whole area is run down, Cleveland is ahorrible city, Youngstown blows and most people are ignorrant from lack luster education. In January i plan to move to Germany, and never return to ohio. When people ask me where i come from in the US ill say Chicago to hide my shame.

  34. I recently moved out of Ohio after finishing up at Case and I have come to several conclusions. The first is that the people of Ohio are ignorant – otherwise they would leave! Second – it is so so run down and depressed. Every license plate should say “Welcome to the Welfare State.” Does no one in the state care? Why is it okay to throw your trash and cigarette butts on the ground and not even flintch? Does nobody there realize that behavior is not okay? Third, everyone there is so fat and out of shape. Fast food is everywhere and the lack of exercise is growing. Fourth, nobody has any morals there. Fornication and dishonesty are the two largest problems that come to mind. Ohio is messed up. I am so grateful that I have left and I will no longer have to deal with a begger lying about how he needs bus money everytime I go to get in my car. Good riddens!!!!

  35. Try linving in Yougstown, Union central. The whole area is full of a bunch of dumbass’s that are waiting on the mills to reopen. How many companies need to leave Youngstown before the unions wise up and see that they are hurting the area. The economy sucks, and the weather is worse. We have mushroom farms here, do I need to say anything else.

  36. Ive lived in ohio my entire live in central and northern ohio. Growing up here wasn’t so bad until I hit puberty and everything became a clique and if your house didnt cost over $150,000 you were immediately cast out in schools to be with kids who didnt have it easy and were angry and most likely didnt like you or trust you for any reason. I hit 21 this year and I am watching my life flush itself down the drain and most of the people I called my friends have disappeared into drugs and have never looked back and Im seeing myself turn into my miserable father who lives alone at 40 and wishes everyday he would be killed. This is not the life I want for myself nor my future children granted I have any because I’m not part of the million dollar social status of such places like Bath or Gahanna

    It tears me apart to watch the people here rip themselves apart and eat 5 meals a day followed by every drug known to man. I really hope I get an opportunity to leave this place, If you agree wich im sure some of you do, you’re more than welcome to join my crusade into a different state that doesnt have 4 letters and doesnt start and end with an O

  37. I moved here after I married my STBX…….that’s right, my STBX. He turned out to be just as much of an ignorant fucktard as the rest of these narrowminded, bigoted assholes that populate this good for nothing state. I am from California, and am moving back this fall. I get made fun of constantly because I am from out West, and if I hear “WHY did you come to Ohio?” One more time, I am seriously going to clock someone.

    I live in Northwestern Ohio, which is dangerously close to the Indiana border. The populace is comprised of mostly white trash, stubborn, cliquie, mullet wearing morons who foam at the mouth at the mere mention of the Ohio State Buckeys……… people of Ohio………..NO ONE CARES about the freaking Buckeys. Every other woman you see in this area is about 6-8 months pregnant…….this happens every spring, I shit you not. This goes hand in hand with the Republican, right wing religious agenda of a gun in every holster and a pregnant woman in the kitchen. The only goal that a young girl in this area has, is to land a man, get knocked up, spit out about 5 “yungins”, and call a tin can on wheels home.

    Don’t get me started on the weather here. 8 months of winter, followed by 4 months of strangling humidity and cloud cover. You had also better learn to drive on sheets of ice in the winter, since the roads are not well maintained (at least where I am).

    No economy, since most of the industry here went belly up. Generations of family here who have never left this state, so you do the math on how culturally astute they are……..um hmm.

    Once again………I am literally counting the days until I can escape the land of the Mountain Dew drinking masses.

  38. I did find one good thing about Ohio. Went to ole’ mother Russia once and found that Ohio is definitely a better place than the Slavic hinterland-at least the European part west of the Urals.

    Some people are going to rant me for this but…

    The place is a mess. It’s a dive. They don’t take care of their shit.

    Yes there are good Russians. The old folks were like old hippies here. There were open minded and interested in the world. The public transportation in the 2 big cities was good.

    I’m not going to waste my breath talking about their young people. They are all living in a state of permanent anomie.

    So yes, Ohio does suck but there is suckier out there if you’re willing to look. Just look for a per-capita under 10k, brutal winters, radioactivity, bad air quality, a long history of repression…. you get the idea.

  39. OK. At least say Ohio sucks as far as America goes. Ohio seems to be the hub for all activity related to abusing your many, many adopted/foster children, and other just generally weird crimes. It’s a big state, yeah, but what the….? Driving through is scary and bewildering. I got to this discussion by typing “ohio sucks” into Google. It’s unbelievable how many weird, personal, usually -involving -small -innocent -children -crimes are reported from this…er, interesting piece o’ land. Radiation, do they teach ya’ll that this is a good idea, what? BTW, I’m not really from IN, but have been here for a good long time, and apparently that state line holds true. We may be dumb, but damn…

  40. If we’re talking worse in the US just take a fuckin trip south to W.Va. There’s some weirdness going on there too.

  41. Jev,

    About your crusade.

    Yes Ohio sucks but just leaving Ohio might be laying the foundation for more unhappiness if you are unprepared financially for New York or LA. I’ve got a lot of depressed rebounder friends who went to those cities and were forced back in the first 2 months because they didn’t know how to make the move. Most of them just displayed a lack of commonsense about ripoffs and magical thinking about their finances.

    IMHO you ought to save about 6K cash + a good credit card -so you can have 3 months or so looking for your fulltime job. A CDL for your destination state isn’t a bad idea either. Once there get a share which is a sleeping space on the floor of an overcrowded apartment..it’s better than trying to pay $1600/month for a 1 bedroom and anyway you’re not taking your stuff with you. If you want to pay $800 a month you can live in a youth hostel and those are nice but IMHO overpriced for a person looking for work.

  42. Aftershock ,

    If the women are 6 mos pregnant in spring they are just following the ancient scotch-irish-welsh/celtic tradition of getting preggers at the Winter Soltice and giving birth at the Summer soltice when the weather is warmest and resources and food is abundant.

    At least they are perpetuating the species.

  43. Ohio absolutely, positively without a doubt, sucks ass!!! I lived there 96% of my life, 24 years out of 25, and somehow didnt become a typical Ohio asshole.
    Let me start by saying the weather sucks. Seven months out of the year, its freezing ass cold, cloudy and raining, windy or snowing. You may as well move to siberia. The other five months, its so humid and sticky that it feels like your walking thru peanut butter.
    Second, the people there are mostly rude asswipes. Dont get me wrong, there are a few good ones there, but the assbags definately outnumber the good ones. They are corrupt, especially the police, as I found out first hand when the Toledo police didnt give a fuck that I got 15,000 worth of stuff stolen from me. People there will back-stab you, talk shit behind your back, and then be your best bud to your face. I forgot to mention stuck-up.
    Third, compared to where i live now, in Arizona, our worst neighborhood here looks like the best neighborhood in Toledo. Toledo is run down, the economy is poor, there are vacant buildings, scumbags allover the downtown, and on top of all that, the mayor can never get his head out of his ass and do any good for the bad financial and job situation plaguing the city.
    Fourth, its boring. If you are not into OSU, there is nothing to do. All the bars and restaurants here are sportsbars, and there are very very few places that are actually nite-clubs, and dont have anything to do with OSU football. There is not much to do outside, with the exception of Cedar Point. I am a very active outdoors type, and there, all you can really do is go for a walk in the park, or play golf, which gets old quick if thats all there is. There are no mountains, the scenery is flat and full of farms. If you like getting wasted daily with the locals, then your ok.
    Fifth, there IS a serious weight problem in Ohio. It is very hard to find a lady friend that doesnt weigh less than 180lbs, or is pregnant, or has 3 kids with all different fathers. Everyone is overweight. Maybe that has something to do with the un-employment rate.
    Sixth, finding a job there is a waste. Because of the wonderful economy, I lost my job as a manager for an auto repair shop when they went out of business. In the 8 months before I moved , the only jobs available were factory jobs for 6.00 an hour, or wait tables at one of the many sportsbars. If your a doctor, waitress, or factory worker, life in Ohio could be just about good for you. If you can stand the other things, maybe. You would have to be an Ohio good ol boy . Anything else, forget it.
    Last, I can say, for those of you above that mentioned it, that Ive been here in Arizona now for a year, and I love it. It gets hot in the summertime, but I can trade that for the -20 winters in Ohio. There is plenty to do outside, mountains, skiing, tubing, and the Phoenix nightlife is sweet. It is a very nice, clean city. Only a few sportsbars. There are real nite-clubs and bars here. Also, I had no problem finding a job making more than the automotive shop that I worked for in Ohio.
    For all of you that live in Ohio, if you are smart, you will GET OUT. There is so much more this country has to offer. The buckeye is a useless nut. For those who dont live in Ohio, dont ever go there. Take it from a former native. It really really SUCKS.

  44. I have lived in Ohio for 31 years and let me tell you it does suck!!! The weather is the worst here it could possibly be, its bad for the the hard working farmer, who this year has had a lot of crop damage, bad for anybody that has a job that depends on the weather. If it wasn’t for bad weather, Ohio would only exist for a few days a year. This makes for a miserable, depressed, stressed out, mean people. The economy does suck, and you have to work day and night and still can’t comfortably pay the bills even with a hard working spouse. That leaves us with no money to enjoy life a little. Thanks to a few good friends we’re barely surviving!! I am trying to finish my small house. Since the weather is so awful and my paycheck needs a lot of good weather. { I have an outside job that cannot be done in bad weather of any kind} I can’t finish my house in BAD WEATHER and we have so much of it that the money or time is never there to even finish it myself. My BEST advice NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT LIVING IN OHIO. If I ever can finish this house enough to sell it, Me and my wife, {The one and only good thing I found in Ohio} are moving the hell outa here and never returning. Maybe out west or south. It’s true the thing that keeps us poor miserable people here, is we were born into this hellhole and can’t make enough money to get out, or just too damn mindsick to even try. If you live in this mess of a state, GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FIGHT FOR A BETTER LIFE!!!! THIS IS TRULY THE CLOUD CAPITAL OF THE WORLD IN EVERY WAY!!!! Believe it or not POLLUTION HERE IS ALSO THE WORST IN THE UNITED STATES!!! OH and YES THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS TOTALLY SCREWED UP!!! Hope to see YOU GOOD PEOPLE ONLY IN A BETTER STATE.

  45. Hillbilly,

    You really want me to call you a hillbilly? OK.

    I agree with you on all points.

    Trying to sell my place too but the damn Ohio weather and last owner’s utter stupidity is preventing it.

    They just want to keep me here to torture me. They have suceeded.

    Wish me luck rennovating this piece of shit and getting the HELL OUT OF OHIO! FOREVER! PLEASE LET THE ASTEROID HIT THE OVAL WHEN I LEAVE! I don’t ever want to see a hardware store the rest of my life.

    Hey how about that COTA? Is it 2 hours between buses here or what? I hate it when my car breaks down.

  46. Hi to y’all youngsters!

    I have been very amused by your vents. I can tell by your rants
    you all must be approx. early 20 somethings.
    I am from the Atlanta area, and possibly relocating to the Kent, ohio area(Ravenna or Salem) Atlanta’s cost of living is high, and the wages are low if your field of expertise is not development and technology. So we have to travel where my husband’s services are in high demand(aerial,hydraulics) and let me give you some sagely advice. No matter where you travel in this great country of ours (remember, you do have the freedom to explore) there will be pros and cons. The best you can hope for is to educate yourselves so you can provide the best future possible for yourselves and future families. Keep focused on priorities, and the important things in this life, and you will find happiness no matter where you are.
    Good luck to you all! from a mom of 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.

  47. Well I don’t know about you but I’m leavin. You can come if you want. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya!

  48. I have lived in the Cleveland Area my whole life. When you are younger and in school, you have every person your age in the area around you daily, and they are young and hopeful still. I never realized how bad it was here.

    Now, in my 30s, friends slipped away, and new people come into the picture, and I find myself disgusted beyond all belief with what has become my life here in Ohio. The absolute ignorance of people is dumbfounding, and each break at work instead of discussions of politics, foreign affairs, or science/technologies, I am forced to listen yet again to talk of the only things these people care about….NASCAR, guns, and wrestling. Some do talk about sports 24 hours a day, which I guess I won’t put down even though I could care less about the Indians or browns…

    I struggle with bills, yet their absolute patheticness actually makes me feel wealthy being the only person with an ipod, digital camera, etc, although they do all have cell phones they are constantly playing with like it’s a personal computer or something.

    Although the weather does suck, it isn’t my opinion the place itself makes it bad, it’s the people here. The bulk of my family is from Tennessee, and I promise you this, the people here are 50 times more redneck than the people there, and it makes no sense. Plus, atleast they are nice there.

    Yes, Ohio is a complete shithole from the perspective I have been cursed with. Like most others, fear, finances, having already had most of my life and ambitions sucked out of me keeps me stuck here. Each day I grow more bitter and I am to the point now of just going through the motions of staying alive, fighting off depression……knowing all along, after traveling the country over in my younger days, that there are places where people are happier, alive, laughing, and making those around them feel alive.

    FUCK OHIO

  49. This is a great blog.

    Northeast Ohio is a shithole. The reason the housing is so affordable is there is no demand to live here. Never before in history have the value of homes spiked in value in this country like they have over the past 3-5 years. All except…you got it, “the comeback city”. Because once you’ve been here you aren’t ever coming back!!!

  50. Hey earl, Yea, call me Hillbilly, just smile when you say it. This part of Columbiana county, Ohio where I come from, thats damn near all there is. I just think I’m one of the smarter one’s. HA, HA,,, Like I’ve said, Born into this hellhole. Hey, I definatly wish you lotsa luck!!!! You aint kiddin these Ohio people will try to keep you here just to torture you. I’ve found that out firsthand. Andrew and stuck, you guys both make great points. Hey,stuck I agree with you on what you say about Tennessee. I’ve got friends there. Hell, I agree with you on everything. I’m with you on the going through the motions of staying alive and fighting depression. Thats all I do anymore, Work, Sleep, Try To Pay Bills, Fight Depression and Shake my fist at Ohio!!!! Well, I’ve heard “It will get better” way to many times. I don’t believe it anymore, not in this Hellhole. Chat with ya’ll later. GOOD LUCK

  51. Dan, You made some excellent points about this hellhole. I’ve been to Arizona a couple times myself. Not a bad place to live if you can get past the sand and wetbacks. Lotta good people there and they do have some nice mountains.

  52. I’m only 18, but I’ve lived in a little town right outside Youngstown my whole life, and IT SUCKS HERE. I can’t wait to move to NY for college in 2 months.

    reasons why Ohio sucks:
    -Ok well ovbiously Youngstown is the worst city in Ohio. It basically stopped about 30 years ago, driving through it you feel like you’re in a rundown part of Russia or something. There are abandoned buildings everywhere, a ton of crime, YSU is full of dumb kids because they accept anyone.
    -rednecks. I live in a city called Poland right outside of Youngstown, even though it’s the only good place around here, it still sucks. It’s 99.9% white (and im white btw) and half of the people are rednecks. Although it’s a high class town and everyone here is rich (by Ohio standards) I can’t really complain too much.
    -WEATHER SUCKS. It’s hardly ever sunny. It’s always raining. Winters are really cold and snowy and summers are too hot and humid.
    -like a lot of people said, driving through Ohio is incredibly boring, most of it’s farmland
    -minimum wage is the lowest in the country, I guess that only sucks for highschoolers
    -the Ohio river. hahahahaha
    -all the beaches suck, Lake Erie sucks and the sand is all rocks

    The only good thing about Ohio are the amusement parks. Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, and King’s Island.

  53. All of you assholes give Ohio a break!

    I have lived in south Florida for approx.24 years and went to college in Central Florida and i have been to every crack and crevice Florida has to offer and i can tell you Florida is a major shit hole!!! I was born in Columbus, Ohio and moved when i was 6 to Florida.We went back to Ohio every winter for vacation and had a blast with the winter festivals and snow boarding etc. In florida you have two seasons hot and hotter HIGH taxes,crime and you’re neighbors right on top of you just to name a few things.
    Now we have some idiot from Arizona talking about how nice it is compared to Ohio! look it is real easy to make a statement on how nice Arizona is when most people have not been there…. But i have and Arizona has got to be the worst place in all the lower 48!!! hot would not even begin to explain the weather, dust storms illegals all over the place,Los Angeles gangs that have moved into all major metro areas etc..
    Bottom line every state has there problems and make no mistake about it Ohio is NOT the worse

    Also Florida has Hurricanes i went thru Andrew in 92 and saw people looting others homes while they lay there dying my friend and i both shot a lotter and paid dearly to the legal system to get of the hook.

  54. Wow. I live in Northern NJ (7 miles from Manhattan) for my entire life and people joke about New Jersey but having been to Cleveland I could not even imagine living there without a steady supply of antidepressants. I thought it was just because I’m used to liiving on the coast and esentially in suburban New York City, but it’s more than that. In two days time I actually felt like my life was a dead end and wanted to die. That was two days in claustrophobic middle of the country Cleveland and Cleveland Shitty Heights.

    Where I live has the highest cost of living in the country but you know what? It’s well worth it. New Jersey has the most beautiful beaches in the worlld. We’re talking about real beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. A lake in the middle of the USA is not, has never been, will never be a beach. It’s a lake on fire. New York City is of course the greatest city in the entire world.

    So, y’know what,? The cost of livving is really high. As of now where I live the average price of a small house is $650,000 and I will never own one. But….. you do get what you pay for. I’d rather rent a really nice apartment in a rerally nice place and work a decent job that pays a decent wage than own ten houses in Cleveland Heigths. I could not live in that backward, no integrity, no street cred hellhole for two days, let alone a lifetime.

    Don’t be afraid to leave. There are opportunities everywhere and seriously…… life doesn’t usually require pockets full of Prozac.

  55. I am with you jpjp! I grew up 30 miles north of NYC in Rockland County. Cleveland is the most depressing city in the country. Living in Cleveland is like living what I imagine Dresden was at the end of the second world war. It is a dead end town that has long since died. There is no natural beauty here. No ocean, no beaches, no mountains. It’s the 3D city. Dark, Dank and Disgusting. God forbid someone who lives here hears you say that. You see nobody is moving here. The only ones here are the ones who grew up here. So they are real sensitive.

    They cops here are the worst. But then again with the exodus of jobs and people there is no money coming in to pay city hall. THEY ARE ALL OVER LIKE GESTAPO. It is literally a police state.

    I too would rather own a tiny bungalow or rent than live in a 3000 square foot home in this shithole.

    I married a local girl. We have two young children and one on the way so I built a 2500 square foot home to make my wife happy and to be near my in-laws. I couldn’t take another minute here. Living here became a torture contest. So I took a job in Atlanta in September and put the house up for sale. It’s been up for almost a year. Despite lowering it to $50,000 less than I paid…I was forced to move back on account of not being able to pay for two places.

    Despite having as most Clevelanders say “the most affordable real estate in the country”, I couldn’t sell it. The reason the price of homes is so cheap is economics 101. Nobody wants to live here. It’s THE UGLIEST place on earth.

    I like what you said and I too would pass on a 6500 square foot mansion in Northeast Ohio than have to call this area home.

    All houses sell and eventually mine will too and that is the only thing that keeps me going. I just can’t wait to get my family out here.

    And for those of you who did grow up here I am sorry. But you really should try to look for life outside of this shithole…and I am not talking about Youngstown or Rochester.

    The one wonderful thing about having lived in Cleveland is that you can go to any other city in the country and say….. “WOW”!!!!!!!!!!

    Cleveland only gets 59 clear days a year. The stinky polluted Lake (which they tell you not to swim in after it rains because the antiquated sewer systems of Cleveland have no to go!!!)

  56. “Stuck”–That’s it in a nutshell. Work, pay enormous bills, pop anti-depressants, have a pathetic remnant of friends(the ones too dumb to leave) and take care of or fend off vast hoards of desperate or homeless relatives who seem to think anyone with a job owes them a living. Right now I’ve got 2 people sleeping in my living room. Ugh! Someone shoot me now!

    Just trying to fix my roof and get the hell out of dodge.

    Now let me quote the best thing I’ve heard on this blog:

    “Yes, Ohio is a complete shithole from the perspective I have been cursed with. Like most others, fear, finances, having already had most of my life and ambitions sucked out of me keeps me stuck here. Each day I grow more bitter and I am to the point now of just going through the motions of staying alive, fighting off depression……knowing all along, after traveling the country over in my younger days, that there are places where people are happier, alive, laughing, and making those around them feel alive.

    -stuck

    The big question is, do you need a geographical solution to these problems? I would definitely say “Yes”. It’s your instinct to leave a crappy situation whether it’s a crappy relationship, a dangerous environment, a job that doesn’t pay. Crappy situations come up all the time and removing yourself from the situation is very often the best solution. It can save your life. I know literally hundreds of people who moved away and made a better life for themselves in California and New York … so yes “Stuck” leave before Ohio sucks the soul out of you. Take your kids if you’ve got-em but go the hell out of here because Ohio’s bad for kids too.

    Unfortunately I’ll have to sell a total of 3 properties to get the hell out of here. God, what an idiot I was playing the real estate game. I would rent them but the management companies here are a sad, pathetic joke. Most of them won’t even fix a toilet.

    Good luck getting the hell out of Ohio.

  57. #55, Coldiron,

    Some idiot from Arizona huh? Let me tell you a few things.. First of all you moved to Florida when you were 6. You had no idea what Ohio was about between then and now, so how can you say its so great? Just because you vacationed there? WHOO HOO…. I lived in ohio for 24 years buddy, and I know and will always know how bad it is.
    Moving to Arizona was the best move I could have ever made. I have a job here making almost twice what I did back in Ohio, and Its the same position! Also== WTF?!! There are things to do here!! Ive got the wonderful Phoenix nightlife, the mountains, the outdoors, and plus Im within short distance of LA, Las Vegas, San Diego– and an ocean!!
    Every big city has gangs and crime, its a fact of life. What do you think Ohio has no crime? If you will read my post more thoroughly, you will see I got burglarized for 15 grand worth in Toledo. You get that anywhere.
    Every state has its ups and downs. Arizona is a very nice place to live. Your attitude just sucks. You hate Florida, which I have been there (its been awhile) and I thought it was nice.
    Overall, anyone that can hate Florida and Arizona both, MUST be from Ohio– so move back and have fun!!
    P>S> I got a louisville slugger in my trousers— what do you think of that pal??

  58. #55 . I have to give Coldiron some credit for shooting that looter down in Florida. Good job! Not sure, why he’s so upbeat about C-town though.

  59. I do remember the recent experience of taking a commuter flight from NYC and looking down at the flat miasma of suburbs and low density (in comparison) and thinking (G’damn, Columbus, you’re so…I’m not sure… not cool, not big, not grand, not by an ocean and I’m searching for a term and all I can come up with is a bunch of nots for the place).

    I get to the airport that’s more-or-less vacant at 11pm and start searching out a taxi who will take me home for less than $40 and finally luck out and catch a ride on a private bus which drops me off into my lovely suburb (with no functioning local bus) on the beautiful upscale North east side where I alternatively dodge and weave through the wastematter teenagers smoking weed, holding bags – giving me the usual shit spiel and stinkeye as I make it to my crappy townhouse all the time thinking I would rather be taking this garbage in a place that MATTERED!

  60. # 59

    Look make no excuse about it ARIZONA SUCKS!!!! you try and underestimate Arizonas true problems by saying “every big city has gangs” etc.. No sir you are truly under estimating the true problem(S) Arizona does have! What about the snipper that has shot 23 innocent people in the Phoenix area? and is still on the loose! and how about the real famous rappist on the loose in your area? something like 9 violent raps and 3 murders by the same person! I just watched the stories on fox news.
    Then you say Arizona has soooo much to offer? like what? close proximity to LA! GIve yourself a break Why would you want to go to LA? The ocean you mean the dark cold polluted waters in so cal? So i guess what you should do is wear your bullet proof vest and pack nothing less than a .40 cal handgun along with 8-9 close friends when you go out to enjoy that awesome Phoenix nightlife (lol) Then you say
    Arizona has “mountains” nothing but a pile of sand in a 120 degree stinking DESERT!
    Now, I think you misunderstood my earlier post I did not say Ohio was ther greatest place on earth i said “Give it a break”. I have family from there and when we visited we had alot of fun and my family seems to love it there.
    So if you want to know some of the places i really! ejoyed visiting they are Aspen, Colorado, Key west, Florida (The only place in Florida) & Hailey, Idaho to name just a few.
    By the way you stated you got a job in the same field making twice the money compared to Ohio…. I guess that makes up for the real estate being twice as much as in Ohio along with the cost of living!

    P.S. Let me ask you how bad does that louisville slugger in your trousers hurt when you sit on it? On the other hand i’am not in that kind of thing so do not tell me.

  61. It’s OK if Coldiron likes Ohio and it’s OK if Dan likes Arizona. Dan’s OK and Coldiron’s OK so…let’s just put the Louisville slugger on the ground and slowly back away.

    We all have to agree that we google’d “Ohio sucks” to get here so somewhere there has to be a kernel of geographical discontent no matter where your loyalties lie.

  62. Coldiron… Everything seems to me to cost nearly the same here. I dont own a home yet, but the rent isnt much higher here, maybe $50 more for a MUCH nicer condo than what was available in OH. I should know, I have lived here for a year now. Search it on the internet— cost of living is 2% higher here, by national statistics.

    To me, AZ has lots to offer. A good job, nice people, scenery, and things to do, like I have mentioned a few times over now. Also, again, no cold weather and rusty cars.

    How is it not true that with a large city comes more crime? If there is so much crime and gangs, etc here, why is this area the fastest growing in the united states? How come I am alive and typing on this computer? It should have got stolen by now… Anyways, why would I spend all my time worrying about some crazy killer, thats one in 4 million people, and theres that 1 in 4 million chance he might come for me? Thats ludacris! I might as well board up my windows and become a shut in, with my .45 and bullet proof vest! Gimme a break… Same with the rapist. Ohio has many rapists and murderers too– the crime thing is not an arguement– anything can happen to anyone, anywhere. Even Ohio.

    Ill take my 100+ degrees for 3 months out of the year instead of Ohio’s -10, thank you. I dont miss Ohio’s sticky smelly humid summers either. Last New Years eve I went swimming, outside. If I want -10 degrees and 8 feet of snow, all I have to do is drive 2 hours north and im there… Why would I want to deal with shitty cold weather 3/4 of the year?

    The housing cost is higher, but only in parts of the state, like Sedona, and the super rich parts of Phoenix, where there are thousands of tourists and millionaires, seeing the MOUNTAINS and GRAND CANYON… hmm another thing I dont miss about Ohio— the lack of scenery and mountains…. Speaking of rich.. Jenna Jameson and DMX were at a grand opening of a restaurant about 5 miles from my house the other day… Thats interesting to me…. That would never happen in OH…

    Like I said before, your attitude sucks. How can you be so critical of places you have never lived, but maybe visited for a few days– or not. I can be critical about Ohio, I lived there 24 years. I know how much it sucks. If you move there you will find out. I have family there too…. so unfortunately, later this month I will be paying a visit– hope I survive the trauma.

    I wll put the Louisville Slugger down if coldiron does the same. I agree with earl. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There are problems everywhere, and IMO OH is the worst of them. In his, its AZ… So be it. Lets not get salty over this– or I will have to exhchange the slugger for a salt truck.

  63. Ref. # 64.

    Dan,
    Hey good for you being happy in Arizona! I do not want to argue abouit Ohio vs Arizona.I will give you that much about Arizona only two hours North to go Sking.
    I’am considering moving to Ashland, Ohio in the next two months and when i visited it seemed like it was a very well kept micropolitian area it had a small college (Ashland University) and the people seemed ok.You can not compare Ashland to Miami in regards to raising a family and just the overall crime and cost of living.If you go outside of Miami 50-60 miles you can cut down on expenses and get more house for the money but….I can not stand “REDNECKS”.
    Dan enjoyed jawing with you no offense.

    P.S. Dan if you do not mind me asking what do you do for a living?

  64. I did a quick analysis of crime in Phoenix vs. Crime in Columbus (the biggest city according to population alone) and even though we may be comparing apples to oranges the crime in Phoenix is less in certain categories and more in others.

    We’re taking about 40% less rapes and robberies (great!) but 20% more assaults, murders and larceny and helluva a lot more car thefts. So it’s your car you should be worrying about?

    Home invasion is a kind of an Ohio tradition. It was almost a right of passage for the poor kids. I remember a few middle class youngsters breaking in houses too when I was a kid.

    A lot of the thieves, especially in the Ohio State campus area are 3rd and 4th generation. I think they probably never leave their neighborhoods cause the pickings too good on campus. Those were organized dudes. I’ve seen them go up a block with a big key chain and a lock pick after the students left.

    Well, I’m digressing…

    So to sum it all up, we’re sick and twisted here in the “Heart of it all” but we’re far less likely to kill you and steal your car.

  65. I will admit, we do have somewhat of an autotheft problem here. I think its because we are so close to the border. The car dealerships have razor wire fences around them, (partly because many of the shops dont have walls) and most everyone has an interlock switch or alarm on their car. We’re like number 3 in car thefts in the us, like 50,000 stolen for every 1,000,000 cars. Something like that.

    Coldiron, Ashland is a pretty decent suburb of Cleveland. I have been thru it and it seemed to be a nice enough place. Good luck on the move, if you must. I am in a management position for an automotive supplier.

  66. Yes ohio does suck im only 16 AND NO IM NOT A KID WHO IS RUNNING HIS MOUTH TO B COOL OR ANYTHING. This state does suck like said many times

    weather sucks
    people suck
    since super wal-mart opened up its goten worse crime wise we all know the ghetto folks.
    My dad died in this state
    too many foreiners I cant spell it that must B the hick in me i am from ohio.
    The water sucks
    Jobs suck
    To many whores you ever been to dayton
    To many crack heads dayton once again
    The home-Less DAYTON
    To many kids who fucking smoke pot or drink.
    Stuoid people
    Cops think their top shit im not ripping on cops i have cop faimly members.
    People are 2 faced
    The air sucks.
    NEVER GO TO YELLOW SPRINGS SCARY SAME AS DAYTON
    I also hate the people on the phones that call and say blah blah blah I cant under stand you your not even in the states what the fuck. Mr bush has shit away our jobs. But I am for the war.
    Ok im surprised some of the kids made it to high school how the hell did they get through middle school.

    ALL I CAN SAY IS I CANT WAIT TO MOVE TO NEW YORK -Thanks for reading.

    O and the people are rude and mean as shit. HAHAHA

  67. As far as how cheap it is to live in Ohio (compared to California, anyway) I would rather live in a cramped studio apartment, than live in a palace in BFE.

  68. Just stumbled upon this site …. LOL. Sounds like a few of you are just barely dry behind the ears and you “think” you know all about Ohio. Well, I’m 50, was born here in NE Ohio …. and I’m STILL here. I’ll tell you right now this place truly does SUCK …. big time. Why am I still here then ??? Because instead of getting out like I planned early in life I waited until I got a job, got a wife, got a house, and got what usually goes with all that …. buried in debt. So now both the wife and I have good jobs that can’t be replaced anywhere else at age 50 and we’re more or less stuck here at least for a while yet. Actually this state wasn’t all that terrible in the early 1980’s and prior but I’d advise anyone to get the hell out now if you can before you get a life started. About the only thing still the same in this state is the shit weather that comes pretty damn close to being year round.

    I believe it’s the 3rd highest overall tax state in the US …. you get nailed for about every tax ever dreamed up right here. And even after all that the convicts claim they’re still broke.

    There’s very few new good jobs available anymore ….. the corrupt convicts in the state house drove them out long ago and can’t figure out how to get them back. The idiots that run this state are pathetic …. oh, I forgot …. the whole country knows that now.

    It’s nothing more than a Commie police state now, you don’t even want to drive here even if you aren’t a young ” hellion”.
    And, as bad as it is, seems like way too many of the must be idiot population want even more fine “police protection”. Could say the same about all the different taxes ….. somebody keeps voting them all in with the exception of the ones the convicts that run this cesspool impose with the stroke of a pencil.

    Most of the school systems are basically pretty much of a joke anymore too. They spend about 25% of their time educating and the remaining 75% is spent dreaming up new blackmail tactics to raise taxes even more to pay for all these new college campus high schools they “need” in every one horse tiny town in the state. I’d imagine most of the US population doesn’t even know what a school “income tax” is, let alone all these small city income taxes that this state is so fond of and that all the must be idiots keep letting them push through. Yep, stay here long enough and you’ll always be broke no matter how much $$$ you make.

    The people ….. well, I have to say there’s far too many here as in overpopulated ….. at least for me. And, far too many are damn idiots. You can find those in other places too though. I truly believe if you stay in this hell hole long enough it will drag you down to idiot status over the years ….. much like being stuck in the ghetto.

    After 50 years of living here and really hating the last 20 or so I’ve noticed the most common response whenever I voice my opinion is one of these two: ” There’s worse places to live” ….. no shit, New Jersey or the like maybe? Or: ” The summers are nice here” …… yeah, sometimes, all 3 months of it and don’t even ever count the number of truly nice days per year we actually get or you will certainly be depressed for sure. Ohio has only 2 seasons … Summer and Shit.

    “Armpit of the nation” …. “Communist State” … “No redeeming qualities” …. ” Chernobyl” ( probably spelled wrong but I’m from Ohio). I’ve been calling this place these names for years, thought I invented them ….. guess I’m not entirely alone about my thoughts about this state ….. especially the snow belt region. Only about 140″ average snowfall per year here …. fun.

    All I can offer you youngsters is the advice to take a chance and get the hell out of this state while you still can. There really are places that are worse but you stand a much greater chance of landing in a spot better than here. You can pretty much tell that by all the people that move back here after getting out …… there’s a few ….. but it’s a damn small few and many of those moved to a place like Michigan, Buffalo NY, or some other damn armpit just as bad as Ohio.

    Rant almost over ….. just one last thing …. really think about this one too. You only have one life and it’s short. When you get a little older you’ll realize how short it really is. If you hate this place now, I guarantee you’ll despise it even more in the future. And no, it’s not getting any better by the year either. It’s a lot easier to take a chance and lose when you have few obligations than to wait until you’re buried ….. debt follows you wherever you go.

    Bottom line …. “The great state of Ohio” = Taxed to death, run by convicts, among the very worst climates in the US, few quality job opportunities and in relation high cost of living, police state …. but you’re not safe because there’s no $$$ in protecting the public. Their main interest is in collecting the $$$ of the taxpayer any chance they get all under the guise of “safety” ….. the only real “crime” that gets their attention is the drug related crap ….. big $$$ for them in that …. otherwise you’re basically on your own. They’ll show up after you’re dead to fill out the paperwork.

    After 50 years, IMO …… OHIO REALLY DOES SUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I only hope I live long enough to be able to get out forever one day.

  69. Besides the usual rants, honestly, what do you guys think about the Akron or Canton areas? As I have posted before, We are desperate to get out of Atlanta. The cost of living has out-paced our incomes. Our home is languishing on the market (Griffin,Ga)
    There are too many people trying to get out of here. Our home is priced @ 179,900.00, (10,000.00 below appraisal) and we are in competition with 40 homes in the same price range. Someone mentioned taxes?? Atlanta, Georgia area has the highest taxes with the exception of the four corner regions of the whole United States. My property taxes alone are 2,000.00. and that is the lower end (my sister lives in N.J. and pays 12,000.00 annually so I know I should be grateful, but her income is also 4x’s more)
    Wages here are not coming close to keeping up with cost of living. My husband’s buddy asked his boss for cost of living increase and was told ” I can get a mexican to do your job if you’re not happy” illegals are driving the wages down, and don’t even get me started on the Walmart Corp. I have boycotted that store for the past two years. Also uneducated rednecks are everywhere(remember I do live in Georgia) you cannot get away from them. Also Georgia is ranked dead last, #50 in the area of education. This is why I have homeschooled for the past 9 years. There are many reasons why Ohio is so appealing to us. I guarantee a life without being able to pay just bare minimum living expenses, without outings with the family, without joy, stinks no matter where you live, or what climate you live in.

  70. Akron/ Canton is only ballpark 50-60 miles from where I’m at. They don’t get anywhere near the snow because they’re out of the “lake effect” zone but you can still figure on 3/4 of the entire year being total crap climate wise. You can probably check the real estate tax rates on the net for those places but where I’m at they are 1.3% of the auditors appraised MARKET value ….. $180,000 home = $2340/year. Now add to that whatever the city income tax rates are …. not sure of exact rates but I’ll guarantee you both Akron & Canton have them and they are “probably” 2% of your gross income ….. they collect that tax if you either reside or work there. And, I’m sure they probably also have a local school income tax on top of that …… again not sure of the exact rates because I don’t live there but figure from .75% – 1.25% of your gross income. Both of these additional income taxes are always taken right off the top before any deductions you can claim. Ohio also has one of the highest state personal income tax rates. That’s what I meant about getting nailed for everything in this hole. Start out by figuring an extra 3% of gross income for local city/school taxes ….. add the high state income tax ….. add the fairly high state sales taxes on everything you buy 7-8% depending on locality ….. then pay your normal fed taxes which are the same nationwide. Don’t forget it’s COLD up here most of the year ….. figure to start heating your house around Halloween and continue doing it until well into April. Cost me $2500 last year for a 2600 SF home….. turned down to a chilly 65 degrees. You being in Atlanta probably think 65 degrees sounds comfy, you’ll be freezing up here in the artic at 65 degrees. Heck, even here in the summer when it’s a humid 90 degrees outside, 65 degrees feels good. After months of anywhere from 32 degrees to -15 degrees outside that 65 degree inside temp doesn’t feel all that warm. Prices will be worse this year, fuel oil and natural gas isn’t getting any cheaper. I really highly doubt you are going to be any better off financially by coming to Ohio. You definitely won’t be buying a house here and making double or triple the value in 3-5 years like I read goes on in many places ….. doesn’t happen in the rust belt of Ohio …. figure it goes up steadily with inflation but not much more. You must have your reasons but if I could pull up and move cold with no job lined up, Ohio would be among dead last on the list along with all the other armpit Great Lakes states …. they’re all the same. You really can’t “appreciate” how nasty the weather is for most of the year in this place until you live it. Guess if you sit around in the house all the time it doesn’t matter what it’s doing outside but if you enjoy the outdoor life I’d strongly suggest another state. Also, if you live or work in one of the larger cities and have say a 20 mile daily commute you can figure on that drive taking up to 2 hours in the winter if there’s even a minor fender-bender somewhere along the way …. doesn’t happen everyday but it’s not uncommon. If you’re still dead-set on Ohio, the unglaciated South Eastern section is by far the most scenic ….. I could almost stand to even live down there but I prefer rural country living anyway. Where I’m at bare land is over $10,000 per acre …. not good if you want the small hobby farm type life ….. 50 acres = around $500,000 with no house. What else …. oh, if either of you happen to be smokers, the joker that calls himself the Governor added a $7.00 per carton additional tax recently, also near doubled the license plate and drivers license renewal rates and penned the largest state sales tax rate increase in history.

    Believe me, all this crap adds up big time over the year. Ohio, at least the northern half has no redeeming qualities that I can think of. It’s not cheap, your home will never sky-rocket in value, the climate really does SUCK ….. and it’s way overpopulated. Maybe for close to Ohio try Kentucky. That state is beautiful IMO. I hate any big city ever built but, that said, the last time I was in Lexington, KY I thought it was beautiful ….. for a city.

    I believe the state of Ohio is one of the population loss leaders … many reasons for that. I bet near half of my closest relatives got out of this state many years ago with all being born here. Between them they went to Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona. I see most of them every couple years, the common denominator is none of them would ever consider coming back to Ohio other then to visit ” stranded” relatives.

    Also consider this …… it sounds as you will probably buy a home in the city so it should be connected to a sewer system. If you should happen to buy a home a little farther out though that uses a private septic system make darn sure it’s brand new. This great state has new septic laws supposedly going into effect next year that require all homeowners to update they’re present septic system with some new super-duper thingie that’s reported to cost up to $30,000 …. supposed to be statewide and they will be checking all present systems to make sure they comply. From what I hear even if the system is ” newer” it still won’t pass the new codes. The “newer” system just won’t cost $30,000 to update but it won’t be cheap. Imagine having to come up with 30 grand with a few months notice …. don’t know how they think many homeowners are going to do it. But hey, it’s PATHETIC OHIO ….. like they care. They dream up ways of getting in your pocket on a constant basis …. I know for a fact the whole country doesn’t have to put up with this crap, maybe some places do but certainly not all.

    All I can say is “good luck” if you move here. If we weren’t so old and had 20+ years invested in the same job, I’d be out of here right now. Ohio really is a good place to avoid at all costs.
    You’ll be bled by every tax there is in aggregate, both now and in your retirement. Still, with all the other bad …. the very worst thing is the climate.

  71. I’m just too tired to comment. I was drinking a bottle of “Ohio Reisling” from Sandhill brewery last night and graduated to “Firelands Pinot Noir”..and that stuff wasn’t half bad. It really wasn’t too bad. I might try some of the concorde wines too.

    The wine seems to be something good from Ohio. I can’t say the same about the “fabulous short North” which as usual was the same spoiled/annoying campus pukes aged about 2 years, tatted up, addicted to heroin and transplanted 3 miles south all on their parent’s bank account. They look like the gangliest unhealthy, pasty white, angst ridden physical specimens on earth but this isn’t my place to rant against the Columbus white middle class punks. I really should try and understand them (NoT!)

    Just to digress, the “Fabulous Short North” was the brainchild of a guy named “Frank” who is a drunk, mean-spirited old-fart-of-an-architect. He’s so freakin mean he’s probably still alive and blogging about his retro abortion/Disney world.

    So anyway, I get to where I’m going (by bike just like a good campus Liberal/pinko compassion fascist). It’s one of those Arabic places with the falafel, Turkish coffee and the hookah pipes. The whole nine yards.

    So, I ask the guy, “Can somebody make me a falafel sandwich?”

    “Oh no we don’t make fallafel”.

    “WTF, it says Falafel sandwiches right on the window glass”.

    Ok Ok..I call somebody…

    (…I’m thinking this guy’s calling Firdous for takeout…)

    “Hey, never mind.” I say, “Just get some hummus out of the fridge.”

    Oh, I don’t know how to make hummus.

    (JESUS FC,it’s like spreading peanut butter!.. I’m thinking to myself instead of out loud so’s not to offend his muslim sensibilities)

    “Hey just give me a cup of coffee. OK?”

    Oh…sorry the coffee maker’s broke. Hey does anybody know how to make hummus?!

    …I start walking. I’m still trying to figure out how that place makes money. Do they have a card game in the back where they plot the overthrow of the government? Is the “Rich Egyptian Tobacco” really fine South American Cannabis?

    More rants on C’bus lack of service, civility and the unworthiness of life of the service profession…to come.

  72. Slim,
    Thank you for your comments. You will not believe this, but even after all your rants, Akron/Canton still is measuring up better than Atlanta,Ga. in property taxes,advalorem taxes, sales taxes(8.00 %), special purpose local option taxes(2%”splost”), state taxes, school taxes, and real estate prices. Yes, my home is on the hefty side of expensive, but In Atlanta, you do not get much for the money. I’m not looking for an investment, just a decent place to live. Plus my husband has a job offer in Kent, which will be a 25% increase in income for us. Here, 10,000.00 won’t even pay for a lemonade stand. For 1 acre around here, it will cost between 25-50,000(depending) I still have not paid off my gas bill from last winter, which was kept at 65 degrees. Prices per therm are a total rip off here. (1200.00 $ to go!) I have not had gas utilities for months, They got cut off in april/may. Despite what you may have read, it does get pretty cold here too. It did not even warm up good until May. Summer is too HOT! We are in another drought(97 today) Halloween is my favorite holiday but is somewhat spoiled when you have a heat stroke in your halloween costume. I hate it here! A couple years ago,Do you recall a story on the National News about a town in Georgia that had only enough water for 2 weeks? That was my hometown!! Griffin, Georgia. That news story even made it to Oslo, Norway where my brother lives.(now that’s cold) I love the Rain! Oh! did I mention my family orginates from N.H.? Now let’s talk weather! 😉

  73. ….Then you must come to Ohio(Beautiful Ohio) and experience the uninterrupted bliss of the Buckeye State with the rest of us.

  74. Kristine,
    I just knew there had to be a reason to pick Ohio out of all the lower 48 ….. like a job offer for 25% more money. For that much more you just may end up a little better in Ohio but I think you’ll find the homes aren’t all that cheap here. Mine is 2600 sf and worth about $210,000 but that includes the 10 acres of land it sits on and it’s also old …. as in 1846 old. I imagine a new house in the Kent area is around $250,000 for a moderate 2500 sf size on a small lot. Maybe look around in Ravenna, that’s a nice small town very near Kent … about 30 miles south of my place. I think Canton would be a little too far to drive …. Akron is a lot closer to Kent but it’s the bigger city style life…. depends what you like. You can either be known as a “city slicker” if you like city life or a “hillbilly” if you like country. I know it can get cold at times in Atlanta but I doubt it’s anything extended like here. If you’ve never lived in a cold climate you’re going to think that first winter will never end … and they only get even longer as the years add up.The $10,000 per acre land price was quoted meaning a parcel of 10 acres or more of raw unimproved land. You won’t get a 2 or 3 acre building lot for $10,000 an acre ….. more like $65,000 and up. Next county over from me the land is less than half that price and if you go way south in the state it seems like it’s almost free in comparison. They always nail you big time for the first few acres. If you hate it that much in Georgia I’d say come on up ….. misery loves company …. Ha!!! I don’t think you’d be treated badly up here being from the south. Not like being called a “damn yankee” for life if say I was going to move down to the deep south …. not counting Florida. Kent is far enough away from that polluted toilet they call Lake Erie that they get probably around 45-55″ of snow per year …… 130-140″ where I’m at in the snow belt gets old real fast.

    Bottom line is now days a good job offer means a lot anywhere. Come on up and join the party. Just let me know in 20 years how much you like it here though because I still say …… OHIO SUCKS ….. Ha!!!!!

  75. Slim,
    Your home sounds wonderful!
    I mentioned earlier my brother lives in Oslo,Norway. He has a funny way of dealing with a never-ending winter. He constantly tells himself “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!” 😉

    Ha!! right back at ya! 😀

  76. I don’t want to screw it up for you but Kent’s only claim to fame is the 4 dead students and that John Filo photo.

    Way to go – Ohio.

  77. I don’t care for Kent. homes are shabby and waay too expensive, plus the area looks like crap because of all the delapidated student housing.

  78. Another day in beautiful Ohio.

    A tenant in one of the condos I’m trying to sell decided to pour 5 gallon buckets of water all over her space–probably to delay my departure. It rained down on the tenants below her and now I have to pay out damages to 3 units.

    Apparently she’s very happy where she’s at and she blamed her son. Perhaps she heard I was selling? Maybe she reads the Ohio sucks blog

    In fact, every time I get close to escaping this hell hole one of the indigenous fuck-tards of this place pull some shit or some drama that forces me to stay and solve a problem. It’s almost funny if it weren’t so pathetic.

    I think that so many folks here in Ohio are so helpless and so dumb-fuck lazy that when someone with about 1% of intelligence and ambition is around they do everything they can to hold you in place. It doesn’t make scientific sense but I’ve seen it happen again and again.

    It’s like psychic Munchausen’s syndrome but for an entire population. They hurt you or themselves so you can’t make plans to go.

    I can’t wait to escape this asylum. God I want the hell out of this lame-ass place.

  79. #68 BEN You’re one smart thinking kid for only 16. I am 31 and work with all kinds of alcoholics, potheads and whorechasers. Its downright sickening. The best advice I can give you is save your money while you’re young, get out of this damned state, get a good woman, get married and enjoy life in some state with better people, better weather and better air to breathe. Above all SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! I am regretting that I did’nt when I was your age. I am stuck in this damn state till someday when I get the money to finally get out. KEEP THINKING STRAIGHT AND YOU’LL GO FAR. GOOD LUCK

  80. #82 earl Your not alone my friend. Definatly not alone!! Sounds like my life story right there. You know what they say>>>> IF IT WAS’NT FOR BAD LUCK, I WOULD’NT HAVE ANY LUCK AT ALL. or EVERY TIME I MAKE MY MARK , SOMEBODY PAINTS THE WALL. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!!!!

  81. I grew up in Chagrin Falls, OH and have to submit it seems a diamond in a world of sand. It’s a pretty sweet town. That written, the rest of the state sucks. Buckeye fans are the worst in the nation (for collegiate and pro sports). I now live on the in Oregon and have never been happier. GET OUT OF OHIO!!! Good luck.

  82. I grew up in an upper-middle class suburb of Cincinnati, then attended Ohio State in Columbus, then moved to Southern California where I’ve lived for 22 years. Yes, Ohio sucks, but it’s looking better all the time. Granted, the winters are horrid and depressing, the salted roads corrode your car in a few years, the summer humidity makes you want to hang yourself, the mosquitos are out of control, it rains far too much, it’s dreary and overcast most of the time, and so on, but I haven’t had the same experience with degenerates that many here describe. Not every neighborhood in Ohio is a blighted cesspool. I’ve met quite a few people in California who are from Ohio. The weather in the coastal areas of Southern California is ideal, but the median home price here is about $700,000 – and that’s in a lower middle class neighborhood. Median apartment rents are around $1,300. It’s impossible to save. If you can’t afford to live in a beach town, it’s as if you’re living in Mexico, with all the Hispanics, illegal and otherwise all over the place – cars blaring that awful band music they like, people speaking Spanish. The Hispanic population here is like 40% now. I’m now in Anaheim and feel like I’m in Mexico. Moving back to Ohio where I could buy a house for a small fraction of what it costs here is looking better all the time (still have family there), though there are a LOT of other places I’m willing to try before I would actually resort to that. My occupation keeps me tied here, but I’m hoping to move on eventually if I can’t afford to live among my own people (fellow Americans), maybe to another Western State which doesn’t have snow and where homes are still affordable and where English is prevalent. If you’re in Ohio, I’d say getting out is a smart move, but don’t come here!

  83. OK Brian, thanks for the reality check about California.

    I imagine with the latino immigrant situation being out of control for so many decades that it’s become a hell hole by now. It’s only started getting bad here in the last 2 years. They are expanding their hold here and taking over neighborhood by neighborhood but it’s about 25 years behind what’s happened in S. California.

    Too bad the government is too corrupted by greedy corporations and pressure groups to do something about it. We have a stupid government led by stupid leaders who are tools of corporations with no allegiance to any country or moral code.

    I’m actually shooting for Portland or Eugene Oregon. I know they get a bad rap for the rain but it can’t be any worse than an Ohio winter (or summer).

  84. Earl,
    You really don’t belong in Ohio – you’re WAY too in touch with reality. You hit it right on the head – our government works for corporations (AKA campaign contributors) who want to replace Americans with cheap immigrant labor. Most Ohioans don’t get that. Ohioans helped to get Bush re-elected. That SUCKS!

    It grieves me that Americans who are willing to lay down their lives for this country can’t find a job because these traitorous companies would rather hire cheap immigrant labor or offshore their jobs to third-world countries. Like you said – no allegiance.

    You really need to leave before you descend any deeper into depression. It seems to me that if you’re going to move clear across the country you should make it worth it, though. You won’t be gaining much in terms of weather by moving to Oregon I’m afraid, and a major contributor to depression is climate – something to think about. You’d probably fare better in Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico.

  85. Hi everyone!
    I was born in Columbus, OH and moved to Youngstown when I was 5 and lived there until I was 23. Now I have lived in Detroit, Dallas, Austin, Tampa, Columbia Missouri, and now I am living in Atlanta Georgia. I love Atlanta and we are staying here! There are actually really good decent paying jobs here. It’s amazing because in Youngstown I was stuck cleaning toilets for a hotel and they tried to not give me my paycheck and my dad had to come in and threaten to sue them! I am having a great life now that I left Youngstown. It was the smartest thing I ever did in my life! yay!

  86. Atlanta’s very cool. That big old city’s got it goin on.

    Youngstown has a great rep for dead Italians, dead factories and James Anthony Traficant who made the entirely valid point that IRS employees spend 50% of their work time surfing the web while 60% of taxpayers questions to the IRS go unanswered.

    Um…maybe I should get back to work now.

  87. Anybody ever been to a little shithole called Norwood, that town in the past twenty years has lost all of its major industry most recently US Playing Cards and is considered a joke. Due its lazy do nothing cops, the most corupt and selfserving city govornment in the state, an increasing crime rate, and a dwindling population due to the above mentioned. A real shithole

  88. Nope, haven’t been to Norwood. I’m depressed enough by Columbus but I’m not truly and profoundly depressed until winter when you can’t ride a bike or walk outside and you fall on your ass while you’re chiseling 1/2 inch of ice off your car with the plastic handle of your scraper.

    I usually bring a broom for the snow and the scraper for the ice. Does anyone else do that? Does anyone actually think it’s “so nice to have 4 seasons?”

  89. Be you havn’t been to Nerdwood becuase that city and its people give Ohio an even worst name than it already has.

  90. For those people who do not want to believe that Cleveland is a shithole numbers don’t lie. Under the CNN MONEY August 15th headline of Home prices in deep freeze, the article laments that the housing market fails to repeat the double digit gains of years past and overall home prices are only up 3.7%. Here are the bottom of the barrel for the whole country.
    Losing ground
    Danville, Ill.: – 11.2%
    Detroit, Mich.: – 8%
    Rockford, Ill.: – 5.5%
    Davenport, IA: – 5.5%
    Cleveland: – 5.2%

    All the big cities showed growth…some still over 20% except you guessed it, Cleveland and Detroit. So I ask you when the value of your biggest investment NEVER got the spike that the rest of the country got and it’s one of only two major cities to be on the losing end then why would anyone want to buy a house here? People are stuck here in this shithole, losing jobs losing pensions and losing money on their homes.

    Yeah, sell your paid off three bedroom house that you bought 27 years ago for $75 thousand for $150 thousand and pat yourself on your back because you doubled your money. Compared to the rest of the country you made squat my friend, and now you are stuck unless you want another 30 year mortgage on $300 thousand condo in North Carolina.

    In the land of depreciating assets….get out before you can’t!

  91. God I hate this place.. These Ohioans are one stupid person and one stupid drama one after another. Every one of them wants my time and lots of $$$…and I can’t escape it no matter what I do.

    I can’t sell any of my real estate so I’m stuck in a place where everyone can find me.

    I hate this damn place and these damn people so much. They’re all selfish and horrible and have no ambition and no direction except to sponge off somebody else!

    Ohio Sucks!!@! It Sucks It Sucks I hate it!!! I fucking hate it !

  92. OHIO: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY, IMO

    Ive been stuck here in OH, dangerously close to the Michigan line, for a few years now. I am trying relentlessly to get out, but it seems every other day something happens here to prevent it. Biggest mistake I ever made was moving here from Maryland.

    There is only one good thing about this god-forsaken state: Moving out of it.

    The bad and ugly:
    1. People. Here in Ohio, generally the residents are scumbags. They are very cliquey, and will backstab you in a moments notice. Getting wasted and driving old beat-up Camaros to the trailer park to see your big girl seems to be the favorite pastime– It is at least in the part of Ohio that I am stuck in. You have to be a “good ‘ol boy” to fit in here. Get drunk, and watch OSU!! If thats not your bag, plenty of tattoos, hat turned sideways, shorts falling off your ass, and plenty more alcohol coupled with pot is the way.

    Aside from that, they have their own native language here. For example, instead of a “vacuum” it is called a sweeper. Sweepers are machine guns or brooms, not vacuums. When you say “thank you” to an Ohioan, all you get is “YEP”. “Your welcome” is not in their vocabulary. Also, soda here is called “POP”, A pop is a noise, not a softdrink. These are just a few examples, there are many many more. The accent is a cross between the Kentucky drawl, and the Michigan roll. They couldnt come up with one on their own. I’ve also noticed that everyone is either rude or fake when talking to you.

    All the women here weigh at least 190 lbs, and have 5 kids with all different fathers or are pregnant.

    2.The weather. Weather here definately adds to the suck. Summers are oppresively humid, rainy, seldom sunny, and very short. Mosquitoes are as big as squirrels, and will attack you relentlessly even if you were swimming in a bath of bug spray. Winters are so cold that you cant even touch your steering wheel in the morning without your fingers freezing to it– thats if you can get into your car after scraping 3 inches of ice off of it. Long, gloomy, sub-zero winters are the norm. They last from October to April here. They use salt on the roads, so not only does your car freeze, it rusts out all over. The brown nasty slush on the roads in winter is no picnic either.

    3. Economy. I have been trying to sell my house and move out, almost a year now. I live in what is supposed to be a “nice neighboorhood” by Ohio standards. Toledo is run-down, very very few jobs that dont consist of waiting tables, or low paid factory work. No wonder I cant sell it. Those that have good jobs here are either lawyers or doctors. Ohio has one of the highest bankruptcy rates, so go figure. I can say im glad to have the job that I have, but I have found it pays better elsewhere.

    4. The town itself: It is ridiculous. It is impossible to get anywhere without driving. The bus system is sub par, and hardly runs anywhere– if you want to go to a bar or club, your out of luck unless a DD can be found. Walking anywhere is out of the question. That normally does not bother me that much, but just adds to the difficulty of having some kind of fun here. There is no culture here. The downtown is a lifeless concrete nightmare, and the rest is just ghetto stick houses. The only small amount of culture is the baseball field, I will give them that.
    Outdoors life is nearly non-existent. Going fishing in polluted lakes and rivers and getting wasted while doing it is all there is. Golf and parks get old quick when they look the same. There are no mountains, ORV parks, or even small hills here. Flat as a table top.

    I could go on for hours, but that should give you a good idea. Thanks for reading my rant. I am looking at Arizona, Oregon, or Georgia right now as possible new homes. I have been to all, and have not decided which to move to yet. But I cant even move till this damn house sells. Pardon any misspellings or grammatical errors, its not because im from Ohio.

    Good luck to all, hope you can leave soon! OHIO SUCKS!!!!!!

  93. Earl,

    This does not sound like it is ohio’s problem! sounds like your problem that you blame on a state! how in the fvck does ohio equate as your problem with real estate?I owned over twenty properties in Florida and can tell you Florida did not hurt me! (and i hate Florida).Grow up! revaluate your holdings sell bad keep good holdings,wright good contracts,hire an attorney,give good service,stay out of slums,and never i repeat never rent property lease option your property.If you need more advice let me know i will give it to you for free( i usually get paid to give advice)If you are at your wits end MOVE!!!!!!!!! nothing is holding you back regardless of what you say! happiness is what you make it and where you make it!

  94. Coldiron,

    Wanna buy a condo?…just kidding. I know you don’t.

    I’m not a big time landlord like you, I only have 3 and 2 of them are for sale and I’m keeping one until the mortgage goes down. I’m going to leave town after I’ve sold the two but I’ll probably have to lower the price a little bit in MLS. They’re pretty cheap at the price they’re at but the market sucks and I’m probably not going to recoup anything.

    I guess I want to get out of here before my 40th birthday. My job is pretty good but it’s not worth staying here with so many messed up relatives and friends who basically eat up all my income (and time) anyway. I have no kids so I’m not referring to a family here- just people who worked their way into my life over a long period of years and they seem to have a lot of luck and persistance in finding me wherever I go.

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