Quick Help: Cleveland? Cincinnati? Columbus?
 

Relocating to Ohio for a job and in-state location is open. Being from east coast, seems like Cleveland would be close to water for boating but I hear the lake can cause very cold winters with lots of snow (so maybe better summers?). Where would a single professional move in OH to enjoy restaurants, culture, parks/trails, water related activity and not have to constantly hop in the car or take long drives to do most of this?

Hard question -- and there is very competitive loyalty between residents of Cleveland and Cincinnati (especially with regards to their relative sports teams). I live in Cincinnati, but was born and raised not too far from Cleveland. Yes, the winters are very cold and snowy in Cleveland, but they are also cold (not as much snow) in Cincinnati also. I loved living by Lake Erie, and although I can't speak for Cleveland now, I'm sure you would find all the things you listed available there. One thing I will say is that Cleveland appears to be a more liberal part of the state, while Cincinnati is definitely the conservative and republican area.

Saying that, Cincinnati has great (nationally recognized) restaurants, culture, professional (as well as college) sport teams and parks/trails available thoughout the area. Part of the greater Cincinnati area is in Northern Kentucky (across the Ohio River) and there is a lot of activity (boating, etc.) on the River in the summer. There are many places to take weekend trips -- Kentucky state parks are great and Great Smokey Mountain National Park is about 5 hours away.

I think you would find living in Ohio anywhere a much slower pace than the east coast. Some people who have relocated love it here, others can't wait to get back.

I have to put in my bid for Columbus. I grew up in NE Ohio but moved to Columbus college era and stayed thru my young parenthood. Go back yearly to visit. Columbus is now a big city with clubs,galleries, concerts,shopping,restaurants, and most of all, friendly people and great neighborhoods. We especially like Clintonville. With a world-class university in town, there is always something going on. Hope you consider Columbus/central Ohio.

I have lived in Cleveland and still have two sisters there, and another in Cincinnati. My daughter lived in Cinci a couple of years ago.
IMO Columbus had less to offer than either of the others, and was more land-locked. But I haven't spent a ton of time there. Cincinnati has a lot to offer, but it definitely seems more mid-western in mentality, and more like a small-town. It is a lot like Portland, OR except less futuristic and liberal. It has a decent amount of cultureand is rather pretty with a river and hills.
Cleveland is more like an east coast city. It has the good and the bad of the Great Lakes cities. They have had their problems. But it has a world class orchestra and fabulous art, and Lake Erie is a strong pull. The colder winters also mean much milder summers than the other two cities endure.
It's always interesting to hear the different points of view!

My vote is for Columbus also.

Great restaurants, golf, Nationwide areana, (concerts, hockey, & other venues), wonderful parks...water related check out Deer Creek Park or Buckeye Lake. Not sure if this would matter, but I prefer CMH airport over CVG...

Good luck in your research and your choice.

It depends on what you are interested in. If you are interested in culture, both the Cleveland Museum of Art and especially the Cleveland Symphony are world-class institutions. The Toledo Museum is not terribly far away and is a wonderful museum.

If you are a dyed in the wool Easterner, I think you might be happier in Cleveland as well. It was originally settled by people from Connecticut, and they still speak like Easterners. It is a diverse community and also has rapid transit, which, whether you use it or not, gives a big-city feel that Columbus, a very comfortable place, does not have.

Columbus has great places to eat, many of them inexpensive to moderate and a great public library system that is well supported. Neither place is particularly easy to get to cheaply, whereas Cincinnati is a Delta hub -- as long as there is a Delta.

Others opinions may differ.

Having grown up in Ohio & having lived in various portions of the state, I would choose Columbus. W/in easy driving distance of either of the other two, while living there (in Columbus) I spent many weekends traveling up to Kelleys Island. By the same token, you can get to Cincy & a Reds game in less than 2 hours. I just prefer Columbus as a city as a whole. It is also more 'up & coming' while I think that CLeveland, particularly, has seen better days. I still spend a good amount of time in Cincy on business, but a lot of development there is now actually in Ky. (as is the airport). Cincy would be my second choice (primarily due to my fondness for horse-racing), Cleveland #3. The winters there are just horribly bitter. As a person who has been residing in the South for ten years now, Columbus is probably the only place I would consider moving back to, in my home state.

My son, who is 25, relocated to Columbus after college. He just bought a small house in Powell (a suburb), which some magazine has picked as the 17th best place to live in the U.S. He loves Columbus and loves the fun weekends when Ohio State plays. Lots of young singles--lots and lots of condo and apartment rentals.

We have friends who live in Columbus who have a weekend home on Lake Erie's western basin by Catawba Island. It must be about a 2 1/2 hour drive.

There are some smaller lakes by Columbus, a nice park system, bike trail.

If being by Lake Erie is important, they have much less snow in the western suburbs of Cleveland--the winds blow over the lake--west to east.

We live in Akron and it's an easy drive to Cleveland. Our kids go up to Cleveland--the Warehouse district seems to be the place they go. We go to Playhouse Square, enjoy the Indians and the Cavs games and the many restaurants. We were just talking to a real estate agent who deals in downtown Cleveland business properties and there seems to be a glut of available office space--not a good sign for downtown. A major office building downtown just sold and the owners took a several million dollar loss.

In Akron, new graduates were having trouble finding entry level jobs--even looking in Cleveland. There seem to be more job opportunities in both Columbus and Cincinnati.

Coming from the east coast, you will find housing much more affordable.

I lived in Columbus for three years and outside of Dayton for about the same amount. I have visited both Cincinnati and Cleveland several times.
In my opinion, I would choose Cleveland due to its location on Lake Erie. I found Columbus to be very limited in boating and watersports which you mention are important to you. My second choice would be Cincinnati since it is a scenic hilly city located on a river. I found Columbus to be not an exciting city. Most of the culture there is centered around college football and golf. (Don't mean to offend anyone but not my cup of tea).

My impression is that Cleveland would be less of a culture shock. Columbus has a sister in Indianapolis -- that being terrific Midwestern capital cities with newer-built downtowns, nice college communities nearby and terrific attractions and parks on their own.

But Cleveland is a different story. Its building stock, lakefront, attitudes, old money, corporations, neighborhoods, and cultural institutions speak much more East Coast IMO than the other two.

If I was a single professional with an interest in the arts, I'd live in Cleveland's Murray Hill neighborhood, aka Little Italy. It lies next to University Circle, which includes the academia of Case Western Reserve University, the fine Cleveland Museum of Art, and Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra. Institutes of music and art also sit there, as well as other museums. All these are set in a park-like setting. Murray Hill itself is stocked with art galleries and terrific sidewalk cafes.

I am a Ky girl, my family is from Cinci and my husband's business is there. That said, while I love much of the city, there are some problems in the downtown area. When a downtown area becomes stagnant and dangerous, the city suffers. We stayed in Newport KY just across the river and watched the traffic coming across the bridge on a recent Friday night. Clearly, they are doing something right! There are lovely areas of Cinci Metro, but the city isn't making a passing grade.

I'm a relocated Cleveland native. I was born there and spent the first 48 years of my life in "The Best Location in the Nation". I've visited Columbus and Cincinnati many, many times and have a very good feel for the similarities and differences. So, let's start with the obvious. The winters in Cleveland are torturous. The main reason for the difficult weather conditions, Lake Erie, is also one of the main area attractions. In my opinion though, if you are a boater, the 8-10 DAYS a year that you might enjoy boating on Lake Erie is not worth the trade-off. Let's face it, it's the midwest and Columbus can't help but experience much of the same- without the snow. Cincinnati luckily comes in a distant third in challenging conditions. Next, the cultural arts advantages of Cleveland are incomparable to Cincinnati and Columbus. With all due respect to the efforts of the Capital and The Queen City, Cleveland is, indisputably, a world class city for the arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, and, (ok, tongue in cheek) The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame distance Cleveland from the others. Cleveland is, as mentioned, more of an East Coast social culture- with Columbus shifting in that direction. Cincinnati is a bit of a distance to the right, politically and left geographically as well as socially. It's your call as far as the social intensity that you find comforting. Personally, I prefer a less pressurized atmosphere, such as Cincinnati. That's part of the reason for our relocation from Cleveland. Let's see, what else...nightlife- Cleveland has as much variety as Columbus and much more than Cincinnati. The key is that Cleveland's variety of dining is deeply rooted in ethnic cultures. We soooo miss the vibrant flavors and atmospheres of "mom and pop" dining. Columbus is more "new world" and franchise dining experiences. As for Cincinnati dining...if it's out there, we have yet to find it.- other than the obvious, such as Montgomery House, etc. I'd think that with the Riverfront opportunities, Cincinnati would be a wall to wall dining extravaganza- not so. Drinking is drinking, your preferred atmosphere is equally available in all three cities. They each have their focal destinations. Sports...I can't dispute that all three have near equal attractions. You can't go wrong as a sports fan anywhere in the state. I'm a fan of every Ohio team, regardless of the sport or team colors and I get the sense that Buckeyes are Buckeyes no matter what the zip code. Ok, I've gone on long enough. See you on a flight to The Buckeye State soon, I hope.