Ohio

I'm a person who likes taking road trips and I've liked the time I've spent in Ohio. We've made a few trips to Cleveland and I've been to the Cincinnati area and Mansfield area at different times in my life. The Air Force Museum in Dayton and the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta were my favorites. I'll never forget driving east on Rt 30 and seeing a large billboard stating "Prepare to Meet Thy God" and wondering just how bad the road ahead was.

the state i was born and raised in, im from northeast ohio about 20 mins away from vermillion and lake erie, i grew up in a rural part, ohio has perfect summers they aint super hot but yet they aint too cold, spring where im from seems to take forever to come, like on my spring breakk id go to kentucky and theyre already grass mowing but up in ohio itll be snowing, anyways its pretty boring and flat and the winters are absolutely dreadfull but as i said summers are the best, especially millhollow park, bass fishing sucks the bass seem to be disapearing for sum reason, the huntings pretty goood especially around my old place

It can be boring. It can be COLD. The people are fake and overly polite. Time moves slower here...about 10 years behind the East and West Coasts but that appears to be the case for all of the Midwest and South so Ohio isn't necessarily alone. However there still are beautiful areas, an incredibly-atractive cost of living, and a strong committment to education; great place to raise a family I suppose. Originally from the Northeast, I find Ohio to be more friendly, neighborly and can-do which is refreshing. WARNING: the food sucks! Don't expect to find any good pizza, good meats, seafood, bagels or Italian food (can you tell I am from the East Coast now?). Oh and if someone from Dayton tells you that Marion's is the best pizza in the world....punch them in the nose because they are the most ignorant schmuck in the universe. An ocean would be nice for Ohio but Lake Erie suffices...unless you are a genuine salty water person and prefer your water to be clear. It's the same view though!

Strictly a "pass-through" state you have to go through to get to worthwhile destinations. I know: I've lived in the state my entire life and seen just about every corner of it. Yawwwwwn. The only two areas that could be remotely considered scenic are 1. Hocking Hills, which grades at a B+ to a C, depending on what time of year you're there--autumn of course being the best time; and 2. Lake Erie, which is probably the least scenic of the Great Lakes.

Sorry if I'm scaring away potential tourist dollars, Ohio, but the truth is often not pretty--and neither are you.

I originally from Dayton, Ohio. So of course, I'm going to like the state because of that. I currently live in Florida, and you can really tell the difference in the states. Dayton has more drugs, violence, and thing to that nature. Most people in Dayton are very friendly, depending on where you are. I wouldn't suggested moving to Dayton to find a job, unless you are willing to commute to one of the nearest suburbs/cities (Kettering, West Carrliton, Beavercreek, West Chester, Tipp City, Syndey,....), I would suggest moving to one of the suburbs, the best to live in, in my opinion are, Beavercreek, Kettering or, West Carliton, but you aren't going to get away from the teenagers in Dayton, they do infact come to those cities. Dayton has a poor school system, (trust me I was in their public schools for, roughly, seven years...), I would recommand enrolling your child in Stivers School for the Arts, if they have a certain talent that they want to pursue in life, (Stivers' teachers, teach, grades 7-12),

  A once-prosperous state that's been heading downhill since around 1910 and has gone into complete free-fall in the last few years.  There are some bright spots, most notably a handful of lovely college towns (Oberlin, Kenyon, Antioch) which haven't been turned into glorified strip malls and housing developments, or half-abandoned like the other Ohio towns.  The rural Amish counties are quite bucolic, a fascinating time-warp to the 19th century (not much worry about oil prices there...).  Columbus is as boringly prosperous as any sunbelt city, and Cleveland still has the finest cultural institutions between Chicago and the East Coast-even if the city if falling off the economic map. 

The other 90% of the state is a depressing mix of ugly, rapidly declining industrial towns (Toledo, Lorain, Elyria, Youngstown...and many more!) and depressed rural counties with horrible poverty-realted problems (alcohol, drugs, crime, mental illness) as bad or worse as anything you will see in the ghetto-just better hidden.  Though the state suffers from one of the worse brain-drains in the country (it usually rivals Indiana for #1 in the country) there are still a few bright people too settled to leave, mostly in the places listed at the top.  Otherwise: a state going down for the count.

Ohio is a state of great diversity. From the Appalachian foothills of the southeast, the Lake Erie coast to the northwest, the Amish country of the northeast, and the Bluegrass hills of the southwest, the state has one of the greatest diversity of land for a state its size. The state has eight metropolitan areas over 400,000 people: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Akron, Toledo, Youngstown, and Canton. Including those plus countless other smaller metropolitan areas and small towns dotting the landscape, about 75% of the people in the state live in urbanized areas. As a state of 11.5 million residents, Ohio is the nations seventh largest state in population. A state of contrast, from the row-houses and town-homes of Cincinnati to the double-decked duplexes and large apartment buildings of Cleveland to the town squares of Troy and Medina, Ohio is a state full of variety in architecture, people and landscapes. I currently attend the University of Cincinnati and my out of state friends are amazed that there was SO MUCH to do, most of whom plan on moving here permanently after college.

True: Every woman I have ever talked to from this state was either raped, abused or mistreated, I talked to a lady there that told me there were killers in her neighborhood. I know this, I will never visit this crap state, where anarchy is a way of life.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRING. I know...I've lived in the state and seen pretty much all it DOESN'T have to see for over 40 years.

Weird, snobby, ugly people & the sickest crimes happen here.

Ohio has a couple positives, Ohio state, some hot midwestern guys.  The negatives greatly outweight the positives though, lack of scenery, big cities aren't cared for well, very polluted etc.

I personally will like to comment only becauseI was born and raised on 124th street. I have read some of the rude and ignorrant comments as well. And the only thing I will like to say is that yes cleveland looks boring and yes there are shotings, drug activity , trucks that cause smog, but its great. To outsideres they see the negative side, we always have something to do here. Its who you know and where you go. I mean all you have to do is come visit , hit me up when you come here and I will show you how to have fun.

To me, Cleveland is the only place that was good in the state and saves my rating  from being 1, otherwise it is a cesspool. I do not blame you raters that put one star for this state. It seems a little scary to me with the landcaping there, but I would never return to that state again after seeing Cincinnati, and the more terrible cities of Columbus and Toledo during spring break. Cities are disorganized- factories can be close to residential areas and give off smog. I never visited Dayton, but I do expect the same characteristics of the cities I don't like in Ohio to be in this one- the places have lots of construcion and the houses look unattractive. Some people have either bad manners or are not welcome to outsiders. No, even if there is some homes for sale in Cleveland, I would not want to be in a state that is, as a whole, ugly. Visitors, it's not worth your time, don't venture outside Cleveland!

I've been all over this state and trust me when I say it SUCKS. The factories and army of trucks create a permanent smog across the whole state so that you can't breathe. The OH Toll Road is an ugly wasteland. The people in OH for the most part are very overweight hicks that are stuck in the 80s. Cincinnati and Cleveland are the only decent places, and there are some nice and attractive people but there are certainly much better places.

At first I was put off by all these negative reviews of Ohio. Then, I realized the naysayers might actually be beneficial. Fewer people will move here, and those of us who are natives can enjoy our beautiful state in peace. Seriously, though, I've lived in both Florida (Jacksonville) and California (San Diego) and literally rushed back home to Ohio to enjoy our amazingly low cost of living, friendly hometown atmosphere, clean air, and wide open spaces. We have a real sense of history, and as a previous poster noted, we take care of our historic architecture. My all-brick house was built in 1852, and it still stands gracefully in the historic district of a small Miami County town. All of our neighbors have lived in their homes for 30+ years, and they watch out for us. Comedian Dave Chappelle probably said it best when asked on 60 Minutes why he retreated to a farm near Yellow Springs. He said that his neighbors here show up at his doorstep bearing home-baked pies. How often does that happen in fast-paced metropolitan areas? Ohio certainly needs to work on its education funding system, its ability to attract new industries, and its government misspending. And, admittedly, a few parts of the state are a little flat. However, those who take the time to look more closely will find a long list of beautiful places to visit and even settle. I live near Elizabeth Township, a scenic rural area protected by the National Register of Historic Places. This summer I visited Ireland and was shocked to find that much of the landscape looked exactly like Southwestern Ohio. January and February here might be cold and drab, but I challenge anyone to visit April - October and find much to complain about. Spring rains bring wildflowers, fantastic produce, and perfect golf weather. Summer brings fairs and festivals, corn mazes, and boating. Fall brings crisp leaves, lovely foliage, hot apple cider, and high school & college football. On your next visit, be sure to see Holmes County (Amish Country); the gorgeous State Parks of southern Ohio; antique shopping near Waynesville, Springfield, and Tipp City; Young's Dairy Farm; Kings Island or Cedar Point; Miami University's idyllic red brick & ivy campus; historic Marietta; or Cincinnati's riverfront. Beware of judging an entire state by one city or a single bad experience. Ohio is 'The Heart of It All,' and its Midwestern charm is hard to ignore once you give it some quality time.

I never could decide what was worse about Ohio; the dull,drab people or the dull, drab landscape. If you think there's a lot to do in Ohio you haven't traveled enough. I made the mistake of attending college there. I'm from the south and it didn't take long to miss southern gentlemen with their charm and manners as opposed to the typical midwestern frat boy whose entire vocabulary seemed to consist of "yuh, uh, nuh" and "huh". Not surprising that it ranks in the bottom five of states people are most likely to visit. I certainly can understand why.

Spent years in and around the entire Cleveland area for my undergrad work and travelled to well over half the state. . .Ohio is the beginning of Midwest politeness in many areas- there are pretty towns. . .but Cleveland (although an underrated college town) plus Cincy cannot compare to other urban/metropolitan areas. . .Columbus? Outside of OSU (a terrific state university school and environment) it is a cow-town. . .the state would warrant a solid 4-stars but Youngstown drags the whole rating down to 3. . .(we could make an entire weblist dedicated to the several worst aspects of Youngstown). . .Ohio is a nice state but it suffers from brain-drain- the best minds tend to leave for greener pastures. . .

Ohio is an outstanding place to live. I've read alot of ignorant posts on here that can onle lead me to believe that many of these people have never actually BEEN to Ohio. As to the dialect, it differs as to which region of the State you are in. The Southeast and parts of the Southwest do indeed sound Southern. Ohio IS a tech center. It's graduation rates are comparable to the national average. The temperature in Ohio is over 60degrees for 7 months of the year. It is not flat, except in the prairie intrusion region and the lake region. Bah. Nevermind. It's impossible to change the mind of an ignorant person. They won't believe truth when it slaps them in the face, holding instead to whatever narcissictic bitterness keeps them going.

Beautiful state with tons of things to do! The Lake Erie islands are a lot of fun and Cleveland is full of things to do. Honestly, I would not want to live anywhere else.

I visited downtown Columbus one time and it sucked really bad. I didn't even know I was in a downtown- they had suburban chain restaurants like Max and Ermas, etc all over the place. We went to the Nationwide Arena area and it was god awefully bland and suburban. It felt like a total tourist trap. There were no people walking around at night and the sewers stunk. This place has no character at all.

Ohio: biggest dump in this country! People are uneducated, poor, dirty, fat and toothless. Like the majority of EDUCATED people in this state -- we are trying to move out!

Ohio, especially the Cleveland area, has to be the ANUS of the United States. I kid you not. What can you possibly love to hate about Ohio? Here goes: * You won't see the sun from December to March. It's dark, dank, and overcast most of the winter, and bitterly and biting cold. * Ohio's economy truly sucks. It's past industrial base has largely eroded, and many blue AND white collar jobs have been offshored to places like India and China, or just plainly eliminated. This is largely why there is a major 'brain drain' in Ohio, and young people with College degrees are moving out of state in droves! If you don't believe me, Cleveland's Daily, 'The Plain Dealer' has articles about this phenomenon quite frequently. It's sad but true. * So many denizens of Ohio have an almost beyond FANATICAL fervor for sports. Whether it's 'Friday Night Football' or The Browns or The Indians, they 'foam at the mouth' and get hardons when you talk sports. And believe me folks, that's ALL they talk about here, it seems. If you don't like OSU, you are considered a terrorist! * If your idea of a nice beach is a dark, polluted mudhole called Lake Erie, then come on down! * If you enjoy hearing the English language being raped on a daily basis, come to Ohio. You'll hear some very strange things around here. Like 'RUTT' instead of 'ROOT', or 'KURR' instead of 'CAR', or 'WARSHING MACHINE' instead of 'WASHING MACHINE', etc. etc. Then again, the ratio of uneducated bible thumping rednecks to educated degreed individuals must be around 1,000: 1, or thereabouts. This is redneck central folks! * The roads here suck, and people can't drive. They don't believe in using turn signals, and they hog the fast lanes with their slow moving beaters. Moreover, the traffic lights are timed so that you can't move too far. At a typical stop, the light will turn green, and you'll see the next light in front of you turn red immediately. I don't know which assclown is in charge of timing traffic lights around here, but he definitely must suffer from premature ejaculation AND A.D.D. combined! I would write some more here, but i'm getting too depressed typing all of this.

Correction, I didn't mean that there isn't racism in Detroit. I was addressing the diversity issue. Some people may consider this area to be ethnically diverse considering the concentration of African Americans. Racism exist every where. People just seem to be more open with their feelings or more blatant with it in Ohio. Miserable in Toledo Ohio

This state seems to be getting a bum rap. Sure it's flat in many parts but the positives far outweigh the negatives. The people I've encountered there are very friendly and the cities are vibrant (Columbus is a great progressive city). The southeastern section of the state has nice rolling hills as well. A little too sports-obsessed in Ohio, but that's a minor complaint.

*Yawn* Makes me bored and sleepy just thinking about this place.

Ohio is a great state! What makes it so wonderful is that it is filled with a little bit of everything. From modern buildings to historical sites; a hard working middle, some very wealthy individuals and families; from the extreme left (not much of the extreme left, Thank God), to the religious right. Ohio has both nice summers and picturesque winters. Ohio is a mixture of everything. It is impossible to sum up the state in only a few words. The Buckeye state has it all and I would not want to live anywhere else.

You'll love Ohio if: (1) You love your taxes high. The tax code (like much of the state) is depression-era. If you make anything above minimum wage, prepare to pay. A lot. (2) You hate seeing the sun. To say it is cloudy here is an understatement. It's also cold 10 months out of the year. It's like living in a crawl space. With your mother-in-law. (3) You love stupid people. There are a lot of very uneducated folks here. Only a small pct have any kind of post-highschool education. A tech mecca this is not. Most people I have met spend their time thumping bibles and watching NASCAR and the Buckeyes. (4) You love the Buckeyes. You love the Buckeyes, right? What the @#@!! do you mean you don't love the Bucks, you @#$@# ##!!@#!! !!@#!$$&%$%!. Go Bucks!!!!!!! (5) You hate nice cars. Having a nice car here is not a nice thing. The roads are pitiful; especially given the ultra-high gasoline taxes. And Ohioans cannot drive. They can't. They'll cut you off, hog the passing lane, run red lights, and slam on the brakes if a drop of rain falls. If it snows, they roll their SUVs over and commit suicide. (6) You love strip malls. There are more strip malls than flies on Courtney Love. (7) You love Radon gas. Radon capitol of the country here, folks. (8) You hate your job. In fact, move here and soon you won't have to worry about a job. With this state's anti-business, anti-education, high-tax climate, businesses are clamboring to get out. So do yourself a favor, make sure your tank is full and keep on going. Nothing to see here.

Is it a Northern state? Is it a Southern state? It's location would make it a northern state, their accents would make you think you were in Georgia or Alabama. I lived in Ohio for 9 year and I have mixed feeling for the place. It is very "normal" It's like a C on a report card. I Ohio is a definite "Drive through" state. Sometime I wish I could but my family still lives there so I find myself staying. Ohio is a "safe bet", that's what makes me like it. Take away the racism and bordem and you a "livable" state. GOOD LUCK OHIO..I'M CHEERING FOR YOU.

You could fall asleep upon entering Ohio from the Pennsylvania side and awaken when you enter Indiana and never miss a thing, that's how utterly bland it is. A bowl of cream of wheat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a year would be more exciting. The suburbs of Columbus are the drabbest and most uninspiring I've ever seen, with the possible exception of those surrounding Baltimore. If you've ever seen the Drew Carey show, that's a perfect caricature of this worthless place. But if you like cheap beer and polish sausage you'll be happy here.

its ok but some of the ohio people over react all the times. they get to carried away. Like they scream , cry , and laugh loud in restraunts , it is a ittle to mouch and some of them finger snap crazy they like F to do that a lot

I have lived in Ohio for 2 years now. I moved here because my husband is from here. I am from California. It took some time to adjust but it does get easier. All in all, it is not a bad place to live as I can think of a lot of worse places to live. Sure, I love my homestate of California and it is a great state to live in........ if you bring in $100,000 a year. Ohio is affordable and not as crowded. The people can range from downright rude, ill mannered and standoffish to extremely friendly and warm. I have met some wonderful people here, for example a co worker who offered me a ride to work during a snow storm because she did not want to see me driving in 2 feet of snow. The architecture is awesome. The old stately colonial style homes that I live near are really cool to look at. I grew up surrounded by cul-de-sacs and stucco track housing. Old stately mansions in California (except for maybe San Francisco) are usually torn down to make room for more Mini malls and sub divisions. So it's nice to see a place actually try to preserve a little of the past. I love the farms and the homes with their own natural swimming ponds. The weather is a little extreme.......frigid winters with an abudance of snow and ice storms to strangling humidity and grey cloud cover in the summer. Although this summer it has been more my speed with some California like weather system The downside is the state is still not very progressive. Especially where women are concerned. Although I have seen a lot of female professionals here, It seems as if the only goal here for a woman to achieve is to become a wife and mommy by age 21. The downtown area of the town that I live in is littered with bridal and baby stores. Not a bad thing if that is what you aspire to, but there should be more options open. There seems to be a lot of people ruled by religion, but then again, no one crams it down your throat. I actually saw more evangilism and preaching in California than I ever have here. A lot of cities are within a couple hours driving distance as the state is small geographically. So there is shopping and nightlife there if you want it. Also home to two great amusement parks. Not a bad place to live. Affordable, decent people, an abundance of higher education and technical schools, and not a lot of traffic.

This state has got to be one of the worst! I guess the southern part of the state is OK, but I gave it a bad rating because of the NE part of this state. It snows way too much and is also cloudy about 70% of the year. Your car can rust out easily because of all the salt they have to put down due to the horrible winters. They like to import used cars from the South because they have no rust. Summers are full of brief warm spells with a lot of rain and drizzle. It gets really depressing. Not only is the weather here horrible and depressing but so are the people. Cleveland (known also as the Mistake by the Lake) which lies in the Rust belt has been the nations biggest eye sore and joke for many years. Once a city of over a million people in the early 70's has now decreased to a little under 400,000 which is smaller than Atlanta and many other fine Southern cities. The crime rate in Cleveland is also out of control. They cannot keep the city street lights on because the city cannot afford it. Nor can they afford to repair roads. Also this town is Mafia ran which seems to control everything. The town is just very backwards and reminds me of when I visited Communist Eastern Germany before the wall came down. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!! I can best describe the people there as, racist, depressing, rude, ugly, weird and very backwards. Cleveland was also one of the last US cities to get Cable Television. Up until the late 1990s Cleveland did not even have a decent major grocery retailer or even much more than a K-Mart in the entire Metro area. No Home Depot, No Lowe's, No Wal Mart, No major grocery chains. All they had were these little Mom and pop type places that charge super high prices. Race's are separated into different segments of the city not living together like most Southern cities. Oh lets not forget that the majors hair caught on fire once on pulic tv and the a major river caught fire there once because of all of the pollution in it. No wonder so many Yankees are moving south..

Ohio barely rates a 2 too many idiotic people with their heads up their ass PA is almost as bad-while Indiana is a true dump of backwardness Cleveland despite being maligned, is not all that bad- the rest is hardly worth mentioning

Nothing to see here, folks, trust me--I've lived here 40 years.

I've never had a problem with Ohio. I've passed through it many times and even partied it up in Cleveland.

I like a place with lots to do and some history.

I had a nightmarr about the ohio people that one of them were singing CANDY SHOP!! AHHHHHHHHH!! ......Ohio people!lol

I am from New Jersey and all the people i meet from Ohio give me weird looks because i am from New Jersey i think it is that we now have the biggest roller coaster and they dont!!

I was actually impressed w/ this state and Ohioans. I'm live and work in Kansas City, and had to work a week in Cleveland, and in February. It was a bit cold even cold than KC, but I'm used to it. The people of Ohio are actually pretty cool. I didn't run into one rude person during my week long stay. My fiance drove up from Washington DC, and even commented that the toll booth operators were friendly. It's a bit cold in Ohio, esp during the winter months...but that should be expected since Lake Erie is right next door and they get the cold air sweeping off that, plus lake effect snow. People of Ohio should be proud.

i've been pulled over for speeding twice in my lifetime; both times were in this state.

I'm sure Bob Evan Resturant is the current owner of the entire state.

Save for struggling Cleveland and perhaps Sandusky, Toledo, Columbus and even Youngstown- the majority of this state is a real drive through- that is quickly forgotten.

Ohio is sort of a social microcosm of America; it ranks average in many categories, including quality of life rankings, and contains decaying cities, leafy suburbs, booming exurbs, classic Midwestern-style small farm towns, and terrain ranging from pancake flat farmland in the west to a hilly borderline Appalachian region in the east. The state's three major big cities are distinct from each other with pros and cons sometimes interlocking: Cincinnati is a declining old river city with an aristocratic, conservative blueblood air; Columbus is a fast-growing middle-classy business town that isn't as well known as its cousins despite being the state capital and home of OSU football; Cleveland is a former industrial powerhouse and 'mistake-by-the-lake'(sports teams still have it rough going though)with a revitalizing downtown. This state can be maddening though, as it has so many features that other states boast as well(rust-belt cities, farms, large state universities that create a fervor come every football season, etc)as well as going the route of picking Bush to win him the election.

I'm from the year 2025 living in one of the many countries that is now made up of the Old United States. Sadly to say, Ohio brought this up: The educated people were sick of the fact that the stupid hicks were hijacking the country. That said, Ohio sucks.

Ohio is a rather bland vanilla kind of state. A few Islands of light in Cleveland, and other towns- but other then that boring with a capital B.

Ohio remains a paradox. With the northern half the state an 'ok' place to live, while the southern half anything but broadminded or progressive.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! YOU'VE HELPED AMERICA GREATLY!!

I've been to Marietta (near Cincy), Cleveland, Lorain, and Cincinatti (overnight stay due to flight delays). By far, Cleveland is the best place to visit in Ohio. The Flats is a fun place to visit (I SCORED at Shooters!!!), and for a relatively mid-sized city, it's quite the sports town (though the fans have not tasted victory in years). Just like the song says, Cleveland Rocks. Until this year, I never knew that Ohio was such a politically diverse state.

Has enough diversity and major cities that make it an ok place to live- Columbus is pretty good and somewhat progressive. Cleveland- despite its economic woes has made strides to improve itself- the southern part of the state tends to be filled with rednecks/hicks/and the christian far right- who put Bushwacker back in office- need I say more?

well, if you have seen this page before, you would have seen that i had rated ohio with 4 stars because i thought it got a bad rap and was really a good state, now , 2 stars!!!! YOU LOSERS MADE BUSH THE PRESIDENT FOR ANOTHER 4 YEARS, YOU SHOULD BE MUCH FARTHER TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST JUST FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!