Columbus, Ohio

with the dancing and tents of food? Spanikopita, warm and flaky?

I just looked it up - the University of Toronto alone has just over 50,000 students - then there is Ryerson University, and George Brown College and OISE - all in the downtown of Toronto. I think that's why OSU seems kinda normal to me.

Funny. . . Toronto doesn't feel like a university city to me. . . there seems to be so much more going on there that the identity of the city isn't eclipsed by that of the school.

I blame the Big 10, again, for that in OSU's case :-)

The Columbus.org site says there are 47,000 students at the OSU main site with another 7,000+ students at satellite campuses and doing distance learning.

so the Arena is in the Short North?

Speaking of which, that's something we haven't discussed yet with soz. . . where her allegiance must lie once she crosses the Ohio border. . . :-)

So long as she joins the Tribe, she'll be ok.

Oh, don't mention them. . . my bleeding heart can't take another season. . .

Packers. Always.

Non-football teams are allowed to win my allegiance, though. There are so few OHIO teams I have to think hard about who's who. Like, it's the Minnesota Vikings, but the Cleveland Browns.

Short North looks great! E.G. was just there for a visit, and his account of the market is what pushed me over the ambivalence hump. "It's like Pike Place or Madison's farmer's market... ALL YEAR!" (Yes, I recognize a sell job when I see one, but it worked.)

U of M (Minneapolis) and UW-Madison are my two experiences so far of (BIG) Big 10 Universities, and both have professor districts quite nearby. Prospect Park is within walking distance, not even a long walk. But it is set off by geography, up on a hill. Madison's is too, kinda. Maybe Columbus just doesn't have the geography that lends itself to that sort of thing?

So that's a bit disappointing to learn that Columbus doesn't have something analagous, but also very good to know.

So far the interesting houses I've seen that are also in recognizable neighborhoods seem to be in Clintonville and Grandview.

Pffff. . . pro football. . . forget it. . . COLLEGE football, soz :-) You better stock up on scarlet face paint. . . :-)

(or, as S would have you, put all your faith in the Indians and then have them stomp on your heart over and over again. . . <sigh>)

And, weeeeeell. . . Columbus is kinda flat. . . I stick to my theory that OSU is, as many state universities are, ruled by the football and partying and pride of its teams and kids, and the profs just want to get away from the moshpit that is that horseshoe stadium. . .

I didn't see much in Setanta's descriptions about Grandview, but it's very pretty, and, as I think you've noted, it has the old houses you seek. . .however, when we lived there, it also had quite a few old FOLKS as well. . . seems that's changing for the better :-) Our church was in Grandview, actually. . . lots of little old ladies about ready for the bucket. . . could be responsible for the housing price jump :-)

I like old folks.

As patiodog can attest, it takes a lot to beat UW-Madison in the ruled by football and partying et al department. But still, profs nearby.

I'm leaning towards the flatness.

E.G. told me after his visit that Columbus was established not because of a the usual major body of water/ trade route/ land formations/ quality of soil reasons, but because it was pretty much right in the middle of Ohio. Hey, good place to put the capitol. That's in contrast to U of M (Mississippi, hills) and UW (two big ol' lakes, hills.)

Anyway, the whole "professor district" question was at the top of my list of questions to be answered, and you all have done a great job of that, thanks.

Because it was in the middle? wow, that's kinda depressing. . . oh well, we do have the mighty olentangy to fall back on. . .

From the sounds of it, you'd want to be wearing a hermetically sealed wetsuit when you do so. >splash<

ok, then the sciota. . . :-) (and I STILL don't know what he's talking about. . . I mean, all the garbage that floats to the surface when it freezes over is kinda CHARMING, I thought. . .)

When you said Ohio struck fear into your heart, your first impression was correct. I lived there for over ten years and I can tell you that the geography of most of the state is so dull, it can make you sink into a coma. The southern area around Cincinnati is a bit better but not by much. The weather is so bad and it is so humid, that you may start to develop mildew and fungus. Also if you have sinus trouble, this is 'sinus valley' area and you should get a good doctor as you move there, as you may constantly have a sinus infection or allergies and the doctors do quite well financially treatings those ailments there.

And don't forget about the politics. Columbus is a college town and is more service industry oriented and more educated, but much of the state is rural and extremely conservative/ blue collar or redneck. I know because that is who I worked with mostly. Many came up from Kentucky and Tennessee over the past 50 -60 years for jobs in the big factories in Ohio's very polluting industrial cities. As Columbus is downwind from Dayton and Cincinnati you will get all their nice industrial pollution and acid rain.

After moving from there and living in the sunny mountainous desert, I was able to stop taking my anti-depressants like I had too when I lived there -since Ohio is covered by cloud covering for a good part of the year and the lack of light can make you depressed .....I found out.

Other than all that, its a really nice to place to live.

Whoa!

Thanks for laying it on the line, Gromit. Appreciate it.

Gotta say, the allergy thing is not trivial. My husband has asthma and a severe mold allergy. Any knowledge of how that area compares to say Chicago?

Gromit seems never to have visited southern Ohio, which in no wise fits a description of the "geography of most of the state is so dull"--in fact, the southern part of Ohio, as is the case in southern Indiana and the eastern portion of southern Illinois is comprised of a geological formation known as the Shawnee Hills. The most noticeable attribute of the Shawnee Hills is the wooded ridges, which are quite lovely in any season. Hocking and Athens counties have many very pretty state parks, and for those whose notion of recreation comes from the out-of-doors, Ohio is a wonderful place to live. There are many state parks with good facilities, and the many places i am sure Soz would love to take the Sozlet.

I'm not a native of Ohio, and have no brief to defend its customary politics or social institutions--in general, i'm not fond of the social milieu. I will remark, though, that Gromit's comments are damned lopsided--for whatever Gromit reacted to negatively Ohio, it doesn't warrant a blanket condemnation out of hand.

Soz, had i a choice between living in Columbus or living in Chicago, i'd take Columbus any day.

Great! Glad to know it.

(This has been very useful, thanks all.)

hmmmm
Chicago vs Columbus?

Chicago, as long as it's not the burbs. But then I hate the burbs everywhere.

But it is pretty around Columbus. Setanta and I went on a little sorta camping trip at a nearby state park in the spring, and I thought it was lovely. I always look forward to the drive there, as the hills, once you're somewhere past Lodi, are spectacular.