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Exodus from Ohio?

Yeah I've never seen a tornado. 34 years. So its not that crazy here. And yeah the soil is probably some of the best you could ask for. I am not going anywhere anytime soon
 
Ok, so someone actually IN Ohio probably ought to join into this convo..... me! But no, I'm not originally from Ohio. I grew up in Texas, and lived 4 years in California before coming here. It astounds me that I have actually been here for 20 years now - that was never in the plans! 
 
So yes, there has been an exodus from Ohio, particularly from certain areas, like the one I live in. A few years ago, the "city" that is the little 'burb which I live in published a paper indicating that, as of the date of writing, over 600 homes had been abandoned YTD. It was only 6 months into the year at that point. Yes, unemployment is the primary motivation. So many businesses, including small mom-and-pop shops have left here. But that isn't true all over the state. In the Cleveland area it is, to be sure - no surprise that LeBron decided to ditch it again. So much of the exodus, including his, is really due to poor management decisions, particularly at the local level. Where are the parting Ohioans going? Yep, wherever they either a) can find jobs, or b) have family. It's not just the older manufacturing/industrial types leaving, but even college grads. 
 
Still, other than economy, Ohio is not a bad place to be - as long as you're not in an area that gets lake-effect snow. It's very, very green in the warm months, and that's all over. Take a look at the USDA plant hardiness zone map. See that green band? Notice now it makes a scallop shape, such that most of Ohio is in the green, while other states right next to it in the same parallel to the equator are in the blue? It's pretty cool to find yourself driving on a highway in an area that looks like you're in the middle of a forest, when in reality there are houses and such very close by. Needless to say, it's a very agricultural state and you can find all kinds of unexpected things growing here. There's a lot of outdoor recreation, too. If you like hiking, camping, kayaking and such, you can find it here. Yet it's also not bereft of cultural highlights, either. Cleveland (surprisingly) has a world-class art museum and also a very good theatre district. Columbus, Dayton and Cincy are currently much more active in that regard, but each is very different. 
 
 
 
geeme said:
It's not just the older manufacturing/industrial types leaving, but even college grads. 
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Of course.  That's the logical progression and conclusion.  Those older manufacturing/industrial types who came to/from the area for jobs, raised families there - but with nothing to keep them rooted, those are going to be some of the first to leave.  Parents will advise their children, if the writing isn't already plainly on the wall. 
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A similar thing happened all over my home state.  We didn't have the same level of manufacturing, but particularly, with family farms being absorbed by the corporate farms, everyone left the countryside and small towns, and migrated to cities.  Small town America is literally disappearing.  It's a fool's errand to go into farming these days, unless you have some serious business savvy.  
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We could expand this discussion into one about how American labor Unions have thoroughly disqualified their workers to remain competitive in a global economy, or how the collapse of the American manufacturing base has also seen the almost complete end of vocational training - training which keeps "academically challenged" students in schools, where they do nothing but cause trouble, and strain resources. (instead of being expelled, and forced into productive labor that matches their available skills/intelligence)  But that just all seems a bit too hot-button. :D
 
Oh yeah...... Kansas sucks. Seriously, it is the ONE state that I'd say actually deserves its reputation. You know, no matter where you go, people think about other states with a certain amount of silliness. Like when I moved to California from Texas, way too many people asked if I had an oil rig in my back yard where I lived in Texas - - - and they weren't kidding! They really thought everyone had one of those. 
 
So during my move from California to Ohio, I made the mistake of going through Kansas. And I learned a good lesson there, like don't assume that just because every other state has nice rest stops every so often along the freeways, that Kansas will. And you'd better fill the car with gas before trying to cross the state. Holee cow - every single cross road I looked down had nothing but crops. Finally came to one intersection that had gas and a single restaurant - just in the nick of time. Probably not the whole state is like that, but wow. Just wow.
 
Northerners have always left the north. The cliche was Florida but true. Either when you had kids, or when you retired, you headed there. Over the years NC has become a similar destination, with many choosing it over FL for various reasons. And Ohio (when I was in FL) was always one of the states you saw people from. That and NY of course.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Northerners have always left the north. The cliche was Florida but true. Either when you had kids, or when you retired, you headed there. Over the years NC has become a similar destination, with many choosing it over FL for various reasons. And Ohio (when I was in FL) was always one of the states you saw people from. That and NY of course.
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It's like they say... "the farther south you go, the farther north you end up".
 
Damn New Yorkers invading everyplace.
 
The most popular states for your friends and family now seem to be South Carolina and Tennessee.  Talk about incongruence! :D
 
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