Ohio is a gorgeous countryside of seasons where Small Town America is still booming amidst three vibrant cities. It’s often considered a flyover state but anyone who can overlook a state with so much to offer obviously don’t know what they’re talking about or just hasn’t been to Ohio or its cities in the past 10 years for their renaissance.
Ohio is home to the Three C Corridor which is made up of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, also respectively its three biggest cities. Each one is growing fast while managing to balance its own distinct identity and still maintaining that undeniable Ohio charm.
Columbus is the largest city and the capital of Ohio with highlights that include the surprisingly awesome Ohio Zoo and Aquarium that has been ranked number one in the country numerous times, Ohio State University which is one of the biggest universities in the country with a stellar football team, and also the Metropark system which is one of the best around.
Cincinnati has seen a massive rebirth since its WKRP days but it still also known for baseball, a beer scene that dates back to pre-prohibition, and its world-famous chili.
And with the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame among other great museums, The Browns, classic Victorian era homes, and another massive park system, Drew Carey wasn’t kidding when he told the world that “Cleveland rocks.”
Local Flavor: Ohioans Are Natural Born Sports Fans
Ohio is known as The Buckeye State. Technically, it’s after the Ohio buckeye tree, but everyone knows the real reason it sticks: The Ohio State University Buckeyes. OSU love is like a religion and Ohio Stadium is their church.
But the sports love doesn’t stop there. The state is filled with pro sports teams which is why when you’re an Ohioan, you must pick which city you’re loyal to: Cleveland or Cincinnati, never both.
Baseball fans can cheer for the Cleveland Indians or the Cincinnati Reds. And football enthusiasts choose between the Cleveland Browns (a team who have notoriously earned their reputation as some of the rowdiest bleacher fans in the country) or the Cincinnati Bengals. Basketball fans don’t have to pick sides, they have a slam dunk with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NHL lovers have the Columbus Blue Jackets and even Major League Soccer buffs have the Columbus crew to bring a little hooligan flavor to Ohio.
Cuisine: Ohio Tastes Like Chili And Goetta
Ohio is a state that is big on tradition and the food here is no exception to the rule. If you’ve ever heard of Cincinnati, you’ve heard of its famous Skyline chili. But if you’ve never been to Cincinnati to experience breaking through the mountain of cheese to get to the chili-covered hot dogs, pasta, or fries firsthand, then you couldn’t possibly understand.
But Cincinnati is also the birthplace and home to some of the best food in the state. Visit the Glier's GoettaFest to experience a world of goetta, a German meat-and-grain sausage patty concoction that is fried crisp on the outside and just the right kind of mushy on the inside. And Graeter’s ice cream is another staple that helps keep Ohio sweet. Buckeye candy is another Ohio gem, which is also the head of the OSU Buckeyes mascot.
If you still don’t get it, just check out this video:
Nightlife: Ohio Likes To Party
If you’re looking for the nightlife of Las Vegas in Ohio, then you might as well want to keep that to yourself because everyone will laugh at you. While you’ll be able to find a more vibrant nightlife in the bigger cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton, overall you’ll find that the nightlife throughout the state is much more low-key.
When the sun goes down, the lights don’t go out on Ohio. Whether it’s at a local restaurant and pub crawl, a sports game followed by a sports bar, or taking in the arts at a local theater, Ohio might have an earlier curfew than New York City, but you’ll never be bored.
Weather: Ohio Has The Best Of All Seasons
Ohio is a place where the flowers breathe fresh life into the world when they bloom in the spring and the leaves and foliage paint the skyline into a crisp borage of rich colors in the fall. Easter egg hunts are accented by tulips and trick-or-treaters use the picture-perfect pumpkin-line sidewalks to guide them on their mighty quest for the bigger bag of candy.
Summers are for trips to the river to cool down from the warm temperatures which average around 85 degree-highs in the summer. And while winter does get cold, it’s not quite as brutal as the kind of winters that hit the Northeast. January averages a high of 36 and a low of 20 with a season that brings an average of 27 inches of snow.
Of course, depending on where in Ohio you are, you might see more or less. The Southern Ohio town of Portsmouth only averages 9.5 inches of snowfall a year, while Cleveland gets to dig themselves out of an average of 68 inches. Of course, it’s still not the 101 inches that Erie, Pennsylvania gets. So, still a win.
Safety & Crime: Small Town USA Is As Safe As It Gets
Columbus is a moderately safe city to live in, safer than 37 percent of the cities in the country. But, once you leave the city and travel to the suburbs and smaller towns, you’ll find some of the safest areas around. The city of Upper Arlington is located just outside of Columbus but has a crime rate that is nearly 60 percent lower than Ohio’s already extremely low average. So anyone who is looking for towns where they still keep their doors unlocked, just look around Ohio.
Commute: When Being A Flyover State Pays
If you’re sick of sitting in traffic every day, just move to Ohio. Although you might hear people complain about their daily drive, but even the top three cities here boast a lower-than-average commute time. In fact,
USA Today reports the national average commute time at 25.5 minutes each way. According to Kiplinger data, Cleveland has the sixth best commute times in the country at 23.9 minutes. The city of Cincinnati is just slightly longer at 24 minutes, as reported by Forbes. And even in the capital and biggest city of the state, Columbus, drivers have the second best commute in the whole country according to Kiplinger.
If you were hoping to ditch the car, though, you’re probably out of luck here. Unless you’re in the downtown of one of the bigger cities, you’re going to need a car almost everywhere throughout Ohio. That’s just Midwestern living.
Cost Of Living: Your Wallet Will Love Ohio As Much As You Will
If you’re looking a place to live that won’t drain your bank account, starting your search in Ohio will pay off. Against a cost of living index of 100, Ohio comes in way under the national number with an index of 88. In fact, everything is cheaper in Ohio including groceries, healthcare, and utilities. But it’s housing that is the most affordable with an astonishing index score of 66.
And since you have to keep your car here, you’ll be pleased to discover that Ohio has the cheapest car insurance rates in the entire country, with an average of $926 a year.
On Being A Swing State
Ohio is used to being treated like a flyover state...most of the time. Come election time, all eyes are on Ohio as one of the biggest battleground swing states in the country, even bigger than Florida. And although Ohio can be a relatively conservative state overall, there’s really no telling how the state is going to swing come election time.
Ohio helped Clinton get into office with both 1992 and 1996 elections but then voted for George W. Bush both terms in 2000 and 2004, only to swing blue again for Obama in 2008 and 2012. With the next Presidential race growing closer every day, Ohio is back in the news again every day and politicians are hitting the streets, town halls, and corn fields hard. And, just like that, they’ll be gone again as soon as they came...until next time.
When You Live In Ohio, You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid
Don’t worry, you won’t actually shoot your eye out. Unless, of course, you have a habit of playing with guns, in which case you should stop because you could very well shoot your eye out. But in Ohio, as you probably already know, shooting your eye out is in reference to the classic holiday film “A Christmas Story”. That’s because the family home in the movie—you know, the one with the leg lamp in the window—was in Ohio. Cleveland, to be exact.
It’s still an enormously popular tourist spot and point of pride for locals whom have all made sure to have it featured on their Instagram accounts at least once, complete with the leg lamp shining brightly in the window in all its glory.
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