Ohio Shout-Out

[Kathi]

A place for Ohio? I'm originally from Cincinnati and I consider Ohio as the Midwest. But my SO who is from Pa. and went to school in Cleveland thinks Great Lake States is more appropriate. Coming from southwestern Ohio I associate more with Ky (south) and Indiana (midwest).

My SO suggests "Rust Belt" for Ohio, Pa., Michigan and Gary, Ind.

Great Lake States could incorporate Indiana, Ohio, Pa. Michigan, Wisconsin and Minn.

Enjoy TOSRV. Hopefully, you'll have a sunny weekend. I used to ride with the Cincinnati Cycle Club. I know some of them will be there.

[OakLeaf]

Hum. Easterners. Like that New Yorker cover

... we're an Appalachian state ... we belong with West Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Pennsylvania maybe. "That state up north," definitely not

But hey - I wasn't looking to start a new region - just to find the other Buckeyes. I know we've got Burr Oak Bobcat - it can't be just the two of us?

[Mr. SR500]

Born a Buckeye, I call Ohio - MidWest, but Great Lakes seems like it is gaining ground.

[Mr. Bloom]

...nobody cares about Indiana....

I suggest we create a new region - THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY. It will include the southern parts of the great lake states (since we don't identify with the great lakes down here). So, southern Ohio, Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois (and Kentucky and West Virginia if they'd like)

[aly]

As an adult, I've lived all over the world, but have never been able to shake what I consider my midwestern roots. I will always consider myself a midwesterner (from the Ohio River Valley). I was born in Indiana, but raised in lovely Greenville, Ohio. It's close to the border, a ways north of Cinci, kind of near Dayton. There's a town nearby that is split between Ind and Ohio and half the town is on different time part of the year. I had a parent on either side, so I did a good amount of weekend time in Indiana. My midwestern feelings are probably based more on mind set than location.

However, there are very distinct differences between the different corners of Ohio. Only people from Ohio seem to understand. I'm always meeting people who "have a friend from Cleveland"- they never really get it when I tried to explain how different my part of Ohio is, so I don't even try anymore.

I had no idea there were so many Buckeyes on here!

[Mr. Bloom]

Aly is absolutely right about regional differences within states...but it's not unique to the midwest.

Georgia has Atlanta...and then everything else
Tennessee has East (hill folk), Middle (cosmolitan), and West (agrarian)
Florida has very stark differences as well.

Historically, our part of Indiana was literally part of the Kentucky territory. As a result, people say "ya'll" (the proper way) and have very southern leanings. As a result, we're not really considered part of Indiana by the rest of the state...and we're closer to three other state capitals than our own!

I still vote for the Ohio River Valley Region...it's what the Weather Channel calls us.

[Kathi]

My memories of growing up in southwestern Ohio are of rivers, not lakes so I vote for the "Ohio River Valley". Where I grew up west of Cincinnati there were 3 rivers, the Great Miami, the Whitewater and the Ohio River within a 5-10 mile radius of my house.

We water skied and sailed on the Ohio. We could take a ferry boat across the Ohio into Ky. and go to Indiana to canoe on the Whitewater. In order to drive east into Cincinnati we drove along and crossed the Great Miami. For a night out we took river boats to view the scenery at night or ate at restaurants along the Ohio. On Labor Day fireworks are brought up the river and set off between the bridges that connected Cincinnati with Ky.

When I moved into Cincinnati I rode my bike along the Little Miami on the Loveland (Little Miami) bike trail. On the Ky side we rode along the Ohio.

IMHO, Northern Ohio groups better with the Great Lakes while Southern and Southwestern Ohio groups better with the Ohio Valley, ie, Ky, Indiana.