The Pew (pew pew pew) says that almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else.
One of the cities lowest on the desirability list, though, is Cincinnati.
The last two paragraphs were particularly interesting:
Brianna Fahey lives in a city the survey says an overwhelming majority of Americans would prefer not to live in: Cincinnati. Like many other large Midwestern and Northeastern cities, Cincinnati ranks near the bottom on people’s lists of ideal spots.
For Fahey, 30, Cincinnati is truly home. She grew up in North College Hill, a suburb where her parents and friends still live, but bought a downtown condo after college. She gets by without a car in a city that has few mass transit options. “I like the self-sufficiency of the city,” she says. “It’s a good place to be in all stages of life.”
I find this comment.. well.. odd.
Cincinnati, to me, does not seem to be all too self-sufficient. I live in Walnut Hills, but taking the bus is difficult – it’s very unreliable, and most routes over 2 miles (to areas I need to go) need a transfer. Or two.
But, ok, mass transit in Cincinnati sucks. But just because a few aspects suck doesn’t mean that the city, as a whole sucks.
I suppose I ended up here by chance. I was raised in the country, ended up in Cincy for the sole reason of my boyfriend living here. There was no particular reason, other than the boyfriend, that I moved here.
I really enjoy it, though. From the front, without knowing anything of the city, I can see why people think it sucks. Downtown is dead, no good public transport, mainly conservative (after all, whenever Bush visited he went straight to Indian Hills – they closed down the highways and brushed all the homeless people from under the bridges.)
But, underneath – Cincinnati is vibrant. Cincinnati is growing. There is a huge liberal and artistic undercurrent, support of reproductive rights and gay rights and other “liberal” areas. We have a great assortment of restaurants – they can be hard to find, but once you do find them – they are a treasure. Our library system never fails to impress me, we have a huge assortment of liberal hippy stores – Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and indie natural and organic stores. We have people dedicating their lives to revitalizing downtown, OTR, Walnut Hills. The cost of living is still low, we have great bloggers who bring Cincinnati’s qualities to the forefront. Cincinnati is growing, changing, and it’s wonderful. Will I never move from here? I doubt it. There are bigger cities calling, but I can say that I am enjoying my time in Cincinnati and enjoying all that it offers.
Saving in Cincinnati 
And Cincinnati has some great nonprofits working with the community to make our city stronger. Many people may not be aware of them, but even outside of OTR, there are many avenues for Cincinnatians to get the help and support they need. (Full disclosure: I am a blogger for a Cincy nonprofit.)
Thanks for pointing out all Cincy has to offer.
The library! I love the libraries here – nothing compares to it I swear.
And the food. I actually think Cincinnati’s local food is amazing. We have SO many local places that are amazing.
There are ups and downs to the city, and while I don’t think I will stay here (then again, who knows) I have always enjoyed living here.
My boyfriend hates the bus system – he takes it from Oakley to downtown everyday and it’s always late.
That and we have one of the top design schools in the country ^_^ I think that gives us some bragging rights.
I am a native of Cincinnati, and yearn to live in DC, Silver Spring, or Columbus (ideally, Bexley). I think Cincinnati’s mass transit system is an embarrassment to the rest of the city. As someone who cannot drive, Cincinnati’s mass transit – or lack thereof – really holds it back as does the general inaccessibility of the town. Columbus’ COTA is a lot better, though not perfect as the sidewalks are bad. More attention needs to be given to this area for those of us who can’t or choose not to drive.