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West Coast/East Coast and in between transplants

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Started 1 year ago by bjones7
Latest reply from chaptal

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bjones7
Worthington Ohio
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Are you originally from Ohio, lived in another state for a long period of time, then came back to Ohio? Or are you from another State or Country and then came to Ohio? Maybe it was for work, school, or for family?

Well congrats, your a "transplant" (so what, right?). If your like me, you've been asked this (annoying) question.. " Why did you come back/to (city)/or Ohio?" Then they stair at you like your stupid for coming (back).

The other night I asked my self, "why wouldn't you want to come to (Columbus) Ohio?" I personally came back because I could never imagine raising a family in California, plus unemployment was 12%+. Yes, a city such as Columbus has it's short falls, but over all it's a great place to raise kids, for a career, college sports, etc!

So I ask you transplants/people who just want to comment, why come to (Columbus) Ohio? How long have you lived in Ohio? When did you move? Feel free to share your story!

Posted 1 year ago #
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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I originally came here, sappy as it may seem, for love. Rockmastermike was still in grad school and I had finished my teaching certification program, so it was clear that either we'd have to have a long-distance marriage or I would leave Philadelphia for here. That was over five years ago. It took me a couple of years to truly get my bearings (and I still miss living two blocks from a train station), but I don't have any urge to move back to the east coast.

Posted 1 year ago #
maveric1
5xNW
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Came here to attend OSU from New Jersey. Fell in love with the city and stayed. Love the big city feel but small town charm. Also felt this city has a very youthful energy to it.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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bjones7 wrote >>
Are you originally from Ohio, lived in another state for a long period of time, then came back to Ohio? Or are you from another State or Country and then came to Ohio?

Well congrats, your a "transplant".

Just a very minor nit-pick, but I've always heard "transplant" as a term for people who just moved here from elsewhere. If you originally lived here, left for awhile, and then came back, I believe you're called a "Boomeranger". ;)

Very interesting topic though, and excited to hear people's responses.

I was actually born in Indiana, but my family moved to Central Ohio when I was really young, and then I spent a very short amount of time living outside the state when I was 19-20-ish. So with 85% of my life spent in Central Ohio, and practically all of my adult life, I mostly consider myself a native. ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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Nobody asked me "Why would you move back here?" when I moved back to town early last year after living in various other cities since 1999. Most folks I know here are either from Pickaway County (where they take a lot of pride in the Central Ohio area) or moved here from other places by choice before I returned. The Cincinnatians I left understood why I moved back here(to start a business), don't mind Columbus and like people who are from here but were still kind of like, "Back to Columbus, eh? ZZZZ."

Posted 1 year ago #
ehill27
Short North
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Came here from NJ for school. I knew nothing of Columbus and had no expectations to stay. However, I quickly grew fond of the place. Low cost of living, no traffic, a good music scene (touring + local) and generally plenty to do. In fact, it's my opinion that C-Bus has a great cost-of-living-to-amenities-ratio, probably one of the best in the nation.

Now if we can just improve local and regional transit, the place would be perfect.

(...that, tropical weather and an ocean) ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
bjones7
Worthington Ohio
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Walker, no no your right, I am a "Boomeranger". However, as you might of read( or been confused about it), I was talking about "Transplants" also(People who came here from another State/Country). If you would allow me to edit my post, I'll change that ;) .

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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bjones7 wrote >>
Walker, no no your right, I am a "Boomeranger". However, as you might of read( or been confused about it), I was talking about "Transplants" also(People who came here from another State/Country). If you would allow me to edit my post, I'll change that ;) .

Oh, no worries. I think it's a valid topic for both kinds of people who are moving into Columbus. ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
jarsloth
west side
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I moved here from Olympia, WA, for a job. The Midwest is quite a bit different from the Pacific Northwest, so there was a period of adjustment on my part. Being a bit of a recluse, I tended to stay in and I disliked Columbus just because it wasn't Olympia or Seattle or Portland, without really getting out there and experiencing what it was. A few years after I coming here, I moved down to the Short North with a roommate and found myself actually going out to eat and drink, visiting museums and galleries, and going to Blue Jackets and Clippers games. Columbus did have a lot to offer and it was not only affordable, but accessible and fun. I've since pretty much fallen in love with this city, especially the food sceneÃ¢â‚¬â€Columbus offers a lot of good food served up by some really great people.

Posted 1 year ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
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Moved from Berlin Germany when I was around a year old. My Father was recruited by OSU for a professor position.

Posted 1 year ago #
thepiece
merion village
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I really enjoy reading these stories, Columbus seems to have a lot of people who migrated here for one reason or another.
I moved here for grad school after growing up in Hamilton and Cincinnati, so not another state, but sometimes I feel like growing up in Cincinnati is more akin to being from Kentucky.
I moved away for a few years, lived in northern Michigan and in Maine but ended up coming back and have been here since. I found I missed the quality of life I had here, compared to what I could afford in other places.

I also went through that transition period when I first came here for school, I really disliked it at first but it grew on me. For the past six or seven years I have also traveled all over the country for work, and that's helped me get some perspective. I love other cities, San Fran, Seattle, Austin, Boston, New Orleans, but I always feeling that those are great places to visit but I prefer living in Columbus.

Now I think the strongest attraction to Columbus is the quality of life (for the price), interesting neighborhoods, and the strong network of friends I have, something that seems daunting to try and rebuild in another place now that my wife and I are in our mid 30's.

There are some things I wish we had (mountains, some big water, more temperate summers), but those are unrealistic pipe dreams.

Posted 1 year ago #
jgambacu
Downtown
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I moved here this summer from New York state for grad school and work. I do miss the east coast, but I'm happy here in Columbus.

Posted 1 year ago #
sperk101
Downtown/Grandview
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I was born and raised in North Central Pennsylvania and went to a small college in Harrisburg. It was too small, worse than high school. I started looking at other colleges, big ones that I could "get lost" in. Penn State was too close to home, so I applied to Ohio State.

I was accepted in 1999, but had no preconceived notion of what Columbus was like. Once I moved to Columbus, nearly 8 hours away from home and not knowing a soul, I found it to be never ending.

There was always something to explore: Taking the CITY BUS from campus to City Center blew my mind at the time.

New people to meet: My dormmate was a different race than me, becoming my first of many black friends. Also for the first time, I dated a guy who had a different religion than mine and learned about other cultures.

A plethora of activities to attend: I was overwhelmed after my first football game in the Shoe, staying in my seat alone until nearly the whole stadium was empty. I also visited nearly every music venue in town, becoming a groupie to the then unknown band O.A.R.

When I was nearing graduation, I started looking for jobs in PA because Ã¢â‚¬Å“Pennsylvania was home and Ohio was just school". I got an internship downtown that turned into a job and started seeing that there was more to Columbus than campus. Then I moved to a small apartment in Grandview, and low and behold another gem!

My 4 years of school were focus mainly on campus, but looking back, OSU is a micro-environment of Columbus as a whole. I've stayed in Columbus because I started to appreciate the diversity, corporate opportunities, cultural richness, and the amazing attractions and entertainment options.

I consider Columbus home now, and am very grateful for all the experiences this town has offered me.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anne
King Lincoln
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I moved here from a rural area in NE Ohio to go to college at OSU. I loved it. I also used to just get on a COTA bus and ride it all over to see where it would go and what I would find. I found and fell in love with my dear husband and we found a beautiful house and started a family. We also have met so many wonderful people here that I think it would be had to ever leave. We love this city.

Posted 1 year ago #
Cats With Thumbs

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My great grandmother left Gurnsey County for Washington D.C. when she was a young girl. I always thought it was kinda neat that I came back to the state my ancestors were from, even if it was just a coincidence (It was a work-related move; I have no family in the state). I've lived in D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and finally Akron before moving to Columbus to go to OSU because of their reputable Japanese program. I liked the size (big enough to have diversity and culture, small enough to lack all the inconveniences of a large metropolis) and vibe of the town so much that I decided not to leave, even though I have no permanent roots or family here.

Posted 1 year ago #
The Hegemo
Delusions of Grandview
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I was born and raised in Cincinnati. My dad's family came from Columbus originally (although he grew up in Washington CH), so we had relatives here and I spent some amount of time here growing up. More than a lot of people in Cincinnati, who by and large don't seem to know or care much about Columbus, or at least they didn't when I was growing up.

Went to undergrad in rural Upstate New York, and grad school in Waterloo and Kingston, Ontario. I was away from Ohio on and off for about a decade.

I've been a hockey fan most of my life, and when the Blue Jackets came into being, I started coming to Columbus more often to go to games, got to know some people up here through that. I came to recognize Columbus as a pretty decent city with lots of amenities, and maybe a place I would like to live. After returning to Cincinnati while I was finishing my Ph.D., I didn't really want to move far away again, so I focused my job search on Ohio, and Columbus was probably my first choice (Cincinnati, you're home, but you're just TOO conservative for me...). I was lucky enough to be offered a job here right around Christmas 2003, and moved up here the day after New Year's, 2004. I really like it here. It's not without its problems, but I think Columbus is generally a great place to live.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tones360
Columbus
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I came from Seattle Washington, nice to know that there is another pacific northwester here.

Posted 1 year ago #
short pants
Columbus
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I was born/raised here, in upper Arlington, bleh. I graduated highschool feeling kinda jaded (is that the right word?) I was thoroughly fed up with close-mindedness, Midwestern-ness, and I just wanted to see if there was more out there. So as soon as I graduated I hopped on a greyhound and headed for the left coast, traveling from southern Washington down the 101 highway through Oregon and California. It was all I hoped it would be and more. I found what I was looking for and more. Open-minded liberal-types everywhere, making new friends everyday, a plethora of greenery of all varieties (lol), breathtaking scenery, crazy outdoor festivals/shows, farmers markets, perfect weather....and on and on....
I came back in the fall, but returned to CA the following 2 summers...
I always wanted to be a permanent transplant out there, but I couldn't stay out of trouble when I came back here, so for legal reasons I was stuck here, then I met more Trouble and we have 2 boys together :-P...my SO is from Albuquerque, NM and he constantly pines to be back out west. For a while, I let his severe disdain for all things Midwest & Ohio affect me, I thought I hated it too.. I was the person who, if you told me you were from somewhere east/west coast, I'd say "why would you come here?!?! Blehhhh" lol
Then I realized that I was hating it for the wrong reasons. For no reason. Other than I HATE HATE HATE winter!!!!
So me and Ohio made nice. I don't mind Columbus, I probably won't leave for a long time since I have kids now and the fam is here. I really really like my boss, my job, my house, my little life here....

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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Always nice to see another UA alum who took a less traditional route.

Posted 1 year ago #
short pants
Columbus
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Are you from UA? I'm class of '97

Posted 1 year ago #