3 ms·

Yea but then they have to live in Ohio.

dekhn 4y ago
I learned something when I worked at Google that would never have occurred to me. They hired a ton of people from the midwest- smart computer people who couldn't find good jobs in the midwest. They moved out to Sunnyvale and Cupertino and hated it. Many of them wanted to return to the midwest, but got accustomed to Google pay and didn't want to take a cut moving. As a Bay Area aficionado, I couldn't quite get this, but when I saw how these folks lived in Cupertino and Sunnyvale (tiny, overpriced houses with ultra-competitive school districts) I could kind of understand the desire to return to an Ohio, or Illinois, or Indiana.
- vineyardmike 4y ago
  As someone who lived in Ohio for a little while but is now back in the bay, I get it even if I wouldn't do it. If you're from the midwest, the quaint little midwestern culture is what you know. And it is super cheap, so the cost of entry is low. I know people who moved to Ohio when I was there - "temporarily", and fell in love. You can move to a (small) city, and it has home-town vibes and the people there are townies. Its so easy to make friends and just click and feel like you belong. Everyone does the same things (or some subset of the same things) and goes to the same places, so there's a strong shared cultural overlap, because, yes, that's your friend groups favorite bar too!. That said, I hated the weather, it was awful compared to the bay. Many cities have "Detroit syndrome" where the business left and everyone is talking doom and gloom about how their city will never make a comeback (even if its in the middle of a comeback). If you're not straight and white and American you may connect less to it, since its got strong "All American" vibes in the 'burbs and a strong religious majority. You're less likely to find the crazy driven type-A overachievers since they moved out to bigger places. Anyone who wants a break from the Bay or NYC I always point them to Cleveland. Every major sports team for you to root for, houses cost less than a VCR, a few good schools feeding the local businesses, and a great history full of cultural places in the city. Some of the best public schools in Ohio (rocky river, shaker heights, etc). Some of the best museums anywhere, and the best off-broadway theater district. And one of the best hospitals anywhere, because you never know if you'll get sick/hurt. Truly amazing considering the COL can be 1/10 that of San Francisco.

I learned something when I worked at Google that would never have occurred to me. They hired a ton of people from the midwest- smart computer people who couldn't find good jobs in the midwest. They moved out to Sunnyvale and Cupertino and hated it. Many of them wanted to return to the midwest, but got accustomed to Google pay and didn't want to take a cut moving. As a Bay Area aficionado, I couldn't quite get this, but when I saw how these folks lived in Cupertino and Sunnyvale (tiny, overpriced houses with ultra-competitive school districts) I could kind of understand the desire to return to an Ohio, or Illinois, or Indiana.

vineyardmike 4y ago
As someone who lived in Ohio for a little while but is now back in the bay, I get it even if I wouldn't do it. If you're from the midwest, the quaint little midwestern culture is what you know. And it is super cheap, so the cost of entry is low. I know people who moved to Ohio when I was there - "temporarily", and fell in love. You can move to a (small) city, and it has home-town vibes and the people there are townies. Its so easy to make friends and just click and feel like you belong. Everyone does the same things (or some subset of the same things) and goes to the same places, so there's a strong shared cultural overlap, because, yes, that's your friend groups favorite bar too!. That said, I hated the weather, it was awful compared to the bay. Many cities have "Detroit syndrome" where the business left and everyone is talking doom and gloom about how their city will never make a comeback (even if its in the middle of a comeback). If you're not straight and white and American you may connect less to it, since its got strong "All American" vibes in the 'burbs and a strong religious majority. You're less likely to find the crazy driven type-A overachievers since they moved out to bigger places. Anyone who wants a break from the Bay or NYC I always point them to Cleveland. Every major sports team for you to root for, houses cost less than a VCR, a few good schools feeding the local businesses, and a great history full of cultural places in the city. Some of the best public schools in Ohio (rocky river, shaker heights, etc). Some of the best museums anywhere, and the best off-broadway theater district. And one of the best hospitals anywhere, because you never know if you'll get sick/hurt. Truly amazing considering the COL can be 1/10 that of San Francisco.