Big City Blues
What makes a big city? Is it only size? Or does culture and location play a role? How about politics? Celebrities, landmarks, economic and social advancements? This is the question Ohio and it’s capital city of Columbus are asking themselves. Columbus is a larger city than Boston, Devner, Seattle, and Miami yet it is often overlooked by Americans and immigrants. This is the article concerning the situation: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-01-columbus_N.htm
March 5, 2008 at 10:40 am
I live on the first floor. Dekalb and the bus station are right there. I looked out my window on super tuesday to see a car riding by with a giant megaphone attached to the roof (next to a headshot of Obama) shouting out campaign messages. It reminded me of that scene in Back to the Future when Marty is in the ’50s and sees a car promoting a mayoral candidate. Sometimes I don’t know what, exactly, makes a big city. Sometimes it feels like it’s just the amount of people and their attitudes about it. Sometimes.
March 7, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Columbus is not bigger than Seattle. The Seattle metropolitan area is 2 million people.
and why oh why oh why oh would anyone ever want to live in Ohio?
March 9, 2008 at 11:18 am
Firstly, don’t knock Ohio. I can’t speak for Columbus, but Cleveland is beautiful, exciting, and lovely, and it’s practically my second home. Even crap-infested Lake Erie has a certain charm.
As to the question, it’s really a matter of image – how the residents view themselves and their city, and how that view carries to the rest of the country and eventually the world. Having a huge unweildy bulk of people doesn’t make much difference if they all feel unconnected to each other.
Though good luck to Columbus – they’ll need. Trying to develop some sort of distinctness or special pride when they are THAT thoroughly mediocre and middle-of-the-road should be nigh-impossible.