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Dream Big Kent on
December 13, 2007 |
No Comments After surveying and studying cities in Ohio, the Ohio Magazine put out it’s Top 5 Ohio Cities list in its November 2007 issue. I’m still skeptical of the proliferation of best city lists like this but when I read the articles and watched the video clips on each city I was impressed enough to think it was worth sharing here. It turns out that 4 out the 5 top cities are university cities which shouldn’t be surprising given the popularity of university cities all over the country and it’s certainly good news for Kent as we are also trying to ride that university/city wave into a newfound prosperity.
Perspective is one of those really important things that influences how we think, feel and act yet is easily overlooked because we carry it around everywhere we go without even thinking about it. It’s like the fish in water — it’s all they know, so they don’t realize its there. That’s one of the reasons I like traveling to other cities. As much as I like visiting, going away makes me realize and appreciate everything I have at home.
In that spirit, I offer the following articles from the Ohio Travel magazine to help keep Kent in perspective for both what it is and what it could be. I don’t know if I’m just a multi-media kind of guy but I’d encourage you to visit the website link to actually watch the videos of the different cities to get a feel for how they are as compared to Kent.
Again, I hope you get a sense of perspective from watching the clips and/or reading the articles that helps you define your vision for Kent — not as a copycat city but as a unique place that understands its niche and celebrates that niche in everything we do.
The Best Hometowns Include: Independence Ohio, Bowling Green Ohio, Chillicothe Ohio, Deleware Ohio, and Miamisburg Ohio.
BEST TOWNS Home Page
Ohio’s Best Hometowns – Bowling Green
November 2007 Issue
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (you have to click on the magazine cover for Bowling Green to activitate the Bowling Green clip)
Author: Ashley Harrington
Related Categories: Small Towns, Heritage, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Gourmet, Family Fun, Fairs & Festivals; NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST
Residents of this university town enjoy a full complement of recreational, cultural and educated opportunities.
Student legend has it that if you stand on the Bowling Green State University seal on campus at midnight and kiss your sweetheart, you will soon be married.
Superstition? Maybe so, but the town of Bowling Green has more than a few couples who met at the university, married after graduating and settled in this northwestern Ohio town to raise their families.
The decision was simple for Wendy Stram. “One of the reasons my husband and I settled in Bowling Green after having gone to the university here, is the fact that there’s so much for kids to do,” says Stram, executive director of the Bowling Green Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “There’s so much to do between the university, the parks, the [recreation centers] and our school systems that it’s almost overwhelming.”
Bowling Green State University is the city’s largest employer. |
Locals start their day with a cup of joe at Grounds for Thought. |
Downtown bowling Green has a diverse mix of shops. |
Downtown Bowling Green bustles with activity, attracting people of all ages. Enhancing the street scene are cafes, restaurants and shops, such as Pisanello’s pizza emporium, Grounds for Thought coffee shop and the Cookie Jar bakery, where the aroma of fresh-baked confections lures those with a sweet tooth. Residents can also enjoy a full range of activities at the Wood County Library located in the heart of downtown. Whether it’s a meet-and-greet with an author, a book discussion group or live piano music in the library’s atrium, there’s something new to experience every day.
In Bowling Green, “Houses don’t turn over a lot because people don’t move — they like it here,” says Stram. Residents have recreation opportunities at nearby parks such as the Wintergarden/St. Johns Nature Preserve and the 24-mile Slippery Elm Bicycle Trail, and at the newly constructed community center, a 79,000-square-foot facility that offers a fitness center, indoor track, basketball courts and after-school programs. Spectator sports are plentiful in this university town that provides students and residents alike a full complement of intercollegiate athletic events. There are also community celebrations such as the annual Black Swamp Arts Festival, a weekend focusing on culture, music and food, and the National Tractor Pull, where the city’s agricultural roots are honored each year at the Wood County Fairgrounds.
While Bowling Green preserves and promotes its heritage at the Wood County Historical Society Center, it also looks to the future, particularly in its adoption of environmental initiatives. Known to some as “Blowing Green,” the city obtains 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources, including Ohio’s first utility-sized wind farm, The Green Wind Farm Project, consisting of four wind turbines that generate enough energy to supply the electricity for 3,000 residents.
Education is a major theme and focus in Bowling Green. It was the university that brought Mayor John Quinn to town 42 years ago. He earned both his bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s in history from BGSU and served as a classroom teacher at Bowling Green High School for 30 years.
“We’ve said it ever since the founding of the university: Education is what the community is about. And that’s reflected in all of our schools, from the primary schools all the way up through the university,” Quinn says.
Ohio’s Best Hometowns – Delaware
November 2007 Issue
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (you have to click on the magazine cover for Deleware to activitate the Deleware clip)
Author: Jennifer Haliburton
Related Categories: Small Towns, Heritage, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Gourmet, Family Fun, Fairs & Festivals; NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST
This central Ohio community preserves and enhances its unique ambiance.
How do you measure the character of an eclectic hometown?
In a place as unique as Delaware, try gauging it in decibels.
You could start with the trill of the soprano that Winter Street Inn Bed & Breakfast owner Rodger Collom wakes up to some mornings –– the sound of a music major warming up across the street at Sanborn Hall on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges.
Or, you could study the rhythmic ping-ping-ping that echoes from Delaware’s fairgrounds in autumn –– the sound of residents such as Norman Covrett, down on all fours with a hammer in hand, pounding stakes into patio furniture. In any other city, the sight of a 73-year-old man nailing the legs of a lawn chair into the backstretch of a horse track is at least worth a raised eyebrow. But this is Delaware, home of the prestigious Little Brown Jug, a tradition so revered, longtime residents like Covrett will happily kneel in dirt on a September afternoon to literally secure their seat in anticipation of the harness race’s 50,000 annual visitors. Never mind that it’s two weeks before race day.
“Just wait: This whole area will be 25, 26 chairs deep,” says Covrett, a machine shop worker who has attended the event for nearly all of its 62 years. “You’ll see the whole town here.”
The Little Brown Jug harness race is so beloved in Delaware, some residents stake out their seats months in advance. |
Delaware’s historic downtown features a variety of shops |
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Actually, Delaware –– which celebrates its bicentennial next year — has an appealing distinctiveness that’s hard to miss no matter where you go. It’s there on bustling Sandusky Street, where the Hamburger Inn diner, established in 1932, sits contentedly right across from Nova, a hip, cosmopolitan restaurant and “video bar” that wouldn’t look out of place in Manhattan. And it’s evident in a thriving arts scene that includes the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, myriad galleries and a bona fide castle, built in 1854, that hosts everything from drama workshops to calligraphy classes.
A visitor today might be surprised to find out that the bustling scene is the result of a concerted revitalization effort.
“There was a time when we had a 46 percent vacancy rate at the stores downtown,” says Joe Diamond, a city planner turned real estate developer. Diamond recalls how Delaware went through a cycle of struggle years ago, when big-box stores and shopping centers began making their mark on the former farming community. “You can’t really compete with those huge retail places,” he says. “You have to find a way to offer something else.”
So local organizations did just that, first by working with the city’s historic preservation commission to renovate many of the stately 19th-century buildings downtown –– 57 of them in just the last seven years, says Diamond, with more than $60 million in private money spent on the rehabilitation.
That re-energized look has spurred an influx of new businesses, adorning the historic district today with what local gallery owner Linda Shearer calls “fun retail”: everything from boutiques, coffee bars and cafes, to antiques stores, bike shops and an independent bookstore.
Still, despite its newfound status as a shopping destination for central Ohioans, the leisurely pace and singular personality of small-town America remains.
“You know that line from the ‘Cheers’ song: ‘Where everybody knows your name?’” says Shearer. “That’s Delaware.”
Ohio’s Best Hometowns – Independence
November 2007 Issue
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (you have to click on the magazine cover for Independence to activitate the Independence clip)
Author: Linda Feagler
Related Categories: Small Towns, Heritage, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Gourmet, Family Fun, Fairs & Festivals; NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST
A town of traditions welcomes the new.
“The heart of it all.”
For Independence, that catchphrase couldn’t be more correct, since this northeast Ohio city is literally the geographic center of Cuyahoga County. Located 8 miles south of downtown Cleveland, it’s also a destination for more than 30,000 daily commuters who head to and from 1,400 companies headquartered in the city’s business district.
But the sentiment is more than a slogan on the white clapboard signage marking the city limits. It’s a promise made to residents of all ages, upheld by an array of services and recreational opportunities; attractive, well-tended public buildings; and idyllic neighborhoods.
It’s an ambiance, explains Mayor Fred Ramos, that for the most part remains unknown to those whose relationship with Independence is strictly 9-to-5.
“We’re clearly a best-kept secret,” he says, a bemused smile crossing his lips. For only a half-mile away from busy Rockside Road lies a friendly town of 7,200. It’s a place where, Ramos proudly adds, “everybody knows everybody.”
Independence recently welcomed the Chio College of Podiatric Medicine’s 27-acre campus. |
Recreation opportunities include the Civic Center swimming pool |
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Where homes are usually passed from generation to generation or sold quietly by word of mouth.
Where calendars are kept cleared for not-to-be-missed celebrations such as the old-fashioned August Home Days, complete with midway rides, a band concert and the crowning of Miss Independence.
Where homage is paid to the city’s past through tours of a former schoolhouse dating back to 1896 and wreath-laying ceremonies at the town’s 142-year-old Mapleshade Cemetery. Where the welcome mat is rolled out for new establishments, most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers’ $20 million training facility and the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine’s 27-acre campus.
And where improving an already exemplary quality of life is a constant priority, starting with residents age 60-plus.
“We feel indebted to our seniors,” Ramos explains. “They made Independence what it is, so we try to do as much as we can for them.”
As a result, town elders are eligible for a number of free services, including van transportation to doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping and community activities; and Wednesday matinees at the town’s multipurpose Civic Center. For $1 per year, they can sign up for free snow removal that’s available every time levels reach two inches or higher in their driveways.
“You talk about a wonderful place,” says 76-year-old Delores Badarzynski, who’s lived in Independence for 36 years, as she gratefully acknowledges the assistance she’s received over the past four years, following her husband Raymond’s stroke. “Everybody thinks they live in the best city, but for us seniors, it’s just super to be here.”
But that doesn’t mean younger generations are overlooked. The community offers recreational pursuits such as yoga and baton twirling classes, field trips to the Cleveland Play House, and Independence Blue Devils tailgate parties, where the town turns out in blue and gold to support the high school football team.
“As seniors move on, families with two or three children move in,” says Independence economic development director Ron White. “We are forever evolving.”
Ohio’s Best Hometowns – Miamisburg
November 2007 Issue
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (you have to click on the magazine cover for Miamisburg to activitate the Miamisburg clip)
Author: Jessica Esemplare
Related Categories: Small Towns, Heritage, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Gourmet, Family Fun, Fairs & Festival; NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST
Residents of Ohio’s Star City shine with spirit and pride.
“You give us a lemon, we’re going to make lemonade.”
Mayor Dick Church, Jr., knows the resilience of Miamisburg residents. At first glance, this community, located just south of Dayton on the banks of the Miami River, has the tranquil appearance of most river towns. And while its residents possess many small-town-America qualities — like waving to strangers and slowing down for pedestrians — their spirit, goals and development rival those of any big city.
Historic houses lead into Miamisburg’s downtown area. |
A charming home on St. Rte. 725 |
The Miamisburg Mound, built by the Adena people. |
Church has lived in Miamisburg his entire life, and he’s been mayor for 17 years. Back in 1991, at the beginning of his term, he was immediately hit with a lemon. Mound Laboratory, a high-security defense production facility and the city’s largest employer, was closing. After an initial attempt to keep the facility open failed (46,000 signatures were collected and delivered to the White House), the residents began working on a plan to convert the site to a light-industrial and high-tech business park. Although nearly 2,000 jobs were lost, more than 5,000 were created.
“Everybody in this community, we work together to make things happen,” says Church. “I like to say, ‘Great things are happening in Miamisburg.’”
And that’s more than just a slogan. From the renovation of the Baum Opera House, a historic landmark that had fallen into disarray, to the expansion of the Kettering Medical Center–Sycamore, a facility that includes a hospital and retirement center, the community gets behind projects that help make Miamisburg a great place to live.
It’s one of the reasons William H. Nelson, Jr., city manager, decided to move to Miamisburg. “What I saw was a community that had just an abundance of assets,” he says, noting its historical downtown, excellent school system and variety of housing and recreation options.
Nelson realizes that the positives are a result of residents with real spirit. In the ’90s, citizens decided that it was time to change the image of their city. A state-of-the-art golf course was developed with the first new, upscale housing in the area. They also decided to take advantage of historic Main Street, a rarity in the suburbs. Subsequent efforts have breathed new life into Miamisburg in the form of new businesses, and have brought additional publicity to annual events, such as the Turkey Trot five-mile race, held Thanksgiving morning.
It’s the combination of spirit and growth, of old traditions combined with new beginnings, that keeps people in Miamisburg and turns newcomers into longtime residents. “Miamisburg people tend to live here forever, and if they don’t, they come back,” says Bobbye Sweny, who is in charge of children’s programs for the Miamisburg Historical Society, who has lived in the area for 60 years.
Those who can’t stay take a piece of Miamisburg with them. Just outside the mayor’s office is a framed City of Miamisburg flag, a gift from Staff Sgt. Noah Ryan Burnett, who requested the flag while he was serving in Iraq. He carried the flag for three years as a good luck charm, and used it to teach local children about his home. After returning to Miamisburg, he presented it to the mayor.
“That is another — just a small story — about sense of community,” the mayor points out. “Here’s a young man who wanted to take part of Miamisburg to Iraq.”
Ohio’s Best Hometowns – Chillicothe
November 2007 Issue
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (you have to click on the magazine cover for Chillicothe to activitate the Chillicothe clip)
Author: Elizabeth Weinstein
Related Categories: Small Towns, Heritage, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Gourmet, Family Fun, Fairs & Festivals; NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST
A neighborly, historic city is primed for growth.
During the nation’s midterm elections one year ago, the popular Comedy Central series “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” journeyed from its headquarters in New York City to the Buckeye State for its “Midwest Midterm Midtacular.” Tellingly, one of the first towns its “correspondents” visited was Chillicothe.
“I’m here in the real Ohio, Jon — Chillicothe,” cooed comedian-correspondent Rob Riggle. All joking aside, “The Daily Show” was on to something. Chillicothe means “principal town.” Shawnee Indians gave the town, which was founded in 1796 by Colonel Nathaniel Massie, its name, and today, Chillicothe, with its mix of history and beauty, arts and culture, community spirit and political awareness, is a microcosm of everything Ohioans stand for and value.
“What we have here is quality of life — neighbor taking care of neighbor,” says Chillicothe’s mayor, Joseph P. Sulzer. Wander into Grinder’s Coffee and CafÉ, in the town’s historic downtown, on any given lunch hour, and you’ll see this in action. Patrons of all ages — families, friends and coworkers — mingle and trade news and gossip over homemade potato chips, coffee and sandwiches. Nearby, in Yoctangee Park, groups of children toss food to swarms of ducks.
Residents describe Chillicothe as a warm, welcoming community. |
A gazebo sits in Yoctangee Park |
Chillicothe’s Historic First Capital District |
“One of the things I love about Chillicothe… is we treat people very nicely,” says Bart Henshaw, manager of the Chillicothe Farmer’s Market. “We have neighborhoods where people care and take care of each other and watch out and talk and sit out on front porches.”
Situated in the rolling hills of Ross County, Chillicothe is an Appalachian success story. Small businesses thrive downtown, and Bridge Street, the town’s commercial district, is undergoing major growth and expansion. A $34 million, state-of-the-art addition to the city’s high school was completed last year and an addition to the middle school was due to be completed this fall. Ohio University’s Chillicothe campus has seen a 25.3 percent increase in enrollment over the last two years, and Adena Regional Health System, one of the region’s top employers, is consistently ranked in the Thomson 100 Top Hospitals. In the summer, fans cheer on the Chillicothe Paints, the town’s popular minor league baseball team, and thousands turn out — and camp out — for the Ross County fair.
The town’s biggest draw, however, is its history. Chillicothe was Ohio’s first capital (from 1803 to 1809). Thomas Worthington, Ohio’s sixth governor and the “father of Ohio statehood,” hailed from Chillicothe, and his home, Adena Mansion & Gardens, is now a museum and education center. And of course, there’s the professionally produced outdoor drama “Tecumseh!,” which takes place every summer at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre. The town is rich in Native American history. Prior to Chillicothe’s founding, Adena, Hopewell and Shawnee Indians inhabited the area. Preserved earthworks can be seen in the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.
“The people make the town,” says Richard Warnock, operations manager at Adena Mansion & Gardens, who has lived in Chillicothe for 27 years. “People wave [to one another] and are friendly. If you’re a visitor, they do the same thing.”
