When scrolling through Yahoo's top stories this past Friday, something caught my eye. The word, "Cleveland" next to the words, "Number One." I knew I moved home for a reason. Cleveland is number one.And then I read the article.
Cleveland earned the number one spot on Forbes' most MISERABLE cities list. Yowser. Apparently our weather blows, over 71,000 people have hightailed it out of here over the past five years, and our unemployment rate and income tax levels are through the roof. Oh, and it's dangerous. Like, really dangerous.
Clearly the Forbes editors haven't ever lived in Cleveland and lucky for them we're here to report the top 10 8 6 reasons why Cleveland doesn't suck.
Listen up, bitches.
6. In 2005, The Economist ranked Cleveland as the best city for business meetings in the continental U.S. Cleveland encourages quick and efficient work. What's not to like about that? And no, this doesn't have to do with foreigners wanting to leave, Forbes.
6. In 2005, The Economist ranked Cleveland as the best city for business meetings in the continental U.S. Cleveland encourages quick and efficient work. What's not to like about that? And no, this doesn't have to do with foreigners wanting to leave, Forbes.
5. Clevelanders are committed. Despite years of heartache, people still dress up in orange and brown (some are even known to snap on a leash, get inside of a cage and then crawl on all fours to a doggie bowl full of beer, er, not that we know them personally or anything) and cheer on the Browns. Each and every year, my husband is convinced we're going to the super bowl. I guess you could say his hope tank is full. And so are the tanks of thousands of Browns' fans. They just keep comin' back.
Which leads me to my next point...
4. We always cheer for the underdog. Clevelanders take pride in supporting independent stores, mom and pop shops and local boutiques. With stores like Baci, Sweet Threads (you can't call yourself a Clevelander unless you've purchased a prom dress at Sweet Threads where they make sure that no one at your school purchases your dress. Now that is customer service!), Stroller Mama, or our favorite independent book store The Learned Owl. What can we say? We like to keep it in the family.
3. Cleveland is the home of the first traffic light. When you're sitting in traffic, you can thank us. We were also the first city to get pedestrian controls for traffic lights. I guess you could call us traffic light connoisseurs.
2. Cleveland has great museums. We have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Cleveland Museum of Art, you name it, we've got it. The Roecker family has some fond memories in some of these museums. Mainly, Stacey at the tender age of three screaming, "GET! ME! OUT! OF! HERE!" when seeing the huge skeletons of dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. Good. Times.
1. And the number one reason Cleveland doesn't suck is...The people. Cleveland is made up of overwhelmingly nice people. People who are committed to making the city a better place, people who set up shop and lay down roots in Cleveland, people who do stay and some of us (*ahem*) even come back. And we're funny too. We know how to take a joke and we're not afraid to laugh at ourselves.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Forbes.
Still have doubts about Cleveland's fabulousity? Take a look at Liz Lemon's take on our fine city...
47 comments:
That just proves that you can't believe everything you read. As long as you like it, that's all that matters.
I never been there but hey go CLEVELAND! Don't judge a book by the cover lol!
Woo-hoo...shout out to Cleveland! I've lived in big cities and foreign countries and I still came back! I heart it!
P.S. My friend's husband is going to be on Cleveland today giving a shout out to his etch-e-sketch skills and Cleveland shirts that he designs...check it out if you have time, he's the last segment and his Cleveland shirts are awesome!
Yeah, baby! As a former Clevelander now living in Michigan, I shall refer all my neighbors to this list when they make fun of me. That happens a lot, so if you see a sudden spike in your visitors, you'll know why.
Ha!! It's kinda like your mother--you can talk bad about her, but nobody else better!!!
I'd move there for the shopping and the Roecker girls, but the weather is a deal breaker.
sf
Whenever I see a pro-Cleveland post (and let me clarify, I have never been there but am sure it is lovely), I always think of the 30 Rock episode where Liz Lemon almost moves there. There is a great song about Cleveland playing in the background as she tours the city.
Don't worry, I live in a city that a couple years ago was fondly nicknamed Killadelphia because of our murder rate.
Yeah-- it was a shocker to me too. A vendor at the West-Side Market told me about it last week--just as I was feeling all good that our city was so diverse and that I could go to an open air market and get the best hummus, fruits and veggies. Oh well!
Number 7? They have those killer accents.
Cleveland rocks!
F*(&EF#*@( Forbes magazine. That wretched piece of journalism crashes my hopes and dreams with each damn issue. LOL
Love #4 and 5 :0)
(BTW My state was ranked 5th in obesity due to lifestyle....)
But, don't they know that Cleveland Rocks, that's got to count for something, right?
Anyway, as someone who has actually been to Cleveland. Twice, mind you, I would definitely disagree. Cleveland seems quite nice compared to some of the places I've been to.
ouch hahaha I'm not a fan of Cleveland, but I have to say that both Salt Lake City and Newark, NJ are both far worse! Yuck to both of those :)
Yay! Way to stick up for Cleveland! I come from a town called Hicksville (no really) so I know what it takes to constantly have to defend your hometown. God Speed...
Not too long ago, Atlanta was rated the #2 most dangerous city in America! How's that for Southern hospitality? And I love that 30 Rock clip. :-)
I got love for Cleveland. But I gotta say Detroit was the first place to use the Red/Yellow/Green traffic lights (1920), just saying. I mean you know how that rivalry is, we couldn't let Cleveland beat us we had to one up ;)
Er... thanks for the traffic lights? But the fact that y'all cheer for the underdogs and value family businesses warms my stony, frozen heart just a tiny bit. Lisa, Laura, and Drew Carey... bringing Cleveland back one joke at a time. :)
I love some good hometown pride! You tell 'em, ladies!! :-)
Hmmm... Do I really want to thank you for traffic lights?
When I was little I used to think there was a little guy sitting under each traffic light deciding when to flip the switch for each red and green light.
And I love 30 Rock!
You tell 'em! Check out my post from Saturday for some neat-o facts about another Great Lakes town...actually it's really boring, but people are flying outta here too.
"I want to go to there!"
7. It is a multicultural town with diversity and acceptance of all races.
(At least that's what my husband says, I've never been there.)
Who are these people and why do they get to decide these things.
i love this post!!! thanks for speaking so positively about cleveland :)
you should join the facebook group i created to say no to forbes!
http://bit.ly/bESLJu
We have never been to Cleveland but we went to Akron once a few years ago. We stayed at that Quaker Square with the silos that have been turned into a hotel. Wicked cool but really cold. I mean really, really cold. It was February and we are freezing if the temp drops below 60.
We are whiners too.
The picture is awesome! I've never been to Cleveland, looks like I'll have to go visit someday. =)
Never been to Cleveland, but I've always wanted to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lafcadio Hearn once said "...it is better to live here [in New Orleans] in sackcloth and ashes, than to own the whole state of Ohio."
But that was back in 1879, before y'all had traffic lights and museums and football and all. I'm sure it's much better now. ;)
This post started out good then skyrocketed to amazingness with the 30 Rock clip. Well played. I'm totally convinced.
Thank you for this!! I was raised in the Cleveland area and now I'm farther south in the state. It gets old when I tell people I'm from there and they always ask me if the river is still burning. :rolls eyes: That was over 30 years ago; it's stopped since then!
I must say, compared to Dayton, where I'm at now, Cleveland is much better with things to do. They have amazing museums and the zoo is awesome. I love the metroparks too--there aren't as many around here in Dayton. Plus, I had a lot more job opportunities there than here, where it's all dying manufacturing jobs or technology or medical related, which is the opposite end of the spectrum from me.
Cleveland is in my blood; my mother's side of the family has lived there for over 100 years. It can't be all bad!
And this coming weekend I'm coming back to visit family :) Maybe not this weekend, but at some point when I come home I need to meet you two at a restaurant or coffee shop somewhere (and there's plenty of good ones too!).
BTW, I just watched that video you posted back in May--the "tourism" ones. And I came *this close* to wetting my pants.
Thanks for that! :P Now I must send those vids off to family.
Cleveland must rock if you two live there! I have an award for you here: http://myth-takes.blogspot.com/2010/02/awards-and-more.html
This is awesome :). My husband lived in Lakeland, FL, which was #1 for teen pregnancies and lightning strikes. Huzzah! (It could always be worse.)
I love Cleveland! I'm adding the botanical gardens and the amazing zoo to your list. I never felt unsafe when we were there, and you're right, the people are amazing.
Haha! That is some patriotism! Never been to Cleveland, so I'll have to take your word for it. But the home of the traffic light?
How do you top that?
You forgot to add "home of the indomitable Lisa and Laura." I think it's the REAL number one. ;)
P.S. Who the heck does Forbes think they are, anyway?
Cleveland rocks!. Oh, and thanks for that traffic light. Now i'll know who to be cussing when I get stuck behind on every morning! You guys are awesome!
I didn't hate Cleveland when I visited. It was just BIG compared to Piqua. And Russia. (Yes, I was the small town Ohio girl!) But I'm still pretty much of the mindset that the whole state of Ohio rocks. What the hell do the people at Forbes know anyway?
Heehee. More 30 Rock references please!
Even though I've never been to Cleveland, I think I used to really like it, because it sounded cool. The name just rolls of your tongue. And it sounds like cloves, which then sounds like cooking, and that means food.
That's a compliment, really, even though it came out sounding odd, haha.
PLUS, YOU GUYS LIVE THERE! :D
You gotta love where you're from. It makes us who we are. I'm from outside of Philly and Philly, like Cleveland for you, rules in my book (even with its flaws).
Go Cleavland!!
I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about Cleveland! I love the store ensuring only 1 dress per prom - awesome!
So there!
Lists like that are so weird anyway. It's like somebody purposely goes looking for the bad parts in a city - and those parts exist in EVERY city. I think Cleveland sounds lovely. If Liz Lemon loves it, then it is totally lovable!
hilarious!
Well, I for one, would love to visit your fair city because it is the home of the A-number one duo... The Roecker sistas :)
Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!
Aw, I love to see such love for a city! So often we complain about where we live... *cough* me. Never been there, but have always wanted to visit the Rock N Roll hall of fame! Liz Lemon's awesome ;o)
Didn't the river in Cleveland catch on fire?
What about #1A.... At least we're not Detroit!
Maybe...but I'm still not moving there!
Points for the 30 Rock reference. :)
Cleveland Rocks! And thanks for including the clip :)
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