Quote:
Originally Posted by edale
Of course, Clevelanders are quick to point out that they were 'part of Connecticut' hundreds of years ago when the population of NE Ohio was a few dozen people. They'll say that the 'Connecticut influence' is still there because there are 3 buildings from the Connecticut Reserve that are still standing and look vaguely similar to buildings you might find in a small town in CT. But I have always thought this is just something they say to make themselves feel more...prestigious? As if Cleveland is somehow Greenwich on Lake Erie. I've always found this preposterous.  |
I'd agree with this. I never got the connection either, at least in a general land use/cultural feel context. Cleveland is actually a newer metro which boomed concurrent with Detroit and Buffalo booms.
Also, I always find it odd that Connecticut = prestigious and NJ = working class, when they have almost indistinguishable household income, education and demographics. Both have town greens, Portuguese, railroad suburbs, colonial relics, beach towns, etc. They're about as similar as any two states, yet they have polar opposite reputations. NJ = chemical plants and Eyetalians and Connecticut = country-club WASPs.