Cincy Census

Some fascinating information about the Cincinnati area could be found in a New York Times article this morning about results from the recent census. It shows that Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati and the surrounding urban area, has lost 5 percent of its population over the last 10 years. Meanwhile, the surrounding counties — which I’ve previously named the rhuburbs because of their curious mix of rural and suburban development — have all gained population.

This clearly indicates a migration out of the city’s urban center. And while nearly all racial groups in the surrounding counties have grown as the population increased, these counties remain overwhelmingly (90+ percent) white.

My California friends might also be interested to know that Ohio’s overall population edged upward over the last decade. Even so, Hispanics account for only 3 percent of the state’s population — a figure that drops to 1 percent in the county where we live.

Tornado Watch

Severe thunderstorms are passing through the region today, with low, dark skies, high winds and hail. One lightning bolt sounded like a cannon shot when it hit nearby. The NOAA channel on my new emergency radio continually notes that tornadoes can form suddenly from storms like these.

A local weatherman points to a radar image of a line of severe thunderstorms

And we’re just getting started; the tornado season here typically runs from April to July. Ahh spring!

The Race for Spring

Plants and trees throughout the region these days seem to be racing to bloom, leaf or bud. But daffodils beat them all. These low yellow flowers are coming up everywhere around the farm, especially in the wood margins just beyond the yard. They’re a precursor to a full-on plant riot — aka spring — that’s coming soon.

And the winner is... daffodils.

A Walk in the Rain

I took the dogs for a walk down the road this morning in a light rain. The ground is saturated from recent storms and there were pools of water everywhere.

As we turned into the driveway on the way back, I could see the mailman’s truck splashing down the road a few hundred yards away, so we paused and waited for him to come by. As he handed me the mail, he said, “You’re from California, right? Do you miss all that sunny weather now?”

We shared a laugh and he drove off. The truth is, I thought today’s weather was great.

Ohiospeak

People in this part of the country have a somewhat different vocabulary than we’re used to. For example:

Soft drinks or sodas are invariably referred to as “pop.”

When people want you to repeat what you’ve just said, they say, “Please?”

A creek is often called a “run.”

When people refer to more than one deer, they often say, “Deers.”

Salt Run empties into the East Fork of the Little Miami River

In addition to avenues, streets and roads, many neighborhoods have signs for “trails” and “traces” for vehicles, too.

Cities are “corporations.”

Counties are fractured into “townships,” which each have their own planning, zoning and administration. These mini-bureaucracies seem to be more responsive than a larger county government would be, but you can’t help but conclude that this balkanization of services also creates government inefficiency on a massive scale — i.e. higher taxes that many folks in this region seem so wound up about.

The Walkout Basement

While looking for a potential house to buy recently,  Mrs. SR013 and I learned that many, if not most, homes in Ohio have what’s called a “walkout basement.” This is basically a basement with double doors that lead outside to a yard.

Some of these “walkout basements” are finished very nicely, with wet bars, bathrooms, wine cellars and more. But in any case, their prime function is to be a tornado refuge, with the doors providing (hopefully) an escape route if the house collapses.

As we perused basement after basement, we also found many of them buttressed with a massive steel ceiling beam running from wall to wall. Basements of any kind, and steel beams reinforcing them, are rare in residential construction in California. In this part of the country, they’re another reminder that one is well advised to keep a weather eye.