Had a layover in Cleveland recently and took the chance to see the city. After not long being there, I made a comment about all of the obese people we kept seeing. The person I was with, who had worked at the airport in Miami, said the joke there was that all the fat people came from Ohio. And also, at Disney World, it seemed all of the fat familes were from the state. And that's what I have to share about Ohio.

I live in Columbus and it is awesome here. We've got lots of great bars and clubs, 3 or maybe even 4 top of the line shopping malls. There are plenty of other things to do as well. You can do the same things here that you could do at any other major city. Since I am rating the state and not the city I am giving Ohio a 4 out of 5. There is a lot of country between the three C's and certain times of the year can bring forth unpleasant weather.

Just a correction for someone who doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Ohio is 35th in size and 6th in population, although that occasionally varies with PA and MI.

Positive Attributes: A great vacation spot to take the kids with Cedar Point and Kings Island. Negative Attributes: Rude state troops who will pull you over for anything- espescially if you are from out of state. My mother had a tractor truck accident on I-70 in which she hit a patch of black ice and landed herself in the ditch without harming any cars (and there were several in front of her)- and the State Trooper gave her a ticket for failing to control her vehicle (even though she beat that ticket in court). I rarely run into friendly people in Ohio. And to top it off they have some sort of historic grudge against Kentuckians. The roads are getting bad too.

Ohio is a very average state...and ther's nothing wrong with that! I've lived here all my life and I think it's a great state to grow up in. Nice cities, diverse population, good schools, good entertainment. I mean, no one will ever mistake Cincinnati for Chicago, or Cleveland for New York...but that's fine. Nothing wrong with in the U.S. median. Besides, we must be doing something right...we're 44th in size, and 10th in population.

Let's fact the cold, hard facts, Ohioans (of which I have been one for 38 years): O-H-I-O is B-O-R-I-N-G. Nothing inherently wrong with that, just the way it is. When you have to desperately point to an amusement park as your state's best feature, you KNOW you're reaching. And as far as Ohio's license plate slogan, proudly proclaiming it as the "Birthplace of Aviation", that's just laughable: just because Orville and Wilbur Wright happened to be BORN in Ohio doesn't mean that's where U.S. aviation began--you have to go down south to Kitty Hawk, NC for that. Sorry to burst your bubble, Ohio worshippers...

I love Ohio because it is my home state. Also, neat attractions including The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum, seaworld, Cincinnati Zoo, and King's Island. Also a low crime rate in many Ohio cities except Cincinnati where crime has increased in the last 2 years. Also, irresponsible Republican governors and politicians.

I think the people in the Columbus area are the rudest people that I have ever encountered, with only a few exeptions. The only thing that central Ohio has going for it that I didn't previously have in my home state is job opportunities, that's the only reason I moved here. I have never experienced so much rudeness as I have in Columbus, Ohio. I have been to Cleveland and it is a different story. I liked it there, just too cold. I plan to stay in Columbus for a few years, in which I then plan to move deep south to Tampa, FL. One last note, there is something to be said about southern hospitality.

Ohio, its truly heart of it all. OK, I am biased, I have lived in Ohio my whole life (Toledo), and I truly find it to be one of my favorite states still. Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati are all interesting in their own ways. While I will admit, there is a lot of farmland in this great state, if there werent any, no one in America would be eating as good as if they had them, so be grateful they are there. There are many great things about Ohio, and the people that dont agree, it would help if you opened your eyes, and actually looked around sometime....

OH…shame on me! Looking back I was a bit harsh on this state. I really do not understand the major difference in ranking between it and several other states surrounding it though (probably proof positive that the rankings on RIA are more about who and how many show up where rather than being an actual reflection of what most people think). For those of you who have never been to the mid-western US you can trust me when I say, things do not magically change when you cross the border between Ohio and Indiana or Kentucky, Michigan or Illinois. The biggest portion of it is still farm country, which is a highly underrated and appreciated thing but not something people flock to as they would the Rocky Mountains or the ocean. Not always exciting, not always boring…mostly just there - solid, dependable and honest. I’ve enjoyed many trips to Cincinnati; have driven across the state on my way to Rhode Island. Several relatives now live in the state and seem to like it. If I were suddenly transferred there on a job I’m sure I wouldn’t be heartbroken – but I wouldn’t be overly thrilled at the prospect either. Since I’m already so accustomed to the mid-west I’d probably barely notice.

As someone who was born in and has lived in Ohio through college, I feel I'm adequately experienced to rate it as a vacation place. There are definitely some perks in the state, but unfortunately I've found places that are more interesting to visit elsewhere (I love the mountains and the ocean..neither of which can be found in Ohio). But, if you want to visit Ohio, I can give you some pointers. Cedar Point is the best thing Ohio has going for it. That place is awesome. You can see my comment on it under the amusement park category for more details. Also cool are the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and COSI, a science museum, in Columbus. If you're a sports fan (which I'm not), there are plenty of games you can watch due to the three large cities of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. Ohio is also rich in history, being the birthplace of 8 U.S. presidents, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Thomas Edison, Jack Nicklaus, Paul Newman, Steven Spielberg, and the Wright Brothers. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the person who said that a lot of Ohio is uninteresting flatlands. I'm from central Ohio and went to school in northwestern Ohio, and it's all flat farm land. If you want to see hills, you have to go to the southeastern part of the state, near Kentucky and West Virginia. The bodies of water are not the best for water activity due to pollution, but I believe you can still find some fun on the water at Lake Erie. While Ohio is not the most exciting place to visit, it is a pretty decent place to live. The people are friendly, the roads make sense, there are large cities close at hand almost all over the state. You just need to make sure you get out of the state every now and then for a vacation :)

I went down to Cincinnati once, and went to their airport, and it is the airport to visit! You could take a field trip there and have a good time. You could go there to shop, and get more stuff then you would find at your local shopping mall. It is like a mall there. They have a borders book store, a bunch of great restuarants, including a few intimate and fancy ones, and there are even some appliance stores there! Move over sears. It's a great view from the airport, and it's a beautiful series. I got a better look here, then I saw from the theme song credits on WKRP!

OK, so I'm biased giving Ohio 5 stars since I was born and raised in O-HI-O. It may not be the most exciting state in the U.S. of A, but I totally disagree with you folks who rate it the "worst." Ohioans ARE a friendly, accommodating group of people (I'm not sure where you've been looking, Alan1058). We are not rednecks or hicks or Yankees...you have to go a little further south to call a race of people names like that. Ohio has three large cities (Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland), the Indians & the Reds, the Browns & the Bengals, Ohio State University and the almighty Buckeyes, Dave Thomas (the founder of Wendy's), 2 major amusement parks (King's Island & Cedar Point...and CP has the LARGEST roller coaster in the WORLD there), Longaberger baskets, good old fashioned Amish country...I could go on & on. And although we may not have as interesting terrains as other states (no oceans, no deserts, no real mountains), KDdid is incorrect in claiming that Ohio is uninteresting "flatlands." Ohio is hardly flat! The whole state is very hilly! And we don't have to worry about earthquakes or hurricanes or volcanoes, and we rarely have tornadoes. The winters can be long & cold, but we haven't had a blizzard since 1978. So, no, I don't think Ohio is a bad place at all to call home. I think if you are going to rate a place (especially if you are going to badmouth a place), then at least get your facts straight, people!! (P.S. Note to Alan1058: You talk about returning to Colorado...well your great state had the Columbine tragedy...Ohio has had no horrific event like that, to date).

There's really nothing particularly great about Ohio. Nearly half of it is uninteresting flatlands, and about another half is old worn-out cities. The remaining little bit is some interesting small towns (including "Amish Country") nestled among some rolling hills; those redeeming qualities are the only reason the state isn't "terrible."

The terrible attitudes are second only to the rude individuals from NY in my opinion. I have lived in OH for two years now and am still amazed daily at how rude and insensitive most of the yankee jerks are that live around here (excluding my wife of course, which is why I moved here in the first place). I hope to move from this place as soon as I find better employment... hopefully in Colorado!!!

...I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

A nice place for vacation.