I was born and raised in the City of Chicago, but after attending graduate school, I moved to Cleveland to work for the Federal Reserve. I chose to live in Ohio City.

Part of the reason why I moved here is because I knew I wouldn’t be alone. Ohio City has become home to a “power cohort,” as the term is used within academic literature.

I first learned about the idea of power cohorts while studying neighborhoods and their effects on urban growth in graduate school. Power cohorts specifically refer to people between the ages of 25 and 34 who possess a bachelor’s degree or graduate degree.

Power cohorts are important because attracting smart, young people to metropolitan regions is one way to boost their economies. Educated young people fill talent gaps in the workforce, support businesses, pay taxes, and rent or buy houses in the area. 

Given that Cleveland’s population has been declining for decades – though the rate of decline has slowed – why is Ohio City bucking the trend? What draws the “power cohort” of young people with options to live elsewhere to choose here?

I knew that I wanted to live in an urban environment, a vibrant place with plenty of nightlife. I knew that I didn’t want the car-dominated lifestyle associated with suburban living. I also didn’t want to live in the glorified dorms, as I like to call them, that exist in most Warehouse District apartment buildings. I found what I was looking for in Ohio City, where I can live in a stand-alone house close to entertainment and work.

Yet Ohio City’s story is about more than a few young professionals moving there. The community is undergoing remarkable changes in a city that hasn’t seen similar trends.

From 2000 to 2010, Ohio City is one of the few neighborhoods in Cleveland to see an increase in the share of its population between the ages of 25 and 34 years old – it went from 17 percent to 21 percent. The area has also seen one of the largest increases in its share of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher – from 19 percent to 29 percent. These numbers should not be taken lightly in a city that has seen its share of residents between the ages 25-34 years old shrink over the last decade. Moreover, only 13 percent of the city’s residents currently possess a bachelor’s degree or higher.

So what is it about Ohio City that draws the “power cohort”? Is it the smell of fermenting beer that emanates from Great Lakes Brewery on my morning walk to work? Is it the taquitos at Momocho’s happy hour?  No, it’s definitely the last Saturday of the month old-school hip hop DJ at Touch, isn’t it?  Or maybe it’s the Saturday morning trips to the West Side market? I’m sure that every young professional has their own reasons for living in the OC.  I’m just glad that I can be a part of a great neighborhood.

Cheers to Ohio City.