Boom Time for

Boom Time forBoomerangs


It’s a classic Cincinnati story: locals leaving town, only to return later in life. But natives aren’t the only ones coming home to Cincinnati. We ask them why they’re here—and why they stay.

By Akshay Ahuja, Katie Coburn, Damian Dotterweich, Jaclyn Youhana Garver, Judi Ketteler, Kaileigh Peyton, Laurie Pike, Cedric Rose, Steven Rosen, John Stowell, Linda Vaccariello, Rodney Wilson, and Elizabeth Miller Wood

P&G’s Lauren Worley Found Her Place

“I really wanted to live in a place where what I did mattered. Sometimes it was hard to find a place to fit in in a big city.”

Downbound Books Owner Gregory Kornbluh Didn’t Have a Plan

"I headed home to Cincinnati without a solid plan; I figured I’d spend some time here while figuring out what to do next."

Photographer Tina Gutierrez Found Her Community

Gutierrez says she and her husband have “formed strong friendships within the local music and FotoFocus communities.”

Cristian Pietoso Makes His Dream Come True in Cincinnati

Cristian Pietoso follows in his father’s footsteps, but finds his own success in the restaurant business at Via Vite, Nicola’s, and Forno.

Medical Student Jacob Lutz Made a Career Change

"I was extremely excited to be back...but also nervous because I knew I’d be starting over again in school to pursue medicine."

Musician Gary Griffin’s Complicated Homecoming

“I really don’t know how much I like being back yet. We haven’t been able to fully experience the city during the pandemic.”

Chef Vanessa Miller Came to Cook

“I know that this is a city where I can push my culinary career forward instead of feeling like it was going to be stagnant.”

Making My Hometown Home Again

Connectedness, beautiful surroundings, kind people, and excitement drew me back to Cincinnati, and I am not the only one.

Mixologist Molly Wellmann Makes History Special

“I want to make some history here in Cincinnati so we continue to be a really important place on the map.”

Actor Pamela Myers Never Stopped Working

"People don’t realize how much the arts contribute to the economy, how many people work in the arts. It’s a huge industry in the city."

Julie Coppens Is a Serial Boomerang

“I knew this was where I needed to be again, for now.”

Enquirer Food Writer Keith Pandolfi Knew He’d Be Back

“The familiarity of the landscape, the architecture, the city itself brought me back. It’s always just felt like home.”

Gabe Davis Makes an Impact

"The fact that there was this commitment and space for making progress, to me it felt like I could come here to do that work."

Drew and Lea Lachey Gave Their Kids a Midwestern Childhood

“We’re fortunate to live in a place that affords us the benefits of a small town but the opportunities of a big city.”

Event Producer Megyn Norbut Helps Build a Cool City

"When I was younger, I wanted to live in a cool city. Now I get to help build the kind of city I want to live in."

Restaurateurs Ashley and Austin Heidt Opened Their Restaurant Their Own Way

Ashley Heidt says that “Dear is a love letter, an invitation to experience something memorable and something beautiful here.”

Editor’s Letter, June 2021: We Just Keep Coming Back

I learned that “boomerangs” were a thing here—a current of people leaving Cincinnati and then moving back years later.

Artist Susannah Tisue Wanted to Own Her Space

“The space we’re in now, a theater building from 1910, is a place we wouldn’t have been able to own in New York.”

How Cincinnati Enables Eric Avner to “Get Stuff Done”

People who choose Cincinnati as their home, says Eric Avner of the Haile Foundation, bring a new kind of enthusiasm.

Sharmili Reddy Strives to Create a Safe Haven for All

The Kenton County official wants all newcomers to feel the same kind of inclusivity she’s experienced.

Musician Bryan Devendorf Had a New Appreciation for Home

"I returned as an adult with a different perspective and different ideas of what matters in life. So really everything here seems changed."

Read a digital copy of our June issue!

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