People who have never been to L.A. really have no idea how insanely huge it is. Driving to my apartment from the start of city (before you even get to L.A. county) and having the city just keep going and going and going for two hours and not because of traffic jams is something you have to experience to truly understand.
Most of Ohio cities exist solely for industry. Cincinnati for transit (river + trains + air), Dayton for WPAFB (formerly a major canal for the ohio river), and Toledo for the Goodyear plant and lake Erie access; thats all i remember off the top of my head.