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My wife has an opportunity to relocate to Columbus, Ohio. Even though we are originally from Ohio, we have only been to Columbus once. Even then, we did very little exploration. I'd just assume stay here,as I love it here, but she is on a quest to be closer to family.
Anyways, do any of you have any experience with Columbus? If so, how do you think Columbus compares to the Queen City? Thanks to all that can give information.
IMO, Charlotte and Columbus are very similar with a few notable exceptions. While Columbus is an older city has a more historical architecture, it only really came into its own in the last 30 years so much of downtown is relatively new and it's north/south development pattern downtown (along High and Broad Streets) reminds me of much uptown's development along Church/Tryon/College. Additionally, Short North, just north of Downtown Columbus is filled with funky restaurants, clubs and galleries. Like the Southend X 50...
1. The weather
2. Columbus is a college town
3. The north side of Columbus is comparable to South Charlotte
4. I-270 Beltway is completed
5. You can't smoke anywhere
Columbus, partly thanks to Ohio State is also generally considered to be more progressive and socially liberal compared to other cities in OH such as Cincinnati and suburban Cleveland. Although the economy has taken a hit in Columbus (as it has everywhere), for a while it was probably the fast growing city Ohio.
Suburbs such as New Albany, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware (all on the northside) are generally considered to be very nice places to raise a family. Intown, Bexley and Grandview Heights are two first ring suburbs worthy of consideration, but I'm not sure of the schoos. Hillard to the west is also nice.
I actually moved from Charlotte to Columbus about a year and a half ago. I will say that Columbus stands far and away better than Charlotte in two important areas: roads and schools. As the state capital, Columbus doesn't have to play games to get road built. There are two outer belts (completed) and two interstates that run through town. It is BY FAR easier to get around Columbus than it is Charlotte. (I was reminded of this when, on a recent trip to Charlotte, it took me nearly an hour and a half to get from Presbyterian Hospital to the Arboretum.)
The public schools here are among the best in the country. They are top-notch.
Property taxes are higher here, but there is no property tax on vehicles.
Climate-wise, they are actually pretty similar. We really don't get much snow in Columbus. Last year was VERY cloudy, but this year is much better.
Ohio State is a cult here. It's ridiculous.
You can buy liquor here on Sundays. In the grocery store.
Climate-wise, they are actually pretty similar. We really don't get much snow in Columbus. Last year was VERY cloudy, but this year is much better.
OK, I was with you up until this statement LOL!!! I used to work in Washington Court House. There is NOTHING similar about Columbus and Charlotte when it comes to weather. You obviously haven't been there long enough. You just wait. The cold front will soon come and YOU WILL see multiple days with single digit highs. I am sorry, but climate wise, Columbus has a MUCH colder winter than Charlotte. It is also a much snowier winter there on average.
Additionally, Short North, just north of Downtown Columbus is filled with funky restaurants, clubs and galleries. Like the Southend X 50...
I've shot pool and ate lunch in The Short North a few times. It is an OK area, but let's not get carried away. South End is without a doubt heading in a MUCH different direction than The Short North. Keep in mind, South End is very young. It was born in the 90s for crying out loud. Before the 90s, South End was the hood. Kinda like some parts of the Short North is today LOL!!! The only thing 50 times stronger in the Short North is the number of panhandlers and bums. Yep, the Short North is 50 times larger than South End in that department.
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 01-04-2009 at 12:17 AM..
My wife has an opportunity to relocate to Columbus, Ohio. Even though we are originally from Ohio, we have only been to Columbus once. Even then, we did very little exploration. I'd just assume stay here,as I love it here, but she is on a quest to be closer to family.
Anyways, do any of you have any experience with Columbus? If so, how do you think Columbus compares to the Queen City? Thanks to all that can give information.
Columbus is much like Charlotte. It is known as a big country town. The only thing I found better than Charlotte is the zoo which is great. The university of Ohio is located there but really doesn't seem to have a big impact on the city except for football games. I lived in a suburb called Reynoldsburg which was pretty nice. My kids went to schools in Reynoldsburg which were highly rated but despite having extremely high pregnacy and drug rates. Schools generally were on par with any other city with diversity. Some schools were outstanding as in Charlotte depending on where you live. I personally enjoyed Columbus mostly for the friends that I made there. The shopping centers and restaurants are not as good as those in Charlotte overall. Hard to find a good Indian meal there. Downtown is is pretty dead unless you go up Main towards the University were you can go to restaurants filled with students. You can find some cool crackhouses there also. LOL. There are some really nice towns and suburbs surrounding Columbus, ie. Dublin Westerville, etc. I feel that Columbus, like Charlotte is a good family oriented town. You will not be impressed driving through Columbus as there are lots of old ratty looking homes standing on your path.
Again, I liked Columbus but I would prefer Charlotte because of its proximity to the ocean, mountains, etc. Both cities are very similar. Columbus is nothing like Cleveland, a very northern industral city, or Cincinatti, the big industrial hillbilly city just west (not meant as an insult). Personally, I would stay in Charlotte and have your relatives stop on their way to Myrtle Beach. Although Columbus is the capital, it is not a hotbed of cultur al activity and fellow Ohioans from Cleveland and Cincinatti consider it a hick town. However, I would chose Columbus over either.
The way everyone here makes Ohio sound, I am really curious as to why SO MANY people from Ohio are moving here if Ohio is really that awesome. Is it climate, jobs, standard of life...? What is it?
The way everyone here makes Ohio sound, I am really curious as to why SO MANY people from Ohio are moving here if Ohio is really that awesome. Is it climate, jobs, standard of life...? What is it?
It is eveything you just named. However, many folks leave Ohio because Charlotte is heading in a different direction than ANY city in Ohio. In 10 to 15 years, no city in Ohio will compare to Charlotte when it comes to size and number of jobs available. Also, Charlotte's warmer weather and proximity to the beach is a big plus.
Ohio cities are ahead of Charlotte when it comes to urban infrastructure (roads, high density neighborhoods, less sprawl) simply because Ohio's cities have been "big" much longer than Charlotte. Charlotte is still a "small town" trying to become "big" when compared to Ohio cities. Charlotte's small town past is very evident when you drive around town. I see massive areas of NOTHING in city limits all the time. The roads in Charlotte are very poor for a mid-sized American city.
Here is an example of what I am talking about. In Charlotte, there is currently no freeway going to Union county (NC's fastest growing county). In Ohio, a city Charlotte's size would have at least two freeways going to a fast growing suburb like Union County. A city Charlotte's size would also have several freeways crisscrossing town. That's one of my dislikes with I-77. That freeway DOES NOT need to be widened. I-77 simply needs another freeway intown running parallel to it (2-3 miles east of I-77). Columbus has parallel intown freeways like this. Then again, Charlotte is ahead of Cincy and Columbus when it comes to light rail, so I guess I can't complain too much.
It is eveything you just named. However, many folks leave Ohio because Charlotte is heading in a different direction than ANY city in Ohio. In 10 to 15 years, no city in Ohio will compare to Charlotte when it comes to size and number of jobs available. Also, Charlotte's warmer weather and proximity to the beach is a big plus.
Ohio cities are ahead of Charlotte when it comes to urban infrastructure (roads, high density neighborhoods, less sprawl) simply because Ohio's cities have been "big" much longer than Charlotte. Charlotte is still a "small town" trying to become "big" when compared to Ohio cities. Charlotte's small town past is very evident when you drive around town. I see massive areas of NOTHING in city limits all the time. The roads in Charlotte are very poor for a mid-sized American city.
Here is an example of what I am talking about. In Charlotte, there is currently no freeway going to Union county (NC's fastest growing county). In Ohio, a city Charlotte's size would have at least two freeways going to a fast growing suburb like Union County. A city Charlotte's size would also have several freeways crisscrossing town. That's one of my dislikes with I-77. That freeway DOES NOT need to be widened. I-77 simply needs another freeway intown running parallel to it (2-3 miles east of I-77). Columbus has parallel intown freeways like this. Then again, Charlotte is ahead of Cincy and Columbus when it comes to light rail, so I guess I can't complain too much.
If Ohio roads are so great compared to those locally and the highways are so well planned, can you explain how it is not possible to drive a direct route through Ohio, on a descent highway, from Columbus to Huntington, W.V. on the way to Charlotte? If one wants to stay on a highway, they must go via Zanesville which is not direct. Columbus is never catagorized as being on par with Cincy or Cleveland. They consider Columbus as a country town.
If Ohio roads are so great compared to those locally and the highways are so well planned, can you explain how it is not possible to drive a direct route through Ohio, on a descent highway, from Columbus to Huntington, W.V. on the way to Charlotte? If one wants to stay on a highway, they must go via Zanesville which is not direct. Columbus is never catagorized as being on par with Cincy or Cleveland. They consider Columbus as a country town.
When I drive to Charlotte from Columbus I take 23 out of Columbus to 35 to 64 and that is all four-lane divided highways in Ohio. There is a two lane stretch of 35 but that is in WV. Not sure why you would go to Huntington to get to Charlotte.
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