Dublin, Upper Arlington, New Albany (Columbus, Newark: apartments, condos, houses)

[cosmos..33]

Which, of these three, would you say is the best place to live – all things considered? Which has the best public amenities? I live just outside of, and work in, Dublin, and I went to high school with some people from Upper Arlington, so I am somewhat familiar with those two communities, but New Albany is very foreign to me. Would you say the “keeping up with Jones” mentality that I see in Dublin is worse in New Albany?

Also, which of the three communities is the LEAST homogenous?

I am not interested in moving to any of them – at least, now – I’m just curious about the demographics.

[LancasterNative]

Of these three communities, all would be considered "pleasant" places to live by almost anyone's measure. They are all high on the socio-economic scale, and an address within in any of them connotes a certain degree of success and/or prosperity.

I think the least homogeneous of the three is probably Dublin. It has a much bigger population than New Albany (which, despite all the attention it generates, is still very small in pop.) and it's definitely more diverse than UA. This diversity is not only racial and ethnic, but also extends to the types of occupations found in Dublin. Dublin is not all million-dollar homes, either. Lots of apartments and condos are seen in Dublin, housing everyone from younger singles to empty-nesters...as you've probably noticed, being so close!

I'm not sure about "keeping up with the Joneses" in New Albany, but driving thru there you get the clear idea that if you move there, your house would look almost exactly like the Joneses! (And the Smiths, and the Millers, and the Goldbergs...) New Albany's architecture, neighborhood layout, etc. is all extremely regimented and centrally controlled via strict zoning and building codes. Not to say it's unattractive, but to those of us who enjoy variety it's a little creepy and Stepford-like.

UA is landlocked, with no more room for further development within its borders. Dublin and NA still have plenty of room to annex and grow.

Hope this helps a little!

[Paddington]

New Albany is a place that looks great on paper, but I wasn't that impressed with it when I visited. That and it takes an insanely long time to get there. You feel like you're driving to another city.

Overall, I like Dublin best.

[NewToCA]

I've lived in Dublin for 5 years and have no problem recommending it. One thing I want to add though, is if I were returning to Columbus I would initially be looking in the Powell area.

[CObound]

I have lived in New Albany for the past year (in an apartment) and can share some insight. I would never want to actually live here for good. I am a student and was temporarily living here because it is halfway between my school and my boyfriend's work in Newark. While New Albany is a very pretty community and is very well-kept, it doesn't have that much to offer...at least not for younger people. The 'downtown' is VERY small with nothing to do. There are only about 2 bars to go to. The majority of younger people that live here all work at Abercrombie and also dress the part. Most people that live here are middle-aged with younger, school-aged children. One thing I will give New Albany is that their school systems are amazing! The high school looks like a college campus and they seem to have great sports programs. There is definitely a keeping up with the Jones's attitude and LancasterNative was exactly right in saying that ALL the houses look exactly the same! They have strict building codes and no room for your own personal touches or creativity. Also housing prices are OUTRAGEOUS for what you actually get. Another thing I don't like is the drive to downtown Columbus is too long...about 20 to 25 minutes when there isn't any traffic. Gahanna seems like a much better town to me. More to do and the people are more down to earth. There is a wonderful dog park and a better 'downtown' area than New Albany has. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. If you want to showboat around town in your Mercedes G-Wagon or your Lamborghini (and yes I have seen a few), then New Albany might be the place for you!

[yet_another_cmh_guy]

As said before, Dublin is the least homogeneous; you can search US Census data for stuff like that by zipcode, at American FactFinder. Plug in a zip code, scroll down through the demo data. All three areas (43016/43017 for Dublin, 43220/43221 for UA, 43054 for New Albany) may look the same, but Dublin includes a lot more foreign workers who work and live in the area, but aren't counted in the census; mainly people from India.

As far as public amenities, depends on what you mean by that. I think Dublin might be better in terms of parks/green space, although UA has the one long park along the Scioto River and reservoir.

But then you say that you are already in the area... just get in a car and drive around! That's one way to see the differences.

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by CObound

If you want to showboat around town in your Mercedes G-Wagon or your Lamborghini (and yes I have seen a few), then New Albany might be the place for you!

LOL!! Earlier this summer, my g/f and I were headed out to Utica for the day, and to get there we passed through New Albany. At one particular intersection—which was a little more backed-up than usual due to construction—I was making a left turn when suddenly a very impatient driver blew by us on the right, revving his rocket-like engine extra loud just to proclaim his studliness. He was in a dark blue Lamborghini!

Our failure to be impressed resulted in weeks' worth of good laughs and "egomobile" jokes

[DonnaTate]

I live just outside of New Albany. Everything is well maintained there, but it's a pretty small place with not much action going on. Dublin is great if you're looking to live in a condo or a million dollar house - you're not going to find much else there (my boyfriend also works in Dublin so we were looking at housing there). I don't know much about UA, I think if you're young you'll probably enjoy Dublin the most. We're in Westerville right now, I really like it there. It's got a nice downtown with lots of shops and restaurants, it really has that small town feel, lots of taller trees and houses with character. It's a nice place to live, although a bit of a drive from your work I'm sure.