Columbus for a black 2011/2012 grad? (Kent, Louisville: fit in, homes, colleges)

[The Dissenter]

I'm thinking about long-term homes for me. I just moved to the Ft. Knox area of Kentucky and like it so far. My best situation would be to finish my degree and find a decent job and just move up I-65 to Louisville. Second best, would be to move back to my native Hampton Roads, VA. But with the economy in it's current state those situations may not happen. So I'm researching alternatives.

About me:

- I'm a black guy who leans converative.
- I call myself a Christian but I'm not a fan of bible thumpers. (Had a bad boss who was one.)
- I spent most of my life in Hampton Roads, VA followed by 6 horrid years in NoVA, now three decent months in the Ft. Knox area.
- Did I mention that living in Northern VA made me hate traffic?
- I will likely have my BS in Management (Can I get a quality non-customer job up there?)
- I'd like to have decent housing for under $600 a month (studio or 1 bed in a decent area).
- Is there a car tax in OH? VA and KY both have them and I'm not a fan of it.

Can I fit in Columbus?

[Momotaro]

- I'm a black guy who leans converative. (no problem)
- I call myself a Christian but I'm not a fan of bible thumpers. (Had a bad boss who was one.) (nothing too extreme here)
- I spent most of my life in Hampton Roads, VA followed by 6 horrid years in NoVA, now three decent months in the Ft. Knox area. (I miss Fort Knox)
- Did I mention that living in Northern VA made me hate traffic?(traffic is easy here, typical morning and evening rush hr better then most large cities)
- I will likely have my BS in Management (Can I get a quality non-customer job up there?)(a lot of companies here I suggest checking out the Columbus Dispatch online)
- I'd like to have decent housing for under $600 a month (studio or 1 bed in a decent area).(should be able to get a studio in that price)
- Is there a car tax in OH? VA and KY both have them and I'm not a fan of it. (no car tax)

You will be fine here, Columbus is a growing city and for its location and size it is relatively diverse.

[Ron.]

- I'm a black guy who leans converative. You'll be in good company. You'll meet others like you.
- I call myself a Christian but I'm not a fan of bible thumpers. (Had a bad boss who was one.) Columbus is not like a lot of southern states with bible thumpers, you'll be fine.
- I spent most of my life in Hampton Roads, VA followed by 6 horrid years in NoVA, now three decent months in the Ft. Knox area.---You'll like C'bus, it's a decent city and plenty of things to do and people to meet.
- Did I mention that living in Northern VA made me hate traffic? Depends on where you live and your commute, you'll have a bit of traffic to deal with especially when you travel North.
- I will likely have my BS in Management (Can I get a quality non-customer job up there?)hmmm, Columbus and Central Ohio is a Nub for call centers and corporations so you could possibly find and entry level position in one of the call centers. If that's not your forte', you'll have other options such as OSU and other colleges as well as hospitals.
- I'd like to have decent housing for under $600 a month (studio or 1 bed in a decent area). You can find a NICE 1 bedroom for $600/month. That's not going to be a problem at all.
- Is there a car tax in OH? VA and KY both have them and I'm not a fan of it. No, no car tax. My mom is from VA so I know all about the car tax.