What are the Pro's & Con's of living in OH? (Columbus) (Bexley: apartment complex, rental)

[socaln8tv]

Originally Posted by Kasey77

I am native Ohioan. Have been living in So. Cal for many years. First and foremost, when people say it is cheaper to live in Ohio than CA, they have not lived in CA. Ohio has higher taxes, food is more expensive, I find services more expensive and utilities are more expensive. Housing is more expensive in CA. However, once you own your own home in CA, living here is less expensive.
That being said, Ohio is totally underrated and has so much to offer people of all ages. It is has beautiful green countrysides, one of the great lakes, four seasons, culture and in my opinion, genuine people that will be life long friends. The only thing wrong with Ohio is its undeserved reputation.

agreed on the taxes. they are obscene compared to what i pay in california. my property taxes on my home are locked in to prop 13.. i pay a third of the cost compared to what i do on my house outside of cbus. additionally, all the schools & their politics can't seem to find a budget that doesnt require a huge extra burden on parents.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by socaln8tv

agreed on the taxes. they are obscene compared to what i pay in california.

That's because property taxes in California are obscenely low, and the lack of revenue is a huge reason for California's current fiscal crisis.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

That's because property taxes in California are obscenely low, and the lack of revenue is a huge reason for California's current fiscal crisis.

I beg to disagree...

My tax rate is over 1.5% for a 1957 1725 sq ft home which works out to a little over $9,000 per year... this is the definition of obscene

Prop 13 became law in 1978 and the State enjoyed 30 years of ever increasing revenue... the problem is spending increased at a much higher rate.

For those that don't know, CA taxes just about everything... income, sales, property, phones, utility, etc...

[durf]

Columbus is very cheap to rent an apartment. Rents for $350 can be had for a studio apartment. People are cool and good looking. Boy, do love my club sandwich there.

[durf]

Columbus, Oh,

Pros:

1. cheap rents
2. cheaper cost of living
3. nice people
4. good food
5. no earthquake fault or other natural disasters
6. cool neighborhoods
7. close to NY and about 8 hr drive to NY

Cons:

1. no downtown
2. cold winters
3. no natural scenery

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by durf

Columbus, Oh,

Pros:

1. cheap rents
2. cheaper cost of living
3. nice people
4. good food
5. no earthquake fault or other natural disasters
6. cool neighborhoods
7. close to NY and about 8 hr drive to NY

Cons:

1. no downtown
2. cold winters
3. no natural scenery

There's a downtown, but it's like many downtowns around the nation that seem to not be as busy after 5 or 6pm. That has a lot to do with the urban population going to the suburbs from the 1950s to the 1990s. Columbus' downtown population dropped from over 30,000 in 1957 to less than 2,000 by the late '90s. Since then, the population has been going back up and has increased 5x-6x. You need to have residents to have life, and slowly things are changing. There is a plan in place to get the population back to where it used to be.

[DEE MAD]

If i could afford to own 2 homes i would live i columbus all summer and come back to dallas for the winter it does get cold here in dallas but it only last a few days at a time i miss the cool summers in ohio.

[Losfrisco]

Columbus pros:

Great restaurant scene
Cool neighborhoods like Grandview, Bexley, German/Italian/Victorian Village, short north
Good sports town
Good location
Cheap cost of living
Good economy


Cons:

No real public transit, you"ll be driving everywhere
Bad winters
Crime seems to be on the rise(at the time I left for SoCal there were PD choppers buzzing my apartment complex at least weekly).


I am happier here in SoCal but I still recommend the C-Bus to anyone. I actually rented a TWO bedroom for 350 on E. 12th ave once upon a time....crappy place but pretty much downtown, in the 15th biggest American city. Man that place seems like a penthouse compared to my pad here...

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

Columbus pros:

Great restaurant scene
Cool neighborhoods like Grandview, Bexley, German/Italian/Victorian Village, short north
Good sports town
Good location
Cheap cost of living
Good economy


Cons:

No real public transit, you"ll be driving everywhere
Bad winters
Crime seems to be on the rise(at the time I left for SoCal there were PD choppers buzzing my apartment complex at least weekly).


I am happier here in SoCal but I still recommend the C-Bus to anyone. I actually rented a TWO bedroom for 350 on E. 12th ave once upon a time....crappy place but pretty much downtown, in the 15th biggest American city. Man that place seems like a penthouse compared to my pad here...

The one con you mentioned is not really true. Overall crime, like just about everywhere else in the US, has been generally falling for years.

[t80tank]

Biggest pro about living in Ohio is you know you can always move out, and that there are better places to live. I've lived here my entire life (31 years) and can't wait to move.