Need help with town differences (Columbus, Cleveland: section 8, for sale, condo)

[Holli4949]

We have been searching on the Internet and need to know----of these towns what are the differences? Grove City, Pickerington, Westerville, New Albany, Hilliard, Dublin, Upper Arlington, and Gahanna. I posted another thread earlier showing what we are looking for....my better half said to disregard the conservative part because it isn't too important.....hope someone can help! We are moving soon and have no idea what these places are like...thanks!!

[DonnaTate]

Grove City - less expensive. Prolly wouldn't be my first choice for schools or neighborhoods.
Pickerington - less expensive, not sure I'd wanna live here either, but that's just me
Westerville- stay away from Cleveland Ave, but other than that you'll find homes with nice lot sizes, a very charming downtown with boutiques.
New Albany- Great schools. Has the "Pleasantville" look and feel. Everything is perfectly in its place, doesn't seem lived in. Not much to do there.
Hilliard- Lots of new money there, although I should mention it's a little more redneck too
Dublin- Million dollar homes or section 8 living. High taxes, good schools, good luck finding anything but a condo for sale
Upper Arlington- good schools, close to downtown & the university. Higher taxes. Don't know much more than that. You might also want to consider Grandview - great neighborhoods and great schools there.
Gahanna- Large lot sizes. Some good and bad neighborhoods, decent schools. Airport in your backyard, high gas prices here.

Check out Worthington as well if you like character in your homes, many houses with large lot sizes. Short North is also a good place.
Definitely get a realtor - even the nicest communities in Columbus have borders. Move one block too far and you're living in a sketchy neighborhood. I've been in Columbus for almost a year and I'm having the worst time trying to find a house because you have to weigh your safety with an affordable house, or wind up with something that's very small.

[Holli4949]

Thank you so much! Where did you move there from? We have a realtor now and are planning to fly back in a couple of weeks to start house hunting. We are now looking at Westerville...New Albany......Pickerington.....Gahanna...and Worthington. Dublin and Hilliard may be too far of a commute for my boyfriend but we aren't sure. He's going to be working in Reynoldsburg. What have you heard of Newark? And what do you find bad about Pickerington? Thanks for your help!!

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Holli4949

Thank you so much! Where did you move there from? We have a realtor now and are planning to fly back in a couple of weeks to start house hunting. We are now looking at Westerville...New Albany......Pickerington.....Gahanna...and Worthington. Dublin and Hilliard may be too far of a commute for my boyfriend but we aren't sure. He's going to be working in Reynoldsburg. What have you heard of Newark? And what do you find bad about Pickerington? Thanks for your help!!

Having lived in Hilliard and Dublin, and working in Whitehall, I can tell you that the commute isn't all that bad. I disagree with the portrayal of Dublin, they have a ton of homes for sale in the $250 - $350K range, over 100 single family homes with at least 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths in a search I just executed. Section 8 housing is much more prevalent in Hilliard than Dublin.

Also, be careful in Westerville and Pickerington, there is a supplemental school income tax for much of those areas that needs to be added to your state income tax filing, I believe at an additional 1% of your income.