Westerville info (Columbus, Cincinnati, Gahanna: insurance, crime rates, houses)

[Rebzilla32]

I'm originally from Ohio moved to FL when I was 14 by my parents. I still have family there and was considering a move back and wanted to get some advice on Westerville I've heard from them that its a nice place was hoping to get some info from people who have lived there. The taxes and insurance in FL are getting crazy they expect you to give up so much to afford to live here and enjoy the sunshine well its not that important to me anymore. Thanks in advance

[paintballer1708]

^ I really like Westerville. That was one place me and my wife were looking at around Columbus. We now live north of Cincinnati. My wife is also from Florida. The West Palm Beach area. I cant believe the terrible shape that Florida is in. Its too expensive, hurricanes are bad, and the school systems are ranked 49th in the country. West Palm Beach still had abandoned highrises in the downtown.

But, about Westerville. Its in the NE suburbs of Columbus. One thing i liked was the amount of parks around the area. Being in a metro with over 2 million people you would think it would be more crazy. Well it was very quiet with a huge lake called Hoover Lake. Good spot to go boating. As well as the huge parks and golf courses around the area. There was a lot of entertainment nearby, and it was not far from Columbus or the Int'l airport. Although i did find traffic to be heavy around the 270 loop.

Overall i would have to say Westerville was my favorite suburb around Columbus. And that is competing with some pretty nice suburbs. Dublin, Hilliard, New Albany, Worthington, and Delaware was some of my top choices. Its got a great mixture of old and a lot of new coming in. Lots of new housing developments. I would really pick Westerville if you make a move to the Columbus metro.

http://www.ci.westerville.oh.us/

This is the Westerville home page.

[staceylynn]

I just got finished posting about Westerville on another thread. I love Westerville. I went to Otterbein College, and I love that area, right around downtown (or uptown, as they call it). There is always something going on there, and the restaurants in uptown are great. Otterbein has a fantastic theater department. If you have kids, they do one production for children every year, and it's always really popular with the townsfolk. If you're into shopping, Polaris Fashion Place, the largest mall in Ohio, is really close, and Easton Town Center is only about ten minutes away. The public library is awesome, and Sharon Woods Metro Park is close. I have lived in a few different towns in Ohio (Medina, Mason, and Westerville), and I can safely say that Westerville is my favorite of the three.

[pawprint76]

I agree with the other replies; I like Westerville. At this time, though, I can't afford to live there. The price of houses and taxes are not unsubstantiated.
The police force in Westerville is always on top of their game, and the schools there are excellent. Someone mentioned parks. Yes, they do have a great deal of parks. There is one park in particular that I enjoy; it's part of the Alum Creek system, and it has a small dam. Westerville overall is a great place to raise kids. I think you'll find a large community of Christian church-goers. As far as tolerance and appreciation for other cultures, though, I can't comment. I have not been a part of the Westerville community often enough to gain any knowledge regarding that. Otterbein is a liberal college, and might offer a more diverse population.

[lizard10]

Westerville is very safe considering it's size. The school district is the ninth largest in Ohio. If you have kids, I may recommend moving to a different city because the board of education has decided to cut a lot of classes because of a few levies not passing. All we have to show for it is a high school that took a lot of money from the other two high schools. It was a nice place to grow up when I was a kid though. Good schools, lots of community activities.

[823fd34g4]

Westerville is a great place to raise a family and is a very "high-class" area. It is rapidly growing and becoming part of the actual city of Columbus. My siblings live around this area (Lewis Center, Polaris, Dublin, Hilliard) and attend church here. It is one of the better, safer suburbs of Columbus. Other suburbs that I would suggest would be Hilliard (rapidly growing school system), Dublin, Lewis Center (growing rapidly and is large enough to be considered a city), Grandview Heights, and Gahanna. I would not suggest moving to the downtown area (High Street, OSU Campus) because of its high crime rates unless you are living there as a student attending Ohio State (convience to walk to classes). Oh and...Go Bucks!

[streetcreed]

I have to disagree with the person who said to not move near high st.
If you do not move to a suburb, the sections of columbus city limits there are the nicest and most expensive ARE the ones next to or on high st. Also, property on High St. near downtown is worth more daily and some of the nicest most interesting areas of columbus are on high st.