Columbus Ohio--Best place (Cleveland, Bexley, Forest: hardwood floors, job transfer, neighborhood)

[streetcreed]

I want a good sized, growing city, around 2 million people, with a great economy, tons of jobs in finance, with an educated population, a lot of young people, good universities, civic spirit, and a nice selection of cultural institutions and activities given the cities size. And with a moderate cost of living.

Honestly, that paragraphy sums up Columbus pretty well. Columbus has a moderate living cost, not very very cheap not really expensive, many universities and insitutuions (of course including the largest university in the US, Ohio State) Columbus has a very high educated, white collar population. And Columbus is a growing, though moderate growth city. Also Columbus has the second largest employe base for JP Morgan, after only NYC. Columbus' only main large bank based in the city is Huntington, but JP Morgan has thousands of employees (as a result of the merger of Columbus based Bank One.) Also, almost all other major/small banks have some presence in Columbus. Insurance is another huge industry in the city.

[OhioKid]

Columbus also has Nationwide and Safe Auto HQd there. Plus, Defense Accounting service is there. Not sure if they need finance people. And the Limited, Victoria Secret, Wendy's, Abercrobie & Fitch are all headquarted in the area. Laongaberger Basket is in nearby Newark. I would think they would have finance people. There's several smaller private colleges in the area too. And if you go, maybe an hour southeast, there is the Hocking Hills area for outdoor stuff. 2 hours and you are in Parkersburg, West Virginia. All kinds of hiking around there. And much bigger mountains than anything in Ohio. I grew up just across the river from Parkersburg. It's an easy drive.

As far as snow, I think you would be looking at 20-25 inches a year. Usually, 2-3 inches at a time. Occasional blizzard. Summers in the 80s and 90s. Humidity isn't too bad. Sometimes it can be. Hardly ever hits a 100 degrees.

You might want to check out Indianapolis and/or Cincinnati also.

[raleightransplant]

I can say only great things about Columbus. I attended OSU and thoroughly enjoyed my time living there. Four wonderful seasons, active and growing artistic community and a very vibrant young scene there. I feel that Columbus has a moderate or "healthy" growth rate compared to what I'm experiencing here in the Raleigh-Durham area which is just off the charts w/ growth right now, as is much of NC... The less than ideal weather (for some) and location in the Midwest actually benefit Columbus in that it deters some people, but the city continues to grow at nice rate.

Snow is hit-or-miss w/ Columbus...some years see very little and others quite a bit. Columbus is always working to improve it's city center..This also keeps the area exciting, but it retains it's character which is a major plus. Metro size is around 2 million and I think Columbus provides the sense of community that you might really appreciate coming from Phoenix (or Austin). The downside is nature...just not a whole lot in that area but probably can be found w/in 1hr drive with a little effort. As mentioned--check out OSU area, Short North, German Village, Arena District and you'll enjoy I'm sure. Best of luck.

[perfctplace3]

Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks: Parks by Area of Town

I looked at the website above and on a few picture sites like Flickr and found lots of green/parks around the city.

The snow looks like the mostly light dusting kind. I don't mind a snow storm now and then as long as it is not the blizzards I had to drive in near Rochester, NY.

[GoingMobile]

Originally Posted by OhioKid

Columbus also has Nationwide and Safe Auto HQd there. Plus, Defense Accounting service is there. Not sure if they need finance people. And the Limited, Victoria Secret, Wendy's, Abercrobie & Fitch are all headquarted in the area. Laongaberger Basket is in nearby Newark. ....

Don't forget Cardinal Health's HQ and Ashland's Tech Center in Dublin. And there are also Honda's two huge plants just 25 miles away in Marysville / East Liberty.

The place has a really nicely diversified economy, something that is quite rare in the rustbelt. This has to a large extent insulated it from many of the economic woes of much of the midwest.

[sjesika]

Check out the Westgate neighborhood when you begin your home search. It's a pocket neighborhood with a great sense of community. The homes are old and many have been updated. It's very much like the Clintonville area, but home prices are about 1/2 that you find on the north end.

[chicagoerin]

I think you will love Columbus. I have lived in several different areas including Chicago, Peoria, Illinois, etc and find it an incredibly safe and easy place to live! I work for a major corporation here and most of my friends have moved from places like: Boston, DC, NY, LA, Chicago and we all agree it's a great city (certainly not as exciting as a major metro) but plenty to do and an easy lifestyle. I would say the crime seems very low compared to similar cities. I have never felt unsafe. Hope this helps.!

[xcountrymover]

Another plus to Columbus is how many historical places are within driving distance. D.C. is just about 8 hours away, Gettysburg PA 6 hourzs, Boston just 12. Makes a lot of places very accessible to families wanting a great vacation.

[kallie26]

I would agree that the zoo and library system are definite plusses of Columbus. The zoo was fun to visit even as an adult (membership is worth it if you have kids, and if you live in NW it's pretty close by), and I spent a lot of time over the years in the libraries. Compared to where I live now, the traffic was far better in Columbus -- you could live 15 miles north of downtown and easily get downtown in 20-25 minutes avoiding rush hour (which wasn't too hard to avoid), as opposed to an hour for similar distances here. Finally, housing is extremely cheap. Fantastic cost of living.

People are pretty down to earth in Columbus and I do think it's a nice place to raise a family (or to have grown up) ... but I must admit I am one of the Ohioans who is excited to be relocating to Texas. One thing about the weather here is, it's GRAY all the time. (Seriously, look it up, Columbus has almost two months more cloudy days every year than Dallas.) It's nice to get all four seasons but I always got down in the winter with it being so gloomy all the time.

Also, you have to deal with all these Buckeyes Now, I did go there for my graduate degree, but my loyalties will always lie with my undergraduate school and my family got *harassed* for this over the years! (But my school doesn't burn couches and throw bottles at band members...Boo.) There aren't really other professional teams (aside from hockey and soccer, a bit smaller sports) here so it is all Bucks, all the time. Some people like that -- just know it coming in!

[west5548]

Winters in Columbus are not what they tell you, I moved here from a warm climate because of a job transfer and was also told the winters were not bad here. I really can't wait to leave Columbus in 3 years, actually have considered Texas. The winters here last from Nov-May and latest I saw snow was May 2nd, it's depressing. Good luck to you here, I have just found this place is not my cup of tea.