Is Columbus for me?? (Dayton, Gahanna: rentals, condo, how much)

[TheBeesKnees]

[SIZE=3]Hi! I am currently living in Liberty Township (in between Cincy and Dayton) but looking to move. I would like to live somewhere with a little more history, mature trees, and cultural diversity. Somewhere you can feel safe to walk around the block or possibly to the store or local tavern/restaurant (ethnic restaurants). Somewhere relatively close to parks/recreation opportunities would also be a plus. Where I live now is Chain heaven! I would love to find someplace with more locally owned businesses. Does this place exist in the Columbus area and how much should I expect to spend to get a 3-4 bedroom home? I don't know much about the areas surrounding Columbus so any info would help!! [/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]Thanks![/SIZE]

[NewToCA]

Grandview, the Short North and Victorian Village might meet your objectives. Expect to pay anywhere from the upper $200 to mid $300s on average.

[fmpitw]

I ditto the Short North and would add Clintonville. The 200's and 300's would be about right on price there as well. Good Luck.

[streetcreed]

For what you are looking for I recommend staying away from the suburbs and living in these sections of Columbus...
(the only suburb that could really fit your askings would be Grandview Heights)

All of these neighborhoods are also near the rivers and High St, you can hop on a bike trail or take a walk in nature and be in the city at the same time. And mass transit is more easily accessible in these areas.

I agree, Victorian/Italian Village/Short North, all just north of downtown, would be right on target for you. 200,000's and up would be right for home/condo prices, and for rentals there's a wider range. You can find more "bohemain" rentals for around $600, or more expensive for around $800-1,000.

Also, Clintonville has a lot of etnic restaurants, especially the section of south Clintonville that blends into the OSU university north campus. The "north campus/south clintonville" area has more rentals, and the further north you get the more ownership options there are.

Also, Merion Village (south of downtown) may be a good option. It doesn't have quite as many walking options as the previous areas mentioned but, there are a lot of relatively cheap rentals (a nice redone rental for 550 and up.) Also, there's a lot of redone homes for moderate prices in Merion Village, under 200,000. I would recommend being in Merion Village only if your closer to High St. That is where there would be some things to walk to, and you would want to be in the northern section of Merion Village closer to downtown and German Village where there's coffe shops, markets, and restaurants.

[mapcat]

Victorian Village, Clintonville, and all the other areas mentioned so far are good ideas. I'd add Worthington too...even though it's not as close to the city center it's definitely not "Chain heaven"! But if you need chains, they're fairly easy to get to in Dublin or Polaris.

I used to live near the OP's current address and agree that the area has little character. Anything old has been torn down and replaced by strip malls.

[TheBeesKnees]

Thanks everyone!! At least I have somewhere to start looking! Are all of these places "Safe" I have heard Bexley isn't the best place to move because the areas surrounding it are a little scary.. How's Grandview, Victorian, Clintonville, and Short North on safety?

[LancasterNative]

Howdy BeesKnees!

As far as safety goes, your best bets are Clintonville and Grandview.

As mapcat posted above, Worthington might also be a good fit for you—it's definitely safe, albeit more suburban than any of the others.

Not that there's anything wrong with the other neighborhoods per se, but the closer you get in towards Downtown, the more proximity you have to seedy/dangerous places. That's just the urban environment, I guess...

Best of luck to you!

Lanc

[angela0804]

Gahanna has the new Creekside development, which is new nestled among old; housing options vary. And, there's old Dublin and Bexley as well.
MOD CUT Take care!

[other1]

You say mature trees and history, I say German Village. I think Tenzo lives down there, he should fill you in.

I like Grandview, that is where I live, but for an area that is a "historic" dense neighborhood, German Village is great.

Columbus has pockets like German Village, Short North, Grandview, ect where original restaruants, local bars, ect are common place. The majority of the suburbs will have a small "old downtown" with a few shops and restarunts but unfortunatley they are becoming overwelmed with chain heaven and not quite as walkable.

A single family, move in ready home in German Village, starting around $300K? A single family move in ready home in Grandview, 225K? You can find some for less, I would just assume they would require some work.

[Tenzo]

I think that was my que

In my opinion German Village should be your choice.
I looked for the same things and picked a place there. After a year, I have no regrets.

German Village can get pricy though.
There are three classifications (for pricing) in German Village
$120K - $250K small, renovated, nice (up to 3 bedroom)
$300K - $500K Big / Large, need work and care
$500K - $1.5M Big / Large rehabbed and nice. (some have pools and guest houses)

We bought in the middle catagory and got a 3,000 sq foot, 5 bedroom with a full basement, yard and garage.
It had new electrical, plumbing and walls. So the structure is really sound and gives me the opportunity to work on one room at a time. Here is a link to the kitchen I just finished (and am very proud of).

There is a fourth catagory that is not for the feint of heart. You can get shells for $50K - $60K.
I see a lot of people buying 2, 3 even 5 shells and combining them into one big house. It's a surprisingly large number of places.

There is also a place that is large and nicely done with everything new, that the owner will sell cheap. She bought it at $700K and is trying to unload it around $500K. The only problem is that it's haunted.