Bexley?

[woodlandparker]

First, I am not an "urban pioneer". I moved to a neighborhood where great people have lived for years. My home sits on a lot overlooking a boulevard of at least an acre. I am two blocks from the 90 acre Franklin Park, which is adjacent to Wolf Park and Nelson Park. Homes on my street range in size from ~3,000 square feet to over 6,000 and have lots at least 180' deep and at least 65'wide (my lot of over 1/2 acre). So you can see homes in my neighborhood are not "crammed in like circuits on a computer chip". (which by the way some people actually like- i.e. German Village)

The couple were interested in Bexley and others found it upon themselves to make misstatements about surrounding neighborhoods. I think we should let the facts speak for themselves. Please check out the crime statistics on the City of Columbus Supersite under the link to the Safety Department. (just search for Columbus on your search engine, you'll get there) Drive the areas and speak with residents who actually live there. Decide for yourself if you want to raise your children to know people different from themselves before you let others tell you diversity is a bad thing or something you should not be around. Let's give people the real facts and information and let them decide what they are comfortable with. I know many people who have decided that the Bexley area is exactly the type of place they want their children to grow up in (even some have choses to move here to Woodland Park, and other Columbus neighborhoods, and raise a family!) and I know others who were not comfortable with it.

That is what I truly find amazing about Columbus. We have lots of wonderful neighborhoods, each with their own character. There is something for everyone, no matter what type of lifestyle you want to live. And the crime stats are not really significantly that different for different areas.

Let's not unsupported opinions be presented as fact, please. I never stated anything more than what I like about the area, my experiences living here, and facts from 8 years of ongoing researching and studies of reports and facts about Columbus.

Thanks and that is all I have to say on this discussion!

[streetcreed]

for those reading this forum, if one thing can be learned from this nice argument over the near east side; the area is very complicated and cannot be summed up in just one sentence.

Each story on here has some truth, but those who live in the area do know it best. It is possibly one of the most complicated areas in Columbus because it is wealthy, poor, all races, diversity, a real mixed bag.

The area is not "bombed" out or all boarded up. Some make these neighborhoods sound as though they are Detroit, that is not the case, but they are not Laguna Beach either.

Some of the grandest and oldest homes in Columbus do lye in these near east side neighborhoods. (Olde Town East)

Essentially, the near east side of Columbus more closely resembles what one might expect from an inner city. One street is really nice the next has more poor families.

Certain sections of the area are much nicer than others. It is an area that takes years of research to truly understand (hence why documentaries have been made on some of the neighborhoods)

Columbus' innercity is mostly much nicer and gentrified than other cities of similar sizes. In some places (suggest cleveland or Buffalo) Columbus' Olde Town East neighborhood would actually be considered the nice urban neighborhood.

However, this is Columbus and everything adjacent to downtown to the north and south is gentrified and for the weatlhy, so in comparison the near east side seems in bad shape (to some) Understanding the context of the city helps one understand the way in which the east side neighborhoods are looked at.
P.S. when speaking of the near east side, we mean just the neighorhoods just east of downtown until you reach Bexley. Then further east of Bexley those neighborhoods are usually called the east side (Berwick, Eastmoor, Whitehall, Hamilton Rd. area)

[woodlandparker]

Ok, I lied. I do have one more thing to say about the area from downtown to Bexley (known as the near east side). It is a HUGE area. Most people do not realize it, but the area is about the size of Victorian Village, Harrison West, Italian Village, Short North, Weinlan Park, the entire OSU Campus (and surrounding neighborhoods), The Ohio State Fairgrounds area, and Northwood Park- COMBINED. Imagine if all the crime/issues in this area was reported as being in just one neighborhood instead of the multitude of communities that are there. Just as there are distinct neighborhoods with their own "vibe" in the near north side the same thing applies to the near east side. Contrary to what a lot of people think the area is not all Olde Towne East. That is just the largest neighborhood association that has been active for years in the area (much like Victorian Village on the north or German Village on the South) The communities of King Lincoln Bronzeville, Woodland Park, Franklin Park, and Eastgate have vibrant active neighborhood associations with people all doing their own thing to improve and promote their neighborhoods. (they do all fall under the umbrella of the Near East Area Commission) Yes, there are troubled pockets in the near east, just as there are in the near north or near south, but there are also wonderful areas- just like the near north or near south sides! Plus as the above poster stated, take a trip to Detroit if you really want to see some blighted areas. I was just up there a month ago and it is sad to see so much devastation. All our neighborhoods are light years ahead of some of the areas I saw! (not to dog Detroit, there were also some amazing communities we could learn a thing or two from in the surrounding areas of the city)

[jkc1970]

This post is really funny. I grew up in Bexley (18 years) so I think I am probably qualified to give an opinion of what it's like to be a kid and a young adult in the area. However, I haven't been back for awhile so perhaps things have deteriorated in the surrounding neighborhoods (Some surrounding neighborhoods were bad even then). Bexley is a beautiful community. Homes are old, elegant - not cookie-cutter look-alikes that you see in all the new subdivisions. The school system was excellent - Bexley High School is usually ranked nationally (In 2007 it was ranked 668 out of the top 1,200 schools in the nation - it used to be ranked much, much higher when I attended so I think it has deteriorated somewhat). I grew up playing outside with my neighbors and going to block parties - we all knew eachother. Bexley does have a strong Jewish population which I found to be a great influence. Jewish people tend to have a high regard for education and diversity. Many families hosted exchange students so I was exposed to people from other countries. It was actually a very diverse community with a lot of culture. Also, very close proximity to downtown (If I remember correctly just 10 miles up Broad Street and you are downtown) and OSU campus.

I really can't say enough good things about Bexley. It is funny reading this thread because you would think Bexley is an awful place to live because of surrounding communities - come on guys I will agree that there are some bad surrounding areas but they never adversely affected my family or our experience living in Bexley. I loved it

[EGrrrl]

Originally Posted by jkc1970

I really can't say enough good things about Bexley. It is funny reading this thread because you would think Bexley is an awful place to live because of surrounding communities - come on guys I will agree that there are some bad surrounding areas but they never adversely affected my family or our experience living in Bexley. I loved it

I am currently a student living on the northeast (VERY far east) side of Bexley, and I was really surprised by most of the posts. I have NEVER felt unsafe at any grocery store nearby. Unless you frequent the Super-Duper you shouldn't have a problem. The only reason you would have to worry at the Kroger is if you leave expensive things in plain view in your car for an extended period of time. If you really don't want to shop there, there other grocery stores 15 minutes away. There is also a lovely natural food/products co-op in northwest Bexley.

The schools are great and my complaints are minimal. The students are primarily upper-middle class whites, which is a drag, but they have been becoming more ethnically diverse recently. Upper Arlington is the only nearby public school district that seems to be at a similar level academically.

The only spill over crime I have noticed is when a kid from the Columbus area was running from his uncle and mom's boyfriend. The Bexley police came by immediately and took care of the situation. I have never felt unsafe in my home, walking around, or driving. If you live more towards the center area and away from Columbus/Bexley border areas there is almost no chance that you will have to worry about crime from Columbus. Yes, there is crime there, but there is crime in any large city, and I think that it is important to be aware that such areas exist.

I personally like how close it is to the greater Columbus area. There is always something going on somewhere, especially during the summer. There is pretty good theatre around, a decent music scene, and good libraries everywhere.

[SKandM]

Wow this thread really took off!

As the original poster I just thought some of you might be interested to know that after much input from the folks on this site, my husbands family, web statistics and just spending time in some of the communities you have discussed we ended up buying a house in Bexley in Dec 2006.

Upper Arlington was our other choice but we just didn't find a house on the market there that excited us as much as the houses we found in Bexley.

Although many of you mentioned Gahanna we threw it out due to the school ratings. Others mentioned New Albany but I don't think you were really hearing me when I told you were were looking for an older established community not rows of McMansions. Worthington just felt too far away from the heart of the city.

For us Bexley provides a great mix of old homes, great schools, small buisnesses and has very easy access to everything the downtown has to provide- galleries, entertainment, and some of the best eateries in the Columbus area. Taxes are high, yes, but you get what you pay for. The Bexley police are always out in force and do a great job of watching the school areas as kids are coming and going. The rec center is gorgeous and has tennis courts, playgrounds for kids, walking trails and the new community pool is amazing. Today we will be taking our leaves to the curb, but won't be bagging them as we don't need to do that to have them removed.

One final story about Bexley. We moved here in Feb 2007, right after all that snow fell. Our house is set back from the street about 100 ft and the movers called to tell us that they needed a clean walk to deliver our furniture which is tough since they had our shovels! We got some cheap equipment at CVS and started at it. Long story short not just one, but three sets of our neighbors came outside and helped us shovel our driveway completely clear. That was exactly what I was looking for in a community.

Thanks for all your help-
Sara

[Mom2_2cuties]

Great response SKandM! We are under contract for a house in Bexley right now and are looking forward to being a part of the community. I fell in love with the area as soon as we drove through it. The neighborhoods are very warm and welcoming.

[YoMikey617]

Congrats! Bexley is FABULOUS and in terms of greater Columbus, Bexley is in a league of it's own. New Albany is very Stepfordian / McMansionville for many, and UA is great but it's no Bexley.

Some clarifying points about Bexley:

* Bexley is the "psychological and historic heart" of Columbus's Jewish community, but it is not predominantly Jewish like everyone says. Most of the Jewish community is widely dispursed throughout Columbus, but many of the older Temples and Synagogues are still in and around Bexley.
* Some of the neighborhoods immediately surrounding Bexley are perfectly fine. Sure there are some ghetto areas nearby, but many of the non-Bexley surrounding neighborhoods consist of retired seniors, ultra orthodox families, and middle/working class African Americans. Not everyone on the east side has a need to be inside the Bexley school district...
* Olde Towne East between Downtown and Bexley is under attack by the Gay Renovation Team (TM). It's taking awhile for the neighborhood to come around, but it's coming around just the same. Buy the DVD "Flag Wars" on Ebay and you'll get a good look at what's going on over there (not to mention an entertaining look at how things work in your new hometown).