Bexley? (Columbus, Westerville, Upper Arlington: best neighborhood, real estate, apartment)

[SKandM]

Our family is considering relocating to Columbus and have been avidly scouring real estate and local web pages. I would love to hear some 'first hand' input on the the city of Bexley. On paper it looks like it could be a good fit for us, but I have heard a few grumlings about the quality of the surrounding neighborhoods.

I have read that Dublin and Worthington also have good school systems. Are there areas there that are not planned communities? Every house I see on the market there looks the same to me...

Thanks in advance for your help!

[mdswines]

Originally Posted by SKandM

Our family is considering relocating to Columbus and have been avidly scouring real estate and local web pages. I would love to hear some 'first hand' input on the the city of Bexley. On paper it looks like it could be a good fit for us, but I have heard a few grumlings about the quality of the surrounding neighborhoods.

I have read that Dublin and Worthington also have good school systems. Are there areas there that are not planned communities? Every house I see on the market there looks the same to me...

Thanks in advance for your help!

If you like established neighborhoods and quiet streets, Bexley is the place for you. I grew up in Reymoldsburg - a few miles east. My mother grew up in Bexley though. It was, and is, a very nice area. I was always told it was the Jewish area - which means that it is quite nice.

If you move there, I'm pretty sure you'll want to make sure you're in the Bexley school district - instead of the Cbus district.

Personally, I'd prefer Bexley to Dublin & Worhtington - though they are both very nice as well. You may also want to check into Upper Arlington: another established, nice area.

Good luck!

Matt

[goodwir1]

I have lived here since 1998 and am a real estate investor. The best neighborhood, and always fastest growing money wise is good old Upper Arlington. I went to college right by Bexley so I know how crazy that place is. The local grocery is Kroger and you risk getting shot at everyday. I could not even get a pizza delivered to me at my first apartment which was 4 mintues from college. Bexley is a nice few blocks surrounded on all sides by ghetto and poverty. It makes no since to me why people would want to live there. East side homes do not appreciate very well unless you are talking about Gahanna, Westerville, and New Albany which are very northeast. If you want classic old time charm consider German Village, Victorian Village, Clintonville, or Italian Village 500,000+ these are great 1890s type homes beautiful just beautiful woodwork in these homes. The lots on those are pretty small but the area is great for those without kids. Upper Arlington is also grand anywhere from 170,000 for a small 1500 ranch to a couple million for a fantastic dream home with large lots perfect for families. Hope this helps.

[Gee]

I don't disagree with GoodWir1 but Upper Arlington taxes are killer and most middle class families are priced out.

[RichS]

The Columbus area is largely developed in subdivisions. However, there are "non-subdivision" areas in many parts of the city and suburbs. The trick is to be able to seek them out and find them. These areas do exist... just be persistent.

Some general info for ya....
Bexley is totally surrounded by the city of Columbus, much the same as Upper Arlington is. This creates an "enclave" feeling for those areas. Worthington and Dublin are not surrounded, but the growth corridors are closing as time goes by. Columbus (the city itself) has expanded into Delaware County (the county just north of Franklin... the county in which Columbus primarily exists). Dublin has expanded into Union County (just to the west).

Popular areas for growth in the north and northwest, beyond Worthington and Dublin are Lewis Center (Olentangy Schools), Powell (also Olentangy Schools), Hilliard (primarily Hilliard Schools), New Albany (Plain Local Schools) and Westerville (Westerville Schools and Olentangy Schools). You should be aware that several of these areas are also being developed with Columbus as the school system (I know; it's confusing).

To add to the "things to know", there are several areas of the city that are in the City of Columbus, yet the schools are not Columbus (such as Worthington, Dublin, etc). This can both be an advantage, or a disadvantage, depending on circumstances and your individual priorities.

I have only addressed areas to the north and northwest in the Columbus areas. If you would like info about east or south, just ask.

FWIW, the school report cards for all schools in the state can be accessed at www.ode.state.oh.us .

Hope this helps, and all the best to you as you contemplate your move.

[joepeffer]

Take the doom and gloom regarding Bexley with a grain of salt. It's a fantastic and special place to live. Yes, taxes are high relative to Columbus but the police department is extremely good and the school system is highly rated. If anything cultural happens in Columbus, it happens downtown or at OSU or maybe Capital university. Bexley is the most convenient inner ring subburb to all that makes Columbus a great city.

[SKandM]

Thank you all so much for sharing your area knowledge!

I probably should have made clear in the original post that school systems are extremely important to us which is why both Bexley and Upper Arlington are on our short list.

We will be in town this weekend to start looking at properties. Hope we are successful!

I really appriciate all the help you have provided.

Sara

[movin2dallas]

As you can seee from my name I am moving to Texas, but right now I live in E. Columbus and have since 1992 and I can tell you that......DO NOT MOVE TO BEXLEY!!! Yes, it is an older unplanned neighborhood where all the jewish people live(nothing against jewish people), but on all sides it is surrounded by ghetto and some of the worst areas in all of Columbus...yes lots of crime e.t.c
You should look in Upper Arlington, these are the best schools in Columbus and probably all of Ohio, they are as good or better than private, but you will pay for this area. It is the most expensive area in all Columbus as well, but you surrounding UA are some other good areas such as Worthington that you can look at as well. If you do end up looking at homes that are in planned communities I can tell you the best place to live right now is in Lewis Center or Powell, everything is new..mall, shops and the schools are the best only second to UA Powell has some old town country feel to it so its a good place to look as well. Dublin is the next best, but there are a lot of old money snobby people there, but UA is like this too. LC and Powell are like the new money areas. If I werer moving back to Columbus,I would start my search in Powell, but i like newer so that's just me Good Luck!

[Gee]

Movin2dallas,

Good luck with your move.... I lived in the area (Dallas county)for about 10 years before relocating to Ohio and suggesting that someone move to Upper Arlington is much like telling someone to move to Highland Park,Texas (Dallas County). Not many can!

[executiverelo]

I feel for you when it comes to finding a community to live in. First things first, Columbus Metro Area takes in a whole lot of real estate so you should first consider your commuting time to work and back before choosing a community.

As for Bexley, it is a beautiful neighborhood with normally great neighbor, great schools and high taxes. It's also close to downtown Columbus. However, Bexley is surrounded by the hood and believe me it can get rough. Consider Gahanna and New Albany if you work in the east and Dublin, and Powell if you work in the west. City workers might want to consider Upper Arlington, German Village and properties off Neil Ave. south of OSU Campus. Good Luck!