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Old 02-05-2008, 09:46 AM
 
17 posts, read 38,304 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jajosh07 View Post
Worthington, Westerville- Probably not Dublin or Hilliard, how far out are you willing to live from the City? I would suggest places consider Plain City, Marysville or Canal Winchester

I drove out recently and went as far and Grandville and Newark. I also looked around Pickerington again to give it another chance.
Grandville was aptly named - can't afford it. Newark is just too far away. My husband will be needing to go into and around Columbus.

Pickerington drivers tried to run me off the road again because I had the nerve to try and pull into a gas station. I spent some time with a friend who showed me some neighborhoods that are a little further out and they were very nice - the price was right, too. She explained that Pickerington has lots of neighborhoods that behave almost like little communities. They have a community pool, etc. It is difficult to get in and out of there and the shopping area will make you crazy, but I'm sure a person gets used to it.

someone else recently mentioned Canal Winchester. Why do you like it?
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Old 02-05-2008, 09:54 AM
 
17 posts, read 38,304 times
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Originally Posted by Camiller26 View Post
I personally would NOT do Grove City. I have friends there that are currently looking to get out of the area. It is getting worse by the minute. We live in Westerville and I can not say enough good things about it. The schools rate a 10 and are just absolutely wonderful right down to the preschools!!! Uptown Westerville is just so quaint and adorable. You can find some beautiful older homes. Some have already been updated or you can find one to update yourself. Taxes are high here but in the Columbus area you truly get what you pay for. I have friends in all suburbs of Columbus and I sincerely think Westerville is the best. But at the very least I would suggest you stay north of Columbus. The schools are much better in that area than anywhere else. I know great realtor if you need one!

Thank you for the guidace. I have heard a lot of good things about Westerville. I think we need to take a second look. Taxes are higher in Columbus, but you are right about getting what you pay for. Tax levies have failed here and the schools suffered. Consequently the property values dropped and now this town is in real trouble. All because too many people felt that $6 a month was too much to ask for improved schools.
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Old 02-05-2008, 09:56 AM
 
17 posts, read 38,304 times
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Originally Posted by sftong View Post
I don't think Westerville schools is that great though, like a full 10 rated or best.

Its School District Rating is Effective, Performance Index Score is second tier at 97.7, compared to many Excellent rated schools with scores at 102 and above.

Maureen, Worthington is probably your best bet, though schools is currently a concern but would probably improve next year. I say Worthington fit your bill because it is an older city with mature trees, and it rest on the north. Typically the north and north-west, and west (like hilliard) is more culturally diverse.

Thank you. What do you think about Pickerington? They also have great report cards.
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Old 02-05-2008, 10:02 AM
 
20 posts, read 74,298 times
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Uptown Westerville has a quaint New England feel, and a great library. The original town has older homes, and many 'suburbs' surrounding it- a lot of these with newer homes. Worthington is primarily older homes, built up to the mid 1980's in a few spots- lots of trees, a great downtown area. On the east side, Gahanna is making a lot of changes/improvements to their downtown area. Last of all, there's some nice wooded areas in the Powell and Lewis Center areas, but mostly a suburb feel- these on the north end of town.

I love the downtown Grove City area... very charming. Lots of new growth to the east and south of the main city going on.

The Columbus area covers a lot of geography.... your best bet is to refine your areas of interest based on the price range you want to pay and the family lifestyle you have. In general, dollar for dollar home prices will be higher on the north end than the south end. Last of all, Clintonville is a great community in the middle with older homes, mature trees, neighborhood closeness, and a more urban feel. Good luck! What price range are you looking in?
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Old 02-07-2008, 12:29 AM
 
Location: Westerville
12 posts, read 42,703 times
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I live in Westerville and have lived in many other areas of Central Ohio and next to Clintonville, I love Westerville the best. Clintonville is a friendly community - but with Columbus Schools - it wasn't ideal to me with kids. Plus you can get a lot more home for the money in Westerville.

Westerville has a wide variety of home styles, age and price ranges to suit anyone's taste. The older Uptown part of Westerville is very quaint and offers some great restaurants. I think it feels similar to Olde Worthington but with more restaurants.

Westerville has one of the best parks and rec systems in Central Ohio and was designated a sportstown usa award a few years ago. My son loves the Community Center - which has an indoor pool, gymnasium, rock climbing wall, workout facilities and so much more.

Worthington is definitely a good option to consider for all that you are looking for - but since Westerville is right next to Worthington - you might want to look at both areas to give yourself more options. Worthington also has a great Community Center, but not as much parkland as Westerville.

Westerville is also very convenient to the Easton Town Center - which is one of the most popular shopping, dining and entertainment destinations in Columbus and is also about 10 minutes to Polaris. These are the best shopping areas in Central Ohio - so everything you could ever need is there.

Both Gahanna and Westerville remain popular and tend to hold their values, in part becuase of how close they are to Easton, Downtown Columbus and the Airport.
Worthington is close to the Polaris Mall - so it's still close to a lot conveniences as well.

These areas are definitely higher in price than the Grove City area - but there's plenty of reasons for that too. While the downtown part of Grove City is cute - there's not much else around there. The best shopping and dining establishments tend to be in the North, Northeast and Northwest areas or close to Downtown.

So I'm not sure if these things are important to your family - but they are important to many people, therefore affect resale values.

Make sure you review comparable sales for any home that you are interested in before making an offer so you can avoid paying more than it's worth. In this market, resale value should be a big consideration as well.

I feel like I'm rambling on. I hope this information about the area has been helpful to you. I've lived in Central Ohio for 39+ years MOD CUT. A lot of it is determined by your price range - which I don't know anything about.

Last edited by NewToCA; 02-07-2008 at 12:29 PM.. Reason: again...
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Old 02-19-2008, 07:18 PM
 
17 posts, read 38,304 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by castlelady View Post
I live in Westerville and have lived in many other areas of Central Ohio and next to Clintonville, I love Westerville the best. Clintonville is a friendly community - but with Columbus Schools - it wasn't ideal to me with kids. Plus you can get a lot more home for the money in Westerville.

Westerville has a wide variety of home styles, age and price ranges to suit anyone's taste. The older Uptown part of Westerville is very quaint and offers some great restaurants. I think it feels similar to Olde Worthington but with more restaurants.

Westerville has one of the best parks and rec systems in Central Ohio and was designated a sportstown usa award a few years ago. My son loves the Community Center - which has an indoor pool, gymnasium, rock climbing wall, workout facilities and so much more.

Worthington is definitely a good option to consider for all that you are looking for - but since Westerville is right next to Worthington - you might want to look at both areas to give yourself more options. Worthington also has a great Community Center, but not as much parkland as Westerville.

Westerville is also very convenient to the Easton Town Center - which is one of the most popular shopping, dining and entertainment destinations in Columbus and is also about 10 minutes to Polaris. These are the best shopping areas in Central Ohio - so everything you could ever need is there.

Both Gahanna and Westerville remain popular and tend to hold their values, in part becuase of how close they are to Easton, Downtown Columbus and the Airport.
Worthington is close to the Polaris Mall - so it's still close to a lot conveniences as well.

These areas are definitely higher in price than the Grove City area - but there's plenty of reasons for that too. While the downtown part of Grove City is cute - there's not much else around there. The best shopping and dining establishments tend to be in the North, Northeast and Northwest areas or close to Downtown.

So I'm not sure if these things are important to your family - but they are important to many people, therefore affect resale values.

Make sure you review comparable sales for any home that you are interested in before making an offer so you can avoid paying more than it's worth. In this market, resale value should be a big consideration as well.

I feel like I'm rambling on. I hope this information about the area has been helpful to you. I've lived in Central Ohio for 39+ years MOD CUT. A lot of it is determined by your price range - which I don't know anything about.


No! You're not rambling at all. I found it very helpful. I spent all last Saturday looking at homes in Pickerington. They were nice, but I had trouble getting past the consistent khaki, tan, and brown colors and the sprawl of it all. Every neighborhood was almost its own little city. You have to drive out of the neighborhood and at least 5 miles to get to the store and then you are taking your life in your hands with the way they drive! I'm used to popping out for more soda in the middle of the party and few people know you actually left 'cause there is a little store around the corner. Of course there are nice folks there, but it just didn't feel like home.

I liked Clintonville very much and enjoyed driving around the different areas. I don't thing we can afford it and the few people we ran into who lived there, all sent their kids to private schools.

Worthington just felt very land locked. The houses were literally on top of one another.

Perhaps we need to give Westerville another shot. WE only drove around a few neighborhoods close to the interstate and they were very "cookie cutter" looking. So, North Westerville then? Nice trees and larger lots?

We haven't spent any time in Grove City yet. We just keep running into their marching band and show choirs from the high school and they are simply amazing! Have great shows and are always the top winner in every category. For such a small school, they seem to have a lot of kids involved. But then again, I heard that the area is very blue collar and a little on the rough side. That they are having problems getting things funded for their schools and that their scores were low. Of course, the only thing that the scores show is how much the parents value education - it often doesn't reflect what is offered by the schools, but only what the kids find important.

Great schools is the number one reason we are moving. We could stay here and save a ton of money and send the kids to private schools. I almost wish we could, but we have accepted the transfer now. There is no turning back and I'd like to think we haven't made a mistake, but are going to be able to offer our kids more with more like minded families nearby.
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Old 02-19-2008, 09:55 PM
 
240 posts, read 949,088 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaureenP1 View Post
No! You're not rambling at all. I found it very helpful. I spent all last Saturday looking at homes in Pickerington. They were nice, but I had trouble getting past the consistent khaki, tan, and brown colors and the sprawl of it all. Every neighborhood was almost its own little city. You have to drive out of the neighborhood and at least 5 miles to get to the store and then you are taking your life in your hands with the way they drive! I'm used to popping out for more soda in the middle of the party and few people know you actually left 'cause there is a little store around the corner. Of course there are nice folks there, but it just didn't feel like home.

I liked Clintonville very much and enjoyed driving around the different areas. I don't thing we can afford it and the few people we ran into who lived there, all sent their kids to private schools.

Worthington just felt very land locked. The houses were literally on top of one another.

Perhaps we need to give Westerville another shot. WE only drove around a few neighborhoods close to the interstate and they were very "cookie cutter" looking. So, North Westerville then? Nice trees and larger lots?

We haven't spent any time in Grove City yet. We just keep running into their marching band and show choirs from the high school and they are simply amazing! Have great shows and are always the top winner in every category. For such a small school, they seem to have a lot of kids involved. But then again, I heard that the area is very blue collar and a little on the rough side. That they are having problems getting things funded for their schools and that their scores were low. Of course, the only thing that the scores show is how much the parents value education - it often doesn't reflect what is offered by the schools, but only what the kids find important.

Great schools is the number one reason we are moving. We could stay here and save a ton of money and send the kids to private schools. I almost wish we could, but we have accepted the transfer now. There is no turning back and I'd like to think we haven't made a mistake, but are going to be able to offer our kids more with more like minded families nearby.
Just a little more info...

Grove City is in South-Western City Schools and in general, the schools in the Grove City portion of the district perform better than the rest of the district. Of course, there is a danger in putting too much stock in standardized test scores, since there are certainly other factors that need to be considered as well. That being said, Grove City HS performs very similarly to the three Westerville high schools on the Ohio Graduation Test. BTW, Grove City HS is not a 'small' high school. It is actually on the large side - again comparable to the three Westerville high schools in size.

Below are the Performance Index Scores for each of the three Westerville high schools and Grove City HS.

Westerville South 103.5
Grove City 101.3
Westerville North 101.2
Westerville Central 100.5
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Old 02-20-2008, 11:23 AM
 
226 posts, read 807,260 times
Reputation: 94
Just sound to me that the UAbear and CastleLady are selling hard about their respective city of Wssterville and Upper Arlington REAL ESTATE. Especially UAbear posted like 100 posts in the last weekend all with the same content -- come to UA. LOL!

Sound DESPERATION to me to try to sell real estate on internet forum. LOL!

A counter balance post from me about Westerville. When we did house hunting 4 years back, we saw swamps of bad neighborhoods in and around Westerville. Then the school district loss funding a couple times, leading to hardships and it literally drop from elite status, and today I think it's still a distance away from reclaiming the elite status. Not sure how would that sell the property there. Maybe the Real Estate Agent CastleLady can sell you a bridge there.

UA? Well, if you like old houses/floor plan and prepare for some weekly repair work of a 1960s house, then go ahead (don't forget some houses with lead in paint). All my friends owning a home in UA told me that the people are very status aware -- keep up with the jones!
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Old 02-21-2008, 09:35 PM
 
17 posts, read 38,304 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by sftong View Post
Just sound to me that the UAbear and CastleLady are selling hard about their respective city of Wssterville and Upper Arlington REAL ESTATE. Especially UAbear posted like 100 posts in the last weekend all with the same content -- come to UA. LOL!

Sound DESPERATION to me to try to sell real estate on internet forum. LOL!

A counter balance post from me about Westerville. When we did house hunting 4 years back, we saw swamps of bad neighborhoods in and around Westerville. Then the school district loss funding a couple times, leading to hardships and it literally drop from elite status, and today I think it's still a distance away from reclaiming the elite status. Not sure how would that sell the property there. Maybe the Real Estate Agent CastleLady can sell you a bridge there.

UA? Well, if you like old houses/floor plan and prepare for some weekly repair work of a 1960s house, then go ahead (don't forget some houses with lead in paint). All my friends owning a home in UA told me that the people are very status aware -- keep up with the jones!

thanks for playing "devils advocate". I think I am more confused than ever!
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