Franklinton (Who lives here?) (Columbus, Scio: violent crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[mattbward]

Who here lives in Franklinton?
1.) Where exactly in Franklinton (West, NW, East, South etc) You don't HAVE to lists streets but that would be helpful.
2.) How safe do you feel walking during normal hours?
3.) Do you like living there?
4.) How has it changed since you arrived?


Thanks so much!

[mattbward]

No one on this board lives in Franklinton??

[BuckeyePorcupine]

Originally Posted by mattbward

No one on this board lives in Franklinton??

Nope.

Hasn't gentrified nearly quite enough for me to be interested yet.

I'll get back to you in 3-5 years.

[jbcmh81]

I used to live in Hilltop, which is just across 70 from Franklinton.

As far as where to live, the farther east you can get, the better. The eastern 1/3rd is the area now seeing a lot of revitalization. There are major development plans for the area, especially east of Rt. 315.

In this area, I would feel reasonably safe walking during the day, but perhaps less so at night. It's still a bit rough, but improving.

[Zen_master]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

I used to live in Hilltop, which is just across 70 from Franklinton.

As far as where to live, the farther east you can get, the better. The eastern 1/3rd is the area now seeing a lot of revitalization. There are major development plans for the area, especially east of Rt. 315.

In this area, I would feel reasonably safe walking during the day, but perhaps less so at night. It's still a bit rough, but improving.

Saw a Drugs, Inc. highlight on the National Geographic Channel where they followed a couple mid and low level dealers and addicts in the Hilltop area. Been a couple years since I've been through the west side, but if the camera footage of the addicts in the parking lots and dealers standing on street corner after street corner is accurate I would say most contributors to these boards would be advised to stay away unless your goal is to score dope or a prostitute.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Zen_master

Saw a Drugs, Inc. highlight on the National Geographic Channel where they followed a couple mid and low level dealers and addicts in the Hilltop area. Been a couple years since I've been through the west side, but if the camera footage of the addicts in the parking lots and dealers standing on street corner after street corner is accurate I would say most contributors to these boards would be advised to stay away unless your goal is to score dope or a prostitute.

I'm glad people believe everything they see on tv. I lived in Hilltop for 4 years and never had a single issue. It's obviously not one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city, but the danger is overblown. Violent crime in Columbus has dropped by more than half in the last 20 years. Hilltop/Franklinton have seen the same trends. If heroin was a huge and/or growing issue, it's hard to believe that would be happening.

[mattbward]

Ok update spent some time in Franklinton and began tracking it on the raids online crime site and it is pretty bad. Hence why no one on this board lives there I would assume. East of 315 would be a great suggestion if there were much residential there which there isn't. I enjoyed breakfast at Tommy's and some of the southern streets like Bellows seemed nice but it is a long long way from me feeling comfortable living there with my wife and three year old son.

[ameiliamarie85]

Franklinton is west of downtown. It is the area around West Broad street between downtown and the Hilltop. Sadly, It is very poor area. It has a large Appalachian community. Many boarded up houses and absent landlords. Lots of drugs and prostitution. I worked at a preschool in the area and there were days we did not even feel safe taking the kids out on the playground due to shootings. My students who all lived in Franklinton had some pretty horrific home lives. I do not feel safe walking there but I am a woman. Maybe it would be safe for a man? The area is supposed to be gentrifying. But I really do not see much evidence of it. I would not recommend living there. There are many wonderful families that live there but they have very difficult lives and face enormous challenges.

[ohioaninsc]

Originally Posted by mattbward

Ok update spent some time in Franklinton and began tracking it on the raids online crime site and it is pretty bad. Hence why no one on this board lives there I would assume. East of 315 would be a great suggestion if there were much residential there which there isn't. I enjoyed breakfast at Tommy's and some of the southern streets like Bellows seemed nice but it is a long long way from me feeling comfortable living there with my wife and three year old son.

Definitely not an area I'd want to live in, especially if I had a child that age. Maybe once it gentrifies but that is several years off.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by mattbward

Ok update spent some time in Franklinton and began tracking it on the raids online crime site and it is pretty bad. Hence why no one on this board lives there I would assume. East of 315 would be a great suggestion if there were much residential there which there isn't. I enjoyed breakfast at Tommy's and some of the southern streets like Bellows seemed nice but it is a long long way from me feeling comfortable living there with my wife and three year old son.

In 5 years, the area east of 315 will be radically different. There are well over 1,000 residential units in multiple projects in the works between 315 and the railroad tracks to the east. A new performing arts space is planned and the artist communities seem to be expanding at a rapid pace. East of the railroad tracks, at least 2,500 more units are planned in a mix of mid to high-rise mixed-use buildings, a new park, a new Vets Memorial, etc. And it's all within walking distance (or a short bike ride) to what will be 33 new acres of parks and trails along the restored Scioto River.

So while, at this moment, it doesn't look great, if you can find a place to buy, it would be a great investment. Of course, it just depends on how long you're willing to stick with it, and if you don't feel safe now, no future changes are going to help.