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My family is relocating from Washington DC suburbs. We have 3 kids, 6, 3 and 1.
We are looking to live in a family-friendly neighborhood, SFH with 3-4 bedrooms (strong preference for 4). We like sidewalks, mature trees and prefer older homes with fireplaces and wood floors. . 1960s cookie cutter suburbia is good with us, but not a cookie cutter new build with no trees. At least .25 acre lot. Budget is $300-450. Husband telecommutes, so no transit concerns.
It doesn't matter if the neighborhood is walkable, though that would be a nice bonus.
We would like to find a neighborhood that has a pool (does this exist?) or somewhere to swim. We're not snobby/aren't really country club people. Although I suppose we could join somewhere if the initiation fee does not exceed $15kish. We would only do this if there is not a local/non-public pool though. Neighborhood 4th of July parades/planned events/block parties would be excellent.
Our kids are in a parochial school now and we would be happy to continue, although I suppose we could consider public if the school isn't too big.
Does this exist? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
My family is relocating from Washington DC suburbs. We have 3 kids, 6, 3 and 1.
We are looking to live in a family-friendly neighborhood, SFH with 3-4 bedrooms (strong preference for 4). We like sidewalks, mature trees and prefer older homes with fireplaces and wood floors. . 1960s cookie cutter suburbia is good with us, but not a cookie cutter new build with no trees. At least .25 acre lot. Budget is $300-450. Husband telecommutes, so no transit concerns.
It doesn't matter if the neighborhood is walkable, though that would be a nice bonus.
We would like to find a neighborhood that has a pool (does this exist?) or somewhere to swim. We're not snobby/aren't really country club people. Although I suppose we could join somewhere if the initiation fee does not exceed $15kish. We would only do this if there is not a local/non-public pool though. Neighborhood 4th of July parades/planned events/block parties would be excellent.
Our kids are in a parochial school now and we would be happy to continue, although I suppose we could consider public if the school isn't too big.
Does this exist? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Welcome to Columbus!
Check out Upper Arlington or Grandview Heights. They are historic upscale suburbs that have more mature treelined avenues and older unique homes. Grandview Heights is building a brand new municipal pool complex and I know that Upper Arlington has an organized 4th of July parade each year.
300K is on the lower end for Upper Arlington fyi and you would probably be more towards the 400-450k range.
Your money might go further in Worthington which is another nice suburb immediately north of Columbus.
I would avoid Hilliard, Dublin or New Albany which are also nice areas but much newer and more cookie-cutter in design.
I don't have much info on schools although I know UA an Grandview are highly rated and that Grandview is a small district.
I would also check out Bexley. Not as big as UA, but a little bigger than Grandview Heights. You'll find something in your price range, but it will be on the smaller side as well as near the higher end of your budget. Not unlike UA or Grandview Heights. The southern section would probably where you will find your best bet. While Bexley can feel like an island, the neighborhood south of its city limits, Berwick, is in Columbus proper and has Columbus Schools, but can be a good stable value and provide more house for your money. The neighborhood layout is similar to 50's and 60's suburban but the trees have grown and its a sleepy neighborhood. It will still be more expensive then neighborhoods west, north or east of Bexley proper.
Berwick might be similar to some of the more suburban feeling areas of Arlington or Alexandria.
As schools in Berwick are Columbus City, but you said you would consider parochial schools, All Saints Academy is on the southern end of Bexley / north end of Berwick and serves the Bexley/Berwick area. Bishop Hartley HS is just east of James Road outside Bexley/Berwick. St. Charles School for Boys is in Bexley proper as well. Columbus School for Girls is an award-winning private all-girls school also in Bexley. Both would probably run high tuition wise than Hartley.
Keep in mind the proper areas of Berwick are James Road to the east, Livingston to the north and I-70 along the west and south. Places may advertise they are in Berwick, but may actually be just over James or Livingston in areas that aren't as nice.
An exception to that would be Eastmoor, the Columbus neighborhood immediately east of Bexley would be another option, though I would stick to the southwest side of that area (between Main, Livingston, James and Bexley's eastern boarder). Eastmoor acutally covers a broader area, so keep that in mind as well. Most housing stock outside that boundary I provided will probably be different than what you said you are looking for anyways.
The upside to Berwick and even Eastmoor's SW side, you will have more money to spend for more house. You might even find something under 400K in your range, which will give you money for private swim clubs, parochial schools, etc. Keep in mind that Central Ohio property taxes can be high, so UA, Bexley and Grandview Heights will be pricey. You will, however, get better services from those communities (police, fire, parks, roads, public schools). It depends on what you find and what you are willing to trade. Is Berwick not well kept as far as municipal services? No. Columbus does a decent job for a city its size. But it still is a big city and will have slightly slower response times for pavings, calls (non-emergency), rec programs, than a wealthy inner-ring bedroom suburb.
As for private swim clubs, I know some cities have really fantastic community centers. Westerville comes to mind. There don't seem to be many private pools here as such that you find in Dayton's suburbs. Beavercreek alone had 4-5 private swim clubs. There are some good YMCA's as well. Gahanna's Branch, the John Bickley branch, has a nice size pool. But that would be a drive from Berwick and Bexley.
Also, having read through your original post, check out older parts of Westerville (south of County Line in Franklin County but north of I-270). Check out the area around Uptown Westerville. Gorgeous and true town main street and nice for family walks. Again, have heard really stellar things about the programs for parks and rec. Downside is the schools are big. Three separate high schools.
Gahanna may also be an option, espcially north of Granville Street / Haven's Corner Road. South of here is fine, but I think you will find a better home and in your budget north of Haven's Corner / Granville St. and east of Big Walnut Creek. Once you get out of Gahanna proper into Jefferson Township, you will find older homes on large tract lots. It would be similar to Howard County, Maryland's Glenelg, Dayton and Wood Ridge. Or Virginia's Clifton area. Large homes. Older now. Large lots. 1980's and 90's executive and mini-estate homes and semi-custom McMansions at their finest. Nice area none the less. Gahanna neighborhoods will likely have sidewalks, and some areas are accessible to good bike paths that can take you towards shops and eateries. Trade off is you'll have your standard 1/4-1/2 acre lot. Might find some things around 1 acre. They are both served by Gahanna-Jefferson Local Schools. One high school (Lincoln), but it is big at around 2200+ students.
Upper Arlington sounds like it fits the bill for you perfectly. Inventory is low right now, so it is hard to find anything under $350, but there's more in the $350-450 range. Most of the construction north of Lane is from the late 1940's through early 1960's. It's very walkable with mature trees everywhere. Schools are fantastic as well.
There are (soon to be) three municipal pools here and family membership for the season is reasonable. If for some reason the municipal pools don't cut it, there is also a country club and a swim and tennis club. Just north of Upper Arlington there is another swim club, the Northwest Swim Club.
Upper Arlington is great, but good luck finding a place for $350k. A Zillow search shows four 4br houses under $400k in the entire city. And UA is famous for houses getting multiple offers over asking price on the first day it's available. But it has nice pools, and the Fourth of July parade is incredible. UA's public schools are among the best in the state, but there is a parochial school (St. Agatha), and a lot of kids go to HS as Watterson.
Grandview is probably a better option for you in terms of price, but because it's smaller, there's less inventory. It has a pool too, but the schools are worse (although still fine).
I'm surprised no one has suggested Worthington yet, which would seem to be a good fit.
Upper Arlington is great, but good luck finding a place for $350k. A Zillow search shows four 4br houses under $400k in the entire city. And UA is famous for houses getting multiple offers over asking price on the first day it's available. But it has nice pools, and the Fourth of July parade is incredible. UA's public schools are among the best in the state, but there is a parochial school (St. Agatha), and a lot of kids go to HS as Watterson.
Grandview is probably a better option for you in terms of price, but because it's smaller, there's less inventory. It has a pool too, but the schools are worse (although still fine).
I'm surprised no one has suggested Worthington yet, which would seem to be a good fit.
I completely agree with your assessment that UA fits the bill perfectly but will be more difficult to get into.
I did suggest Worthington in the first post as an alternative since it's charming and safe with a historic district but more affordable than UA.
If you're happy staying in the parochial school route, also check out Clintonville. It's in Columbus proper in between the OSU campus (to the south) and Worthington (to the north). It's Columbus City Schools, but plenty of families send their kids to Our Lady of Peace (k-8), Immaculate Conception (k-8) and Bishop Watterson (high school), and all are very well-regarded. Depending on whether you are in the southern, central or northern reaches of Clintonville, the homes will vary in age from turn-of-the-20th-century to 1960s. There is a larger concentration of 1950s and 1960s homes in the northern part, also known as Beechwold. The downside is that it will be hard to find a 4-bed home since homes of those eras tended to be smaller. The lot sizes in Beechwold are much bigger than in the southern and central parts of Clintonville. Our old home on Wetmore Rd. was on a .25 acre lot. LOTS of trees in the area. The "Old Beechwold" neighborhood to the west of High St. does have larger homes and is lovely. Clintonville no longer has its own pool, but since you are close to both Upper Arlington and Worthington, both of which do have pools, you do have options.
I also agree with checking out Worthington. Most of Worthington, both east of 315 and west of it, was built before the 1970s. West of 315 will have more homes in the 1950s-1970s, and they will be larger and in actual "neighborhoods" (Shaker Square, Worthington Hills and Olentangy Highlands come to mind). Worthington Schools are good. Worthington has the bonus of having both a nice outdoor community pool and an indoor one at their rec center.
I live in Westerville and really, really love it, but agree that you won't find as many older homes here. But there definitely are some and your budget would go pretty far in comparison to UA. St. Paul is the big k-8 parochial school and I think most Westerville parochial school families send kids to DeSales for high school.
If you want to continue with parochial schools, I'd suggested looking at Clintonville. You'll probably get the most house for your money there. Clintonville has nice older homes, is very walkable, and has a strong sense of community. There are two grade schools (Our Lady of Peace and Immaculate Conception) and a large catholic high school (Bishop Watterson). For swimming, you'd probably go to the Northwest Swim Club.
If you're looking in the suburbs, you should check out Bexley, which will look a lot like Bethesda or Chevy Chase in the D.C. area. Bexley has great old homes, sidewalks, a nice community pool, a commercial corridor on Main Street with lots of restaurants, a movie theatre and shops, and an excellent school system that isn't too big (high school has under 700 kids). Be aware that some of the areas surrounding Bexley are a little rough.
Worthington would be another area to look at - especially areas closer to Old Worthington. Again, sidewalks, older homes, community pool, etc. The schools are a little larger, so keep that in mind, but Worthington does have a catholic school (St. Michael's) and two high schools that are nearby (Watterson and St. Francis DeSales) if you think the public schools are too big.
While Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights are fantastic old suburbs with everything you'd want, you'll have a hard time finding much of anything in your price range.
I strongly suggest Harrison Pond, a planned community in Gahanna with a strong HOA and a community pool. As I recall dues were about $600 annually to the HOA. It's been a few years since we sold our home.
This neighborhood is a hidden gem in Central Ohio. It was developed by the New Albany company,
a parade of home was held there in the 90's. Gorgeous walking trails, landscaped ponds and green spaces, mostly two story homes. Landscaping is mature and many streets are wooded. 350 to 450 price range. The houses are not cookie cutter as there were numerous builders in there, interiors will be the standard two story layouts but exteriors are well done with natural finishes. Large lots. Lovely rustic feel.
This area is south of Morse Road, east of the Johnstown road roundabout.
The area is within Gahanna municipal boundaries with Gahanna schools. We owned a home in there and never understood why the mailing address is New Albany.
Check it out, you will be impressed.
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