Relocating from Cincy- plz advise (Columbus, Cincinnati: apartments, for rent, condos)

[cincynurse]

Hello,

We live in Cincinnati and my husband will be transferring to his employers Columbus headquarters - located on Reed Rd. off of Henderson, before you get to Bethel Rd. We drove up there over the weekend but I am unclear about the name of the area that this office is located. If I read my map correctly, I think we were in Upper Arlington? I'm confused.

Also, can you tell me the names of the surrounding neighborhoods within the area of where he will be working? As we drove around, we went across Bethel Rd. up Sawmill and crossed over Dublin Granville Rd. and ended up in a lovely shopping area. Is that area called Worthington? Or is it Dublin? I am a nurse and I'm wondering if there are very many health care facilities - such as rehab centers, acute care, skilled care, long-term care - within these neighborhoods?

Can you also tell me your thoughts about Hilliard? We didn't drive to that area (as far as I know) but I do see quite a few nice, very reasonably priced, single family homes advertised for rent/lease in Hilliard. Would that be close to my husband's employer as well as OSU? We currently homeschool, but I am wondering how are the school's in the areas I mentioned?

Thank you for any help/suggestions/advice you are able to give!

Cincynurse

[streetcreed]

Wow, the area your looking into is actually quite complex. So don't worry, even a Columbus resident would be unsure of how the municipalities in the area begin, end, and intertwine.

The area your husband's office is located is actually referred to as NW Columbus. Unlike Cincinnati, Columbus' city limits actually expand out to include areas developed as recently as last year. However, many consider the Henderson Rd. corridor to actually be Upper Arlington, even though Upper Arlington ends a few yards south of Henderson Rd.

The good news is that the entire NW section of Columbus, and the burbs out there, are some of the healthiest and well off areas of the city and metro.

To better explain the differences in the areas of the NW side:

SOUTH of Henderson Rd.
south of Henderson Rd. is Upper Arlington. This is an affluent suburb. It is bordered by OSU on the east, NW columbus (henderson Rd. on the north), Grandview Heights on the south, and the west side of Columbus with Hilliard schools on the west.

Starting at about Henderson Rd. is the city of Columbus city limits. Almost everything directly north of Henderson is Columbus for miles north. These areas have mostly middle class homes, well kept, apartments, and nice condos. The area was developed in the late 80s and 90s. Part of what keeps NW columbus so nice is that it is buffered on all sides by nice areas and suburbs. Upper Arlington to the south, Dublin to the west and NW, Worthington to the NE.

Now to make things more complex: )sorry but I told you its a complex area, but that is part of why it is such a nice area~)

Even though it is Columbus City limits, north of Henderson, it is the Columbus City School district for only a small portion of the NW side. The area right near highway 315 (to the east), between Henderson (to the south), Bethel Rd to the north, and out until about Reed Rd to the West is the Columbus City School District. The schools in the this area of the city schools are all ranked well. The elementary is Winterset and gets an A from the state, matching suburban schools. The high school is ranked well (Centennial High) and the middle school is the best in the district and ranked an A.

Now if your home schooling, you can save a lot of money by living in the area of NW columbus that goes to Columbus schools because your property taxes are lower, yet you still live right next to very affluent areas. Thus your property values are strong.


Now what about the areas of NW columbus that do not go to Columbus City Schools? Anything that is generally on the western stretch of Henderson and Bethel begins to attend suburban schools but is still considered the Columbus City limits! Yes this may sound strange, but some sections of Columbus City limits attend suburban schools.

Generally, the fartherest western stretches of Bethel and Henderson attend Dublin Schools. Then the areas just north of Bethel and Henderson attend Worthington schools (this includes the north Sawmill Rd area.) If you travel north and northeast then you find yourself in the actual city of Worthingon. The same is true if you travel north and west you find yourself in the actual city of Dublin with dublin schools. Dublin and Worthington schools are considered two the best in the metro. As awhole, both districts perform very well. I am a graduate of Thomas Worthington High School just a few miles north and east of Bethel Rd.

Basically, the suburban school district boundaries expand out beyond the suburban city boundaries, a few miles, to cover the sections of Columbus near the suburb.

Most of the Sawmill Rd. area is Columbus with dublin or worthington schools.

Even though house shopping in this area can be complex because you will have to find out which city limit or school district each complex is in first, there is good news!
The area is a very healthy area. The complex makeup of city limits and school districts has allowed the area to be immune to urban decay and even the columbus city school district portion of the district, on the NW side, is good. You cannot go wrong with any schools or neighborhoods on the NW side. It is an area that is high in income and has very healthy property values.

Let me know if you find any exact addresses you would like me to look up for you. I am sure you I could tell you the school district and city limit of that address.

Also, you asked about Hilliard, Hilliard begins just west and south of the area you visited. Personally, I would much rather live off Bethel, Henderson, Sawmill, or Olentangy than in Hilliard. Hilliard is a little further out from OSU and the main city. It is also a newer area to develop and the school districts of Dublin and Worthington are more settled, even the columbus schools in the NW area rank just as well as Hilliard. Overall, the area you visited is more settled than Hilliard, which is more late 90s growth.

Also, you asked about medical offices. The NW side is where all of my doctors are located, as well as the major Riverside Hospital. There are many medical offices located on the NW side, mostly on Bethel Rd, Henderson Rd, and Olentangy Rd.

Also, the 315 highway is located just east of these areas, this is the easiest, and quickest way, to get to Ohio State. If you choose to live out in Hilliard you would be more isolated from the middle of the city and OSU. There is just something about the NW side and Worthington that makes it very easy to access Ohio State and downtown. 315 is a straight shot to OSU, it is only 3 exits. This would be your next source of major medical employers.

[HuskerDu]

It seems like you made your way all over Northwest C-bus!! If his office is at Reed & Bethel or anywhere around there, you are right where UA and Dublin are the closest, but it is still considered UA. It depends on which direction you go from there as to which area you are in. Upeer Arlington is really nice (but expensive) and would be much closer to OSU than Dublin would be.

I grew up in Columbus but have been in Cincinnati for a year and a half now. Out of the places you've listed, Upper Arlington is most like a cross between Indian Hill and Marimont (If you can imagine that), Worthington is more like Montgomery or Glendale and Hilliard is a sea of poorly built pre-fab housing communities with a feel that is decidedly west side where Cincinnati comparisons are concerned. Dublin has it's really nice areas such as Muirfield Village (home of the famous golf course) and Old Dublin just over the bridge. Much of it, however, is a giant sprawling strip mall that spreads from a central strand of big-box abyss known as Sawmill Rd.

With everything you mentioned, I would highly recommend a visit to Grandview. It is a cute little neighborhood that borders the nicest areas of UA and is just a little closer to OSU. It is similar to Hyde Park in Cinci with it's high-end quirkiness (shops, dining and stuff) but is less expensive than UA or HP and is very family oriented. The Grandview school system is outstanding and there seems to be a strong sense of community there. If my wife and I moved back to Columbus, Grandview would be one of our first choices.

[bgfalcons86]

Since you asked about Hilliard...

Hilliard CSD met 28/30 indicators last year and had a performance index of 100.2. The overall rating ('Continuous Improvement') was held down due to missing Adequate Yearly Progress, which factors in the specific performance of a number of subgroups. An increasing number of districts (Worthington, Pickerington - for example) have overall high test scores, but have not met AYP and thus are rated as 'Continuous Improvement'.

It is true that schools like Centennial and Winterset are consistently good performers on state tests. However, Hilliard Davidson and Hilliard Darby actually perform better on the state tests than Centennial. Likewise, a good chunk of the elementaries (six) in Hilliard actually have higher performance index scores than Winterset. Overall, Hilliard CSD outranks the Columbus CSD-Northwest side schools. All that being said, it goes without saying that performance on the state's standardized tests is just one measure of a school's well-being. There are certainly other factors to consider.

Our family has been in Hilliard CSD for approximately 8 years now and we've been quite pleased with the education our children our receiving. The vast majority of Hilliard CSD graduates go on to postsecondary education. Furthermore, we've really enjoyed the community itself.

Just a different perspective. Good Luck with your decision.

[hopkins11]

Upper Arlington appeals to many because of it's close proximity to OSU and downtown. It is a nice older area with a mix of retirees and many families and parks.
Dublin on the other hand is a newer, younger suburb that seems to appeal to younger
families. Very nice homes, great schools, bike paths, pools, etc. It really depends
on what your price range for housing is and what is most important to you and your family. I would say that Hilliard does not have the same reputation or resale as
Upper ARlington or Dublin. I live in Powell (Delaware County) and love it.

[Mike Dunn]

All the areas that you have mentioned do blend into each other making it difficult to determine where you are at. Sounds like you are concentrating on the Dublin, Upper Arlington, Worthington and Hilliard areas.

Here is a link that may help you with school information.
GreatSchools.net

Also, if you want to DM me, my sister lives in Upper Arlington and she is a nurse. She may be able to direct you to the right sources for nursing information.