Dublin vs. Hilliard (Columbus, Cincinnati, Westerville: apartments, condos, low crime)

[lorib49]

My husband and I are considering a move the Columbus area. He will be hopefully working at Doctors Hospital. We were considering buying a townhouse in either Dublin or Hilliard. I noticed that the townhouses in Hilliard are less expensive than in Dublin. Is there a reason for this? We are in our middle twenties and do not have children, so school are not an issue for us. We are looking for an affordable cost of living and a safe area. Can anyone give us some advice? We would like to be close to Doctors Hospital. Are there any areas of Dublin or Hilliard that we should avoid?

[bgfalcons86]

Comparing Dublin to Hilliard is similar to comparing New Albany to Westerville or Gahanna. Dublin and New Albany are (for the most part) elite communities (meaning upper-middle to upper class). Hilliard, Westerville and Gahanna are mainly middle-to-upper middle class communities that have a somewhat wider range of pricing options, including some modest and expensive homes. Dublin and New Albany have amenities that few cities in Ohio (let alone the Columbus area) can match.

I live in Hilliard and am very happy to be in this community. The schools are very good (yes, I know you don't care, but you might at resale time) and the people are friendly. I advise against to buying along Hilliard-Rome Road south of Roberts to I-70. That stretch is actually in the city limits of Columbus, but has a Hilliard address. There are plenty of good condo options in the city limits itself, but Hilliard taxes are high. I know folks who have worked at Doctors West who have purchased single-family homes (not townhomes) in the Columbus portion of Hilliard schools north of Roberts and been happy with their decision. You might consider that. I'd advise against the area immediately around Doctors West. Unfortunately, parts of the West Side is in decline and crime is a problem.

[streetcreed]

Hillard is one of the newest suburbs in the metro. Hillard also has more of a flat terrian, and most of the development has been done on farmland. The same is true around most of the metro, but in general the west side suburbs(hillard) have a more uninteresting terrain, and are newer therefore are catering to more average middle class families.
Dublin is more developed and has many neighborhoods with homes being built for uppermiddle class price ranges. Dublin is overall a little more seasoned suburb.

Both have good school districts and both are perceived to have low crime rates.

If you are looking for an older suburb that has been around for awhile with a more built up infrastructure you should check out Upper Arlington (which is often pricer than dublin) or Grandview Heights.

Both of these are even closer to downtown, and have sidewalks, built up renovated environments, so they are very sought after and will cost you for the added extras.

Basically these four options consit of what is important to you. IF you are not planning on having children anytime soon, both of these areas are very family oriented. Columbus is not hard to get around, and theres highway access everywhere around the innermetro. Therefore, you might want to check out areas of Columbus such as the Quarry on the westside, just outside of Hillard, or areas with townhomes around Grandview Heights.

Closer to downtown there area many very popular neighborhoods for the young professional types. If this is more the condo or townhome neighborhood you might be looking for then consider the areas just north of downtown, called the Short North, Victorian Village, and Italian Village. All three of these have hundreds of townhome developments that are renovations or brand new being built as we speak. Italian Village is also seeing appreciation rates at the rate of 50 percent in ONE year.

Another area that is building many condos/townhomes is south of downtown called the Brewery District.


Good Luck, you have many options, just take a look at them.

[bgfalcons86]

Perspective is a funny thing. The median household income in Hilliard is well above the national and state average and many professionals live in Hilliard. However, being next to a community like Dublin affects that perspective.

[sftong]

Hilliard City School district is not rated well. Out of the 5 ratings, Hilliard achieve only the 3rd rating (Continuos Improvement) for the latest 2 school years.

If you drive around Hilliard, the raods are mainly just 1 lane on each direction.

Powell is a another high end residential area, with close proximity to Columbus zoo and many golf courses.

[streetcreed]

ALSO to explain more on The area around Doctor's West is hardly a bad area, but it is not a pure "uppermiddle class white area."
The areas around Doctor's West are seeing a lot of new housing developments, there are many middle class families in this area, as well as apartments where there are some white/hispanic populations which have settled. The area is actually Columbus city limits, not Hillard. In Columbus the city limits tend to engulf themselves around the suburbs, so when asking about a certain area it may even be in Columbus but have Hillard schools.

The area is safe enough just not has a few more mixed incomes groups and average middle class residents.

When you go just a little further north of Doctor's West you enter the Hillard School district where things are less mixed, if that's what your looking for.
A home right around doctor's west would cost you less however.

[bgfalcons86]

Originally Posted by sftong

Hilliard City School district is not rated well. Out of the 5 ratings, Hilliard achieve only the 3rd rating (Continuos Improvement) for the latest 2 school years.

If you drive around Hilliard, the raods are mainly just 1 lane on each direction.

Powell is a another high end residential area, with close proximity to Columbus zoo and many golf courses.

Since you're using the Ohio Dept. of Education rating, let's look at the whole picture a little more closely rather than just calling the schools a 'weak link' because of the overall district rating, which I think is misleading in the first place.

Hilliard's rating was affected by missing Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for 3 years. Hilliard CSD met 25 out of 25 indicators this year with a Performance Index of 101. All of Hilliard CSD's schools were individually rated either excellent (including both high schools, all three middle schools and both 6th grade schools) or effective.

As the standards to meet AYP are made increasingly difficult, more districts are missing it. Among districts that missed AYP last year were Upper Arlington, Dublin, Worthington and yes - Olentangy. It is likely that more districts will have a similar situation as Hilliard as AYP standards become increasingly difficult to meet.

To have Hilliard (25 out of 25 standards, PI of 101) and Cincinnati (6 out of 25 standards met, PI of 81.5) both rated 'Continuous Improvement' seems confusing and misleading to me. Just for comparison's sake, Olentangy met 25 of 25 standards and had a PI of 103.3 - pretty similar to Hilliard.

[bgfalcons86]

Originally Posted by streetcreed

ALSO to explain more on The area around Doctor's West is hardly a bad area, but it is not a pure "uppermiddle class white area."
The areas around Doctor's West are seeing a lot of new housing developments, there are many middle class families in this area, as well as apartments where there are some white/hispanic populations which have settled. The area is actually Columbus city limits, not Hillard. In Columbus the city limits tend to engulf themselves around the suburbs, so when asking about a certain area it may even be in Columbus but have Hillard schools.

The area is safe enough just not has a few more mixed incomes groups and average middle class residents.

When you go just a little further north of Doctor's West you enter the Hillard School district where things are less mixed, if that's what your looking for.
A home right around doctor's west would cost you less however.

OK, streetcreed, it is Hilliard with two 'i's.

I guess I was moreso thinking about the some of the areas around Sullivant Avenue, which is south of Doctors Hospital. Certain parts of Sullivant Avenue on the West Side seem to have quite a bit of crime. As for diversity, Hilliard CSD (which encompasses parts of Columbus, too) has an increasingly diverse enrollment with students from many different backgrounds.