Columbus, OH review from an upstate New Yorker who is moving back to NY (Fairfield: apartments, houses)

[ExCMHer]

Originally Posted by Keethler

I currently live in St. Louis, MO after spending two years in Chicago. I grew up in Westerville (yes, I know its not Columbus, but I know a lot about the city and can offer an outsider's perspective combined with a native's unconditional love). First and foremost, there seems to be two types of city dwellers (in general, not specific to any city); 1) those who let the city compliment their own open mindedness and creativity, and; 2) those who are completely dependent upon their surroundings to compensate for what they are lacking internally. Type two are the people who dont add to a city anyway, they just sit around and watch and tell other people how great they are b/c of their zip code. A post like the original on this thread probably comes from type 2, although that is mere speculation. Personally, I loved Chicago, I love St. Louis, and I think Columbus is fantastic as well. If you know what you want, each city offers it (art, sports, food, nightlife). If you dont know what you want and tend to hang your hat on things like population, national reputation, and large skylines; you will be bitter like the original poster is because he or she is a mere observer. I cant tell you how many unoriginal people I met in Wicker Park (Chicago) that thought they were hip, creative, etc. by virtue of where they paid rent....it was comical. So, back to the point: Columbus is what you make of it. If you like an urban setting, move downtown, short north, Victorian Village, German Village, or even be a trailblazer and move off the beaten path. No one is forced to move here, but, if you do, and you have an ounce of perspective, you will love it, just like I do each and every time I come home...which is what I am doing now. Happy Thanksgiving, whether you are in Columbus, Upstate New York, or elsewhere.

I agree with every word of this post, and I've lived in DC for the last three years after having lived in Atlanta for the twelve prior to that. Just like anywhere else, it is what you make of it.

I could eat in a different chain restaurant every night around DC, if I chose to do so. You can also choose to avoid the chain restaurants living in Columbus, if you make the rather simple effort.

I can't understand why there are so many "type twos" on this board, who seemed to be overly concerned with what everyone else is doing. It reminds me of the kids who went to Oberlin "to be different just like everyone else."

[14thandYou]

I moved to DC about 4 1/2 years ago oafter spending all of my life up to that point in Columbus. I really go back and forth on my feelings about the city, both good and bad.

First, the good. People who spend a little time in the city quickly find out that it's not just a backwater midwest burg; there's actually quite a bit going on. As far as neighborhoods go, the Short North is one of the best urban neighborhoods in the country IMO--it's not a neighborhood that became trendy and became overrun with chain stores and Starbucks, it has managed to retain its unique charm and personality. Great galleries, boutiques, restaurants, pubs--I really love it there. Victorian Village, German Village/Brewery District and Clintonville are all excellent places to live/hang out. The Arena District and South Campus are a little too homogenized for my taste, but there's a lot going on in each of them. Downtown is definitely on the upswing, and the downtown theaters constantly have something in town worth seeing.

And close-in burbs like Worthington, Bexley, Grandview and Dublin have legitimate town centers with plenty of local shops, restaurants and pubs.

Columbus doesn't have world-class museums on par with cities like DC, New York or Chicago of course, but attractions such as the Museum of Art, Wexner Center, Franklin Park Conservatory, COSI and the Columbus Zoo are all worth spending time in. Columbus is finally starting to discover that it has a downtown waterfront, as the planning and development of the downtown parks attest. And as far as the eating goes, anyone who says Columbus has nothing but chain restaurants just isn't looking. I had more fabulous meals than I can count at local Columbus restaurants like Barcelona, Lemongrass, the Refectory, Lindey's, the Old Mohawk, the Worthington Inn, and so forth. Yeah, outside of the central city it's typically strip mall city--but show me a city that isn't.

And then there's the cost of living. Columbus truly is one of the most affordable cities in the country, and that really can't be discounted. Sure, you may not have the Guggenheim or the Smithsonian at your doorstep, but you can pick up a swank Victorian townhouse across from Goodale or Schiller Park for practically peanuts in comparison to other larger cities. The public schools are good, Ohio State is smack in the middle of the city (and smaller, respect lib-arts schools like Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, Oberlin and Dennison are close by), and the city has a great parks system.

So that's the positive side of life in Columbus. Now, the flipside. Outside of the central city (and the few burbs I named above) Columbus is little more than a sprawling suburb, it's true. If malls are your thing, you'll be in heaven in Columbus--but to me malls don't enhance the quality of life for the citizenry. And the city is sprawling...my goodness, there are cookie cutter developments rising all over the place in places like Hilliard, Worthington, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, the north side, etc.

The infrastructure is poor as well. Oh, the roads are paved and all, but the freeways are unnecessarily crowded because there's no public transportation to speak of. COTA, the city's bus system, is hardly sufficient--or reliable--enough to adequately serve the Columbus metropolitan population (all 1.7 million of them). The streetcar plans appear to be DOA, and no one wants to fund anything beyond additional miles of highways.

It pains me to say this as a resident, but culturally speaking--and in spite of the many positives which I noted above--Columbus is in many ways culturally backwards. OSU and the Bluejackets do just fine, but the city's symphony is dying and other arts organizations are barely scraping by. The citizens by and large don't see the value in funding and/or supporting cultural institutions, so they're left to fend for themselves.

The city, particularly in areas in Columbus proper that aren't downtown or in the northwest area, is either underdeveloped, ghetto, or completely uninhabited. And the efforts to revitalize these areas have either been unsuccessful or never gotten off the ground. i can't remember how many times I read about the inevitable resurgence of neighborhoods like Linden, Old Towne or King-Lincoln, only to see them fail to materialize year after year. given the current economic situation, I wouldn't be holding my breath either.

So, there you go. I've been as objective as I possibly could. My wife and I have half-heartedly batted around the idea of moving to Columbus once we decide to settle down and raise a family. I don't know if it will ever happen, but I'm reasonably certain that we could carve out a pleasant, enjoyable existence for ourselves there. Like others have said, it's what you make of aplace that counts.

Oh, and one final thought: the irony is onerwhelming when I read comments from people who deride other's choices for being "sad" or "close-minded" simply because they value things differently than you. Of course Columbus isn't New York or DC--but there are a lot of Columbus residents who are perfectly happy with that arrangement. It's not that they don't understand what they're missing, it's that they value different things. As someone who has lived in both Columbus and DC, I can see the pros and cons of each city. So really, get off your high horse and open your mind a bit--just because you would never live in a place like Columbus doesn't make you the arbiter of all that is good and right.

[LASam]

^Very well said.

[WeSoHood]

LOL @ Upstate being so culturally diverse. Yeah, Buffalo and Syracuse just ooze different ethnicity and cultures. Don't get me wrong, NYC is very culturally diverse and an amazing city - but I don't consider it "Upstate New York". I see you hate Columbus monkey, great. You probably are leaving out things about not having friends, not going out much, or just not knowing about dining. All you knew about was the crime, big box stores, etc. Go to Short North and take some "jager bombs" and eeze up a bit. We all know you "guidos" love "jager bombs"! (see, I can generalize too!)

And who are you to preach about traveling, etc? How do you know about where people have been? I have lived in NYC, DC, and Cleveland. I was born in the west coast. I have traveled over 10 European countries, Phillipines, Uruguay, Panama, Chile, etc... It means absolutely nothing though since YOU can't assume someone isn't cultured. I mean for christ sake, you are fom UPSTATE NEW YORK!

[HuskerDu]

WeSoHood isn't so fond of the Upstate NY Ukrainian nightmare/family dollar-fest and I have to agree. Cleveland isn't much better.

[fnord]

Originally Posted by monkey8522

* Surprisingly bad traffic between the morning rush and the evening rush from 4-6 on all the major highways
* Central Ohioans tend to be slow and incompetent drivers, often slowing down traffic due to their slow driving tendencies. It often takes a while to get anywhere in this town.

This describes any metro area on the entire planet. Hearing such comments from anybody, which is about 95% of the people I meet/know, immediately lowers my interest in them.

[jstn]

Originally Posted by fnord

This describes any metro area on the entire planet. Hearing such comments from anybody, which is about 95% of the people I meet/know, immediately lowers my interest in them.

yep.

[Joe 4520832257]

I absolutely love how the original poster complains about Ohio drivers, but then makes it perfectly clear that he's upset because he keeps getting speeding tickets and parking tickets!!!

It's also one thing to bash Columbus for all the suburban sprawl (which I think is fair), but quite another to talk about finding greener pastures in Upstate NY! LOL! Indeed ... you won't have to deal with as much sprawl and chain stores when you live in a small city that is shrinking and dying. Aside from maybe Ithaca, I'm not aware of an upstate NY "city" that isn't stagnating. Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Corning/Elmira, Binghamton, Albany ... I mean stop me when I find the thriving diverse city that has better quality of life than Columbus ... anyone? ...

They do indeed have less traffic and chain stores. I'll give them that.

[guyL]

Quote : ) Columbus has a bigger central city Gay and Lesbian popluation than one would expect in the middle of Ohio.
That and too fat people would be enough for me

[streetcreed]

uote : ) Columbus has a bigger central city Gay and Lesbian popluation than one would expect in the middle of Ohio. That and too fat people would be enough for me

Columbus is a city that is progressive and embraces diversity and equal rights. I would suggest that with your mindset you do not move to Columbus, although there are plenty of areas of the city with a very conservative mindset, you just would be the minority in your opinion over all.