Townhomes or Apartments Dublin/Hilliard Area (Columbus, Lancaster: section 8, condos, crime rates)

[Iteach]

I will be moving to the Columbus area within the next 4-6 weeks. I am looking for a townhome to buy in the Dublin / Hilliard area. As a backup plan I am also interested in looking at Apartments in this area. I am very concerned about a safe environment. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[NewToCA]

I lived in both Hilliard and Dublin during the past 15 years, only recently leaving for California.

Safety is relatively good in both areas, however Hilliard can somewhat be a little more of a concern between the two areas. If it is a critical issue I would stick with Dublin.

[LancasterNative]

Having lived in Hilliard myself, I'd recommend Dublin if safety is your utmost concern.

By most standards (esp. compared to more urbanized places/ghettos in the Columbus area) Hilliard isn't really unsafe per se, but compared to Dublin, Hilliard is a little more rough around the edges.

There are more "Section 8" type developments in Hilliard, so that should be a big indication.

Most of the crime in Hilliard is property-related (thefts, burglaries, etc.) and not violent. But then of course, there was that episode yesterday where police & SWAT teams recaptured that wackjob prison-fugitive with hostages and it made national/cable news headlines—right down in Old Hilliard!

Yeah, I'd definitely go with Dublin...

[streetcreed]

Both are safe, section 8 is not always an indicator of crime, i would like to see a thesis stating so.


Also, if there is section 8 in hilliard it is very minimal.

I wouldnt worry about crime in either, what is more realistic is price. Usually Hilliard is thought to be more affordable than Dublin, although there will be exceptions. Also, alot of what is Hilliard schools is actually the city limits of Columbus. Columbus surrounds or lies next to almost all of the suburbs. So often some say they live in a suburb but actually you pay columbus taxes and have suburban schools. Many that are not from Columbus are unaware of this arrangement.

Most of Columbus' suburbs are smaller in size compared to many large metros. Dublin is a decent sized suburb though, it is larger than Hilliard and has more corporate power. I would check both out and see which one fits you better, both have housing stock from about the same age though, both are also newer suburbs (in the last 30 years) in the Columbus growth pattern.

[LancasterNative]

Creed, your post reminded me of a lengthy feature that appeared in Columbus Monthly, circa 1985. It was called "Rating the Suburbs" and included stats & stories on each of the 15 then-largest 'burbs by population.

At that time, neither Powell nor New Albany was even included! Neither had even registered on anyone's radar as a true suburb; both were considered outlying farm towns.

Also back then, Dublin was developing (thanks in large part to Jack Nicklaus and his little golf mecca up there) and was already considered an elite address. Hilliard lagged far behind in terms of population, development and reputation.

Seems back in those days, people mostly thought of Hilliard as home of the Franklin County Fair!

So from today's perspective, I would say Dublin probably has a wider mix of "new" (<30 years old) homes than does Hilliard, where Hilliard's are mostly "newer" (<15 years old).

Anyway, it all goes to show the head-spinning speed at which Columbus 'burbs have developed...

[Iteach]

Thanks for all the input.

Does anyone know anything about Greystone Manor? These are apartments that are being, or have been, turned into Condos.

[bgfalcons86]

Originally Posted by LancasterNative

Having lived in Hilliard myself, I'd recommend Dublin if safety is your utmost concern.

By most standards (esp. compared to more urbanized places/ghettos in the Columbus area) Hilliard isn't really unsafe per se, but compared to Dublin, Hilliard is a little more rough around the edges.

There are more "Section 8" type developments in Hilliard, so that should be a big indication.

Most of the crime in Hilliard is property-related (thefts, burglaries, etc.) and not violent. But then of course, there was that episode yesterday where police & SWAT teams recaptured that wackjob prison-fugitive with hostages and it made national/cable news headlines—right down in Old Hilliard!

Yeah, I'd definitely go with Dublin...

LancasterNative, So maybe everyone should stay away from Powell and Upper Arlington, since the same fugitive robbed banks there? This guy just landed in Hilliard by pure luck of the draw and because he wasn't apprehended in Powell and UA. Crime rates are lower in Hilliard than the national average by a good amount - just check out the stats on this site. IMHO, streetcreed's post is much more indicative of reality than yours.

There are a few section 8 apartments in the Columbus portion of the Hilliard CSD. Stay north of Roberts Road and inside Hilliard proper and it shouldn't be an issue.