Moving to Columbus, need advice on Urban areas (Akron, Westerville: hardwood floors, apartment complex)

[amstoica]

Hello everyone! Moving to Columbus in Dec-Jan time frame (CAN'T WAIT). We will be renting at first until I get done with graduate school at OSU so we are looking for a rental home (condo, townhome, etc).
That being said, I have done my research (as much as I can not having been there to look myself yet) on various areas and the homes I am most interested in are in German Village, Victorian Village, Olde Town East. I am aware of the demographics and things like that in each of these areas. I have a young child but we are not concerned with school districts as we plan to send her to private schools. I grew up in the city of Akron so I do have some "urban awareness" that one would have to have a bit of to make a transition from suburbs to city.
It is hard for me to get a feel for the areas given that it's not convenient for me to just spend time around there whenever I choose. Unfortunately, a great deal of this move must be done from the internet. That's why I need your help ! If anyone would be SO kind as to tell me what the "better" areas are of each of the neighborhoods I've listed are, I'd greatly appreciate it. Like I said, I don't know Bryden Rd from a hole in the ground but a lot of the homes I like are there. And then I hear a lot of buzz about Neil Ave. but I don't even know what neighborhood(s) this street is in.

I know that the word "safe" is pretty relative but I think we all know what feeling safe entails. I need to know what areas of these neighborhoods to avoid when rental shopping as well as which ones are most preferable. If you want to, you can send me a private message if it will make it easier. I REALLY appreciate the help. You guys are truly lifesavers and I'm glad that there are places like this to go and ask questions because relocation doesn't need to be any harder.

My Specs:
City/Urban type area but doesn't have to be right in the middle of downtown.
Rental home, condo, townhome, duplex, whatever. NO APT. COMPLEXES.
Price range: up to $1100/month
I'm a graduate student but don't want "college" atmosphere
Three-year-old daughter
Brick or Victorian/Historic looking home, all hardwood floors
Off-street parking
Safety is a plus (not expecting "Pleasantville suburbia" safety, but avoidance of violent crime and home burglaries is a plus)
Walkable area is a plus but not a must

Where can I get the best of this stuff for my money? And where should I stear clear of? Please feel free to make other suggestions if another area may be of interest to me.Those are pretty much my questions. But ANYTHING you can offer will help. Oh, and to save you the trouble, I have gone to the Urban Ohio site and although its great, I don't get as many responses. Apologies for the length of the post, and there I went making it longer.

Thank you kindly,
Angela

[coach123]

I would rank them in the same order you did. German Village, Victorian Village, Olde Town East. German village is nice and I would say the further east you go in German Village the rougher it gets. So I would stay central to central west if I could. In Victorian village I would probably stay in the Southern part of the area. The further north you the more likely you are to run into the college atmosphere you are looking to avoid as south OSU campus is just several blocks to the north. I don't know that much about Olde Town East, but right now it has not seen the kind of rebuilding and rebirth that some of the other areas of downtown has.

[otters21]

South Clintonville around Indianola and Weber is a possibility for what you are looking for.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by otters21

South Clintonville around Indianola and Weber is a possibility for what you are looking for.

They don't really have Victorians there though (although I do like the neighborhood).

I'll agree with what others have said--look in Victorian Village and German Village first. Add Italian Village and some of the close-to-Victorian Village neighborhoods as well (Dennison Place, Harrison West).

Old Town East has some fabulous homes, but the safety is spotty and there are next to no amenities in the neighborhood.

[efilsitra]

my friend lives in a house on tibet (near tibet and indianola it is clintonville) and it is a great little house on a very quiet street with tons of nice houses, it is not really down town but its a great are that is close to high street and about 10 minutes from the giant eagle over by hudson and high and pretty close to everything really. victorian village is really nice especially near goodale park but i am not sure about houses. old town east is block by block, my girlfriend lives on franklin and its really nice mostly but my car and just about every car on that block has been broken into, my window was busted out and my ipod (stupidly left in the car..thought it was hidden) was stolen. i would say victorian village, german village, or clintonville (which is closest to campus and you can probably hop a bus and get to school easily..not sure if the osu sponosored CABS busses run over there but it would be something to look into cuz they are completely free...and cota is free as well with an i.d.) hope that helps!

[hctibcalledhope]

clintonville, hands down. family neighborhood without being suburban

[zhenni]

You won't find any Victorian houses in this neighborhood, but it fits all of your other requirements: Clintonville. It is a very nice family-oriented neighborhood with a walkable business district along High Street, with business running the gamut from nice independent restaurants to specialty shops (vegan bakery; chocolate shop; yarn shop; crafts shop) to antique stores; there are also two major grocery stores located on High Street which can easily be walked to. There are several nice parks in or just outside of Clintonville (Glen Echo Ravine; Brevoort Park; and the absolutely huge and very nice Whetstone/Park of Roses). I know you said you are planning on enrolling your child in private schools, but the schools in Clintonville are very good, especially the elementary schools. (My son is currently in kindergarten in one of those schools, Indianola Informal Elementary). There are a fair number of rental options in Clintonville, especially duplexes, which in Clintonville are side-by-side. Duplexes typically rent for around $800-$1000 a month, and usually have three bedrooms. Because the housing stock dates from around 1910-1930 +/-, most houses in the area have hardwood floors, and all have a porch. It is the kind of neighborhood where, in nice weather, everyone sits out on the front porch and visits with the neighbors while the kids play in the front yards & ride bikes on the sidewalks. It's pretty idyllic, in my opinion.

[christysullivan27]

With $1100 you can get a very nice place to live. The cost of living isn't bad there at all. I've been to German Village, it's not that great. I wouldn't live there because I don't think it's safe.(Just an opinion that's all, I'm not trying to disuade you) The houses are very close together and it's too close to bad areas. I personally like Gahanna, Dublin, Pickerington and Westerville. Haven't really been to Clintonville but I'm gonna check it out now. Thanks Everybody. Gahanna has some shops and a lot of festivals in the summer as well as Dublin. Dublin has everything you would need and is only 20 minutes to downtown (Can't really walk around). Columbus is just not a pedestrian friendly town in my opinion. Don't ever ride the bus and stay away from Whitehall. lol. (I moved there not knowing anything about the town, I learned the hard way lol).

[nickw252]

I have a friend living in a townhouse in a nice area of Harrison West (I believe on Oregon St.). Their townhouse is nice, a little small but it has a 2 car garage on the first floor, living room/kitchen on the second and 1.5 bedrooms on the third. They are paying $800/month and the location is great. It's near a major street with bus routes on it, and they are in walking distance to some small wine shops, coffee houses, and a few neighborhood bars. Overall the neighborhood feels very safe and is full of young professionals rather than college age people.

Good luck with your move, there are some beautiful old neighborhoods in Columbus - who would ever want to live in an apartment complex by the highway when you have all this to choose from?

[other1]

Sorry, but German Village is a pretty safe area. I will admit that as you head East towards Parsons there can be some sketchy areas, but even then the issues are petty theft and Graffiti. The houses are close together, but that is because it is a good, dense, urban neighborhood. There is a lot of pride among some of home owners in German Village.

I will throw in my two cents and say Grandview Heights deserves a look. Yes, I live there currently so I am a little biased, however I also lived there while I was in Grad School and really enjoyed it's close proximity to campus, but liked having it removed from the typical college atmosphere. Another nice thing about Grandview is that it is a walkable community, there are numerous activities in the summer and fall (ox roast, Grandview hop, taste of Grandview, Farmers market, ect) that often times make a point of catering to younger children, ect. There is a community pool and a few parks to take your daughter to when you want to find some open green space. For what you are looking to spend, you should have no problem. There are several duplexes and 4 unit town homes spread through and around the perimeter of Grandview. It's also easy to access 315 and 670 from Grandview.

I would also encourage you to look at Harrison West, Victorian Village, and Clintonville. All good "urban" areas close to campus. German Village is also a great place to look, just a little farther from campus. (Not far, just farther than the previously mentioned.

Good Luck.

Originally Posted by christysullivan27

With $1100 you can get a very nice place to live. The cost of living isn't bad there at all. I've been to German Village, it's not that great. I wouldn't live there because I don't think it's safe.(Just an opinion that's all, I'm not trying to disuade you) The houses are very close together and it's too close to bad areas. I personally like Gahanna, Dublin, Pickerington and Westerville. Haven't really been to Clintonville but I'm gonna check it out now. Thanks Everybody. Gahanna has some shops and a lot of festivals in the summer as well as Dublin. Dublin has everything you would need and is only 20 minutes to downtown (Can't really walk around). Columbus is just not a pedestrian friendly town in my opinion. Don't ever ride the bus and stay away from Whitehall. lol. (I moved there not knowing anything about the town, I learned the hard way lol).