Moving to Ohio (Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton: to buy, theater, schools)

[GAisGreat]

New Albany, Upper Arlington, and Worthington all seem to be a little too high for us. Each averages about 300-350k for a home.

What about Newark, Delaware, and Mechanicsburg areas? Are they nice? Much crime? Decent schools?

Delaware looked pretty decent, but it seemed like 90% of the housing avail was built within the last 8yrs, which too me indicates sprawly burb' garbage...i.e. everything is a 'new development' w/housing association crap, disconnected subdivision on top of subdivision, Super Wal-Mart, Super Home Depot, Applebee's on every corner...Is this correct? Are there any areas that are more so like this than not, around Columbus?

Thanks again!

[paintballer1708]

^Delaware was the 12th fastest growing county in the nation in 2005. Its nice with a lot of farmland, but sprawl is getting out of control. Rapid growth and they havent been able to control it. I would look into Newark. I was really impressed with Newark. A bigger town with older sections of towns and newer ones. The school systems look great with brand new schools and the town was very clean.

[paralleler]

Hi Gang,

Boy am I glad I found this web site!

I've been living in California since birth (51 years) and feel it is time to find a new home. Housing is too expensive, traffic is has gotten absolutely rediculous, my parents have recently moved on, and the company I've worked for for the past 25 years is about to change hands.

I first visited the Dayton area about two years ago after my mother passed away. I was visiting her family in Iowa and decided to take in the Wright's home and USAF Museum while "in the neighborhood." I really enjoyed it! OK, it was a bit humid but I could take that. Before my visit, I was telling friends I might retire somewhere between Auburn, CA and Denver, CO. Ever since I've been to Dayton, I've been thinking about it. If it weren't for Dayton's aviation history, I'd probably be considering other areas.

Is there enough snow (too much snow?) to Nordic ski around Huffman Prarie in the winter? Do people drive like idiots around Dayton and/or Ohio (running red lights, passing over double yellow lines, reckless driving, etc.)? I'm a big Macintosh user (even running Windows XP Pro on my Mac as I'm writing this) and I already know there is a Mac User Group there. I've read about the crime issues and that doesn't impress me but all the potential programs at the Aviation Museums of the area (I missed Mike Armstrong's that was about an hour north last time) just thrill me. And then there are all the new places to explore in the mid-west and east coast.

I've got to read on and come back for another visit.

Thanks again for your input!

A possible new neighbor,
Bruce (a.k.a. Paralleler)

[GAisGreat]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

^Delaware was the 12th fastest growing county in the nation in 2005. Its nice with a lot of farmland, but sprawl is getting out of control. Rapid growth and they havent been able to control it. I would look into Newark. I was really impressed with Newark. A bigger town with older sections of towns and newer ones. The school systems look great with brand new schools and the town was very clean.

Thanks for the info. We're still very early in our search, so things will likely change, but as of now, I think we've narrowed things down to Newark, Pickerington, and Lancaster. If we decide more of a suburb then Dublin, Worthington, and Westerville. Upper Arlington is too far out of our price range, Dublin and Worthington, are in it, but not by much. Westerville seems the most affordable. Delware, what you said is the impression I'm starting to get of that area, which is definately what we don't want! We live in out of control, uber-fast growing, suburbia hell now and want to avoid that mistake again!

Are you familiar w/Lancaster? How do Lancaster and Newark compare? They seem very similar in a lot of ways...Is there much of a cost of living difference? Is one more ultra-conservative, church-going than the other? Big difference in traffic? One more sprawly, and/or growing faster than the other?

Thanks!

[SnowCrash7]

I relocated to the Columbus area from SC about 3 years ago. Have lived in Powell, north of Columbus, and now am on the Dublin/Hilliard line.

Let me first lists areas I would avoid:

1) Stay away from anything that would require you to travel north from Columbus towards Delaware on Route 23. That entire route becomes a parking lot every day for hours.

2) Same with route 70 east towards Pataskala.

3) Stay outside the 270 loop unless heavily armed.

New Albany is very nice but very pricey....property taxes run over 7000 a year on 2300-2600 sq ft structures.

Taxes in Ohio in general are climbing fast.....state was not too long ago in the bottom third of the nation....now it ranks number 3 and climbing!!

I would look west towards the London area....much less development and cheaper land. Or south down 71.

I would avoid east entirely and avoid north unless you are willing to take 71 north to Delaware and or beyond.

Sprawl is a huge problem. The state has lost lots of manufacturing jobs offshore and many, many folks from around the state move to Columbus for the work.

[CTtoOH]

It sounds like you have ruled out Dayton, but I just wanted to toss my two cents in...my sister-in-law lives in Oakwood, a burb of Dayton and when I visited last year I thought it was an interesting place. There are tons of kids and great schools (some of the best in OH), and her neighborhood was very walkable and quaint. She told me that Dayton is less conservative than Cincy. I think she paid less than $200K for her house. The houses don't have big yards, however.

I'm actually moving to Cincinnati in a few months (from Connecticut), and probably my biggest concern is the conservative reputation it has. But, I figure in a city that big I should be able to meet people similar to myself.

I'm in complete agreement with you on your aversion to big box stores and disconected suburbs. It's a challenge finding a neighborhood that is not like that but also has good schools. Anyway, good luck with your search!

[Halfback]

They have a community festival every year at ahuge park down town .Its legal to go top less .so some do.How is that for non conservitiveness.for acres you can find cows on Ohio State University's campus five minutes from downtown but no land for sale. My favorite book store Monkey's Retreat.com, wow first admindment rights!Nice antique counter culture comics from the sixties.Freepress.org local paper.
Been so long since i have been there i would not reconize it . Clintonville is nice . No acres . you would have to drive past the suburbs preferable north.Just drive straight up High Street past all the hippies' eventualy you will find Maybary and land. Hocking hills are nice Athens nhome of Ohio University or relive your parents life and go to Kent state lots of liberals.Nelson Ledges cool campground lots of neo hippies.
Its a stretch but Oregon, my over weight friend wears homemade yoga pants to work -laid back in Oregon university area . Any college town is nice Austin Texas in the south.

[staceylynn]

Originally Posted by InGA

Are you familiar w/Lancaster? How do Lancaster and Newark compare? They seem very similar in a lot of ways...Is there much of a cost of living difference? Is one more ultra-conservative, church-going than the other? Big difference in traffic? One more sprawly, and/or growing faster than the other?

Thanks!

The traffic in Lancaster can get bad, especially for those who live in Lancaster and commute to Columbus (commute=about 45 minutes). It sounds like you want to avoid sprawly, overly commercial areas. If that's the case, I'd rule out Lancaster. In my opinion, it's not an attractive area. The only good thing about it is it's proximity to Hocking Hills State Park, which is beautiful. Rush hour traffic to and from Newark can also get pretty bad from what I have heard. Both areas are pretty conservative. Basically, the farther you get from Columbus the more conservative it becomes. Columbus itself is pretty liberal, and the immediate suburbs are pretty moderate.
I lived in Westerville for four years (I attended school in the college there), and I can't recommend it enough. The downtown area is really nice, and there are always festivals going on in the summer. Otterbein College has a fantastic theater department, so if you're into theater, it's a great thing. The schools are pretty good, and Westerville Public Library is one of the top libraries in the country for a city of Westerville's size. Alum Creek and Big Walnut Creek resevoirs are both closeby, and are pretty nice for summertime activities. Downtown Columbus is only about 15 minutes away (during non-rush hour times). There are areas in northern Westerville (the part in Delaware County) where you can probably find a lot of acreage, but it may be expensive. North Westerville tends to be more expensive than south Westerville. You will have to deal a bit with super centers (there is a huge Meijer, but no Wal-Mart), but most of the rapid development is on the outskirts of Westerville on Polaris Parkway, where you find the largest mall in Ohio. Polaris Parkway is a nightmare during rush hour and the holiday shopping season.
Good luck!

[paintballer1708]

CTtoOH, since i have got down here to Cincinnati, i find that most people arent that conservative. I thought the same thing as you. There is a big mix of people around here. A lot are from across the nation. Some from blue sections of the country, and love living in a red part. I love the Cincinnati metro. Its a great area to be living in. Lots to do here. I havent been on in a few days, as most now im on almost everday trying to help people out. But we have been very busy, out with new friends, and having a good time in the city. There is so much to do down here. You will really like it here, CTtoOH.

[paintballer1708]

SnowCrash, i will have to disagree with you on a lot of what you said. I have found not only a lot of people from Cleveland moving to Columbus, but as well from Pittsburgh, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and many other places across the country. When i lived in Cleveland there were many people from other parts of the midwest and northeast, as well as from Canada. Since moving here to Cincinnati i have met a lot of people from Kentucky and also other parts of the midwest. Ohio has diversified its economy attracting many people from around the nation and the world. NE Ohio had a big healthcare and tech sector economy, while SW Ohio has a large tech sector and booming aviation economy esp. around Dayton. And Ohio's taxes are no where close to other states around here. Take Pennsylvania where the taxes are some four times higher. Ohio has a long way to go to reach that point. And the government is working on lowering taxes. Ohio's economy gets more diverse every year, and i cant wait to see what it will be like in 5-10 years in the way that it is going now.