Moving to Ohio

[GAisGreat]

Originally Posted by staceylynn

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!

Thanks for the great info! I think Westerville is definately one of the top choices now. Basically we're deciding suburb, or smaller city in the country w/acreage. Acreage we've narrowed down to around Newark, maybe Zanesville, or we'll have to wait to see how far out we can live. If decide to stay close in the burbs' then top choice thus far is Westerville, followed closely by Worthington.
Meijer's don't mind at all...It's Wal-Mart that's the devil, Meijer's is cool, Wal-Mart is hideous sprawl!

[babybluesjac]

Just want to inform you of a couple areas that are pretty much directly b/t Cincinnati & Dayton, about 30 minutes either way. I lived in West Chester for about 11 years & just recently bought a house in Mason. West Chester can be pretty pricey, but is a GREAT area. I chose to buy in Mason because it's cheaper, but love it & it's close enough to home! Just for an FYI & hope I can be a bit of help to you!