Lancaster information?? please (Columbus, Fairfield, Green: relocating, income, job)

[LVGAZ]

Hi
My family and I thinking of relocating to Lancaster from Arizona - how are your winters? is their retail employment(furniture) stores in the area? are you far from Columbus? How are the schools?
Friends lived in COlumbus and liked it there - but I feel it may be too expensive for a home for us? ALso we are looking to possibly open a small gift/home accent store and wonder how is business there? My husband is in furniture sales?
thanks for any help?

[LancasterNative]

Howdy LVGAZ!

Well, as my screenname indicates I'm a native of Lancaster, and I can't help feeling my li'l hometown is a wonderful place to be! It has the slower pace and friendly attitudes of the small town it is, but still has amenities like a mall, a good hospital, and some nice restaurants that you'd expect in a city much larger.

Lancaster is about 30 miles SE of Columbus, but culturally it's worlds apart from the fast-paced, stressed-out and congested metropolis. It's also waaay more affordable. Coming from Arizona, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at "how much house" you can get for your money in Lancaster. Ironically, my folks once sold our house there to a buyer from Arizona! Go figure...

Lancaster's schools maybe aren't the envy of central Ohio, but that's because common-sense Lancaster residents don't believe throwing more money at a school district = smarter kids! Glistening new buildings and whiz-bang technology don't mean squat if a kid can't read, add/subtract, name the current President, or find his own state on a map. I'm a product of Lancaster schools myself and I'm doing just fine, thanks. There are also two private school systems in Lancaster: one Catholic, and the other affiliated with Fairfield Christian Church.

Things you'll find in Lancaster and nowhere else:

• The town's "pet rock" a/k/a Mount Pleasant, a 300-ft. sandstone cliff in Rising Park, from the top of which is a breathtaking view of half the county.
  
  
• The Fairfield Co. Fairgrounds, which served as a set in the filming of Green Grass of Wyoming. It annually hosts the oldest (1850s) and last (2nd week of October) county fair in Ohio.
  
  
• Square 13/Lancaster Historic District, a charming collection of early 19th-c. homes and churches. A few of the homes are open to the public now as museums. Annual tours are also offered—private houses usually in the summer, and the churches at Christmas.
  
  
• The Lancaster Festival, a 10-day annual summer blowout of music, arts, culture and socializing that rivals anything in Columbus.

Since you mentioned furniture stores, there used to be a very elegant one in town called Buchanan's. It was a Lancaster institution for decades, then suddenly in the past couple years, it closed! Very unfortunate for the town...but for you & your husband, maybe a golden opportunity! Lancaster could surely benefit from having a nice retail outlet to fill that void. Another popular furniture store is called Colonial Heights, and as far as I know they're still going strong. The downtown retail scene is known for its antique stores, gun stores, and one-of-a-kind specialty/gift shops. As with any historic downtown, it has way more character than the mall.

If you're into older homes, the best areas to live in Lancaster are in the Historic District or up near Rising Park. For something newer, north and east sides are generally your best bet—specifically "Pill Hill" (Sycamore Dr. up the hill from Kanawha Rd.) and "Wacker Heights" (large area between Sheridan Dr. and Rte. 37, off Rainbow Dr. and other avenues). The people who own all those beautiful homes are really into furnishing and decorating!

Best of luck, and I hope this helps!

Lanc

[dobiefamily]

We have lived in Lancaster for 7 years and love it...........
Low crime, feel safe, nice people, good churches, decent schools ( we have two school aged daughters, one who just finished 1st grade at Tarhe and the other preschool )........nice fairgrounds that has lots of family activities. Just now starting to build a Kohl's, Walmart, Super Target , and Starbucks is making their move into town.
We are being moved due to a job and will be headed to SC/Georgia.............hate leaving. Would have been happy to stay here forever. There are plenty of nice homes on the market. Ours being one......the market is slow now, you could probably get a good deal. Good Luck with the possible move. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I probably won't check this "thread" as I mostly look at SC/Georgia ones these days since we are moving there......but you could send me a private message if you do have other questions.

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by dobiefamily

We have lived in Lancaster for 7 years and love it...........
Low crime, feel safe, nice people, good churches, decent schools ( we have two school aged daughters, one who just finished 1st grade at Tarhe and the other preschool )........nice fairgrounds that has lots of family activities. Just now starting to build a Kohl's, Walmart, Super Target , and Starbucks is making their move into town.
We are being moved due to a job and will be headed to SC/Georgia.............hate leaving. Would have been happy to stay here forever. There are plenty of nice homes on the market. Ours being one......the market is slow now, you could probably get a good deal. Good Luck with the possible move. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I probably won't check this "thread" as I mostly look at SC/Georgia ones these days since we are moving there......but you could send me a private message if you do have other questions.

Great endorsement, dobie

And I've just gotta chuckle...a Starbucks in li'l old Lancaster?! Who wouldda ever thunk it!

Of course I can't laugh too loud...my fiancée is a major fan of Starbucks, so I reckon we'll be patronizing that one on our future visits

[HomeTown]

I happened to be looking for furniture stores around Lancaster and I stumbled across your city-data posting for possible home search in our town. My parents brought me here when I was 3 years old. 27 years later, I am still a member of this community. I can not say much more about the town that the others have not already said perfectly!! Only that there will also be a "CHIPOTLE". I can not wait.

The Fourth of July and Christmas parades are one of my favorite things about Lancaster. It brings out what seems like the entire community for celebration.

It is a very convenient commute to Columbus and other surrounding cities.

The winters vary here. Most are pretty mild compared to regions around us. Still enough snow once in a while for sled riding. The Fairgronds and Rising Park both have GREAT hills for this. My children love it.




Good Luck in your decision making

[Powro3]

Lancaster is a great place...I lived there for 5 years and hated to move from there. Everyone is great, I love that town. Schools are good and there is lots of shopping...I would love to move back I really miss it. Lancaster is far enough away from Columbus while still being close to Columbus...if that makes sense. Good luck in your move.

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by Powro3

Lancaster is far enough away from Columbus while still being close to Columbus...if that makes sense.

Makes perfect sense! I've heard the same thought expressed by other Lancaster natives/residents too, and I certainly agree

[Torch]

Hi We live in Lancaster Winters vary from year to year. The last was not bad .Yes there are a few furniture stores. I not sure of business here but I know of building that was a furniture store.They closed by their own choosing. The schools are pretty fair. We are about 45 min from Columbus. I hope that helps.
Torch

[emjbulls]

Colonial Heights is a pretty decent furniture store. I got my living room set and dining room set from there.

The schools there are pretty poor overall. I know people who have small children there and now that the kids are old enough for school, they are moving closer to Columbus (Bexley area) for a better education for their kids.

Just to give an idea of Lancaster..I went to Target and the mall there about 2 weeks ago and was in the play area of the mall with my kids. Somebody came in with a very dirty child and proceeded to lay down because he was high as a kite. We left asap and contacted mall security. Lancaster tends to be dirty and on the seedy side, imo. There are definitely some nice areas, but if you move there, be very careful what neighborhoods you pick.

[dnbnv]

Not as crazy about Lancaster as the previous posters. Have lived here over 5 years and made a bad choice to work here too. In my years here, I've seen the population grow, crime get worse, house conditions on the decline (you have a few here and there that people are fixing up) Schools are bad if you have children. Shopping is not great at all...but they are in the process of building some brand new discount style stores, which should do wonders for what kind of people are attracted to the community. Had a higher end department store pull out of the mall this year which as one poster commented on the type of people hanging out at the mall. I would rate it at a mid to low income community unless your are one of the 'locals' who was born, raised and will never leave the city. I am looking into moving out as it is not where I want to raise my children anymore. Drugs are getting really bad. Saw a guy the other day without a shirt on that had a huge tatoo of Hitler on his torso...great! Someone suggested moving to a good area of Lancaster which doesn't exist. You have pockets of good and bad all of which are very close together. You can have a $300,000 home right next to one that needs to be demolished. Oh, and look at the city data fact sheet on this town. 55 registered offenders (1 for every 600 some residents....another great thing the sheriff is letting into the town) Crime is on the rise and everyone will blame Columbus...yet Columbus data shows that their rate declined a little. This is a town with three major businesses: bars, churches and tattoo parlors. You go to the bar, become an alcoholic/drug addict, ask God for forgiveness (at Fairfield Christian) (maybe join AA) then have your excuses tattooed on your body. When I first moved here, the town had a 'Norman Rockwell' feel...that is long gone.