Columbus Ohio Questions (Westerville, Upper Arlington, Gahanna: apartments, rental, crime)

[jobe457]

Hi All I have a few questions about Columbus

1st I'm from San Antonio, TX where the weather is generally hot and humid, if you've been here how would you compare the heat/humidity to Columbus?
2nd What are the safer neighborhoods?
3rd Is there alot of crime?
4th Are there alot of Tornadoes/hail?
5th Would you recommend a house/apartment with a basement, would it be a requirement or really useful?
6th Are there alot of jobs available, if so what side of town tends to have the majority of the tech jobs?
7th Are snow tires recommended? Would all weather tires be ok? Snow Chains?

Me and my spouse are moving to Columbus in October

Thanks

[SKandM]

Hello! I am not sure I can answer all of your questions but a couple I can tackle. Columbus is on average 10-20 degrees cooler than San Antonio (10 in the summer, 20 in the winter). I have seen more hail here than I have other places in the country but it is usually short lived, like a 3-10 minute storm passing through. Tornadoes can happen and there are siren systems in place to warn of possible tornado arrival but their actual occurrence is pretty rare. I think I have heard of 1 or 2 actually being sighted in Columbus in the 4.5 years we have lived here. Both our cars have AWD, we use all weather tires and have never used chains in the city.

There is some crime here but by and large I would say it is a safe city. Some areas are more dicey than others but it would be lengthy to list each neighborhood. There is a thread on this board where people discuss the areas they think are the most crime ridden so if this is an issue for you I suggest you scroll through the posts to track it down (it isn't old so it shouldn't take you long to find it). In general the suburbs are safer than the areas closest to downtown (as with almost any major city) although there are a few nicer areas near the heart of the city of you are more interested in living there.

My husband and I both telecommute for work so we are not particularly savvy on the job market here. Hopefully someone else can help you out with that piece.

Best of luck with your move!

[jobe457]

Originally Posted by SKandM

Hello! I am not sure I can answer all of your questions but a couple I can tackle. Columbus is on average 10-20 degrees cooler than San Antonio (10 in the summer, 20 in the winter). I have seen more hail here than I have other places in the country but it is usually short lived, like a 3-10 minute storm passing through. Tornadoes can happen and there are siren systems in place to warn of possible tornado arrival but their actual occurrence is pretty rare. I think I have heard of 1 or 2 actually being sighted in Columbus in the 4.5 years we have lived here. Both our cars have AWD, we use all weather tires and have never used chains in the city.

There is some crime here but by and large I would say it is a safe city. Some areas are more dicey than others but it would be lengthy to list each neighborhood. There is a thread on this board where people discuss the areas they think are the most crime ridden so if this is an issue for you I suggest you scroll through the posts to track it down (it isn't old so it shouldn't take you long to find it). In general the suburbs are safer than the areas closest to downtown (as with almost any major city) although there are a few nicer areas near the heart of the city of you are more interested in living there.

My husband and I both telecommute for work so we are not particularly savvy on the job market here. Hopefully someone else can help you out with that piece.

Best of luck with your move!

Thanks just concerned about it all, I've lived in TX for most of my life except for my time at fort knox ky, we're probably going to move near Bexley, I've been told that's one of the safer areas, but I'll check out the the post.

Would you recommend any apartments?

[SKandM]

I actually live in Bexley so it is one of the few areas I feel knowledgeable about here! There aren't a ton of apartments in Bexley just a few up on North Cassady. There are a number of rental properties like duplexes in nearby Eastmoor. I believe you may find quite a few on Fair Ave. Bexley is a great area. Very safe and friendly, close to downtown, german village and the short north. It has very easy access to both I-70 and 670 making it easy to get around the city.

Columbus is a very easy city to like. My guess is the biggest complaint you will have after moving here will be about trying to track down authentic Mexican food (you can do it, it just much more effort than in Texas!).

[wGoshen]

Originally Posted by jobe457

1st I'm from San Antonio, TX where the weather is generally hot and humid, if you've been here how would you compare the heat/humidity to Columbus?

Columbus weather during the summer is actually pretty similar to San Antonio. Maybe a little cooler but a little more humid.

Originally Posted by jobe457

2nd What are the safer neighborhoods?

There's many safe neighborhoods. It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for something in the city, look at Victorian Village, Grandview Heights, German Village, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, etc. Safe suburban locations include Dublin, Westerville, Worthington, Hilliard, Bexley, Gahanna, etc.

Originally Posted by jobe457

3rd Is there alot of crime?

Again, it's depends on where you'll be. Places to avoid would be Franklinton, the south side near Reeb-Hosack Ave, Livingston Ave between Parsons and I-70, along with the Linden area.

Originally Posted by jobe457

4th Are there alot of Tornadoes/hail?

There's more hail than tornadoes. As a matter of fact, Columbus gets very few tornadoes, and those are usually on the outskirts of town and are very weak.

Originally Posted by jobe457

5th Would you recommend a house/apartment with a basement, would it be a requirement or really useful?

I don't really understand what you're asking. A basement isn't required, although it's useful if you're going to have a washer/dryer.

Originally Posted by jobe457

6th Are there alot of jobs available, if so what side of town tends to have the majority of the tech jobs?

There's a good amount of tech jobs here. A majority of them are up in the Dublin/Hilliard area.

Originally Posted by jobe457

7th Are snow tires recommended? Would all weather tires be ok? Snow Chains?

I use all-purpose weather tires and have never had much of a problem, other than the usual momentary loss of traction when braking. The winters are rough but not excruciatingly terrible. Give yourself some room and you'll be fine.

[jobe457]

Originally Posted by wGoshen

Columbus weather during the summer is actually pretty similar to San Antonio. Maybe a little cooler but a little more humid.



There's many safe neighborhoods. It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for something in the city, look at Victorian Village, Grandview Heights, German Village, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, etc. Safe suburban locations include Dublin, Westerville, Worthington, Hilliard, Bexley, Gahanna, etc.



Again, it's depends on where you'll be. Places to avoid would be Franklinton, the south side near Reeb-Hosack Ave, Livingston Ave between Parsons and I-70, along with the Linden area.



There's more hail than tornadoes. As a matter of fact, Columbus gets very few tornadoes, and those are usually on the outskirts of town and are very weak.



I don't really understand what you're asking. A basement isn't required, although it's useful if you're going to have a washer/dryer.



There's a good amount of tech jobs here. A majority of them are up in the Dublin/Hilliard area.



I use all-purpose weather tires and have never had much of a problem, other than the usual momentary loss of traction when braking. The winters are rough but not excruciatingly terrible. Give yourself some room and you'll be fine.

I don't really understand what you're asking. A basement isn't required, although it's useful if you're going to have a washer/dryer.

I was referring to the tornadoes ect....
I lived in KS and was always in constant fear of a tornado, but since you say they rarely happen, I guess a basement would just be a nice mancave thanks

[wGoshen]

Oh. Yeah, they can be useful for Tornado Warnings. We get them quite often, but they are usually radar indicated.

[CortlandGirl79]

Most people in Ohio have basements. If you're looking to buy i would suggest you buy a place w/a basement, it will affect your resale (most people want basements because of storms and extra storage space.)

[jobe457]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

Most people in Ohio have basements. If you're looking to buy i would suggest you buy a place w/a basement, it will affect your resale (most people want basements because of storms and extra storage space.)

Ohh no not planning on staying in Ohio too long

Texas heat may suck during the summer, but the winters are awesome
anyway yeah I really want an APT with a basement so I can actually have a place to go be in the dog house lol jk

thanks

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by jobe457

Ohh no not planning on staying in Ohio too long

Texas heat may suck during the summer, but the winters are awesome
anyway yeah I really want an APT with a basement so I can actually have a place to go be in the dog house lol jk

thanks

I'll take the winter over summer. Texas heat isn't that good, but depending on where you are, it's drier than most places in the Southeast.