best areas to live in (Columbus, Westerville: hardwood floors, real estate, apartments)

[rain_761]

I am planning on moving to columbus. the hour drive to work every day is getting old. One place I looked at was i guess the south end (obetz rd, beth ann dr. area.) i work on the southwest side but i was told to stay away from anything west of broad street. I dont' know much about columbus, so any info would be great.

[streetcreed]

What type of housing price are you looking for or rent price?

As far as just "average" alright sections of columbus for the your everyday person to live and afford a home price, there is the northland/sharon woods section in the NE side, many immigrants have moved here into the apartments because of cheaper rent, but good quality homes exist in the neighborhoods.

Also, on the far east side the Hamiliton Rd. area between the Pickerington and Whitehall has affordable homes in a safe enough area. This area is known as the far east side, going to Columbus, Whitehall, Pickerington schools etc. Some newer sections have neighborhoods along Brice Rd, with average 2-4 bedrooms houses.

Also, Berwick (where the mayor and his family presently live) and Eastmoor are areas which you can find many affordable homes and rent prices, these areas are on the east side, east and south of the suburb Bexley.

Now for the most sought after columbus neighborhoods with the columbus city school district,
Clintonville and Beechwold
on the north side just north of OSU, these areas both have EVERY type of home possible in them, some very large yards, beautiful rivers/ravines etc. etc., also the columbus schools in this area and the area NW side of the city are the best of the city scools.

The area known as NW columbus, very well off and borders Dublin and the Clintonville neighborhood and the suburb Upper Arlington. The commerical corridors are Bethel and Henderson Rd. The neighborhood has lots of condos, is near riverside hosptial, a decent size asian population, large homes (most 80s,90s,70s,), and nice apartments. The schools are columbus and dublin.

The Short North, Victorian Village, Harrison West, and Italian VIllage are just north of downtown and the hot spots for urban development right now. This areas get more pricey by the minute.

South of downtown is one of Columbus most expensive neighborhoods per square foot German Village.

South of German Village is nice option for someone wanting to be closer to downtown, but in a less expensive areas; Merrion Villlage.

Olde Town East has many grand olde mansions east of downtown, but has some poverty mixed in, this area is the closet to resembling an older neighborhood.

And, columbus surrounds most of the suburbs in columbus, and you can live in sections of columbus that border the subursb but go to suburban schools. Those areas are also worth looking into if you want a newer typical suburban community.


Where on the southwest side are you working (intersection?)
Broad St. runs east and west so I don't think that they meant anything west of broad, maybe anything south or north of broad is what they meant. It depends where on west broad you are speaking of though, most sections that are in columbus city limits on the west side (franklinton, the hilltop) are slowly declining. The Hilltop isn't quite as bad but theres many issues there. Further west on broad is the Westland area and there are many affordable homes from the 60s, 70s there. North of broad on the far west side is hilliard and sections of columbus that go to hilliard schools those are fine, south of broad on the far west side is Galloway, another affordable area with some lower incomes throughout.

[LancasterNative]

Howdy Rain!

If you work on the SW side of town, Grove City might be a good bet. It's a large, spread-out suburb with lots of variety in housing stock, from older homes to new builds. Beulah Park racetrack is there, which also hosts concerts. GC also has a nice downtown.

A little further out is Galloway, which is more rural (at least for now) and may be a good site to find a larger lot, if you're into that!

If you like being in more of a country setting, the whole SW corner of Franklin Co. is where you'll find land prices that are still affordable for the average family, where developers haven't yet invaded and driven the costs sky-high! And for some scenic recreation, beautiful Battelle-Darby Creek Metropark is out that way, the largest of the entire metro park system.

Obetz tends to have a bad reputation among Columbus folks, but it's not a bad town. Yes, many of the residents there are low-income; many moved up from Appalachia during the '40s and '50s. Yes, most of the housing in Obetz is older and much of it needs repair. But, all in all Obetz is a safe community where people look out for each other. The people there are generous and friendly; they're mostly good honest country folks who "know how to work and know how to play" It's just a mindset that, if you're willing to accept, then you'd have no problem getting along there.

Places on the south/SW end you do want to avoid: Parsons Avenue; anything north of Williams Rd. (east of High); the Hilltop area (north of Clime Rd/Frank Rd.) Those areas are all ghetto, or are rapidly becoming so!

Best of luck with your upcoming move! I don't blame ya at all for wanting to give up that 1-hr. drive to work. You'll be gaining an hour of sleep every morning and an hour of "happy hour" every night

All the best,
Lanc

[rain_761]

thanks for all the info. I'm really considering the move to grove city. it seems like a nice area to live in. i also heard it's one of the safer places to live.

[tommy378]

I live on the west side and I hate it! I moved from New York city and moved into Wingate Villiage. I want to buy a home when my lease is up please advise me of a place where I can get something on the cheap. What is the best school district to be in? I have young ones.

[mohogany3]

Tommy378, I am not sure of the "best" school system. I went to Westerville schools during my high school years. Question also is how much is your budget? Depending on where you work and the side of town you might also like Hilliard.

[Tenzo]

Originally Posted by tommy378

I live on the west side and I hate it! I moved from New York city and moved into Wingate Villiage. I want to buy a home when my lease is up please advise me of a place where I can get something on the cheap. What is the best school district to be in? I have young ones.

What do you hate about where you live?
If you are looking for a NYC vibe, you won't like it no matter what neighborhood.
What do you like about the area and what are you looking for?

[dchamilton]

Hi Rain,

I'm a Realtor here in Columbus who does a lot in the Grove City/Galloway/Canal Winchester areas of Columbus. So, I know the real estate in those areas very well.

If you're looking to buy, there are a lot of great prices in those three areas I just mentioned (and others in close proximity). You can likely get a pretty nice 3 or 4 bedroom house anywhere from $120's and up (That would be probably a $900/mo payment) depending on what your needs are. I just got a client into an amazing 4-bedroom home with a big fenced-in yard, finished basement, hardwood floors, and more for just $160,000. Two years ago, that house would have sold for $190+ probably.

Do you mind living in a subdivision? Do you need a certain number of baths, basement, garage, etc? What is your price range, or how much do you want to spend on your mortgage payments?

Are you a first time home buyer, or someone who has not owned for the past 3 years? If that's you, have you heard about the $8,000 tax credit the government is offering right now? That, coupled with the housing prices and rates right now make this the best time ever to buy.

MOD CUT

[xnyer]

Originally Posted by dchamilton

Hi Rain,

I'm a Realtor here in Columbus who does a lot in the Grove City/Galloway/Canal Winchester areas of Columbus. So, I know the real estate in those areas very well.

If you're looking to buy, there are a lot of great prices in those three areas I just mentioned (and others in close proximity). You can likely get a pretty nice 3 or 4 bedroom house anywhere from $120's and up (That would be probably a $900/mo payment) depending on what your needs are. I just got a client into an amazing 4-bedroom home with a big fenced-in yard, finished basement, hardwood floors, and more for just $160,000. Two years ago, that house would have sold for $190+ probably.

Do you mind living in a subdivision? Do you need a certain number of baths, basement, garage, etc? What is your price range, or how much do you want to spend on your mortgage payments?

Are you a first time home buyer, or someone who has not owned for the past 3 years? If that's you, have you heard about the $8,000 tax credit the government is offering right now? That, coupled with the housing prices and rates right now make this the best time ever to buy.

MOD CUT

Ticky-tacky waferboard Mcmansions on postage stamp lots with green slimy drainage ponds called "lakes". Characterless, featureless slums to be in 20 years.

[Tenzo]

what is with renaming ponds to 'lakes' around here?