Possibly moving from Philly, PA to Columbus, OH (Lancaster, Bexley: crime, how much)

[CG266]

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new here so bear with me. There's a potential that my fiance may need to take a job in Columbus. We both live in downtown Philly and I personally love it here! I'm originally from the burbs of Philly (about 25 minutes away), and I also went to college here. I know absolutely nothing about Columbus and was wondering how much of an adjustment it will be? I currently live in the more residential part of Philly just a few blocks from Rittenhouse/downtown and the one thing I love about this city is the history. I work in Society Hill which is the historic/touristy area. Cobblestones, tree lined streets, brick row homes and brownstones. Does Columbus offer any type of housing that is similar? And how is the night life and bar scene? We are in our mid-twenties and still love our happy hours and date nights

Oh and I must mention, I have a car but I rarely drive it. My car is currently parked on some random street and I haven't driven it in weeks. From what I read, there is minimal public transit, so are there any safe neighborhoods you could recommend where there are shops, bars, restaurants, within walking distance?

Thanks for your help!

C.G.

[jbcmh81]

Columbus is obviously going to be smaller, less dense, with less history just considering Philly's age and influence in American history. There are not going to be many neighborhoods with the brownstone look. I would look into German Village, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Short North, Franklinton, Olde Towne East and maybe the University District and around Downtown itself. Those are going to be the closest to that look, but it's still likely not to have the same feel to it.

The bar scene is, again, going to be less just because Columbus is much smaller, but for a city its size, I really don't think the bar scene is that bad. High Street is going to be your main area, again from German Village all the way up through Clintonville.

The neighborhoods I mentioned have the best access to public transit are are going to be the most walkable overall.

[Jammer0101]

German Village is going to be your best bet for finding an historic type neighborhood. It's absolutely gorgeous! There is a tiny crime issue there, but coming from Philly you probably won't be bothered by it. A lot of suburbs folk around here love to think of it as dangerous but it's normal city stuff. The bad part about German Village is the lack of shopping. There are tons of cool bars and restaurants in GV, but no window shopping style stores. The Short North is more like that. The SN also has tons of quaint old homes as well.

You WILL need a car. Maybe not for everyday if you work downtown but i feel theres no way to live in CBus without one. While our downtown has come a long way, it doesn't offer any stores that sell essentials. Maybe essentials isn't the right word but there's no Gap for when you need to replenish your $7 tshirts, no place to buy a computer, no Target and nowhere that sells popular high end brands. For this kind of stuff, you will have to head toward the burbs to one of the shopping malls. However, the Short North has amazing boutiques, bars and food. Personally, if I were 25 I would live in GV and frequently go to the SN(they're not too far away from one another).

[Cbus76]

You'll want to look at German Village if brick streets and historic homes are what you are looking for. German Village has some very good restaurants and a few bars, but they are spread out thrugh the neighborhood, not on any one street. There is a bit of crime in German Village, but nothing you wouldn't see in Society Hill or Rittenhouse Square.

The Short North is a bit more edgy, and offers a TON of restaurants and bars, as well as lots of independent stores, almost all located on High Street. I'd compare the Short North to a mix of South Street and Manayunk. Most of the crime in the Short North is petty. If living without a car is what you want, this would be your best bet. Very walkable to the Arena District where there are a lot of bars and our NHL hockey team the Blue Jackets play, to downtown and to the OSU area. Plus, High Street has great bus service.

One other option you may want to look at is Grandview Heights and some of the areas of Columbus right around Grandview Heights (I believe they call it Fifth by Northwest). It's a suburb, but it's only 5 or 10 minutes from downtown, is walkable, safe, and there are a lot of bars and restaurants on Grandview Avenue and Fifth Avenue. It feels a little bit like Bryn Mawr or Ardmore to me with older homes and Grandview Avenue and Fifth Avenue being smaller versions of Lancaster Avenue.

[Tenzo]

German Village is your best bet.

Coming from Philly, I almost laughed myself silly at the people trying to look tough.

[Columbusneon]

I am originally from Boston and live in Columbus. You better start getting used to driving that car. The public transit here is limited to buses and unfortunately is only serviceable if you are going a few directions from downtown. They vote down any form of transit that doesn't revolve around the car and expanding freeways to 20 lanes each. The bar scene,restaurant scene, urban life..is nothing compared to Philly. If you move to German Village, Victorian Village, Short North, Italian Village, campus area, and maybe Bexley or Grandview, you will experience some urban living, but again, might seem quaint compared to Philly and the east coast. Good luck!

[Columbusneon]

And as far as history..honestly..forget it. This city tears down anything that approaches 50 years old and even much younger, and as far as the social and popular history if this city, most would rather pretend it doesn't exist. Downtown Columbus did have some architecturally interesting historic buildings built in the 19th and early 20th centuries that were mostly torn down in the 60s and 70s in favor of the oh-so-interesting and tourist trap..surface parking lots! Columbus is turning 200 this year, which of course, isn't remarkable considering Boston, NYC, and Philly were already themselves 200 years old or so when this city was just a patch of forest. But what history this place did have, is sadly not celebrated or recognized. It's a continual march every 20 or so years to the north to the next big "hot" spot, with little regard for history.

[motorman]

^ Thanks, Columbusneon, for an insider's concise and accurate assessment of what continues to cripple Ohio's car-centric capital. Obviously, criticism of this magnitude, leveled at Columbus from outsiders such as myself, will be viewed as biased and suspect, but when it comes from a resident, who has also lived in a much more cosmopolitan city, it must be taken seriously. Needless to say, denial and rebuttal are headed your way.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Columbusneon

I am originally from Boston and live in Columbus. You better start getting used to driving that car. The public transit here is limited to buses and unfortunately is only serviceable if you are going a few directions from downtown. They vote down any form of transit that doesn't revolve around the car and expanding freeways to 20 lanes each. The bar scene,restaurant scene, urban life..is nothing compared to Philly. If you move to German Village, Victorian Village, Short North, Italian Village, campus area, and maybe Bexley or Grandview, you will experience some urban living, but again, might seem quaint compared to Philly and the east coast. Good luck!

Can you cite examples of public votes against expanded public transit in the last 10 years?

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Columbusneon

And as far as history..honestly..forget it. This city tears down anything that approaches 50 years old and even much younger, and as far as the social and popular history if this city, most would rather pretend it doesn't exist. Downtown Columbus did have some architecturally interesting historic buildings built in the 19th and early 20th centuries that were mostly torn down in the 60s and 70s in favor of the oh-so-interesting and tourist trap..surface parking lots! Columbus is turning 200 this year, which of course, isn't remarkable considering Boston, NYC, and Philly were already themselves 200 years old or so when this city was just a patch of forest. But what history this place did have, is sadly not celebrated or recognized. It's a continual march every 20 or so years to the north to the next big "hot" spot, with little regard for history.

The city tore down a lot during the "urban renewal" craze of the 1950s-1970s, but not so much since then. There has been FAR more renovation than tear down in the last 20 years as Columbus, like most other cities, realized what a huge mistake that was. I think otherwise you're being a little overdramatic about development.

BTW, I don't really get these direct comparisons between two very dissimilar places. I wouldn't move from NYC to Omaha and expect Omaha to have Times Square, but I wouldn't call Omaha a bad place to live because of it. You take a place with the good and bad or don't bother moving.