South Clintonville (43202) Neighborhood (Columbus, Cleveland, Hudson: middle-class, rental, houses)

[Rumble]

I'm thinking about making an offer on a house in South Clintoville. I think it's a good find because, unlike most of the houses that I've seen in the Clintonville area, this one has been updated to contemporary styling.

The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is that driving down the streets (Kelso, Olentangy, Tibet, Crestview), this section of town is noticeably not as polished as the areas North of Broadway. The houses are built right on top of one another, and there are a few stretches of homes that are downright shabby.

My question: is this anything to worry about? Is this neighborhood transitioning for the worst or is it pretty much the norm? I know that only a block or two to the south (past Arcadia/Hudson) the neighborhood falls apart in a hurry. Hopefully, the elements of that side of town are staying put. This is my first home purchase at $200k and it's not a decision to be taken lightly.

[Natural510]

It's certainly not going to go downhill; the South Clintonville/North of Campus area is one of the more popular and centrally-located sections of a city which continues to grow and attract residents. Whether you're getting a good deal for the price is another matter, but as long as you stay west of 71 I don't think you have to worry about the neighborhood "going bad" anytime soon.

[bjimmy24]

It's a pretty good area. I used to live in Old North Columbus, so a little farther south, and it wasn't bad at all. I'd say go for it!

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

It's a pretty good area. I used to live in Old North Columbus, so a little farther south, and it wasn't bad at all. I'd say go for it!

That's the name of the neighborhood I was thinking. I grew up in 43202 as a kid, around the corner from the Blue Danube. If you go too far east toward Cleveland Ave, it's ghetto, but otherwise a nice middle-class area with close proximity to Clintonville and the Campus area.

[Momotaro]

I live off of Wyandotte in 43202. It was ok, you have some transients and people who like to break into cars. Nothing too serious. A lot of students are in that area, so make sure the house is not a former rental and figure out who your neighbors will be.

[conusmound]

(I live on East Maynard Ave., and they've branded our particular section of Olde North "SoHud"--south of Hudson.)

To deal with the recent upswing in graffiti and crime, there is a neighborhood meeting tomorrow (October 2) at 5:30 p.m. It's in the basement of the Maynard Ave. United Methodist Church at 2350 Indianola Ave. We had a well attended meeting there last week--neighbors, local politicians, police, clergy.

[db108108]

South of Arcadia you start running into the student ghetto where people don't put much into their homes, and students don't really care. North of Arcadia are some beautiful, middle-class streets with virtually no crime. There are some students living north of Arcadia, but it's an entirely different crowd than further south. I would imagine that there are far more graduate students - it's close to OSU, but away from the crazy campus life. There is a huge family crowd here, lots of old hippies and a fantastic community vibe. It's also quite beautiful in sections - take a drive down the Walhalla Ravine or a street like Pacemont or Weber. Clintonville doesn't have the flash of Vic or German Village, but I would take Clintonville over those two - it's far more relaxed and quiet, even though you're close to everything.

There's also a far more organic vibe to south Clintonville. When you're in the Short North or German Village, there's an almost "too-perfect" vibe to the houses and businesses. Like they've been especially designed to fit with the vibe of those neighborhoods - to put forth an image - and in that, there's a certain monotony.

South Clintonville, meanwhile, is an eclectic mix of about everything. The weird used/restored furniture stores around Como, the oddball restaurants (Cornerstone, World Cafe, etc), the Clintonville Market on Calumet, all of the Asian food stores, Mozart's, etc. Nothing seems like it fits perfectly, or was planned out to the "specs" of the neighborhood, and therein lies its charm. I would dare to say that South Clintonville is Columbus's most unique neighborhood, although it never gets any press for it.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Natural510

It's certainly not going to go downhill; the South Clintonville/North of Campus area is one of the more popular and centrally-located sections of a city which continues to grow and attract residents. Whether you're getting a good deal for the price is another matter, but as long as you stay west of 71 I don't think you have to worry about the neighborhood "going bad" anytime soon.

Agreed, and development from the Campus/SN areas are moving north along the High Street corridor. I think areas east of 71 will eventually improve as well, but it's going to take a bit longer.