New Albany or Westerville? (Columbus, Cleveland: transplants, houses, neighborhoods)

[Ashca]

Hi all!

We're relocating to the New Albany area and have a few questions. We have 3 kiddos- all elementary age. School is a high priority. We have a 650K house right now (outside of Denver), but would like to get down to 400k so we can buy a cabin on a lake somewhere. Are there decent homes in the area for that price? What are the do's and don'ts of each NA or Westerville? I like that there's not as much "keeping up with the Jones's in Westerville. What are the pro's and cons for both? How about lake life? And very important- I'd love to know about the weather in the area- maybe snowstorms? How about thunderstorms/tornadoes?

Thanks all!

[Jbeechuk]

Are you referring to Alum Creek Lake? It isn't anything at all like a Great Lake or massive water area. If you really want a true lake life, then Lake Erie up in Cleveland is your best bet.


Snow is common here in winter, but heavy snow storms are rare. Most winters we only get 2-3" at a time.


Thunderstorms are common in spring and summer. Tornados are pretty rare in Columbus. I think they said there was a weak one last year in southern Franklin County. The threat of a tornado can be there, but in 20 years here, I don't think I have heard of one greater than a weak one doing very minor damage. Let's hope it stays that way.

[I_am_Father_McKenzie]

Originally Posted by Jbeechuk

Are you referring to Alum Creek Lake? It isn't anything at all like a Great Lake or massive water area. If you really want a true lake life, then Lake Erie up in Cleveland is your best bet.


Snow is common here in winter, but heavy snow storms are rare. Most winters we only get 2-3" at a time.


Thunderstorms are common in spring and summer. Tornados are pretty rare in Columbus. I think they said there was a weak one last year in southern Franklin County. The threat of a tornado can be there, but in 20 years here, I don't think I have heard of one greater than a weak one doing very minor damage. Let's hope it stays that way.

They want a lake house for a vacation house, not for Westerville or New Albany (which would be Hoover Reservoir, not Alum Creek and more expensive than even $600,000).

OP, the rest of this comment is spot on. For a summer lake house check out Apple Valley east of Mt. Vernon. It's about 1 hour from both Westerville and New Albany.

[Cbus76]

You'll have more variety to choose from at the 400k level in Westerville, and probably get more space for your money. However, New Albany certainly has homes in that price range, particularly in Hampsted, Windsor or Albany Park. Most of those homes were built in the 90's or 00's and are probably 2200 to maybe 3000 square feet. Be sure to check what school district a particular subdivision or neighborhood is actually located in. For instance, there are neighborhoods with a New Albany address that go to Columbus public schools. There are also some areas that have a Westerville address that go to New Albany schools.


Schools in New Albany are probably better on the whole than Westerville. It's a smaller district with one high school compared to Westerville's three. One thing to remember about New Albany is that they only have one school for each level (preK/K, 1-3, 4-6, middle school, and high school). Westerville is certainly more diverse in terms of races and incomes of those attending their schools.


Both are very nice communities. Westerville is older and more established and has a better town center (Uptown Westerville). New Albany is trying to create a town center on Market Street - there's Starbucks, Hudson 29, Mellow Mushroom, Rusty Bucket and a few other shops and restaurants, as well as a library. Westerville has a great rec center and nice parks. New Albany has the Heit Center, which is sort of like a rec center, and the parks are decent. New Albany is definitely more preppy and a decent number of people belong to the New Albany Country Club, which is definitely not cheap.


As for the weather, snow is common in the winter, but the average snowfall is only 27 inches per winter, so nothing too terrible. It rains a lot in the spring, and there are occasional severe thunderstorms, but tornados are fairly rare, especially in the city and suburbs.

[wrightflyer]

You'll find plenty of info on differences between Westerville and New Albany throughout this forum. And what has been said here is pretty constructive and common in the other threads' responses. I would think you would like Westerville more if the Jones' factor is a concern for you. And yes, you will get more for your money in Westerville versus New Albany.

For lake living, I think the extra drive to places in Kentucky or Tennessee would be better. Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky or Lake Norris in western Tennessee are popular.

[OHIOguy1]

The school system in New Albany is VASTLY superior to Westerville, it's not even close.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by Ashca

Hi all!

We're relocating to the New Albany area and have a few questions. We have 3 kiddos- all elementary age. School is a high priority. We have a 650K house right now (outside of Denver), but would like to get down to 400k so we can buy a cabin on a lake somewhere. Are there decent homes in the area for that price? What are the do's and don'ts of each NA or Westerville? I like that there's not as much "keeping up with the Jones's in Westerville. What are the pro's and cons for both? How about lake life? And very important- I'd love to know about the weather in the area- maybe snowstorms? How about thunderstorms/tornadoes?

Thanks all!

Any particular reason for New Albany / Westerville?

Between those two I would definitely choose New Albany, though honestly, and this is a personal choice, I'd avoid anything in the Columbus area north of I-70. The entire area has grown tremendously and we just don't care for the traffic and congestion.

As for lake life, it all depends on what you want and how far you want to drive. A lot of this comes down to the work commute. Where is the office?

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by OHIOguy1

The school system in New Albany is VASTLY superior to Westerville, it's not even close.

100% True.

[on3]

Originally Posted by OHIOguy1

The school system in New Albany is VASTLY superior to Westerville, it's not even close.

Fact.

The exterior ascetics of even the Burger King there rivals that of most Ruth Criss steakhouses. It’s a white picket fence town, just have to keep reminding the folks there that there are other role models for their kids not named Les Wexner. Once you sort out the yuppies from the good transplants there, it’s actually pretty good.

For lake life, check out Andover Ohio. Land is cheap and you can get a nice cabin not far from Pymatuning.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by Ashca

Hi all!

We're relocating to the New Albany area and have a few questions. We have 3 kiddos- all elementary age. School is a high priority. We have a 650K house right now (outside of Denver), but would like to get down to 400k so we can buy a cabin on a lake somewhere. Are there decent homes in the area for that price? What are the do's and don'ts of each NA or Westerville? I like that there's not as much "keeping up with the Jones's in Westerville. What are the pro's and cons for both? How about lake life? And very important- I'd love to know about the weather in the area- maybe snowstorms? How about thunderstorms/tornadoes?

Thanks all!

I'd stick to New Albany 100%