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After some internet searches and two days of drive-byes in Westerville and Worthington and other areas, we have narrowed our search to those two areas. Our adult son and his wife may move in for a few years until they finish grad school, so we set two price ranges. We seen homes in the $250-$280 range for 1700 plus square feet. Also up to $300k for over 2,000 square feet. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.
We want safe walk able neighborhood for evening strolls. Any areas to gravitate to or stay away from? We saw both have Rec Centers, which is important to us. How about Social Centers? We like that both have an "Old Town" with activities. They both seem to have lots of parks and open spaces. We spent our lifetime in education so a strong support of schools and community is important to us. We are use to the small city atmosphere, but would appreciate feedback about the suburbs too. Can anyone compare property taxes, utilities and maintenance/operations services? We like healthy food options in restaurants and shopping. We saw a store called "Fresh Thyme", that should do the trick! Lastly and we don't want to turn this into a political debate but we are definitely liberal. We don't wear it on our sleeve, (or with respect, on our hats), but in our actions. We know Worthington is liberal while Westerville seems to be 50-50, which is perfectly fine with us, however, are there areas where we would receive the cold shoulder?
We didn't make it into Gahanna but the kids mentioned this area as a possibility a couple of years after graduation. So any information that can shared on this area would be appreciated also.
Both communities are great places to live. You should buy within the municipal city limits of either to take advantage of services and ambience. Mailing addresses and real estate ads might not match to where the house really sits. Check the Franklin county auditor site for specific municipality and school district info.
Neighborhoods within walking distance to Uptown Westerville are very hot and prices have jumped considerably. Old Worthington has always been popular for the same reasons.
The Columbus housing market is very hot right now with well located properties selling in a day. You are smart to do the community research now so you can make an offer if you see the right house.
I would recommend Worthington slightly over Westerville since the schools perform about a tier better. And if you believe Great Schools' data and rankings, its high schools actually outperform Coffman and Scioto High Schools in Dublin. I thought this point surprising as, despite many people not holding much account for Great Schools, people making relocation do look at the data compilation there.
The bigger reason for Worthington over Westerville though would be its more central location to the metro over Westerville. While not important to you and your spouse, if your son's family plans to find work in Columbus, without knowing what field of work or where he will work before arriving, a central location may have its advantages for his and his wife's commutes. They will likely not be close to Old Worhtington due to costs per square foot on many homes, but you at retirement may be able to downsize or make further comprises for housing costs. A new family that is growing may not be able to do that as much. This will be the same case for anything close to Uptown Westerville.
Westerville primarily gets a bad rep (esp. its schools) due to serving a large and diverse area. Besides South-West Local on the opposite end of Franklin County, and Olentangy in Delaware County, I would not be surprised if Westerville is top 2 or 3 in land area served by the district. There are essentially three sections, lower, middle and upper (in a geogprahical sense and on a smaller level, socio-economic).
On the lower end, it covers a portion of NE Columbus, home to an influx of immigrant communities, mostly Somali over the last 10-15 years. This area has lower prices as homes are older sprawl post-WWII and onward to the 90's. The city services tend to be a mix of Columbus City, a township or Minerva Park Village. Besides Minerva Park, most of those don't hold the same value in services as the suburban municipalities. This is why checking the auditor site, as rosebush mentioned, is important. Retail here is spotty, with primarly older strip centers being re-purposed or having high vacancy rates. Crime here is probably higher than the rest of Westerville Schools' zone.
The middle section essentially extends from roughly I-270 north to about the Franklin/Delaware County Line. Here is where Uptown Westerville sits. It is older homes with mixes of smaller duplexes or bungalows and ranches, all post WW-II, with exceptions being around Uptown and Otterbein University, which are older. There is also a mix of newer suburban development in here, mostly single-family from the 80's, 90's, 00's. Older strip centers with some having been re-purposed or partially vacant.
I never really went north of the county line and Uptown much, but I have the impression as this is the newest section of development, with high-end neighborhoods and country clubs, might make for that 50-50 feel of Westerville politics. Just an observation on my part. This area is also more wooded, exurban in nature. This is especially true when I drove towards Galena and near the reservoir. Homes here tend to also command a higher price, probably due to acreage of properties. Obviously, larger farms have been redeveloped into communities or retail shopping, or will eventually go that route, considering Columbus' pattern of sprawl. Most retail sits along Polaris and Maxtown corridors, with Polaris' creep moving east from I-71, especially since IKEA was built. Fresh Thyme is also up here as well as the location you probably saw in Worthington on High Street (US 23) north of Olde Worthington.
That is a pretty detailed take-down of Westerville. I personally like the area, especially Uptown. Though it is further from some work centers, like OSU, Dublin, and downtown, you are pretty close to Worthington/Polaris, NE Columbus/Westerville beltway, and Easton/Airport nodes. Westerville probably has its biggest assets and detractor in how it zones its schools. Most elementary and middle schools are at a neighborhood level, but high schools were zoned (I believe back in the early 00's?) to cover different socio-economic developments and populations. So, for example, Westerville South HS doesn't just pull the southern or lower tier area. I think this does reflect in (somewhat biased) state testing as each school bears a brunt of disadvantaged populations and at-risk students. And thus reflects in things like Great Schools to a degree. Levies also tend to be harder to pass in Westerville, likely due to its variation of populations and incomes. Property taxes are already pretty high for much of Franklin County and surrounding outlying suburbs.
If you are set on trying to get your son and his family to move to the same city or school district as you, I would just keep those details in mind. But as they sound young, things could change schools wise or job wise. They may end up moving before high school is even a concern, let alone middle or even elementary school. So take the results with a grain of salt and I do hope I provided some aspect of clarity to the Westerville area. I do think, IMO, Westerville beats Worhtington on parks and rec activities, including, I would imagine, senior and active adult services. Also, they have an amazing library.
Good luck with the move and decision, on both yours and your son's front.
Thank you Rosebush1 and wrightflyer. Great information from both of you!
Yes we liked both cities. I am sure there are differences but the main thing that stood out, was Worthington being smaller, logically would have a smaller housing stock to choose from, leading to a slightly higher prices. Or we would need more patience in finding our home.
The area that called our name in Westerville maybe more than one neighborhood, but we called it Annehurst. Basically RT 71 to the Rec Center and County Line to Sharon Woods(?). If you know other similar areas feel free to suggest.
In Worthington we call the OH 23 & 61 the four quadrants. We liked the top part of the northeast quadrant, were you could walk to the Rec Center. Actually any where in that part you could drive to the Rec Center, downtown or shopping in just a few minuets. Again any other suggestions will be appreciated.
You both hit on concerns of ours.
Rosebush1 your point about municipalities is the first. North of 270 there are areas that serve both Thomas and Kilbourne, but are not in the city of Worthington. Some people write on here that being in Columbus is the kiss of death. Is it that noticeable? If so why and what? We do like the school rankings!
wrightflyer, you talked about our only concern in Westerville, the school rankings. We understand that that being a larger and more diverse community can have an affect. When drove around we saw a lot of "Our student lives here" and "no hate" signs and were impressed. The fact that it's harder to pass levies is a concern.
Our son likes both areas. They want to after graduation save by living with us and eventually migrate to northern Franklin or southern Delaware county. So yes wrightflyer I can see them moving to the northern part of Westerville or the Kilbourne high school area. They don't know if the will end up working in the Columbus or not The only caveat, we all have to work out is, a few friends not working in the city have moved to Gahanna. If you know about that area feel free to chat. We know nothing about Gahanna except it's close to Westerville.
The Walnut Bend neighborhood of Westerville north of the Annehurst area you're looking at (which is great, BTW) would be Olentangy schools with Westerville services. Also, no need to look too closely at school "ratings". Who cares how well some poor kid of a single mom at Morse/Cleveland does? That's not going to be your future grandkids' situation. Look at a school system's curriculum and extra-curriculars. Is there opportunity? Westerville and Worthington schools are even in this regard.
There's also Bigham Ridge in that area you're looking at if you want brand new.
I really dislike most the Columbus portion of Worthington schools, the areas to the north of 270. Columbus exerts little to no zoning regulation. You will see junky strip centers, cheap apartments or cheap condos abutting a nicer single family neighborhood. This area also brought in a different demographic of student from the city of Worthington. More poverty, single family households, similiar to the southern portion of Westerville schools.
Columbus municipal services are not good. They don’t plow ice or snow from residential streets. Sometimes they don’t even plow main roads.
Annehurst Village is a lovely neighborhood. Very popular.
Down the road for your kids, north of Westerville is the terrific neighborhood Highland Lakes. Various price ranges and served by Genoa Township. We hear their municipal services are very good. The various sections are served by Westerville and Olentangy schools. Olentangy schools have little poverty and good test scores but they constantly redistrict students as their district grows. There is no perfect school district.
Gahanna is a good community and has some lovely neighborhoods to the north along Johnstown road and Morse Road, north of Johnstown Road. The nicest one is Harrison Pond and we once owned a home in there. Houses are upwards of 350k, many 400 to 500k. This gorgeous neighborhood has its own community pool, parkland, walking paths.
Another nice neighborhood is Rose Run, off Johnstown Road. I think prices are in the 300’s.
I don’t like areas to the south that are in the landing patterns of airplanes.
Gahanna has great access to downtown and OSU via route 62 and I670.
They are developing their downtown area and it is very nice. Gahanna schools are well regarded.
I am feeling more comfortable with the Westerville school system now. It sounds as though they support all their students, which is a good thing. I have not heard of Walnut Bend (time to get the maps back out), but will look into it. Bingham Ridge are beautiful homes, however the finished price may be out of our comfort zone.
Highland Lakes sounded familiar too. There are areas we plan to learn about that is Westerville between Ikea / Maxton Road and County Line. Down to about North High School. It seems to be the same distance to the Rec Center and Downtown as Annehurst. Thank you for the feedback on North of 270. I knew there had to be a reason that the housing prices and property taxes were lower. We want to be close to shopping, but maybe not that close!
Glad to hear about Ghanna in case that comes into the picture. Olentangy with their school rankings has been in the back of our minds also. So much to learn!
I agree that you can't go wrong with either area. Several years ago we moved from just south of the Worthington area (Clintonville) to Westerville because we needed good schools and a bigger house. Westerville won out for us in terms of value for money as well as location. I do think you're much more likely to find a home and a neighborhood you'll love within your price range in Westerville. And we absolutely love it here. As the area attracts more and more younger families, it is becoming increasingly liberal, especially the closer you get to Uptown. It certainly doesn't feel like the conservative stronghold it once was. As far as school levies go, again, the fact that so many of the neighborhoods built in the 1980s and 90s are now turning over as the empty nesters move, means that there is much more support for the schools than there was even 5 years ago. The latest levy passed with no problem.
The Westerville Parks & Rec department beats Worthington's hands-down. It is the best in the whole region, possibly the state. They are just manic with the number and variety of events they host, the number of amazing parks, walking/biking paths, etc. There is a $25 million expansion to the Community Center happening right now, and it was amazing before! From what I can tell, the Senior Center is very active too. The rec center offers sooo many classes for seniors/retirees. The City of Westerville is incredibly proactive too. They also put on tons of events. 4th Friday is a great one all throughout the warmer months, where they close down the main thoroughfare through Uptown and all the shops stay open late, there are food trucks, music, etc.
In terms of location, I actually find this area to be more convenient than Worthington (though maybe not to downtown Columbus or western suburbs like Dublin). We are so close to both Polaris and Easton, we have recreation opportunities close by at both Hoover reservoir and Alum Creek reservoir, beautiful country drives are nearby as you go up through Galena and Sunbury...
You really can't go wrong with a house either within the city limits of Westerville or Genoa Township. We're actually in Genoa but within the Westerville schools boundaries, and the schools that our neighborhood feeds into are great. I love my kids' elementary school, plus we can walk there and to the high school. Genoa Township services are very good as well, with our own dedicated police force and fire department. We're on a culdesac and still get our street plowed very quickly after a snowfall.
Another plus to the Westerville area is access to medical care. The whole Westar area has become something of a medical center. The Ohio Health Westerville medical campus on Polaris Pkwy/Africa Rd. is huge with it's own ER and tons of doctors' offices, surgery suites, etc. Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians moved their headquarters to a brand new building on Africa Rd. St. Ann's hospital is on Cleveland Ave. And there are just tons and tons of doctors' offices all over the area, far more than the Worthington area.
All points here are great. I don't want to scare you from Westerville. I do think it overall is the best fit, especially given your price points.
As for Gahanna, I had nothing but good experiences in the city. It isn't as active on the rec side as Westerville (really, no place is as active as Westerville), but the housing will likely trend older (80's and 90's) in the city limit with anything new being further out in more bucolic (read exurban to slightly rural) in Jefferson Township (also Gahanna Schools). Most of the new construction out in the township is high 300's to easily 400-500K+. So, as rosebush stated, places along US 62 (Johnstown Road) from Creekside (aka Olde Gahanna), which has been redeveloped and has lovely parks and trails and some shops and restaurants, to Morse Road, where the services change to uber-expensive New Albany, would be the best bet. Rose Run comes to mind. Try and stay east of Stygler. Some of the homes in Royal Manor are small and older. More rentals here than in other parts and it is a little more working class. Most of the rest of Gahanna will be middle to upper-income brackets. Gahanna is also rather diverse compared to other suburbs of Columbus. Worthington and Westerville would be just behind it in demographics. Many wealthier black residents tend to migrate here because of the better schools and supportive community.
Gahanna puts you close to 670 which can get you downtown quickly (unless it's rush hour ) or Easton is a short drive. Schools are more centralized with just the one larger high school. Never had problems with the students when home and they were at lunch at the neighborhood Panera or Chipotle (across from the high school). I lived on the northern fringe, just south of Morse in a wonderfully maintained apartment complex and probably would have bought a condo, but price creep and other factors led me south to NKY outside Cincinnati.
Nothing wrong with Gahanna, but you get what you pay for.
Gahanna parks and bike trails don't come close to even holding a candle to Westerville's. Creekside Gahanna has nothing on Uptown Westerville. Way more people can access Uptown whether they're walking or biking. Uptown has more shops, more and better restaurants, and more services. Not to mention Otterbein right there which offers classes for adults, and additional options for things like theater. Westerville's library is stand alone, and is much better than Gahanna's Columbus branch.
Just a year or two ago Gahanna had 62/Johnstown Rd repaved from Creekside all the way to Hamilton Rd. Where there aren't sidewalks, none were added, let alone a bike path. That wouldn't fly in Westerville. They put way more thought into their infrastructure upgrades creating pedestrian and biking access where there isn't currently. No way would Westerville allow a main thoroughfare be completely rebuilt without adding additional needed infrastructure. See: South State Street rehabilitation. Cleveland Ave/Schrock Road rehabilitation. And the Sunbury road rehabilitation. All added or widened sidewalks and bike paths in addition to the road and utility upgrades.
Again, nothing wrong with Gahanna, but prices are lower for a reason.
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) or Easton is a short drive. Schools are more centralized with just the one larger high school. Never had problems with the students when home and they were at lunch at the neighborhood Panera or Chipotle (across from the high school). I lived on the northern fringe, just south of Morse in a wonderfully maintained apartment complex and probably would have bought a condo, but price creep and other factors led me south to NKY outside Cincinnati.
