Just looking for a nice place to call home in Columbus (Hamilton: transplants, apartment complexes)

[Dearsummer]

Good Day
We’re an African American family relocating from NYC to Columbus OH. We have 4 children. We’re looking for a place to call home that includes a presence of African Americans, good school district, low crime rate and not in a rural setting. Also looking for a place a bit modern not run down making its comeback. (Apologies if I’m offending anyone)
I’ve researched Gahanna, Westerville, Pickerington. Gahanna is at the top of my list based on what I’ve been reading. I would like to know if anyone is familiar with a place called “Polaris” as I’m looking there as well but can’t find much on it. I’ve been told Hilliard, Upper Arlington can seem as if it’s segregated and I don’t want to experience any of that. Please help
Just looking for a nice place to call home in Columbus
Thanks

[wrightflyer]

I think the list you have, between Westerville, Gahanna and Pickerington is a good selection. If you don't mind my asking, are you asking about Polaris because of work location? Or just curiosity of locales in the Columbus metro?

Polaris is a part of Far Northern Columbus, outside the northern portion of I-270 around the Polaris Parkway and Gemini Place exits for I-71 (first exits north of the I-270/I-71 north side interchange). It is a very commercial district, with a major upscale mall in Polaris Fashion Place and all types of big box stores. Denser development has been occurring with apartments and mixed-use properties, but it still typically embodies suburban sprawl with office parks and shopping plazas. Most of the Polaris area was built around the late 90's into the 00's. The denser infill development is pretty recent (last 2-3 years).

Immediate surroundings include Columbus/Worhtington to the south, Powell to the west, Lewis Center and eventually Delaware, OH to the north and Westerville/Genoa Township to the east. The link is to Google Maps with a rough outline. The area is all zoned to City of Columbus services, but I believe the schools are Worhtington and Olentangy Local Districts.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Po...!4d-82.9797246

I recommend looking at certain school ratings sites for mapping of district lines (I can PM you the one I use), as the city/municipal lines do not always correspond with the lines of the school districts. This creates a lot of confusion for transplants, so be careful and verify with the county auditor website for which district properties reside. Apartment complexes can be cross referenced on the auditor's site via address and the mapping site I mentioned earlier. Most reputable management companies won't lie (I rented at a Casto complex in Gahanna and was very happy) about this but still good to cross reference for assurances.

I would tend to agree with the segregation of Upper Arlington as it can be super wealthy (think Tarrytown or Chappaqua level of relative wealth) with old money south of Lane Avenue and more upper middle and middle class wealth in the northern parts of Upper Arlington. So I think the lack in Upper Arlington is more a socioeconomic one.

Hilliard is probably more socioeconomically diverse overall, but it follows a more racial/ethnic line. The southern parts of Hilliard's School District are actually in Columbus proper and tend to be cheaper homes on small tract lots. As you move further north into the Dublin City Limits that attend Hilliard Schools, it becomes wealthier and homes become bigger. Not saying you don't have that in any of the three initially preferred suburbs, but I don't think of much diversity when I go out to Hilliard versus when I lived and went out in Gahanna, Westerville and Pickerington. So I think there tends to be less of a professional black or African-American diaspora community in the west side suburbs than the east side.

For the places you mentioned, Gahanna tends to be the most "laid-back" attitude towards differences in ethnic or racial populations. I know Westerville has had problems in the past with immigrant communities from the Somali population in its schools (especially those living inside the City of Columbus zones inside the I-270 beltway). But those may be outdated viewpoints and perhaps the district has become more open to immigrant populations? Regardless, the district, while not performing at Upper Arlington levels, is really good. It's ratings do get knocked though from its "inability" to improve testing performance across at-risk (read diverse and immigrant) populations. Big reason I don't like the current report card scoring and it does drag down the third party website ratings, while inflating white and Asian district performances.

Anyways, the only reason I would avoid Pickerington between the original three is if you will be working anywhere near Polaris. While not anywhere close to NYC gridlock and jams, it can become tiring sitting in I-270 traffic driving from Pickerington all the way up to Polaris. Even the Blacklick and Far East Columbus areas that are zoned to Gahanna can be tiresome, especially if commuting along East Broad. If you are working in Polaris, I would ultimately recommend Gahanna and Westerville. But I would place Gahanna first because the one high school model helps with creating a single community atmosphere (helping integrate populations regardless of where you live in the district).

Finally, and you don't have to share... Are you planning to rent? Rent then buy? Or buy first? And if so, what price point for housing are you looking to achieve? These things can also help the community at large identify good fits in local neighborhoods and schools. While nowhere near the diversity levels of NYC (few places in the US can really achieve that), Columbus does have some good African American communities that could fit what you are looking for.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Dearsummer

Good Day
We’re an African American family relocating from NYC to Columbus OH. We have 4 children. We’re looking for a place to call home that includes a presence of African Americans, good school district, low crime rate and not in a rural setting. Also looking for a place a bit modern not run down making its comeback. (Apologies if I’m offending anyone)
I’ve researched Gahanna, Westerville, Pickerington. Gahanna is at the top of my list based on what I’ve been reading. I would like to know if anyone is familiar with a place called “Polaris” as I’m looking there as well but can’t find much on it. I’ve been told Hilliard, Upper Arlington can seem as if it’s segregated and I don’t want to experience any of that. Please help
Just looking for a nice place to call home in Columbus
Thanks

Perhaps check out Reynoldsburg.


https://www.greatschools.org/ohio/re...Race_ethnicity


https://www.zillow.com/reynoldsburg-oh/home-values/

[Dearsummer]

Thank you so much for your detailed response!
I am a claims adjuster currently working from home so there’s no commute to work for me. I’m moreso concerned with what’s surrounding my family and I. Comparing upper Arlington to Tarrytown/chappaqua definitely made me understand.
For right now I’ll be renting for I’d say the next year or two just to feel it out. I’m thinking I’m going to lean towards Gahanna. I’ve read Pickerington is such a small town community with possibly running into your neighbors everywhere. That’s great for some but with with me coming from such a big city, I’d like just a bit more privacy in my day to day errands. I do want a community feel but no in a suffocating kind of way if that makes sense. The main things that are most important to me is diversity, safety, sidewalks, a decent amount of population and a good school district. With that being said, would you suggest Gahanna? Or does another town/city come to mind? Thank you so much

[wrightflyer]

With rec programs and bike paths / sidewalks, Westerville is a little better than Gahanna. But with Hamilton's reconstruction in the last couple of years through Gahanna, you could use the path to run all the way from Morse to the Hunter's Ridge area by the high school. Most developments will have sidewalks in Gahanna. Westerville just has a more extensive and complete bike path network. But that is also Westerville proper. Lots of places in Westerville Schools (both Columbus City Limits to the south and Genoa Township to the north) that don't have those connected sidewalks and rec programs. The library system in Westerville is also one of the best in the state I hear.

I also think Westerville, while the schools are big (with three separate high schools) the city proper itself is safe with decent diversity. One part of Westerville Schools I do commend it for and was implemented about 15 years ago was drawing lines for the high school to cover different areas of income and racial/ethnic diversity. Gahanna does not have this, but they also have only one central high school, so it is not needed.

Areas zoned for Westerville proper typically attend either Westerville South (the older areas around Uptown District) and Westerville North (covering more suburban areas east of Uptown). The network of paths weaves through most of these areas. While Westerville Central High School is the newest building, it covers areas in Genoa Township and Columbus proper (Little Turtle and Huber Ridge). So most areas for Central are not in Westerville proper. While Genoa Township is a good area, it is further out and new development than Westerville proper. Of the areas mentioned, due to its walkability, the Uptown area has become very popular in the last 5-10 years.