Help? Moving to Columbus!

[thesepaperbirds]

Hi All,

My husband just got a job in Columbus, so we'll be moving there from Seattle this June. We have family in Cincinnati but don't know Columbus at ALL. If you could please offer pointers of areas to check out, or avoid, we would really appreciate it! He'll be working at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and I'll be "staying home" with our 3 yr old. Hoping for more kiddos in the near future. We like music, art, eating local, gardening, playing outside, etc.

1. Housing resources: any tips on finding a good place to rent? I've been browsing Craigslist to get an idea of cost of living there. Here in Seattle, Craigslist seems to be the way to go to find a rental property. How about Columbus?  We'll visit in late May, to try to find a place with a least start date of July 1.

2. Neighborhoods: I have heard good things about these areas: Dublin, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Gahanna, Westerville, Worthington, Clintonville, ...? How do these neighborhoods compare with one another?  We of course want to be in a safe and family-friendly area, would love a house, ideally with a fenced backyard (we have a large but very mellow older dog), preferably 3-4 bedrooms. With my husband working at Children's, we're hoping to keep his commute under 30 or so minutes if possible. That about sums up our initial wish-list. (Oh and this may be silly but being relatively close to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's would be a plus. ha!)

3. Community Gardens: Do these exist in Columbus?

4. Preschools: I've heard good things about School for Young Children. I was interested in a Waldorf (or Waldorf-inspired) preschool but the website for Briar Rose doesn't seem to work so I'm not sure if that still exists. Any other suggestions?

5: other Columbus resources: anyone familiar with anything like Columbus natural parenting or AP groups, etc?

If you're familiar with the area and have a minute to share some thoughts on Columbus, please let me know. I know we have months before moving but we're really eager to learn about our new home city!

Thanks in advance!

be well...

[Blanca78]

Hi and welcome (in advance) to Columbus! I'll try to answer some of your questions below.

Originally Posted by thesepaperbirds 

Hi All,

My husband just got a job in Columbus, so we'll be moving there from Seattle this June. We have family in Cincinnati but don't know Columbus at ALL. If you could please offer pointers of areas to check out, or avoid, we would really appreciate it! He'll be working at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and I'll be "staying home" with our 3 yr old. Hoping for more kiddos in the near future. We like music, art, eating local, gardening, playing outside, etc.

1. Housing resources: any tips on finding a good place to rent? I've been browsing Craigslist to get an idea of cost of living there. Here in Seattle, Craigslist seems to be the way to go to find a rental property. How about Columbus?  We'll visit in late May, to try to find a place with a least start date of July 1.

Yeah, Craigslist is probably the go-to place here, too. Also check out metro-rentals.com--rentals by neighborhood. Some major, credible landlords in town are Kingland (we rented from them and they are awesome--integrity up the wazoo), Wallace Ackley Company, and Myers Real Estate. There are others, but those are the first that come to mind.

2. Neighborhoods: I have heard good things about these areas: Dublin, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Gahanna, Westerville, Worthington, Clintonville, ...? How do these neighborhoods compare with one another?  We of course want to be in a safe and family-friendly area, would love a house, ideally with a fenced backyard (we have a large but very mellow older dog), preferably 3-4 bedrooms. With my husband working at Children's, we're hoping to keep his commute under 30 or so minutes if possible. That about sums up our initial wish-list. (Oh and this may be silly but being relatively close to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's would be a plus. ha!)

Clintonville is great in terms of neighborhood-y feel and lots of cute houses. However, the schools are really hit or miss, as it is part of Columbus public schools, which suck and are under a major corruption investigation. There are some good elementary schools--Indianola and Clinton, I think? but beyond that a lot of people move.

We lived in Upper Arlington and while you can find reasonably affordable housing, I didn't like it much. The schools are excellent and it is conveniently located (close to downtown and hipper neighborhoods) but it is super bland and wealthy and white. Not very walkable.

Now we live in Grandview, which is just south of UA. We like it much much better. Still pretty white, but much more "neighborhoody" feeling. Older houses, good schools, quite walkable with a cute downtown and very convenient to downtown Columbus. Very kid friendly. The only rub is affordable rentals can be tough--we lucked out but we had to STALK Craigslist. We now rent through Wallace Ackley and pay $925 for a (small, in somewhat rough shape) 3-bedroom duplex. We would like to buy but it is tough to find anything more than 2 bedrooms for under $220K or so.

If you do live in Columbus school district, Reynoldsburg (an outer-ring suburb) has fantastic schools that are open enrollment--but you'd have to drive.

You might also look into Bexley. Great schools, also close to downtown, housing can be a bit more affordable depending on where in the suburb you are, as it is surrounded by some very rough areas.

3. Community Gardens: Do these exist in Columbus?

YES! Grandview has one, and there's a neat one just north of the OSU campus (close to Clintonville) called Animal's Garden http://www.greentowns.com/initiative/community-gardens/animals-community-garden-columbus-oh. And there are others, I'm sure. Check out local-matters.org--I think they have garden info there.

4. Preschools: I've heard good things about School for Young Children. I was interested in a Waldorf (or Waldorf-inspired) preschool but the website for Briar Rose doesn't seem to work so I'm not sure if that still exists. Any other suggestions?

Everyone raves about SYC. I don't think we'll send our daughter there because we're not up for the drive form where we are. OSU runs a preschool that is supposed to be great. There are a few Montessori schools and some various church-based ones that are supposed to be good.

5: other Columbus resources: anyone familiar with anything like Columbus natural parenting or AP groups, etc?

Yes, there's a Columbus AP Village group on Yahoo (I think? I'm not involved with it). Sprout Soup, a natural parenting store in Clintonville, has a moms group and lots of other resources (babywearing groups, etc.)--sproutsoup.com. CHOICE midwives group also has parenting groups sometimes, I think.

If you're familiar with the area and have a minute to share some thoughts on Columbus, please let me know. I know we have months before moving but we're really eager to learn about our new home city!

Thanks in advance!

be well...

[thesepaperbirds]

Hey Blanca78, thanks so much for your reply. (I'm embarrassed to see my initial post showed up multiple times; not sure why that happened!) 

A follow-up question: Is Grandview the same as Grandview Heights? If so, that looks reasonably close to Clintonville, but you say it's a bit of a drive from Grandview to SYC? More than 20 mins, you think?

Also, any suggestions on good yoga studios?

I appreciate your input! Anyone else in the area have tips to offer?

Cheers!

[Blanca78]

Yes, Grandview Heights. It's not far from Clintonville, but School for Young Children is in northern Clintonville so it would be a bit longer. For us, 15-20 minutes depending on traffic, which actually is not bad, but we drive that far to take DD to daycare and I've quickly realized it's a real stressor. However, that might just be us :)

There are several yoga studios in town. I don't do much yoga, so I'm certainly not an expert, but Balanced Yoga and Yoga on High are both popular ones. There's one in Grandview, too, called Grow Yoga ,which is all right but didn't knock my socks off--I felt like the class was too big for the teacher to give the level of instruction I was seeking.

[tm0sweet]

Just wanted to say welcome to Cbus! Dh is from Seattle, so he has made the same transition! I had no clue there was an AP group here, I'll have to look that up myself we're in Dublin and the schools are great but housing is super pricey! Not easy to walk anywhere at all, but we do have a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's I think New Albany is pretty similar to Dublin. They're the "rich" suburbs in the city.

Dh loves Clintonville--it reminds him of home (Renton, WA) once again, it's on the pricey side and schools are so so.

Westerville has some very nice areas and some not so nice ones. We're thinking of moving that way ourselves. It's a nice community, but their school levy's keep failing so they're cutting a lot of programs.

I plan on investigating Gahanna in the next few weeks, but I've heard a lot of good about it.

I love worthington. I seem to run into more like minded parents there and it's just a quick ride to all the shops in Clintonville that I love.

IMHO the best part of Cbus to live in is the northern suburbs (think Grandview and up) generally its nicer outside of the 270 outer belt, but there are exceptions.

Sorry, no tips on yoga.

Feel free to PM anytime with questions/ comments! I've lived here most of my life, but I'm certainly no expert

[SaraR]

Welcome! We have lived in Columbus for nearly 4 years (moving this summer for residency). My husband is currently rotating at Nationwide (NICU). :)

I am wondering some of the same things you are...even though we've been here all this time!

I adore Clintonville (we live between UA and Dublin). If we were to stay (still a possibility), we would move there in a heartbeat. Reminds me of home! (Oregon) Worthington would be our next choice (mostly for the schools).

Anyway...welcome! I am sure you will find the right place and plenty of like-minded parents!

[thesepaperbirds]

tm0sweet and SaraR, thank you so much for taking a minute to reply to my post. It's nice to hear from mamas in the area. I've been looking at Craigslist to get an idea of the rental market and it doesn't seem to have much. Maybe it's because it's winter; hopefully by late spring when we need to sign a lease (for summer) there will be more available. If you (or anyone) have any ideas on how to go about finding a house to rent, I'd love to hear! I see some apartments and duplexes but we much prefer a house for multiple reasons. I'm getting a bit nervous about finding a place in one of the preferred areas!

Thanks again!

[Blanca78]

A lot of the rentals around here are duplexes, but there are definitely houses as well. One place a lot come up is the north campus area, just south of Clintonville, which has a lot of young families. However, the schools may be dicey depending where you are.

Rentals ebb and flow--there will be more in the spring. Good luck!
 

[tm0sweet]

Last year when we were looking for a rental I used Craigslist and I also checked the real estate listings and called to see if the sellers were willing to rent the house out since there are many houses that are having a hard time selling. You might even find a realtor who is willing to find a rental for you this way. I was told there are usually a ton of rentals that go up in march, but I also know rentals are in high demand and they go QUICK

[skillina]

Welcome in advance to Columbus!

Housing resources: Upper Arlington, Dublin, Worthington and New Albany have excellent public schools, but being wealthy suburbs, the communities will not be united in earth-friendly, simple living practices. Clintonville is a part of Columbus that seems most in alignment with the types of concerns people on this forum seem to share, but the school district is Columbus City Schools and there are only a few schools within that that perform well. Indianola Informal K-8 school (in Clintonville) and Columbus Alternative High School are two of the best. The wealthier suburbs like Upper Arlington, Dublin and New Albany have higher housing costs. Worthington is comparable to Clintonville, but with the advantage of Worthington Schools. Clintonville has a great community feel to it ... the School for Young Children is located in Clintonville as are tons of environmentally friendly groups and businesses. Whole Foods is in Upper Arlington, while Sawmill Road in Dublin has a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's within a short distance of one another, so there is easy access to Whole Foods/Trader Joe's from UA, Dublin and Clintonville.

Preschools: School for Young Children is in Clintonville. Upper Arlington offers a Burbank Early Childhood place that is expensive, but available whether you live in Upper Arlington or not. As far as I know, Briar Rose doesn't exist anymore.

There are oodles of natural parenting and simply living groups in Clintonville.

Clintonville houses tend to be early 1900's, with very small yards, close together. Very pet friendly. Lots of parks/trails access.

Bexley is the community closest to Children's Hospital, but I don't know anything about it.

I hope this helps!

[travelingpea]

Thought I'd chime in for you.  I don't know about schools much, except what others have said, my daughter is only five months old.  We live in Clintonville and we love it!  I go to yoga nearby at Balanced Yoga, great place. I'm also on the AP website someone mentioned, http://columbusapvillage.com/.  Welcome to Columbus!
 

[columbusmomma]

I wanted to add a couple more suggestions as far as Clintonville schools. Yes Indianola and Columbus Alternative are excellent! There's also Clinton Elementary and Indian Springs Elementary that are great schools too and part of Columbus City Schools. There are also Catholic and Christian schools in the areas and the private school Clintonville Academy.

[thesepaperbirds]

Thanks you, everyone, for all the input!

Unfortunately we didn't get in to School for Young Children (we're on the wait list but it isn't looking promising), so this means I need to apply to other preschools. Problem is we won't be there for a few more months so I'm having a hard time just going by a google search. If anyone has a suggestion for a great preschool, I'd love to hear it! I know SYC is highly recommended, but what's the next favorite?

Thanks again!

[columbusmomma]

You need to check out the Schoenbaum Center. My daughter went there for preschool and I can't say enough great things about it! Teachers are great, it's affiliated with OSU early childhood development, Emilio Reggio based, and has many dynamic activities and programs for the kids. If you live within the Columbus City School district it is less expensive then if you live in the suburbs. Good luck!

[pokeyAC]

I am enjoying this conversation.  I was born and raised in Columbus, but I haven't lived there since I finished grad school.  I don't know as much about what it is like to live there as a grown-up, but I enjoyed growing up there.  My mom and sisters still live in the area in Hilliard and Sunbury, and my sister teaches in Dublin.  We grew up in Grandview Heights.  I believe it has gotten more expensive than when I was a kid.  It's a great little city.  It has its own school district and municipal services, nice parks, and lots of trees.  It is very white as a PP said, but it is surrounded by a big city and very close to the university so there are lots of opportunities nearby to find a little more diversity in terms of people and food.  It's the kind of neighborhood where I would like to raise my kids.   

[Blanca78]

Originally Posted by pokeyAC 

I am enjoying this conversation.  I was born and raised in Columbus, but I haven't lived there since I finished grad school.  I don't know as much about what it is like to live there as a grown-up, but I enjoyed growing up there.  My mom and sisters still live in the area in Hilliard and Sunbury, and my sister teaches in Dublin.  We grew up in Grandview Heights.  I believe it has gotten more expensive than when I was a kid.  It's a great little city.  It has its own school district and municipal services, nice parks, and lots of trees.  It is very white as a PP said, but it is surrounded by a big city and very close to the university so there are lots of opportunities nearby to find a little more diversity in terms of people and food.  It's the kind of neighborhood where I would like to raise my kids.   

I'm the one who lives in GVH. I do love it--in part because it is so close to downtown and OSU. Unfortunately the housing prices seem like they're skyrocketing, so if we do decide to buy a house we might move to Bexley, where things are a little less expensive :( I hope it works out for us to stay in Grandview--I bet it was a great place to grow up.

[alessandro]

In my opinion, if I were offering advice to someone moving to the columbus area who was looking into where to live but was not familiar to the area I would say a good rule of thumb is to stay west of i-71, and north of I -670. I prefer to stick to the Grandview, clintonville, and upper arlington areas myself.

[Irreloh]

Hi!

My hubby and I moved to Columbus recently ourselves! We are expecting our first and still trying to settle in here in Columbus. We're are in the Clintonville area (ok, more like South Clintonville), but we love it!

[MarleneCPM]

My dd, lives in Gahanna, nice quiet neighborhood.  The house next to her is empty, used to be an old lady living there, you died last yr. Not sure whether it's for rent or sale, but its still empty. My dd, Rebecca (614-657-4870) could tell you more about the house, neighborhoods, schools, etc.

[GALSDORF]

Hey there, I just got a job in Columbus as well and we will be relocating there in June.  I am currently in Raleigh, NC but lived in Kirkland/Redmond WA for about 10 years prior to this.  We have only been here about a year and a half.  I was just coming to start this same thread!  I am looking at Upper Arlington, Dublin and New Albany.  I really liked Columbus on my visits.

I am also looking for schools that are good with kids on the Autism spectrum if anyone has advice. I have found Haupland learning center, but there is a wait list for next year.