What it like living in Columbus

[oneven]

I’ve read a lot of good things about life in Columbus. With nicknames ‘Indie Art Capital’ and ‘The Biggest Small Town in America’ it sounds like it might be a very nice, pleasant place to settle with my family. Do you think this reputation is well deserved?

[Shawn_Burton]

I grew up just outside of Columbus, I left and traveled the world and lived in Dallas, TX for a decade, then came back when I married my sweetheart here. I need to be brutally honest with you rather than telling you how I 'wish' it could be;

Columbus culture is very forced. Where it does exist it's pretentious and extremely overpriced. We were a Cowtown a decade ago. Now we're a Cowtown pretending not to be one. The city has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few decades, but the number of jobs, quality of roads and public transportation, and quality of life have not grown in proportion to the commerce and population. People will tell you that our violent crime rate isn't as high as Cleveland's, but that's ignoring the fact that Cleveland's crime rate is three times that of the national average for large cities. I did an experiment where I said hello and smiled at 10 different people in Columbus while getting gas. Only 2 people returned the salutation, the other 8 either didn't say anything or looked at me like I was going to mug them (and I'm a well groomed older gentleman, maybe they thought I was a cop?). I later performed the same experiment in Dallas, TX. and all 10 people returned my hello and 3 of them engaged me in an extended friendly conversation. People are VERY mean on the road, maybe worse than New York and Atlanta. Real-estate here is about 30-40% over the national average. If you try to get a downtown apartment, expect to pay NY and LA prices. This is because people in Columbus want to believe that we're equal in culture and desirability.. but the reality is not even close. Taxes are way too high here as well! Also, I should mention, if you're a Veteran be aware that there isn't a VA hospital within a 3 hour drive. There's a 'clinic' here, but I've been neglected there too many times and I'm literally scared to return.

There are some good things about Columbus; we get decent concerts and shows here. The BlueJacket and Clippers games are always good family fun. There are some very good local restaurants. The weather is usually bad, but when it's good we have phenomenal sunrises and sunsets. Columbus embraces and celebrates diversity more than most cities I've ever seen. The good people are really good (but the bad people are also in the really bad extreme).

I apologize if this is too honest and blunt for your taste, but I was compelled to provide an unbiased view to counteract the propaganda you may have seen.

[Levi_Davis]

Shawn hit the nail on the head. I attended OSU for under grad and grad school, which was a culture shock compared to my rural upbringing.

As you stated, Columbus is very small in scale, especially for the amount of amenities that it provides. Which is essentially it's only positive attribute. The Short North is still very dangerous, contrary to popular belief. I can recall a handful of times driving down main street at night. While waiting at a red light, gang members would surround my car, so I would just run through the light. Many people are extremely rude, and the traffic is incredibly ridiculous. If you lived in a connecting town/suburb outside of Columbus (Upper Arlington, Granville, Delaware) you may have a better experience, but at a very expensive price.

I currently live and work in Dayton Ohio and I couldn't be happier with the move.

[Beth_A_Betts]

I agree with several of Shawn's points. Particularly regarding infrastructure and transportation in general as well as prices in town.

Being from a rural area previously, I really appreciate the ability to see concerts and sporting events within a very close range. The pricing on food and beverages at the sporting venues is on par with venues I've been to in other parts of the country. The diverse population also translates into some great cuisine offerings, but I will say that good, non-chain food and drink spots here have prices comparable to NYC, which is ridiculous. Another thing I found refreshing is that while you do need to pay for food/drinks at festivals here, in a lot of cases there isn't an admission fee.

For medical needs, the OSU medical practices are excellent. I'm unfortunate in that I have a rare hematological condition, and I feel very fortunate to be here for care. There are also some very high performing school districts as well as magnet schools for arts and sciences that are part of the public school system.

Is it a perfect place? Absolutely not. We could definitely use some infrastructure improvements. But it is a very diverse community with plenty of offerings for any cultural and culinary taste. And in my experience, anyplace that has cultural, medical, and employment opportunities also tends to have higher costs of living and experiences growing pains.

[Steve_Turpin]

I live in Pickerington, which is a suburb of Columbus on the southeast side. I have lived here since 1992. The Columbus area is a pretty good place to live. There are a lot of areas within and around Columbus. So, it really depends on what you are looking for. There are a lot of parks in Columbus, with walking/biking trails and even some dog parks. There are quite a few jobs available. Columbus is similar, in size, to Cincinnati or Cleveland, although you don't hear as much about Columbus.

Columbus has a lot of restaurants and is a testing area for new restaurant concepts and new menu items. We just had the McDonalds MegaMac, recently. There are a lot of good ice cream places, also, like Jeni's and Graeters. There are also a lot of upper-class restaurants and also a lot of good pizza restaurants. There is probably any kind of food that you can think of in Columbus.

The downtown area is very nice and is constantly being renovated and upgraded. There is a riverwalk along the Scioto river. There is a new Hockey stadium downtown, where the Blue Jackets play. There is also a new convention center.

We have the Ohio State University, as well as several smaller colleges. There are a lot of good elementary schools. But, the best are in the suburbs, in my opinion. There are also several private schools.

[Jack_Forrester]

Columbus is a really beautiful city, however the life there isn't for everyone. I guess locals know what i'm talking about.