Where should I live in Columbus?

August 1, 2016 11:22 AM

I'm interviewing for a new job that's based in Columbus, OH and I things work out I'd have to move ASAP. What are some affordable, vibrant neighborhoods to move to? Details inside.

There a couple of requirements for said neighborhood:

I'm young (26) and I won't know anyone there so a neighborhood where I could meet with other young people (mid 20s -30s) and young families would be ideal.

Semi-urban: I'd love to live close to the city. Walkable, urban residential, with shops, public transit and a 20 minute or less commute to the city. The position would be based in New Albany , so bonus points if it is a northeastern neighborhood.

Diverse: I've heard Columbus is fairly diverse, so preferably I'd like to live a racially diverse neighborhood with a noticeable minority population

Affordable: This is the most important. I'm looking for apartments that are on average $700 month or less.

Realistically, I'm aware that it's unlikely to find a neighborhood that meets all 4 requirements but 2 or 3 would still be great. Thanks Mefites!

posted by CosmicSeeker42 to Society & Culture (8 answers total)

Welcome to Columbus, perhaps!

Columbus is a pretty great place to live - lots going on, lots of interesting food, great music scene, some awesome movie theaters, lots of good stuff in the community. On the other hand, like most midwestern cities, it is pretty racially segregated, and gentrification is changing a lot of neighborhoods, in my estimation for the worse. However, I really love it here and if you want more detailed recommendations for specific things, let me know!

I'm about to start my 7th year here. I've lived in Clintonville and Beechwold since moving to CBUS, which are both neighborhoods in the north, just to the west of 71. 71 (which runs N/S) is one of the big dividing lines in the city; to the west tends to be wealthier and whiter, to the east tends to be poorer and predominantly black. A lot of the crime, especially the violent crime, in Columbus, is in the central western neighborhoods. The other big dividing line in the city is 70 (which runs E/W) and cuts through the city just south of downtown. I'd recommend living in a neighborhood northwest of downtown.

Clintonville is just north of campus, and Beechwold is just north of Clintonville. Rents are generally between $600-$1,200 for apartments depending on location and size. I pay about $900 for my 2BR duplex in Beechwold. I don't have a car (though my boyfriend does) - I use the bus or walk most of the time. In terms of noticeable diversity, I see more black and Latino folks in Beechwold and towards the southwestern edges of Clintonville; Clintonville, because of the university, has a decently-sized Chinese population with several good Chinese groceries. Clintonville's also a neighborhood with lots of young families.

Olde Towne East, Merion Village, and King-Lincoln are all rapidly gentrifying, "up and coming," diverse and interesting neighborhoods. Rent is pretty cheap, and I have friends who bought houses in OTE while still in grad school. I'm not sure how walkable those neighborhoods are in terms of access to grocery stores, but they have decent connections via the bus system.

Fancier neighborhoods that you could probably swing for about $700 with a roommate include German Village, Victorian Village, and the Short North. The Short North is the hip and fancy artsy shopping/dining neighborhood, and then Victorian Village is just on the other side of Short North. Again, easy connections to the bus, and a few grocery stores within the neighborhood. German Village may be slightly out of your price range even with roommates, but it's a pretty cool place. German Village is just south of the downtown, and I'm not sure whether there's a grocery store within walking distance.

I have some friends who live in Grandview and like it a lot, but I haven't spent a huge amount of time there. My impression is that it's pretty similar to Clintonville, but with fewer families and more students.

Anyways, let me know if you have questions about anything else or want more details about specific neighborhoods! I really like it here!
posted by ChuraChura at 11:46 AM on August 1, 2016 [3 favorites]

Consider Old Towne East, which is roughly speaking at the Broad Street exit off of I-71. Very safe compared to most other "diverse" urban-feeling neighborhoods. You might get lucky in Clintonville, which is around the Morse Road exit off of I-71.
posted by SMPA at 11:48 AM on August 1, 2016

Oh, um, most of the grocery stores in the areas where you can get a decent place for $700 just aren't in a walkable setup at all - Kroger and Giant Eagle each have one store that I can think of with a front door you can get to from the street without crossing a huge frontier of parking lot. I used to work in the City department that was working to improve our walkability, and we spent a ton of effort on getting those projects done.
posted by SMPA at 11:57 AM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

I've lived in Columbus all my life and like it quite a bit. I haven't lived in too many different places in the city, but here are some comments:

"I'd love to live close to the city." "The position would be based in New Albany."

Columbus is a great example of urban sprawl and car-focused midwestern city planning. I would not plan on working in New Albany and living somewhere else and taking public transportation to work.

"I've heard Columbus is fairly diverse, so preferably I'd like to live a racially diverse neighborhood with a noticeable minority population."

On the whole, Columbus is fairly diverse, but individual neighborhoods often show segregation.

"I'm looking for apartments that are on average $700 month or less."

Columbus is a city with a fairly low cost of living, so this isn't too difficult. New construction apartments are going for a lot more than this, but there are still plenty of older places available.

If you are really interested in walkability, Clintonville might be your best bet. Prices for a decent place may be in the $750 range, but you have bus access to downtown and the university district. You will need a car to commute to work, times to New Albany will be around 30 minutes, longer depending on timing.
posted by demiurge at 12:07 PM on August 1, 2016

If your job is in New Albany, consider Worthington. It is not in the city center but it has an excellent commute and Worthington itself is modeled on a New England village so it has a compact downtown. I don't know about the rents but the area is great.
posted by kerf at 12:40 PM on August 1, 2016

Response by poster: Just to clarify, I have car and will use it get to work, but I'd like a neighborhood I can can walk around I when I'm not at work.
posted by CosmicSeeker42 at 12:50 PM on August 1, 2016

I agree with Clintonville/Beechwold, and would actually continue that a bit south to SoHud (South of Hudson) where I live. It's the northern part of the University District, and is a bit more racially diverse than Clintonville, but still close enough for all the walkability. Your rent money will go a lot further too, and the corridor along 4th and Summit is starting to see a bit more retail development.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 1:50 PM on August 1, 2016

Oh man, there once was a time when I would write a giant essay in response to this question. I've liven in Grandview since I was in college (2001), and I used to evangelize on its behalf at length. Apparently, though, my proselytizing worked a little too well, because now it has been overrun with annoying twentysomething pseudo-hipsters. (Or, perhaps, it was overrun by twentysomething pseudo-hipsters in 2001 as well, but since I was young then, it didn't bother me. I guess we have to account for all possibilities.)

So yeah, I'm not as high on Grandview as I used to be. I still think it's the best neighborhood in the city, but it used to be so much better. The problem, for you, is that Grandview is nowhere near New Albany, and with traffic, you'd be looking at a 45+ minute commute. I'm gonna say pass on Grandview.

Clintonville is the standard answer whenever someone asks where they should live. It's nice. I don't care for it myself (too hipstery), but I'm in the distinct minority. If you want to live in the actual city of Columbus, this is really your only option. Also, if proximity to dentistry is important to you, Clintonville is the clear winner - there's a dentist literally on every block.

I like Worthington, although if you're into the urban lifestyle, it might be a little too suburban. But it's nice and quiet and fun.

Here's my best suggestion, though: Westerville. Nobody ever suggests it, because none of the "cool kids" live there, but I don't know why not*. For you, especially, it'll be nice because it's pretty much the only place in the Columbus area with less than a 15-minute commute to New Albany. There's a small college there, so there's some liveliness around, and a cute little downtown area (Uptown, they call it) with a lot of local shops and restaurants. It's also pretty diverse by the standards of Columbus suburbs, and it abuts some fairly diverse neighborhoods where it borders the actual city of Columbus. Westerville Road/Cleveland Avenue a little further south is a big Somali neighborhood.

*Actually, I think I do know. Westerville was a hotbed of the temperance movement, and the city was dry until 2006. So the nightlife was, um, not great. But that was ten years ago. It's not going to be like being in Las Vegas or anything, but it's like any other suburb at this point.

Is your $700 budget for a one-bedroom? You shouldn't have too much trouble finding something in that range. $700 each for two people (i.e., $1400 for a 2BR) would probably get you something pretty nice just about anywhere in the city.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:59 PM on August 1, 2016