Columbus, Ohio- thoughts?

[Anonymous]

My DH has a potential job opening at OSU academic position- and we are debating whether to even consider it.

Anyone from DC area move to Columbus and have feedback on Middle and High Schools?

Our DC are currently in MoCo schools(W school ). We would be able to switch them to secular Private Schools if the Public options are not optimal. Any experience with Private schools in the area?

We have no family in Ohio but do have family within 45 mins from where we currently live. We see them once a month on an average and their kids are college bound soon.

Looking for pros and cons of moving from Bethesda to Columbus - especially for the children. I do realize we are moving to the Midwest but not sure what to expect in Columbus.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I know you want feedback about schools and I don't have that to offer, but I'll chime in as a DC-raised academic who's lived in various major cities and who was very happy during a visiting prof year in Columbus. I found it a very livible city, with a number of pretty close-in neighborhoods—think Chevy Chase, but cheaper—as well as beautiful in-town neighborhoods for fans of Victorian architecture. I found the academic community very welcoming. A dozen or so friends who are tenured there seem thoroughly happy with life in Columbus and are well integrated into their town life. In sum, if the school situation works for you I'd vote a strong yes to the experience of living there and working at OSU.

Though I don't have direct experience of having kids in the schools, I can say that the adminstrative pattern of Ohio cities is that for the most part each suburb is its own school district (vs. county-level school districts around here), so you can search for the optimal combination of town/suburb, proximity to campus, school quality, and so on. That setup can lead to very high real estate taxes that somewhat tamp down the savings in prices, but it can also have advantages in local school quality.

[Anonymous]

Check out Upper Arlington, Grandview, Worthington or Bexley. Columbus is a very family friendly city. Dublin is also a nice suburb further out but leans more conservative, the Muirfield section is built around a Jack Nicklaus golf course. New Albany is an exurb, but I would steer clear of there unless you’d like interacting with Les Werner and his cronies.

Columbus Academy and Columbus School for Girls are both independent single sex schools. Wellington also has a good reputation.

The weather is meh. Kind of overcast much if the year, but otherwise similar to the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out Upper Arlington, Grandview, Worthington or Bexley. Columbus is a very family friendly city. Dublin is also a nice suburb further out but leans more conservative, the Muirfield section is built around a Jack Nicklaus golf course. New Albany is an exurb, but I would steer clear of there unless you’d like interacting with Les Werner and his cronies.

Columbus Academy and Columbus School for Girls are both independent single sex schools. Wellington also has a good reputation.

The weather is meh. Kind of overcast much if the year, but otherwise similar to the DC area.

Columbus native here. This is all on point. It’s way better than when I left and I wish the Columbus of my childhood had been as diverse and worldly as things there are now.

I went to one of the Worthington high schools and have many friends from my HS sport who went to Upper Arlington. I think anywhere in Upper Arlington boundaries is where I would go if I moved back home again with neighborhoods zoned for Thomas Worthington HS (specifically the areas around Worthingway MS, Evening Street ES, and Old Worthington in general) a close second. It sounds like your kids are old enough that swim clubs aren’t going to be a dealbreaker, but Worthington and UA both have great city pools. Country clubs and swim clubs are more complicated but still easier to access than out here.

It is weirdly gloomy there. Winters are pretty mild and similar to DC, but ice storms are quite common and you won’t be escaping humidity or bugs. Depending on your lifestyle you may feel a little trapped being far from the water.

[Anonymous]

PS I’m the PP and want to add that the quality of schools is much more evenly good than on the east coast, and the best districts are really good in terms of outcomes, resources, sports, arts, etc. Districts are smaller and more cohesive. The people who send kids to Columbus academy or CSG live in in-city CPS neighborhoods with interesting architecture but bad schools, specifically want single-sex at CSG, have family traditions at those schools, or moved from places where going private is assumed. It’s not common which is why there are relatively few privates.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in and like the Midwest and the prices will be right but I wouldn’t do it if your kids are in high school.

[Anonymous]

It’s a growing area, with lots of people moving in from northern Ohio especially. But also from other areas of the country as well. PP is correct about the best suburbs and best public schools. I’m not super familiar with the private school scene. Columbus is less Catholic than Cleveland and Cincinnati and doesn’t seem to have as many Catholic schools. For colleges when that time comes, Ohio State has a good undergrad reputation as does Case Western in Cleveland for STEM. Overall it’s more affordable in general than this area, but definitely be mindful of the property taxes + the local income tax (RITA taxes, mostly a northern OH thing but some cities outside the Cleveland area also impose them and they ARE NOT deducted from your paycheck, unless something has changed since I last lived in Ohio ~12 years ago!)

Ohio politics are a mess, but the Columbus area definitely leans Dem, same as any other city.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Columbus. I go back often and my adult siblings are raising families there. Like the PP said, it's a very livable city. Big enough to feel vibrant, with a nice downtown, good arts and restaurant scene, lots of public parks and green spaces, etc. It's also very family-friendly - the Columbus Zoo and COSI are both amazing. The Ohio State campus is close to Upper Arlington which has excellent schools. Dublin, New Albany, and Worthington are also considered very good. All of these suburbs are predominantly white and UMC. Grandview and Clintonville might offer a more diverse neighborhood/school experience?? Hopefully others will chime in.

[Anonymous]

Ohio has had the most serial killers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Columbus. I go back often and my adult siblings are raising families there. Like the PP said, it's a very livable city. Big enough to feel vibrant, with a nice downtown, good arts and restaurant scene, lots of public parks and green spaces, etc. It's also very family-friendly - the Columbus Zoo and COSI are both amazing. The Ohio State campus is close to Upper Arlington which has excellent schools. Dublin, New Albany, and Worthington are also considered very good. All of these suburbs are predominantly white and UMC. Grandview and Clintonville might offer a more diverse neighborhood/school experience?? Hopefully others will chime in.

Dublin and Worthington are no longer the white homogenous places they used to be. If you are Asian or South Asian, I would consider both. UA is more complicated but any social stuff you encounter will be no different from Bethesda, Chevy Chase, etc. and if you can afford it that would be my first choice, and I say that as a white person in a mixed family. Avoid Columbus public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you want feedback about schools and I don't have that to offer, but I'll chime in as a DC-raised academic who's lived in various major cities and who was very happy during a visiting prof year in Columbus. I found it a very livible city, with a number of pretty close-in neighborhoods—think Chevy Chase, but cheaper—as well as beautiful in-town neighborhoods for fans of Victorian architecture. I found the academic community very welcoming. A dozen or so friends who are tenured there seem thoroughly happy with life in Columbus and are well integrated into their town life. In sum, if the school situation works for you I'd vote a strong yes to the experience of living there and working at OSU.

Though I don't have direct experience of having kids in the schools, I can say that the adminstrative pattern of Ohio cities is that for the most part each suburb is its own school district (vs. county-level school districts around here), so you can search for the optimal combination of town/suburb, proximity to campus, school quality, and so on. That setup can lead to very high real estate taxes that somewhat tamp down the savings in prices, but it can also have advantages in local school quality.

Thank you so much for this valuable input- much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Columbus. I go back often and my adult siblings are raising families there. Like the PP said, it's a very livable city. Big enough to feel vibrant, with a nice downtown, good arts and restaurant scene, lots of public parks and green spaces, etc. It's also very family-friendly - the Columbus Zoo and COSI are both amazing. The Ohio State campus is close to Upper Arlington which has excellent schools. Dublin, New Albany, and Worthington are also considered very good. All of these suburbs are predominantly white and UMC. Grandview and Clintonville might offer a more diverse neighborhood/school experience?? Hopefully others will chime in.

Thank you! This is very useful information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ohio has had the most serial killers

Uh -oh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Columbus. I go back often and my adult siblings are raising families there. Like the PP said, it's a very livable city. Big enough to feel vibrant, with a nice downtown, good arts and restaurant scene, lots of public parks and green spaces, etc. It's also very family-friendly - the Columbus Zoo and COSI are both amazing. The Ohio State campus is close to Upper Arlington which has excellent schools. Dublin, New Albany, and Worthington are also considered very good. All of these suburbs are predominantly white and UMC. Grandview and Clintonville might offer a more diverse neighborhood/school experience?? Hopefully others will chime in.

Dublin and Worthington are no longer the white homogenous places they used to be. If you are Asian or South Asian, I would consider both. UA is more complicated but any social stuff you encounter will be no different from Bethesda, Chevy Chase, etc. and if you can afford it that would be my first choice, and I say that as a white person in a mixed family. Avoid Columbus public schools.

OP here, great to know this! We are a mixed family.

[Anonymous]

New Albany has excellent schools, as does Powell, Dublin (especially Dublin Jerome), and Upper Arlington.

If you have girls, CSG is a wonderful private school. Columbus Academy is coed (since the 90s). Also excellent. On the other side of town is Wellington. Smaller, but also a very good private school.

Honestly, the public and private school situation is better there than the DC area.

For where to live:

New Albany is very nice. A little Truman Show-esque. But probably where I would pick.

Powell and Dublin are very nice. Mix of house styles and ages.

Upper Arlington is expensive for the area. Older and smaller houses. Fantastic schools. People are a little cultish about UA.

Any of those towns would be good for an OSU commute.