Moving to Columbus shortly after baby is due

Nycbk

Hello! My DH and I currently live in Bethel, CT but there is a good chance we will be relocating to Columbus shortly after our baby is due (late December). I grew up in Brooklyn and miss the city atmosphere but don't miss the craziness of NYC. My sister in law currently lives in Westerville and my DH's job is allowing him to work remotely so he can work from home if we move. We both love Columbus and my DH went to Dayton so he has lots of friends in the area. I was just wondering if anyone could give me advice on fun family friendly areas. Currently we have our eye on Reynoldsburg and Gahanna, but I would love any tips or advice! My in laws will also be relocating if we decide to since then we can all be there together. I'm so excited/ nervous about the move but know it's going to be great for our family. Thank you for any advice.

KareMHatt84

Gahanna over Reynoldsburg, definitely, though Reynoldsburg is more affordable and is certainly a great place to live. I live in Pickerington, just south of Reynoldsburg, currently. I'm due in April, and we're also considering moving to Reynoldsburg. We love Gahanna, but the homes we want there are out of range for us. Welcome to the area!

Nycbk

Oh wow thank you so much @KareMHatt84. I will keep you posted where we choose. Getting very excited so now obviously just hope it all works out.

caitlinmca

I would say Westerville, Gahanna, Dublin, Hilliard, Powell and Lewis Center are the places to be. Good school districts however as someone mentioned higher prices but some of the trade off is the better areas and better schools. Just avoid any Columbus Public Schools area unless you don't mind private schools.

We are looking for houses and are willing to pay more for a good quality school especially when it comes to kids and resale down the road.

KareMHatt84

Be careful assuming anything about schools based on word of mouth. Some are "great" according to local knowledge and assumptions based on their socio-economic status, but not much else. The state of Ohio issues data-based report cards that evaluate districts on many different and important metrics. I don't have the website at the ready, but you should be able to Google "school district report cards Ohio" to find it.

We were surprised to find that Reynoldsburg recently scored higher than Pickerington, given conventional assumptions.

Growth, crowding, and taxes are all worth considering, as are partnerships with vocational training and community colleges. Gahanna is an excellent example of the latter. Reynoldsburg is working to follow suit. I don't know anything about the others.

(I make my last point with professional knowledge that the four-year higher-Ed model is increasingly under scrutiny as out-moded and over-priced for its average ROI. Schools that continue to emphasize college as a primary means to succes, as many do, are short-sighted and under serving their students.)

Good luck!

Nycbk

Thank you all. @KareMHatt84 I am currently a PreK teacher at a play based school so obviously education is a high search point for me (as I know it is for many families out there) and yes I agree, where this little one goes to college (if she chooses to go to college) should have no impact on her early school years. I will definitely search for the report cards as I want her to have the most full education and experience as possible. thank you.

nichollegulcur

Good luck with your move!! I'm super partial to Upper Arlington and Grandview. I think you're going to experience a really unique and unexpected urban-feel in these areas and they are close to the Short North and the freeways - so you can get downtown or to German Village, Italian Village, the Columbus Zoo, and anywhere else you could want to go with relative ease. 

I'd check with a real estate agent who specializes in relocation first and get a tour. And check out the Experience Columbus site, as well as the various Chamber of Commerce sites. 

Like I said, I'm partial to these areas but if you like an urban feel (I can walk to Whole Foods, coffee shops, restaurants, and shops from my house, not to mention 2 parks!) then these Upper Arlington and Grandview are worth checking out! 

Let me know if you need recommendations for anything. It's a great city, you're going to love it!

Nycbk

Thank you ladies so much for all of your help. So the move got pushed back but now it is back on the table. We are so excited! But now of course the decision of where we want to live has become even more real. We have sort of narrowed it down to two areas. One area is Westerville and the other is Clintonville. Westerville is where my sister in law lives and we know most of the zoned schools have great scores, there are wonderful neighborhood amenities, it has a walkable uptown area, and it fits into our budget. Clintonville has a pocket that has a great elementary school but as of right now the middle and high school both have lower scores, still fits into our budget, but is in the actual city and has much more to do city wise right at your finger tips. Since leaving New York City, where I grew up, I have really missed the city feel of where I can walk to grab coffee or maybe even dare to go on a date with DH where we can walk to a bar. I just don't know if Clintonville is worth trading in all of the great family friendly amenities and comfort in knowing that the school scores are higher. I should also add that I am a prek teacher and will be looking into subbing at schools and hopefully finding a job at an elementary school at one point and it seems that Clintonville would possibly be closer to any school I may look at rather than Westerville which is out of the actual city. So I guess I just would love any of your input on what you all think and know of these two areas...., sorry such a long post!!!!! 

nikkimarie159

I don't really know much about Clintonville, but I grew up and currently live in westerville. Great schools, and great for raising a family imo. Depending on where in Westerville you're looking uptown Westerville has lots of cute little shops and restaurants that are easily accessible via walking or bike riding. And it's really not that far from anything major you would want to do! 

Nycbk

So we ended up buying a place in Gahanna and moved in last Friday! I am very excited to finally be here. If any moms ever want to meet up and grab a snack at creekside or play in one of the playgrounds let me know. Virginia (8 months) and I are looking forward to exploring our new neighborhood. Xo