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Special Needs
Columbus, OH
Anyone have any info about living there? My husband's company is contemplating moving him, and we are trying to decide if it is best for our family. The positives would be that I may be able to stay home with the kids, or only work part time. The negatives are that we are only about 2 hours away from family right now (and moving to Columbus would make it a very long drive or flight). Also, we just bought a house. And, we love where we live (both DH and I went to college very near our house, we have great neighbors and friends, etc).
But, my goal has always been to stay home with the kids when they are young like this. I would get a job once they both were in school. My DH will be traveling a lot more, and may get moved again if he accepts this position.
I have never had to make such a big choice! I jumped at first, with the thought of being able to stay home, but now am thinking long term, and not so sure. If people think Columbus is the bomb though, this may sway me.
TIA!
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Re: Columbus, OH
I am in Columbus! I like it here, but I was born here so that might make me a little biased. I like it because you can get the amenities/services of a bigger city, but it's still pretty laid back overall. You can pretty much get anywhere you need to be in 25 minutes or less. We also have a decent public transportation system (COTA buses). Most school systems are good, and there seems to be a TON of SAHMs around.
As far as pediatric care/special needs: Nationwide Children's hospital has been wonderful for us. DS is 18 months old, and has spent a fair amount of time within the hospital system (surgeries, therapies, etc.). There are quite a few "Close to Home" facilities throughout the city, which makes it easier to get to appointments and such. Columbus is in Franklin county, and we have an early intervention program called Help Me Grow. They hooked us up with the county board of developmental disabilities. We have had good experiences with both of those services as well.
Feel free to PM me with questions about specific areas in Columbus or anything else.
Oh yes, COSI is fun! COSI stands for Center of Science and Industry. It's a children's science museum. www.COSI.org.
We also have one of the best zoos in the country. It's located just north of Columbus and next to a water park. www.columbuszoo.org.
Oh yes! The Columbus zoo is AMAZING!
Oh yes! The Columbus zoo is AMAZING!
I don't know much about Columbus in particular, but I'm from NW Ohio, went to school in Cleveland, and worked in Canton for three years.
One of the things to keep in mind long-term that is a great perk of Ohio, IMO, is that they have a huge range of very solid colleges & universities. Living in CO now, I see a drastic difference in the number and quality of the schools that this state supports vs. the state I grew up in. As a high-schooler in Ohio, the choices ranged from a huge variety of low-priced, large or small state schools; to nationally ranked private and public schools with a lot of great specialties/career tracks that had very good reputations (Oberlin, Case Western, OSU, etc.).
I know you're not anywhere near that stage, but I do think the range of educational choices in the short & long term is a factor to consider if you could possibly be making a move that you would be looking to make permanent.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
I think you will find a lot of resources in Columbus, and like others have said, lots for kids to do. Lots of young families live in Columbus. I don't know your LO's DX, but Columbus is the home of the state school for the blind and the hearing impaired. It is the home of Ohio State, which is a huge university, which could mean opportunities to participate in research studies.
There is also an airport, of course, so that may simplify your travel. Were I you, I would be crunching numbers to make sure that, with becoming a SAHM, you can take advantage of all Columbus has to offer and be in a home you would feel comfortable with. If it all adds up, I think you will enjoy Columbus!
Thanks so much everyone! I think the best thing would be that we would be closer to CHOP, which I hear is really good for feeding issues with children, and I would love to get her in to an inpatient feeding program there.
Otherwise, we are just really excited for our future! If a move is involved, and I can stay home, that would be icing on the cake. If not, we will keep-on keeping. One day at a time, right?
Thanks all again!!!!
Just wanted to chime in that you would also only be 1.5 hours away from Cincinnati Children's which is also a FANTASTIC hospital with great resources- if feeding issues are a problem for your LO, Cincy Children's has a pretty well known feeding clinic as well. We take DS there and have quite a few friends who take their kids there as well :-)