We're considering moving to Columbus, Ohio. What say you, locals?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Back in 2013, my wife and I lived outside of Cincinnati, OH. We really liked it…but life intervened. My office closed and we relocated to Denver. Denver was great for many - but not us, and we managed to get transferred to the Kansas City office in 2016. Kansas City is…okay, but doesn’t hold a candle to Cincinnati in our eyes.

Back when the office closure happened, we tried like crazy to go the Columbus office, but it just didn’t happen. Now I have a potential job opportunity in Columbus, so I am wondering if I should go for it.

Pertinent facts: My wife is disabled, which is part of the reason Denver was a no go. House prices were so high in Denver that we wound up in a house that wasn’t really handicap-friendly, even though it was a ranch. To us, “handicap-friendly” means everything major is on the first floor, including the washer/dryer and at least 2 bedrooms. We don’t have kids, but she wants an office. And doors and halls should be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, which she may need soon. Our current home works for all these, but we had to live fairly far out (in Johnson County, for you people familiar with KC) to find what we needed. And Kansas City is just so isolated from other cities. In Cincinnati, you could drive a couple of hours in most directions and wind up in a cool city. Can’t do that here!

What we liked about Cincinnati was that the food options were way better (yeah, KC has great barbecue, but the other restaurant options are lacking. And the supermarkets suck here!) and we just liked the “feel” of the area better. It was also closer to many of our friends - some in Louisville, where we’d relocate in a heartbeat - but I haven’t seen job options there for years; and others in north Ohio and in West Virginia.

I was initially gung-ho about going for this Columbus job - but boy, has the housing market changed there since 2013! Our housing budget is around 275k, which would have been plenty six years ago, but now seems to have very few options for what we need (ranch built after 1990). Also, I’m about 11 years out from retirement, and want to make this the last move, so I want a retirement-friendly city. I’m not sure Columbus, or Ohio in general, is that.

So, what do you think, central Ohioans? Yea or nay to Columbus?

2

No idea what your housing “needs” are beyond a ranch-type home and handicapped-accessible rooms, but 275K still buys a lot of house in the Columbus area.

Pretty good place to live (noting food and entertainment options, traffic not too bad depending on what routes you need to take) but not my preferred choice for retirement.

3

I’ll try to help, I’ve lived there twice, although most recently left in 2004. I do go back and am amazed at the changes. However, I can mainly speak to downtown, arena district, short north, and Clintonville, my favorite areas of the city.

The restaurant scene is quite good for a city of its size and far better than it was 15 years ago when it seemed every place was closing. As a start, you might look at Cameron Mitchell restaurants. https://cameronmitchell.com/

Columbus is unique while it is a college town and a government town, it’s also got Nationwide insurance and a bunch of other companies. So, you won’t feel like a red headed step child if you’re not a student nor a state employee.

College football is huge, join in or stay out of the way. You certainly don’t have to be OSU alum to enjoy the atmosphere st a bar.

The weather in winter is so grey you’re going to scream. The weather is far milder than you’d get in Chicago, so that’s a plus but you’re going to seriously want to head somewhere sunny in the middle of February. My friend there does travel a lot and finds flights fairly reasonable, but often requiring a connection.

No experience with buying, but I am shocked at how much rents have gone up. The government and OSU should help isolate Columbus from sharp real estate market plunges .

You might browse the excellent city data forums which are for relocation. Columbus Forum - Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

4

Columbus is a great city to live in, I am not sure it is a great place to visit unless you have some reason to be here. If that makes any sense. There are no tourist attractions, but there is just about everything you can ask for in day-to-day life that you are going to find in a mid-sized city. Because of the universities, not just OSU, there is a thriving young professional culture and a mix of immigrant communities. You won’t go lacking for places to eat. One of the hottest places recently was a three person counter service Tibetan shop in the back of a Mexican grocery.

Having said that, road projects have received funding after years of being stalled. Everything is being worked on. But that is a 2-3 year problem. Who knows if it will fix any of the issues the projects are intended to help. The traffic is never as bad as bigger cities. I grew up in the Dallas area and this is nothing.

Your retirement needs may be an issue. The housing market here is great if you are selling. I get cold calls from realtors every few weeks. While you get more here than you would in Denver, I did that comparison years ago, it is changing. A ranch built after 1990 can be found, or you can find some less inexpensive single floor homes in nice areas and renovate.

Are you prepared to deal with winter though? Columbus is not Cleveland. But we do get a couple of significant snowfalls most winters. January to March can be cold and dreary. I like the change of seasons having not grown up with real winters. This is balanced out with the other months of the area being mostly nice, sometimes too rainy.

5

They have Skyline Chili and that’s super-duper so it can’t be too bad! :wink:

6

I haven’t lived either in Cincy or Columbus but my daughter went to undergrad at Xavier and is currently in med school at OSU. She loved Cincy and loves Columbus. Not the same German influence (you won’t find goetta everywhere), and no river but she likes it there. The winters are actually very similar between the two.

Of course I’ll always throw in a plug for Indy if that is an option for you.

7

Headquarters of both White Castle and Wendy’s. So if you like square hamburgers, got you covered.

8

I can deal with winters; I grew up in NY, and we lived in New Hampshire for 4 years. I don’t like dealing with snow, but my wife won’t do the deep South or Southwest (and California is out of our price range).

9

I’ve lived in and around Columbus since 2003. Now I’m 30 minutes outside of Cbus and I love this area. You’re dead on about the housing market, and it just keeps on expanding like crazy. New builds are never ending. The closer you are to downtown (or in the “rich” burbs) 275k probably gets you a small ranch with not much yard. Go out a little further, maybe 15 or 20 minutes in almost any direction and you can start getting a lot more house for that price.

One thing Columbus is not is isolated from other cities. You are 3 hours or less from Cleveland, Cincy, Indy, Pittsburgh, Detroit, not to mention smaller cities that still have some interesting stuff like Toledo or Dayton. If you’re outdoorsy there’s plenty for that, too. Hocking Hills is not far with plenty of great hiking trails. You’ve got the Scioto and Olentagy Rivers for kayaking or fishing.

OSU is a major presence, but Columbus is far too big to consider it a “college town.” Downtown Columbus is pretty clean and safe, especially since the arrival of Nationwide Arena (Blue Jackets hockey) and Huntington Park (Clippers baseball).

One thing I can’t really speak to is the retirement aspect. Not sure what kind of retirement considerations are most important for you. I will say that along with the new home builds, there have also been some “senior communities” popping up. There is a 55+ community being built minutes from my home right now as a matter of fact.

10

As noted, the Scioto and Olentangy rivers run through Columbus. And there’s German Village.

It’s easy to ignore O.S.U. football if you stay clear of local TV news and the sports section of the Dispatch. :slight_smile: Blue Jackets hockey is nice to have.

11

In the 18 years I’ve lived in the area it’s been rare to have major snowfalls (we’re more likely to get significant rain dumps, especially in December). The coldest it usually gets in winter is zero to five below, maybe a couple times a season.

12

Indeed, I am not an OSU fan and I have been able to survive all these years.

13

You might find this website helpful. :slight_smile: It* is* a real estate site, but if nothing else, it will give you a list of names of the suburbs where you might want to look for a house.
https://www.movoto.com/guide/columbus-oh/best-columbus-suburbs-to-retire/

I am not a fan of football either, but Ohio was the first state to have an official state rock song. Yes, it’s “Hang On Sloopy.” After the fourth “WHEREAS” they just get silly.

:smiley:

14

WHEREAS: “Hang On Sloopy” was a half-decent song to begin with, it’s slightly more annoying to have O.S.U co-opt it, compared to the Red Sox inflicting the crappy “Sweet Caroline” on fans at Fenway Park.

*I sort of like the cannon they shoot off at the hockey arena whenever the Blue Jackets score a goal. It annoys the hell out of out-of-town sportswriters. :slight_smile: