OT: Living in Columbus (!!??!?!)
I know we have some members of our community living in enemy territory – so I figured I would seek your wisdom. I have a job opportunity that would require me to move from Los Angeles to Columbus (you all must think I am crazy, but it’s a good opportunity). My family is still all in Michigan, so I wouldn’t mind heading back to the midwest – maybe for only a few years. So my questions – what is it like being a Michigan fan in Columbus? How is Columbus as a city? I would be working about an hour north of Columbus – any recommendations on cities to live in or to avoid?
March 12th, 2013 at 10:35 PM ^
My uncle is a Michigan season ticket holder and he swears in the stadium in front of families, calls Notre Dame a bunch of potato fuckers, and tailgates Asian drivers and people who drive Asian cars just because they didn't buy/aren't domestic. He is also super intelligent, but has Asberger's. The moral of the story is that you will run into that regardless of situation. Less so at Michigan Stadium, but it is there. Of course you are going to see the 2-percenters at the Horseshoe. With the sheer number of people at college games, you will hear 10-20 go overboard. That can taint your opinion, but it also kind of makes you generalize the fanbase as a whole. I've lived in the Columbus area for 8 years, and only once or twice have I felt that taunting got carried away. I also don't go to games at the stadium.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:09 PM ^
A lot of posts talk about CBus been a "hole" but really it is a terrific place to live with the exception of some of the "Over the Top" fans. Most fans are pretty cool but some can be downright hateful.. My wife (who is a Michigan grad) refuses to wear Michigan gear around town. There are many Michigan fans here but if you are going to raise a family, you should expect a heavy dose of OSU banners, posters and ads in your kids' schools. OSU is everywhere here whether you like it or not. It gets really old at times to be honest.
As far as places to live, depending on your tastes and finances, there are a lot of good schools and communities in the burbs. Upper Arlington and Bexley probably have the best public school systems but Hilliard (where I live), Dublin, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Gahanna and Pickerington are all good too. Downtown Columbus has a lot of really good restaurants and a lot of really nice new housing if you like big city living. In the 20+ years I have lived here, it is amazing how much downtown has been transformed. It used to be a real dump. Clintonville is probably my favorite city neighborhood but if you live there, you have to send your kids to private schools; Columbus city Schools are awful.
Marysville is a little futher out but it's pretty nice too. Also, New Albany and Lewis Center are also newer suburbs that are also very nice.
I grew up north of Cincinnati which is not nearly as OSU oriented and a lot more pro sports oriented than is Cbus.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:11 PM ^
It's about a 3 hour drive to AA on game day. It's pretty easy drive.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
March 13th, 2013 at 12:06 AM ^
I guarantee several of you have met me indirectly, as until recently I was a bartender who worked in places ranging from hole-in-the-wall local places, to nightclubs and bars, to upscale restaurants. It's weird to think we've likely bumped into each other at some point.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:14 PM ^
Columbus has grown into a really nice place to live in the last 20 years. Having the state government and huge university creates nice, solid middle class base and the corporate growth has created a strong upper class.
If you have a family, try the Grandview Heights or Upper Arlington. I have family there. They're great communities with great schools and in great proximity to the freeway--making getting around a breeze.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:27 PM ^
March 12th, 2013 at 10:30 PM ^
I heard its not that bad of a place to live, but you would have to hold your breath the entire time.
March 12th, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^
March 12th, 2013 at 11:01 PM ^
I survived it for 5 years while in school and its probably the best city to live in Ohio wither you live in the city or the suburbs. Granted most of my time was spent on campus until I moved out to the Grandview area; I was able to step away from it and find other things in the Upper Arlington, Sawmill, and Dublin area to do. I personally enjoyed my time in the Sawmill area as there were several places to eat and get cheap entertainment along Bethel Rd and Sawmill Rd. Either areas are good places to live. Since you're from Michigan, I can promise you the winters here are nothing compared to living up north especially if you lived any where close to the lakes. Excellent city if you're young, lots of restaurants with a variety of food and cultures, large diversity and something for just about everyone to do. Young adults who say they find the city boring just aren't trying hard enough. As for being Blue in Columbus, I lived next to a couple who were Michigan fans so my roommates and I hung out with them and went to OSU vs. Michigan games together. If you can meet any OSU fans that are level headed and can look past the fact you support Michigan get to know them. We're out there, trust me. Lastly, I-270 which is a basically a freeway around the entire city allows you to get anywhere in about 20-30 minutes pending where you are going. This was one of the best things about living in Columbus.
The only problems I had with the city was the lack of pro teams, people here don't know how to drive when snow hits the ground , and not a lot of natural beauty, lakes, bike paths. Going up and down the Olentangy trail and Alum Creek mountain biking paths continuosly becomes mundane. Not a lot of them here which causes you to go out to away from the city if you're looking for variety. Not sure if that's something you're into though...
Some fun things to do here include:
- ComFest-For the people by the people community festivle with lots of food, entertainment. Warning, don't be surprised if you see some woman walking around with her shirtless upperbody spray painted. Yes, it happens every year.
- Arnold Sports Classic- Body building event at the beginning of March that attracts lots of people. Free protein, shirts, drinks, samples and so forth. If you're luck you'll get to meet Arnold. If you aren't into that there are other competition they do as well.
- Jazz and Rib Fest
- Red White and Boom- 15-20 minute long firework display that attracts a lot of people.
- If you're willing to go outside of Columbus there is the squash festival, apple festival and so forth.
- And much more....
If you do move here look for a magazine called "614 Columbus" as they give you a good idea of things to do around here. Good luck with your job opportunity.
March 12th, 2013 at 11:01 PM ^
My sister graduated a couple years ago and took a job in Columbus. She lives in Dublin now which is right outside the city and she likes it alright. No big complaints about the area specifically.
March 12th, 2013 at 11:05 PM ^
FYI I would be working in Marion. What would the commute be like if I lived in the north CBus suburbs (i.e. Westervile). Would it be a reverse commute since generally people are driving into the city for work?
and p.s. Thank you all for the great information. this is extremely helpful and very much appreciated
March 12th, 2013 at 11:20 PM ^
If you lived North Columbus-Westerville, Powell, Lewis Center , Olentangy schools area-its about 30-40 mintues-If you lived in Delaware-about 20 minutes
March 12th, 2013 at 11:29 PM ^
thanks! not much traffic? just put on the cruise and zone out?
March 12th, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
Going away from Columbus you should be OK-the other way coming into Columbus would be dreadful on Rte 23. You Should be good
March 12th, 2013 at 11:20 PM ^
AN hour north of Columbus? Like Bucyrus? Because no one lives in Bucyrus haha.
hehe my Dad lives in Bucyrus now. I couldn't think of any place to work there tho. There is only Wal-mart and if the job market in the U.S ever gets bad enough to where folks are moving cross country for Wal-Mart jobs i'm moving to China
March 12th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^
March 12th, 2013 at 11:37 PM ^
So far I love it. It's a very nice little town of a little over 30,000. We live a few blocks from downtown, which has a certain charm about it. There are several pretty nice restaurants (including Veritas, which is one of the best new restaurants in the Columbus area), a few art galleries, a historic movie theater, several nice little coffee shops. I've only been into Columbus a few times so far, and it may be heresy to say on this board, but I think it's actually a pretty nice city. It reminds me a lot of Indianapolis. In any case, good luck with your decision!
March 12th, 2013 at 11:49 PM ^
Being born and raised in Mansfield (Go Tygers), I naturally hate Marion. That aside, I'm sure you'll be just fine living anywhere in Delaware county. Just know that if you choose to live in or around Marion, you can get a home nearly twice the size as a home you could buy in Delaware county. I'm not sure if moving from a big city like LA to a small all-American town like Marion would be too much of a culture shock. Also, being a Michigan fan in Ohio is great when Michigan wins and awful when Michigan loses. Serious ups and downs in my experience.
In all seriousness, where the hell did you get a job? The only companies I can think of that are located there that are still up and running are Whirlpool and American Augers, but I've been out of Ohio for 12 years. No offense to you and I obviously don't know the specifics, but are they that desparate for educated people that they are looking to LA? Best of luck to you. It truly is a great place to raise a family, but it isn't the most exciting place if you aren't at that point in your life.
March 13th, 2013 at 12:25 AM ^
When I first moved there I still had Michigan plates on my car. I would find soda or beer bottles under my tires in parking lots, pop and beer cans with the refreshments still in them hurled at at my car while driving down the road, obscenities screamed at me, and my car vandalized. That was on the good days ;-) Just kidding. about that being the good days but the rest was true.
Once I got my Ohio plates things settled down some. Mind you, this was when Bo and Woody were going at it back in the mid 70s. Most of the people I knew were fairly civil and we were able to have friendly rivalries during the balance of my time there.
Columbus is an okay town and they have some good people there. Good luck if you move there.
Does your company have any opportunities in Florida or Atlanta? You are not going to like the cold after living in LA.
As for the weather, Columbus is a LOT warmer than Michigan. It is not even close. This year has been relatively snowy, and I had to shovel...once. It is only the third time I really shoveled in my 6 years here.
Very, very true.
actually 70F is fine... but anything blow that is too cold, and anything above 72 is too hot. you might think i am joking.. bt ium not.. i wouldnt mind a little more change in season. How hot are the summers in Columbus?
March 13th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
There are a lot of times where it doesn't make 70. Plus, for whatever reason, the air just has a colder feel. 70 there != 70 in the midwest for whatever reason.
Didn't know there were so many people on here who were in or around columbus. Comforting to hear from a guy who lives in Dublin. Been here since I graduated in 08 and during football season it gets hard to not make comments back at ignorant ohio fans, but besides that I love everything else about the city. Does anyone know of a bar where Michigan fans congregate on games days down here?
My wife and I are part of the University of Michigan fan and alumni club here in Columbus and every time we've gone the events recently they've been at Gallo's tap room off Bethel Rd. Every year they have a joint event with the Michigan St. club down here at Gallo's and they actually pass a trophy back and forth between the clubs, it's a good time. I'd be happy to get you more information (my wife does most of the communication with the group) if you are interested. They send out emails detailing when they are meeting and you can also get discounted to tickets through them to UM hockey games against Ohio State. In 2006 for the #1 vs #2 game they reserved a huge section of (what used to be Frog Bear) and it was nice to be surrounded by fans on your side. Just let me know.
That sounds awesome, we are on sawmill so really close to Gallo's.
i live close to youngstown, but have been to columbus a lot over the years. now my wife's brother and family live there so we visit a lot.
honestly, never really been harassed about anything and i'm always sure to be wearing whatever michigan hat i'm partial to at the time.
6'2" 245lbs with "scary looking" facial hair and tattoos and i guess they go after the weaker targets. lol
Lived there for a year while my future wife lived went to Kenyon College. My favorite parts of Columbus were the indoor farmers market, northstar cafe, and the Easton mall.
I lived in LA for 4 years (Santa Monica) and Columbus for 3 years (Worthington). If you are young and single LA wins, if you have kids and want a simple life with good public schools, Columbus wins. When I lived in Cbus there was no culture other than OSU sports (early 90s). I hear that has changed for the better. When I lived there it really was a cow town. It was one uptight and white suburb after another. I left Cbus for Ann Arbor and it was like moving to a different planet (obviously biased since I did undergrad and med school here). One benefit of Cbus over LA is that life is much easier - for the most part you don't have to plan your life around traffic (except the mess around Northbound 23) and you can go to a movie on opening night without having to get there 3 hours early to find parking, get tickets, get in line for seats etc. I have friends who worked in Marion and commuted from Worthington every day (it was not pleasant, but according to them it beat living in Marion). They tried to recruit me to join them and after spending one day in Marion there wasn't enough money on the planet to convince me to join them.
well I am 29 and not married.. but I currently live with my girlfriend and she would be coming with me. I imagine we will be engaged relatively soon.. because anyone that will move from LA to Ohio for you is clearly a keeper. This was helpful, thanks! and yes I wont miss the traffic thats for sure. I think the one thing both of us will miss is the weather.. it certainly sounds like there is enough to do out there.
Can't speak specifically for Ohio, but I moved from LA to Texas and coudn't be happier. Like yourself, my woman is also moving here from LA, too.
As for the weather, you will actually learn to appreciate the seasons again. There's probably actually places to, ya know, park a car whenever it is you want to go do something. Don't even get me started on LA and the motor vehicle situation in general. Whenever I visit her, I instantly remember reasons I dislike the place.
I agree! I lived in Dallas for 2 years before moving to LA and I really enjoyed it there.. I would love to go back at some point. I am not sure how much I will appreciate the seasons as I really despise snow.. but I will definitely enjoy the lack of traffic and availability of parking.
After growing up in Cadillac MI and going to UM for 5 football seasons I moved to Columbus to work for IBM... 22 years ago now and it has been a great place to live and to raise a family. You really can't go wrong with any of the communities North of the I-270 outerbelt. I have lived in Dublin for 12 years now, and 3 other areas before that.
The only detractors are the occasional packs of buckeyes (clusters?), but I think I get more grief from Staee fans overall. If we would beat both schools down over the next few years that won't be a big deal.
Having a big university in a good sized city helps add flavor with pretty much every band playing here and decent cultural opportunities.
We have good friends that moved from Dublin to Yorba Linda and missed Ohio... They got over it then moved to Syracuse (ouch!)
I would tell you to go for it. Certainly don't let the location drive the decision, you can be very happy here and not go crazy.
I can't speak for Columbus as I've been living in Cincinnati for 13 years. But I'd say, yes, move to Ohio. We need more Michigan fans in this state! Go Blue and good luck with your choice and hopefully your move.
Campus, from what I hear since I have moved away, is getting rough... Thuggish. OSU students are fine so long as you don't announce you are a Michigan fan (but if you have someone 1 on 1 they are usually ok).
Overall, not a bad place to live in the least, and I know it is doing well economically. Plenty to do, cool places to see... My speech is called "Go For It".
March 13th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
I tried to peruse through the comments below, but I'm sure some of this will be rehash.
Ive lived in Columbus all but the 4 years I moved away for college. I was raised a UM fan by my dad, and I have never been truly harassed when I didnt expect it (Saturday on campus). That being said, I am used to the UPS guy telling me go bucks when he drops off mail. The fve guys yelling 'Michigan Burger' when I order, etc.
If you will be working in Marion, you want to live in or near Lewis Center. There are tons of rental properties if you want a house but not the commitment. I live in Delaware, but I'm literally .1 miles from Lewis Center. You probably do not want to live in the actual city of Delaware - unless you like more of a rural feel. The walmart on 23 (near powell road) signals about the end of civilization.
Polaris mall is huge, and has just about eveything you need - sushi, bars, best buy, costco, capellas, etc. I live 10 minutes from there. Westerville is still a good neighborhood, but the school system is somewhat in a state of decline because some of the older parts of the city are agressively voting against school levies. The property tax rates for Westerville, Lewis Center, Worthington, and Dublin are all similar. Dublin is a little 'swankier' and is home of Muirfield. They have more rules in place about what businesses can look like, etc. You want to avoid 270 and 23N at ALL costs during rush hour, so I think you want to pass on Dublin.
23N in the morning wont be horrible. 23S is hit or miss, highly dependant on whether there has been an accident at 270 and 23. Do not pick up hitchhikers on 23N - never a good idea but Marion is most well known for its correctional facility.
Compared to LA the economy is nothing, but I like it. I have a 3000 sq foot house and am by no means rich. I could never afford this house on a coast. The downside is that the only GOOD club/nightlife areas are all downtown - German Village, Arena District, or Short North. The short north is happening - lots of galleries, gay & straight bars, and independant restaraunts. North of 270 is all commercialized - applebys, BJs brewhouse, etc.
Youll end up liking the reasonable people in Columbus, just be prepared to be overwhelmed by how religiously they take football on Saturdays in the fall.
IF you decide on Westerville, youll endup taking 71N to 36 and cutting over through to 23N. You can't speed there - always a cop on 36.
Feel free to ask any other questions - I live right around where you probably want to live. The condo I used to live in was 10 miles away right at Polaris.
this is very helpful - thanks! I will look into those areas. I must admit I am curious how bad the 270 and 23N intersection is - considering I have to take the 405 in LA everyday
March 18th, 2013 at 11:49 PM ^
I grew up near Detroit, graduated from U-M in 1978 and was frightened to move to Columbus for a job many years ago. Expectto hear Michigan jokes, but everything is pretty harmless. Columbus has a lot going for it. The best though is listening to the sports radio station after we beat the Buckeyes!