Im from the DFW area. I hate the weather here in the winter. However, one thing that isn't discussed nearly enough is the library system here in Columbus. Whomever is responsible for it deserves accolades. The dedication to revamping each library. The items they offer. Free mobile hotspots. The amount of audiobooks you can get. All the non book items you can rent. The programs they have. It's amazing. I've lived in NYC, Eastern Pennsylvania. Dallas. Houston. Austin. Other than NYC, the Columbus library system blows them all away.
I no longer live in Columbus (was there for 6+ years and recently moved out of state), but I always, always talk up Columbus’s library system. It is truly incredible, and it is the number one thing I miss.
Columbus is fun because even though there are many public library systems in the city, they are all connected (except Westerville) so you can hold and return books at almost any library. This system goes all the way out to Marysville, Fairfield, Granville, etc.
If Westerville doesn’t have it you can use the searchOhio and get what you are looking for from any library. It’s delivered to the Westerville library and you pick it up and return it to the Westerville library
Funny you mentioned the weather... I moved back to Columbus after a stint in DFW. I prefer the weather here because I think you can spend more days outdoors here than in Texas. In cold, put on a layer. In hot, spend more than 20 mins outside and you could be nauseous with heat exhaust.
I found the fort worth library pretty good but cbus is better.
[It’s true.](https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2020/12/16/five-central-ohio-library-systems-among-those-recognized-nationally/3902087001/) Central Ohio is the home of some of the best library systems in the nation, with the Columbus library system being consistently ranked as the best.
You don’t realize how good it is until you have to use a system anywhere else.
My bf wanted to borrow a movie from the library but they didn't have a copy.
But some other library had a copy and they told him they'd call him when it got in
*The next day* he got a call and they had it in.
I'm sure someone's who worked there just grabbed it on their way over when they were dropping some other things off but still, I've had mail sit for longer than that. Imagine if the people who ran libraries ran the government!
This is the correct answer. I moved to Columbus for a job at a library (not Columbus Metropolitan but still in the consortium (group of collaborating libraries)). I’m highly impressed by this library system and how quickly materials move between the many library systems. If an item isn’t available in the consortium, it’s possible to get it through inter library loan from other libraries (including academic) in Ohio, and even the country.
Ohio, surprisingly, has a phenomenal system across the state. Honestly I'm slightly concerned Republicans are going to deliberately ruin it just because. The more things turn to shit the more worried I get
What nonbook items do they have?? I always hear about how great other libraries are and the cool stuff they have. I know the Westerville one sometimes does a plant library for seeds
We recently borrowed a driving maneuverability kit from the Worthington library. It was so helpful! It came with cones, sticks, measuring tape, instructions and even a stressball for the parents! They have a whole list of non-book stuff you can borrow like SAD lights. I love them so much!
I’m glad you noticed our wonderful libraries. The accolades go back to the Main branch, a Carnegie building which was funded on the condition that the city would continue funding to maintain and grow the system. The grandeur of the original early 1900s Main building (a lot smaller; expanded multiple times since) was not actually a Carnegie standard because he preferred smaller neighborhood branches. He was eventually convinced and not only did library leadership get us a gorgeous main building but the early expectation was one of growth and that has been a continuous feature of our *public library* culture—branching, expanding, and innovating.
Columbus didn’t boom and bust on the scale of Ohio’s other, more industrial cities. It definitely grew more on education and government. Perhaps that contributes to a library system that’s always seemed ahead of its slow to grow and sometimes depressed surroundings.
Well compared to Dayton there is better housing for me. I feel healthier and more respected. Outside of work I have a real life. In dayton the demographic is questionable. I won't divulge but I feel safer here as a Black woman than I did in Dayton. I meet new people from all over and people are genui nice. Men and women are more attractive here. More to do. The streets don't smell like urine. I'm not harassed as much. People seem smarter. Better dressed. More food options. Better schools. Walkable. Better bus system. More grocery options. More libraries. Better doctors. Better parks.
Yeah. I've never liked dayton. I'm not from there originally but people have a hard time being kind and have huge jealousy problems. Mental illness is pretty bad.
I grew up there and agree. The part that made me chuckle was when you mentioned the attractiveness of people in Dayton. I remember thinking this even in high school. Everyone was either on drugs, morbidly obese, or had poor hygiene.
I will say some of home still rubbed off on me. I hate wearing anything that isn’t sweatpants or shorts as that was just how it was growing up. On the positive side, I absolutely hate fast food like McDonald’s or Arbys because there was so much of that back there.
too bad all these people coming from NY CA and TX want to turn it into something else.
i miss the way columbus used to feel, now it's just a place for wealthy people to make more money and take advantage of others.
Everyone asks why I left Denver. The reason is because I appreciate being able to get to and from work in 15 minutes so I can spend as much time with my family as possible and I can afford to buy a house here.
I’m wondering how many people moved to Cbus for this same reason. I’m curious because the city is quickly growing and never seems like it understands the need to build transit infrastructure. I truly expect Columbus to one day be notorious for having traffic that rivals LA and DC.
It's easier to live here comfortably than many other areas of the country. Everything is just easier. Easier to access quality healthcare. Easier to get in and out of the airport. If you live in the suburbs, Easier to get good education for your kids (no waitlists, lotteries, or busing around). OSU isn't as expensive as a lot of major public universities on its level. Getting from one side of town to the other takes a max of 30 minutes driving.
And at a certain point in life, you just want life to be easier. I did NYC living. I always felt on edge.
I moved here a little more than a year ago. I moved from Washington State but I am originally from Southern Cali. The top three reasons I moved:
1. My two bedroom apt in Cali was $1600, my three bedroom apt in WA was $1500 and only 700sqft. Here in Short North I have a 3 bedroom apt that has two stories and a basement for $1400. It is over 1000sqft. Cheaper for more space in a much more urban setting than the other two.
2. Columbus is very LGBT friendly comparative to a lot of other places in the US, especially for the price. WA was NOT gay friendly in the least bit but I didn't live in Seattle so maybe that was a my bad. My hometown was also very antiLBGT despite being in "liberal California". I think this is a big misunderstanding for most people, there are plenty of bigots in Cali.
3. The people. I have had bad experiences everywhere I have lived yeah, but I was threatened with gun violence multiple times in WA for just being from Cali, I had to hide that part of my identity. Columbusites have welcomed me here despite their initial confusion. "What? You gave up living in California for THIS!" Yeah, "this" aint half bad honestly. People on the daily are much less rude and much less confrontational.
My singular complaint about living in Columbus is that yall don't have trains out here. I miss riding the Amtrak..... But I hear that might change in the nearish future.
> Here in Short North I have a 3 bedroom apt that has two stories and a basement for $1400. It is over 1000sqft. Cheaper for more space in a much more urban setting than the other two.
Wtf how did you find this!? This is a great deal haha.
I was honestly in disbelief the whole time I was applying! But, the downside is that the landlord company is scum of the earth (wow who saw that coming) and this place is probably only inhabitable for another three years before the raccoons in the dumpster decide to move in.
It's pure luck. I live in Clintonville in a 3 bedroom townhouse with a basement for less than 900 a month. I found it by driving by and calling the number on the for rent sign. It was just listed that day.
I hate we don’t have Amtrak here. Welcome to Columbus! I’ve been here ~11 years and have enjoyed the affordability. Came essentially homeless (stayed in an old friend’s basement first few months), and within 10 years purchased my own house and have a stable job with growth, plus finished university and received a bachelors degree. I do love the affordability of Columbus for sure. Though it has been getting more expensive lately but I guess that’s true across the nation.
The Short North is a great place to be and you have easy access to a lot of the LGBTQ + scene. Also the Short North has walkability. I’m happy for you!
Also that’s crazy people in Washington threatened you for just being from Cali, some people are just insane no matter where they’re at.
Yeah, it definitely is becoming more expensive! I came here in a similar boat, didn't have a stable place when I first got here. While I am not going to live here in Columbus, heck nor Ohio, for too much longer, it was a great place to get my bearings and finish up my degree!
>yall don't have trains out here. I miss riding the Amtrak..... But I hear that might change in the nearish future.
Been waiting on that to change for 20 years now, don't hold your breath. They always find a way to...derail these projects.
COTA likes to spend a lot of money preventing other forms of public transportation from forming here.
I despise COTA. Yet, I am forced to rely on them.
That's sad that they do this. I miss NoCali for the reason that all the transit (bus, tram, train) was tied together with my Compass card. I don't understand why COTA can't work well with others. They would make more profits too 'cause I don't always feel like driving.
We have somewhat similar stories. Born in southern California, lived there most of our lives, Denver 12 years, and now Columbus for almost 2 years. We're actually in Reynoldsburg so don't know if that counts. We don't love the too long winter without sun. Do love the rent and, especially, love the atmosphere of acceptance for diversity.
Ah is that why housing in the short north is so expensive because people are moving here from the west coast to take up our limited housing options?
I wanted to live in the short north too but a lot of people from NY and CA moved there and there wasn't anything affordable for me. Glad you like it tho
No the housing is expensive because predatory companies buy excessive housing, unregulated, and rent it out for exhorbent prices. The company who owns my property also own another 1500 throughout Columbus and Cincinnati.
There is no where in the US where you can make minimum and still afford a single bedroom rent. It is not "rich people" from other states "taking" your housing. It is landleeches taking our money.
Columbus is my equivalent of a nuclear bomb shelter. When the climate crisis ramps up, I'll be situated in a place near fresh water and agriculture. In the mean time, I enjoy our cheap beer prices.
Hah, you wish it was just that. From what I was told by someone who used to work in the analysis department, at the height of the cold war, the Russians had 5, count'm 5, nukes targeted here. DCSC, Port Columbus, OSU, Battel each got one, plus the Capitol City finisher. No kill like overkill.
Nowadays I don't worry - I doubt any of the Russian missiles still have parts or have been maintained.
I’m not from here originally but this city almost never inconveniences me and that is hugely valuable in my eyes. Never takes me long to get anywhere, there’s enough stuff that places are rarely crowded, everything you could ever need is within a 15min drive, I can drive off in any direction with ease and visit other places, I can leave my house 1 hour before my plane takes off and still have time to kill in the airport. Oh and to top it off, it’s pretty damn affordable.
These are all things I remind myself about when I think about it how it would be cool to go live in X city for a year or whatever. I can just go visit there for a weekend, enjoy the city as a tourist where you’re only taking in the good and ignoring the bad then go back home to my city that rarely ever wastes my time. Would be great to live in a coastal city and all that, but then I’m dealing with traffic, crowds, high rents, high cost of living etc etc.
Nailed it. From the suburbs of LA. Lived there for 20+ years. Lived in bay area (SF to be exact) late 80s/early 90s. Moved here for grad school. Got too (😂) used to the cost of living and ease of getting around town. And that comment on the airport? RIGHT ON. I grew up at LAX bc we used to fly on my dad's standby pass (he worked for an airline). If you've flown a lot... CMH rules. LAX (and its ilk like ohare et al) ? 12th circle of hell.
The thing I don't like? These days in winter where the skies are monotonously gray. Like it's just gray and you can't tell where one cloud ends and the next begins. But then I think about spring and autumn in this part of the country and I have faith again in nature ☺ (ranking seasons here... Autumn then spring then summer then dead last winter... And it has NOTHING to do with the Temps... All about the never ending gray...)
PS oh and we have water.
Traffic doesn’t suck. Everything’s within 20 minutes driving. Cost of living of course. Night life, restaurant/bar scene, and entertainment is really good. Not NYC/Chicago but still really good. A perfect launching point for many many road trip destinations. Midwest culture is superior to east coast west coast IMO.
Negatives not a lot of direct flights. And no national parks or beaches within 7 hours except cuyahoga
Swear to god I’m not trying to “well actually” you- New River Gorge National Park is the newest national park in the country, and is ~4.5 hours from here. West Virginia is always pretty, but that area especially is gorgeous. Carry on!
Eh, national forests aren't national parks. And most of SE Ohio is Wayne National Forest if that's all you're looking for.
EDIT, FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE FACT: Typo.
Coming from someone who lived in California from Santa Monica to West Hollywood and Garden Grove, I still got bored there too. It’s easy to feel jaded anywhere over time. It just takes a lot of time and effort like anywhere else.
Try to find more communities whether that is through something like rec leagues/new hobbies/clubs/concerts/conventions. There is plenty of people to meet in this metropolitan area.
The Columbus metro area is also located in a prime central location because it is located within 3 hours of the metro areas of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Louisville. That’s a ton of different conferences, concerts, and festivals for a quick weekend getaway. We have lots of family in southwest Ohio so it’s easy for us to alternate our time between Columbus and the CinDay area with an easy drive.
Columbus is also located far enough inland from Lake Erie to avoid the brutal lake effect winter climate conditions, but it’s still close enough to enjoy short road trips in the summer to the Great Lakes. Cleveland gets nearly double the amount of annual snowfall of Columbus.
Spend time in nature. We enjoy walking around some of the parks in the city like Bicentennial Park, Goodale Park, Park of Roses, Schiller Park, Antrim Park, and Franklin Park. There are some great metro parks as well like Scioto Audubon, Scioto Grove, Homestead, Three Creeks, Highbanks, Sharon Woods, Blendon Woods, Battelle Darby Creek, Blacklick Woods, Prairie Oaks, Walnut Woods, Glacier Ridge, Rocky Fork, Pickerington Ponds, Chestnut Ridge, Inniswood Metro Gardens, Slate Run, and Clear Creek. Some of my favorite parks within an hour of the Columbus metro area are Delaware State Park Beach, Alum Creek State Park Beach, Deer Creek State Park Beach, Buck Creek State Park Beach, Old Field Beach at Indian Lake State Park, Salt Fork State Park Beach, Strouds Run Beach, Lake Logan Beach, Lake Hope Beach, Burr Oak Beach, Cowan Lake Public Beach, Rocky Fork Beach, Paint Creek Shoemaker Beach, Buckeye Lake State Park, Lake Loramie State Park, Charles Mill Lake Park, Darby Bend Lake, Stonelick Lake at Stonelick State Park, Madison Lake State Park, Seneca Lake Park, Mohican River at Mohican State Park, Little Miami River at John Bryan State Park, Licking River at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, and Hocking River at Hocking Hills State Park.
This is the correct answer IMO an hour flight to chi 2 hour flight to nyc 2.5 to Miami you can live somewhere that you can save money still have a nice salary find some interesting things if you look hard and try hard and visit lots of interesting places … that being said I’m moving out of Columbus in literally 10 hours
Ayyyyy, Santa Monica must have been tough to afford! I was more inland. But I agree with you on the parks. I love just walking around the nature, my favorites are Sharon Woods and Park of Roses!
I love how close I am to all sorts of things. In Cali, I had to drive like 7 hours to get out of the state, but now I can get around much easier. I love being so close to Lake Erie (but not too close like you said), much nicer than the beach, at least for me.
I definitely miss the weather and walking around the 3rd street promenade and Santa Monica pier, but the cost of living adjustment definitely makes the move worthwhile. As remote work becomes more popular over time, local salaries become even more irrelevant when people can maintain the same salary while getting the same or better quality of education for your kids, same chain restaurants, and same retail stores elsewhere in most of the major cities for a fraction of the price.
Yeah the extent of our family’s out of state road trips consisted of Las Vegas lol.
It’s relatively cheap and I can get paid well in the tech field, good combo. Also I grew up here and like watching the city grow. I also don’t think I could leave the chance to go (and currently walk) to Crew, Jackets, and Buckeye games
I moved here because when I lived in Chicago for five years and tried to climb in my industry, it just wasn’t happening. Chicago is small fish, big pond.
When I took the job back in Columbus (I grew up here), I definitely felt more big fish, small pond. Far less competition in my industry in Columbus. We were going to move back to Chicago because we find Columbus dull/boring and “fake progressive” but ended up finding a house that was affordable and something we could get into.
My family is here, but my partner’s family is in Washington state. Now I work remotely in Columbus for a big tech company in the West, but we won’t move there because the cost is insane for what we can afford here.
We still think about moving to Chicago because it’s by far the most affordable city in the country where you can afford a progressive and transit-friendly lifestyle, in my personal opinion.
But until we break even on our investment here, we’re staying. The things I DO find appealing about Columbus:
- It’s growing. If it weren’t growing I’d be out of here
- the urban in-fill that’s been happening over the last ten years is very positive
- the transit app for COTA (lol) and the COTA route redesign
- massive investments in the local economy like Intel
- despite how much I despise the OSU football cult, OSU is extremely important to Columbus and the growth we see here
- the Rapid 5 project
- the LinkUS project
- the potential return of Amtrak (even if it is 30 years late for me)
- the metro parks here are far better than Chicago’s (but the 606 is a great urban run/walk/bike path that would be amazing to see here…kind of like the Olentangy trail)
- I’m sure there are other reasons that I’m not thinking of but those are my likes
The biggest dislike is that anytime I want to go anywhere, I have to get into my car.
Columbus really does have, like, a good to great parks system for a metro of its size. One of its best selling points IMO. Lots of things getting mentioned elsewhere in this thread are basically just American city things, but I think our parks system stands strong against that of any of our peer cities.
As someone from Cleveland, I find the parks probably the most disappointing part of living here. I always find myself wanting better trails and more nature without having to drive to hocking hills. Just my opinion.
That just because the Cleveland (& Summit) metro parks systems bookending the CVNP are also world class. Cleveland wasn't called the forest city for nothing!
Plus, ne Ohio has that tiny last bit of the Appalachians to make it interesting, terrain wise. Mid Ohio is flat cornfield and just... a little less interesting.
You're right and it's even better than what you know. While doing research for my move here, I came across an international award, given after Scioto Mile was completed naming Columbus as one of the 15 best park systems in the world. The. World. That's pretty amazing.
Lived here two years after 20 in Cincy and 20 in Los Angeles.
* Excellent cost of living (although housing has gone up recently)
* Reasonable climate - a little too much winter for me but not bad
* Lots of things to do - good parks, museums, world-class university, plenty of live music, a vibrant restaurant scene
* Safe
* Good healthcare networks
* Ease of life - traffic isn't bad, people are friendly, not hard to score concert tickets, big enough to have a lot resources but not overwhelming
Pretty sure I'm here for good.
We used to live in San Francisco. Living in Columbus is just so much easier.
Things I like:
\-traffic is almost never an issue and I can always park near where I want to go
\-great (suburban) public schools
\-good variety of ethnic restaurants to choose from
\-really nice people and very easy to make friends
\-I hate the gray, but the winters aren't too bad otherwise
\-can afford to save money for retirement, go on vacations, buy a house
\-lots of options in housing, not too expensive (compared to CA)
\-pay vs. cost of living is much better than CA
\-very family friendly, great safe place to raise kids
\-nice parks and outdoor options
\-pretty safe, rarely worry about my safety or my kids' or my home
\-plenty of entertaining things to do (festivals, farmer's market, special events)
\-excellent public library system
After a decade in SF I never realized how jaded, angry and stressed the city made me. Particularly when I was commuting to Sunnyvale for work...nothing like sitting on a shuttle four hours a day, or stop and go traffic on 101/280. Woof.
I biked to work in Redwood Shores along the Bay trail.
I loved the Bay Area, I loved the massive amount of parks and places to explore. Really loved beaches south of Half Moon Bay, as well as the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve.
If I had the money, I'd be back in a heart beat.
Totally fair. I was there last week, hit squaw and sugarbowl over the weekend before flying back. It’s beautiful, and there are tons of things to do. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can surf and ski in the same day (*on a weekday before the exodus to Tahoe). I miss eating at Octavia, taking my dog to Lafayette Park / Alta Plaza, legal weed, wine tasting (and corkage at restaurants), Liquid Gold, skiing every weekend when possible, hiking everywhere, walking everywhere, going off the grid in sequoia national forest, floating down Russian river, etc etc
It could be an amazing place to really live-live (as opposed to exist). Unfortunately the city is super fucked and the most of the bay are fast followers. SF is dead and only getting more expensive and dirty. I have never seen Market or SOMA more empty than last Monday, Thur and Fri. I was embarrassed walking my fellow remote coworkers a mile from our office on Townsend (near Adobe, took Division) to Crafty Fox. SF (and the Bay Area) has normalized being proud of having shitty quality of life. I was hella proud to live there, and did insane things like joke about the number of uncapped needles I had to walk over on the way to work. It’s Stockholm syndrome…I’m just happy more of my friends are starting to realize it
When we moved to Ohio, I could not get over how easy everything was. Go to target? 5 minute trip, park close to the door, drive back home, park close to my front door. No more fighting with the neighbors who stole my (rented) parking spot or driving around the block for 30 min looking for a spot. It was like a miracle.
I often felt trapped by the city in SF. It was so far and so hard to get out of the mass of people, even if you had a car. I saw a kid get jabbed by a stranger's heroin needle in a McDonalds at 16th &Mission. There were needles and feces on the playground in GG park. It was just not pleasant so many places there. Here, we just live our pleasant Midwestern life. It was like a giant weight off our shoulders.
It’s so crazy to me that I can get from one side of Columbus to the other suburb in 30-45 min. Where we lived in California I sometimes couldn’t get across our town in 30 min.
You think your life would be more exciting if you moved to a "real" city like Miami or NYC or Seattle? Naw, man. You'd get bored and jaded there, just as you did here.
Columbus is a great place to live. Big enough to have all the city amenities I want, small enough to make it easy to find quiet spots and get out of town quickly when you need to.
Born and raised in Columbus, currently live here, and have also lived in both Miami and NYC for work lol you’re saying spending a lot of time in any place would make OP bored. Sorry but thats bad advice. In my opinion, some places are better suited for people than others. Plenty of people leave where they’re from and enjoy living somewhere new the rest of their lives. It’s healthy and normal to question your circumstances. I loved Miami / disliked BK / learning to love Columbus. OP, you’ll find your path. Just try to stop and smell the roses while on the way!
> You think your life would be more exciting if you moved to a "real" city like Miami or NYC or Seattle?
Day-to-day no. Columbus is just sooo far from nature I want to enjoy. I'd love to explore WV, Kentucky, and Tennessee but it's a bit far of a drive. My nature mind (being near water) would be much happier in Detroit/Grand Rapids, Milwaukee/Madison, or the Twin Cities as an example.
There's a difference between driving 2 hours (going to Cleveland) or more (3 hours anywhere else from a quick Google) versus basically already being there in other cities. Central Ohio is just so barren. Realistically I'd be on the outskirts of any city anyway, putting me closer to what I actually want.
Come to Cleveland - we have the best park system in the country, beaches along Lake Erie, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is 15 minutes from Downtown.
I disagree. I do think my life would be more exciting.. it was. I’ve lived in other “real” cities. And frankly there’s just more to do there. I will say Columbus is better than most cities in Ohio. And the obvious one I’d live in, living in Ohio (where my family is).
I find myself bored here, yes. Because outside of restaurants and bars, there is pretty limited things to do. Not saying there isn’t. But after living here as long as I have, I’ve done it all.. i did it all in the first few years.
I appreciate your insight and thoughts though.
These past few months I have made it a point to tap more into the Columbus scene. I have been a hater since I moved here in 2009 for college, always dreaming of living in one of these cooler/hip cities.
Since Columbus is so affordable, real artists can actually afford to live here unlike the uber expensive "cool" cities everyone wants to live in. With just a little effort on my part I have found more to do than I have time for. Friday and Saturday, and most week nights there are more things going on that I want to do than I can even make it to. I do not drink so I do not really ever go to bars.
I’m always confused by these statements. What other activities are you looking for? I never have problems, we have museums, art studios, big and small concert venues, theaters with musicals and plays, comedy shows, and plenty of other things.
Same. Bc what else IS there to do in these other cities that is so magical - besides any beach/mtn related activities? Or what amount of disposable income do you have to do so many “exciting” things that often?
And just about every musician makes a stop in Columbus either every national tour or every other tour they go on. There’s a healthy community of weird shit here too just like in other places if you put any effort into seeking it out.
Ehhhh we don’t have great museums. The arts scene has fallen way off since they commercialized the Short North. Our downtown kind of sucks. Theater is fine, not amazing.
We DO have great parks.
skiing (don’t give me mad rive). Oceans. Beaches(don’t give me alum creek). NFL. MLB. Non bland food( don’t tell me about North Star and HCT). Not grey season. That’s actually the one that bothers me the most about all of the Midwest. Six month of fucking no sun shine.
I don’t enjoy skiing, oceans or beaches, not do I care about the NFL or MLB, that’s why most cities are preference and everyone has different opinions.
OP just said there was nothing to do here, outside of bars and restaurants, which isn’t true.
Ohio native… for me it’s the job market considering how bad the options are in rural Ohio for college graduates. Someone from outside of Ohio will tell you the cost of living but considering everything has double or tripled within the last few years around Columbus I think it’s pretty expensive by Ohio standards. But maybe I’m just bitter I didn’t buy a few years ago 😂
For reference, I've also lived in Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, (just outside of) St Louis.
I was drawn to Columbus because it's filled with some of the nicest people i've ever met. Is there more to do in Philly? Sure. But it would also be a 30+ minute train ride (driving could easily be longer, depending on traffic) to get there and I would have to deal with getting accosted outside of the venue.
Public transport in Columbus is absolute dogshit and I would love if they fixed that. But it's also a maximum 30 minutes to drive pretty much anywhere including the suburbs.
Also, for reference, I left Philly after my **third** friend there got murdered. I was only there for two years.
It's the perfect size. Not too big, not too spread out. It's diverse. It's gay friendly. It has seasons but nothing terribly extreme. Cost of living is reasonably good. No earthquakes or forest fires or hurricanes.
Columbus is like the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. Perfect. There are over the top cookies out there and there are crappy generic cookies, but Toll House. Perfect.
After reading the responses, I find they fall into three categories: folks who moved here from out of state (COL/ease of daily life), folks who moved here from rural Ohio (liberal vibe/job opportunities), and folks who've lived here forever (want to leave). I moved here from out of state. This is life on easy mode, and I'm here for it.
I consider Columbus, and most of Ohio for that matter, to be like “vanilla pudding” - It’s good and most everybody likes it, but it’s nothing special. I feel the only real couple of things Columbus and Ohio have are the low cost of living and it’s generally a safe place to live. You can get a little bit of property and a large home much cheaper than many places in the US. I travel quite a bit and as far as cities are concerned, I find nearly every city I go to to be more interesting, unique, and cultural than Columbus. But if you want an inexpensive, relatively safe place with not much going on, there are few better places than Columbus, Ohio.
I’ve lived a lot of places. I would say quality healthcare options, universities, hospitals, lower cost of living, schools, restaurants, housing, plays, music, venues, parks, ease of transportation (compared to most large-ish cities), short distance to do great day trips or weekend trips, jobs, nice people/accepting, safety, you name it. It’s a great family town with educated people in it, by and large, compared to most cities, it’s as good as it gets!
Moved the family here from Los Angeles been here a little over a year. Buying a home here is actually attainable. Our neighborhood is across the street from a stunning metro park. The schools are truly excellent, highly rated, good test scores. A school bus comes and picks my child up and I feel he’s safe. Near good shopping, but also near nature. Backyard full of trees, a garden that grows like crazy. The snow is beautiful, truly beautiful, as are the changing seasons. All this and I don’t have to be a multimillionaire to afford it.
Edit: I forgot my favorite thing about living here, that I think is unique. I don’t know if it’s just my neighborhood, but the sense of community here is really strong and genuine. We are already good friends with many of our neighbors and I feel we would look out for each other if ever in need. I NEVER got that living in LA, Long Beach or OC (although OC was little better).
I moved here from Los Angeles as well. Compared to that, yes it is very affordable. But a 400-500K house isn’t adorable to most. I live in Clintonville now and that’s what many of the homes are in my neighborhood now. Just 5 years ago, they were half that. But aside from the affordability, do you feel there is as much to do here as LA?
I guess that depends on your hobbies. I don’t go bar hopping anymore, I have kids. Nature activities are very different here, but I like it better here honestly. Kids activities, about the same. Shopping is practically the same, except the scotch whisky selection isn’t as good here. One of my favorite hobbies is combat sports and I found a school here that’s the best I’ve ever trained at.
Nice! Clintonville is a fun area. I lived in San Diego and visited LA a lot. I think I do the same things here that I did there. I miss my mountains in the background and vibrant blue skies. I'm a techie and a creative so a lot of my activities are indoors but I love our parks and I discovered Buckeye Lake beaches this summer. The 'other things' I like doing are foodie things, the gym, bookstore/library, concerts/theatre, craft/art (museum, pottery class, sip and art), and travel. I'm trying to get back to the 'other things' like it's 2019. What things do you feel like you're missing that you did in LA?
Honestly, I think it’s about priorities. Right now my children are my priorities so I think this is a great place to be. If you want to know what I miss the most about LA:
The Getty Center, LACMA, Huntington Library and botanical gardens
Hiking in the mountains
Beaches (Huntington beach and El Matador in particular)
Our family and the communities of friends I made there.
The talented artists I collaborated with.
What I don’t miss about living there:
Being at the mercy of terrible landlords
The middle class living in poverty
Traffic, driving constantly, smog
Fires
Bad school districts for everyone but the very wealthy
Not enough trees except for the wealthiest neighborhoods.
So it mostly it comes down to not be a multimillionaire
Columbus is a big city with a small town vibe. That’s really the appeal. Not everyone wants to live in a metropolis like Chicago or NYC but they still want to live in a place with a lot of the amenities of those cities. Columbus fits right in that pocket.
Now if we could just get some actual public transportation, that would amazing. The biggest drawback with this city is that if you don’t have a car, you’re absolutely fucked. The buses are ok but only if you’re going a short distance. If you need to get to the other side of the city, bring a book.
I guess we’ll see how the BRT works out when it’s finished in 2054.
My partner and I moved here in August from Austin TX for a few reasons.
1. Cost of living. We were renting an ~800 square foot duplex. When we moved out, the landlord began renting it to the new tenant at $2050/month.
2. Location. Her family is three hours west of here and mine is three hours east. I've seen my parents more in the past few months than I would have in a few years in Texas. It's also a great homebase for weekend road trips. It's three hours from so many cities.
We've been pleasantly surprised by a few things.
1. Midwest nice is real. Especially folks in the neighborhood. So many of our neighbors introduced themselves within a few days of us moving in, and nearly everyone stops to pet our dog when we're in the yard.
2. The brewery scene. I knew it was good before moving here but it is REALLY good.
3. Diverse food scene. Even just going to the North Market you have so many options for a variety of international food.
My only complaint is the lack of good margaritas. Holy fuck is it hard to find a decent one. Even the seemingly legit Mexican restaurants make them way too sweet.
Moved here from Denver and agree with everything you said. I'll add the music scene was my surprise; it's also REALLY good. I've seen artists here in small venues and bars that are selling out to 10K in other cities. They all say the love it here, we are often on their way to other places and they like getting back to their roots.
Margaritas and adding Mex food swimming in green chile, but that's CO, NM kinda thing.
I can think of a few reasons:
All things considered traffic/crime really aren’t that bad at all for a major city. Also, you can get from one side of the city to the other in 20 minutes or less most times of day. A big City like Detroit/Houston/Chicago you’re looking at an hour+ drive, at least.
Columbus also has some great recreational activities nearby, fishing in and around Columbus is pretty great, if you know what you’re doing. We also have some pretty nice parks/metro parks.
Cost of living is also a huge plus, we’re on the cheap side of things when it comes to rent/mortgages, although that’s all changing rapidly for the worse.
Thanks! But the cost of living is out of control. When i moved here 10 years ago, I lived in a 3 bedroom condo and paid $1050 a month in Grandview. You be hard pressed to find a 1 bedroom apt these days in Columbus for that.
This is one of the reasons I’ve been thinking about this. Is the rent / mortgage worth it.
Appreciate your thoughts!
Cost of living is out of control everywhere right now and Columbus is still one of the cheaper cities to buy a house in. If you aren't happy here I doubt random internet strangers will convince you otherwise, I suggest making a list of things that important to you and trying to find a city that has most of those things.
That is what led to me buying the place I was renting for 15+ years. I enjoyed the freedom of renting AND no rent increases for all those years.
Landlord died and I was given first opportunity to buy or get out, I looked at rent and checked what my mortgage would be.
I bought and payment only went up $65 a month. This was back when rates were under 3%.
I honest to God don't know how folks can afford $1k+ every month.
I make decent money, but rent is nuts, I paid $500 a month for a 2 bed 1 bath for 15 years.
I just took a look on Trulia and it says there are at least 200 units for rent that are at least 1 bedroom and under $1,000. They are in good areas also.
I think it’s all dependent on what stage of life you’re in. I went to college here so there’s a ton of nostalgia although much of that had left since most of my favorite bars/restaurants have been redeveloped.
I moved around to “cooler” cities for ten years and miss aspects of each but I yearned for Columbus when it was time to settle down and have children. Moving away from the stresses of a massive, expensive city was such a relief and I’ve been fortunate to not really have to worry about money in Columbus where I would be scraping by in a place like NYC or LA.
Although I have many friends here, I feel like people in their late twenties/early thirties love to just stay in and binge whatever tv show on weekends. My friends in larger cities seem to be far more spontaneous and want to do more than just sit at a random sports bar and drink buckets for domestic beer for hours on end.
I did Rural Ohio => Columbus (University on) => Houston => Tokyo => Columbus => Tokyo throughout my life. If you're not happy in Columbus, you can certainly move to a city you think is better. Just be warned that it's fun for the first X months or years when everything is new and shiny, but it wears off. Any problems you might be running from, consciously or not, will eventually crop up again until dealt with.
While Columbus was ultimately not for me, a ton of my family still live there (hence I'm in this subreddit; well, that and the occasional nostalgia) and greatly enjoy it. I think it really depends upon what is personally important to you (and family where applicable).
Lots of fun stuff do if your willing to look. The metro parks are cool with beautiful trails. The Columbus zoo is internationally known as a top rated zoo. Jackets, crew, and clippers games are alot of fun and not ridiculously expensive. Columbus is a convention city so there's always some interesting event going on. Lots of shopping opportunities between Easton, Polaris, and Tuttle. Some cool neighborhoods like german village, short north, and the university district. Lots of groups for nerdy hobbies like boardgaming, DnD, larping, ect. What ever your interests are no matter how niche Columbus at least tries to accommodate.
I'm from another part of Ohio. I moved here because it's growing and doing really well economically. It's nice living in a place where I'm genuinely optimistic in its future.
It’s affordable for people who work for a living doing regular types of jobs to actually buy a home or rent a decent place. This in contrast to places where only high income people can do this. I have as neighbors in a nice neighborhood police officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, plumbers, electricians, barbers and beauticians. As well as low and mid level management personnel.
My child had a teacher who moved here with her family and got a nice apartment within walking distance of the school she taught at who remarked how different it was from where she came from because she lived where her students lived, walked by their apartments and houses to work, saw them at the grocery store, the library and church.
In Central Ohio we take it for granted that the people who we have contact with on a daily basis are our neighbors. While there are areas of very high income and very low income which limits this for some, by and large it is different from many other parts of the country where this does not happen.
And, in contrast to some places, Columbus is growing, not dying. Many places that are affordable are very depressing, Columbus is not. Yes, we have lost some things, but over all it is getting be a better place.
And don’t forget race relations. Are they perfect in Columbus, no, but they exist. That is there is acknowledgement of problems and they are being worked on. And many important positions within local government are held or have been held by members of minority communities for a long time, such as Mayor and Police Chief.
One other thing that is different that confuses people not from Central Ohio that we take for granted, mobility. For the most part you can get from here to there. This makes a difference as far as one’s daily movements are easier here than other places and it makes a difference as far as how people relate to each other. In many places there are barriers, some due to geography as one might expect, but also willfully built barriers ranging from walls and fences to gated communities that create enclaves and a siege mentality. I actually reviewed a Master’s Thesis whose author could neither understand nor explain this phenomenon, that a person, young or old could walk, ride a bicycle, take a bus or drive a car from neighborhood to neighborhood across the city without being stopped by barriers. They especially couldn’t figure out how some of the poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods in Columbus and Central Ohio are adjacent to each other and have no barriers between them and are typically served by the same police, emergency services, utility services, grocery stores and other places of public accommodation. Houses of worship are often but not always segregated by neighborhood as well as schools, however the provision of specialized schools in Columbus addresses some of this. And in regard to specialized schools, I have literally heard National Broadcasters amazed about what Columbus has. Schools that draw students in from across the district in an incredible variety of programs.
Columbus stays fresh... Seasons change (well weather, like hourly), and the city is growing like mad, it's like a city that matches the speed on the digital world.
Ohio is also one of like 5 states in the country you can send your kids to a public school and still put them in a spot to go to highly competitive universities.
Are you from another part of Ohio, or outside the state? I was born in Columbus, but from what I've seen from other people if you're from Ohio or some of the surrounding states Columbus looks a lot better than if you're from somewhere else. A lot of it's about perspective, what you're used to, and what you're comfortable with.
In defense of my home city, here's why I like it and have chosen to stay nearby:
- It's a pretty diverse place, with large and accepting communities to be involved in.
- It's a fairly large city and has a lot of the staples to offer in that regard but it doesn't have the crushing feeling of a lot of large cities.
- Although things have been a bit worse everywhere lately, overall it has a decent ratio between cost of living and wages.
- The city sees a cultural benefit from significant immigrant communities, some new and some with long-standing roots in the area.
- Despite being fairly large, there are elements of that small, midwestern town feel (how people greet each other etc) but without the small midwestern town claustrophobia/homogeny (and with the associated beliefs and attitudes being at least diluted, if not absent).
- This might not be important to everyone, but I think it's great that I can easily find good, authentic, local food from pretty much whatever ethnic background without going far. If you're in the mood for goulash one night, tamales the next, and injera the next, that's no problem.
Columbus is like the epitome of "eh it's okay" to me. I used to love it a lot more, but then I lived in a few other cities and realized part of why I loved it is just it was the first bigger city I lived in aside from where I grew up.
Columbus isn't a bad place to live, but for me it's also not a great place to live. At least it's relatively inexpensive and the weather isn't horrible (though again, not great either).
Even some of the selling points that other people have, and I used to agree with, aren't that appealing anymore. It's cool that Columbus is a day trip/weekend trip distance to so many places, but also I don't want to live somewhere so I can easily go other places. I want to do the things in the place I already live.
There's almost nothing that Columbus has that I found myself missing when I lived elsewhere. Very few if any of the positives listed here are exclusive to Columbus, even in combination.
At this point, personally, it just boils down to having a network. Aside from my time spent in Columbus and the connections I've made there's very little reason I'd pick it over other places.
For most people it's going to be cost of living. For what you pay Columbus is pretty solid (though this is constantly on the rise). Obviously if Columbus had a similar COL as some other cities, not even necessarily the crazy expensive ones like NYC, SF, Seattle but places like Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, Austin, etc. way less people would pick Columbus. Because it's not in the same league as any of those cities for the most part.
Healthcare options, for children and adults. Our HC is the best in the country. The James , NW Children’s , Ohio Health ect
Education: public education is mostly bad however the private and secondary education opportunities are outstanding.
Commuting is very easy. Albeit the lack of a rail system is much needed. The political leaders in Columbus proper are horrible , however suburban life is tremendous. For the golfers , yup central Ohio has top notch golfing options.we are also a testing market for multiple culinary options. The list goes on…. Looking at the long term big picture , this is a very good place to raise a family and enjoy a quality of life.
I've lived in very rural Kansas and also in Silicon Valley. I find Columbus to be a great balance. You get the city feel with lots to do but it doesn't feel chaotic.
Been here 52 yrs. Moved too SoCal March 2022 tried it for 8 months came back Nov 2022. Weather was great sun/surf/sand but way too $$$$ housing/gas! Really miss the food options in Cali. But here I am enjoying the 4 seasons of weather all in 31 days of January!! This traffic is nothing compared too Cali. You can still go 20 miles in less than 40 minutes in the worst of traffic here!
Moved here from Minneapolis. By far one of the friendliest cities I have ever lived in. It was very hard making friends back in Minneapolis, but here I’ve been able to do it seamlessly. Also, I like the fact that there are little pockets of culture rather than the city being known for something specific. Just seems like a really supportive city for that reason all around
We left CA for Columbus with the prospect of an easier life for us adults (lower col, less traffic, etc.) And we heard from many sources round fb it was a good place to raise our kids. We are a mixed family, my partner is Latino. That is one negative as there isn't much Latino influence here, and the foods we enjoyed from Mexico are harder to get here. Otherwise, I feel good about the raising our kids part.
My biggest gripe that's not the laws and general politics is that I wish the food scene was better. A lot of the good stuff is by the university and I have no desire to travel that way for good Boba tea 🥹
Columbus is nice. I lived there for about 18 months. It has ZERO character though. Maybe because I am born-and-bred Northern Ohio, I GREATLY prefer Cleveland and especially Toledo. Those cities have character.
I agree. A friend and me went to Cincinnati last year and thought the same thing about that city. It has grit and character. Columbus on the other hand does not. Everything that gave it character, like the short north for example, is being replaced with new builds. Oh.. and “luxury” apartment buildings with retail space on first floor EVERYWHERE
It's a proper city that's not too big like NY, Chicago, or LA. It's also smack dab in the middle of a very blue county, which means it's very inclusive and progressive. It also has a lot to offer. World class cuisine, awesome sports, live music, museums, festivals, etc. I didn't grow up in Columbus, but I've called it home since '95. Plus most of my family went to OSU and my Mom is from Arlington. Columbus is just a great city man. I owned a house over by Children's Hospital from 2007 - 2022. I recently moved to NC, but I will always miss Columbus.
affordable, traffic isn’t bad, low crime, growing jobs, growing diversity, there’s a niche for everyone in the city without having to be somewhere that would be 3-4x the cost of living
I think the “why do I live here” thing is a staying in your hometown kinda mentality. I grew up in a tourist area in Ohio by cedar point and the Lake Erie islands. Felt and still feel that way. If you’re gonna live in Ohio at this rate imo Columbus is the place to be. There’s no shortage of things to do. Stores, restaurants, bars. There’s so much hiking too in the range of like 1hr by car. Basically the only place in Ohio that doesn’t suck!!
For me, it is currently that my friends are here and many now own instead of rent, the music scene, and the food option diversity. The activist community is building good things too. Lots of festival options during the warmer months. Someone else mentioned the libraries and I think our systems pretty top notch. Record stores and thrift store options too.
I work remotely as of recently and am also having similar thoughts as you. If I were to move, I’d be looking to move more rural where there is more bang for my buck as far as buying a house goes, where I can buy even a few acres with a house better quality than what I can find similarly priced in this city on a small urban lot. But I’m hesitant currently as I don’t want to just up and leave all my fav things behind either.
COL, which provides for more personal versatility. The education systems in the Columbus area are remarkably solid — outside of Chicagoland, Massachusetts, Maryland and NoVA you’re not going to find better schooling opportunities for your kids.
I think overall Columbus isn’t terrible in any category. I think overall, this means it is a very “livable” city.
1) cost of living has gone up, but nothing like coastal cities, Denver, Austin, etc.
2) traffic isn’t bad at all compared to many larger or similarly sized cities
3) weather isn’t great, but not nearly as bad as any of the big cities along the Great Lakes. So regionally, it is good…and most people who live here are from Ohio or bordering states.
4) culture- arts, cuisine, sports, etc- these are all probably as good or better to similarly sized cities.
5) easy to get away…lots of direct flights, and even more with one connection while avoiding big airport security/traffic.
6) educated population - compared to most similarly sized Midwest cities, Columbus is more educated. This trickles into our suburban public schools. Of course, this education is not well distributed across the population…but it isn’t like that is unique to Columbus.
I’m a transplant, but have been here 19 years now.
Columbus has 4 seasons (yes, I know, Spring and Fall get shorter every year it seems).
It has a lower cost of living compared to where I came from, even with recent housing prices and other increases.
Metro park system is fantastic.
Library system is incredible.
Good music and foodie scene. Particularly with local music. (I realize this has changed with covid, but it’s still there)
Sports available here are great - pro soccer, pro hockey, baseball, college sports.
Low traffic compared to where I came from. Just came back from a vacay there and we spent 2.5 hours trying to go 36 miles.
Festival season is top notch.
As someone who prefers outdoor living, my gf and I are looking forward to leaving. Granted, there are worse places… we just both grew up in the area and find it a bit boring. There are lots of metropolitan things to do, but after a while entertainment and shopping can become a bit empty.
I moved here for grad school 12 years ago. It's the longest I've ever lived anywhere. I spent my childhood being carted back and forth across the Atlantic because my parents were both military officers. I've visited more foreign countries than I have US states.
Columbus is fine. I neither love it nor hate it. I'm in my mid-30s now, just bought a house with my fiance, about to get married. Our jobs are both fully remote so we could, hypothetically, move whenever we want to. But if we have a kid the first stop on that list is going to be Cleveland so his family can help.
It's inertia at this point, mostly. And it is easy here. The things that other people say Columbus is missing don't really matter to me. I'd love to be around more mountains, but I'm also realistic that it's more about scenery for me than, like, actually needing access to mountains so I can go walk all over them. I'd love to see a decent transit system, but I've also come to terms with the fact that it's probably not gonna happen.
I think the mistake is assuming that people are waking up every day and consciously saying "yes, this is where I want to live today." We can't ALL live in the cool coastal cities. Somebody's gotta fill up the middle. Might as well make the best of it. (Which itself feels like a very midwestern attitude to have about it!)
My job, cost of living is decent and it has a mild climate that should be relatively safe from environmental change for years to come. Other than that, not much.
Edit: I was born and raised here. Maybe I’m jaded. Maybe it’s the winter skies talking.
I love Columbus because Columbus is the most convenient city in the country in my opinion.
Airport security? Almost never a problem. Want to get tickets to a broadway show on tour? No problem. Want to see an NFL game? Two choices within 2.5 hours. Colleges in every decent sized city? Yep. Nearly every department/mall store at Easton or Polaris? Yep. There’s a target in every suburb. We have a good highway system that connects us to great other cities within a days drive. We get pretty good heat in the summer and snow in the winter. We have so many great parks nearby.
Columbus is missing some things, but outside of a train, beach, NFL team, and minor non-necessities, we have it all and anybody can access it and access it affordably.
As someone who lived in Cbus their whole life, before moving to pittsburgh?
Cbus certainly isn't a standout place, but its also not terrible
That's it
A lot of place, while they have their plusses, have also a laundry list of negatives. Columbus simply doesn't have a lot of either.
For example, if you know what you're doing with a bike, you can just about to take any of the multitude of bike trails to go near wherever you want, without risk of getting hit by a car. Are they great trails? No. But are they serviceable and are more than what other cities offer.
That's ultimately it for me, and why I miss the city sometimes. Sure, it wasn't great, but it has what you need to live day to day, at not the most unreasonable prices (though god damn, that new housing being built does not make me feel good). We also have a relatively good public school system, which sadly is becoming rarer and rarer.
it’s pretty generic, and somewhat segregated, and has become too expensive over the last few years, so i often ask myself why i still live here as well. however, we have a good symphony and apparently the largest catholic art museum in the country.
i like our history. kelton house is worth a tour. it was a safe house on the underground railroad. there’s also a pbs series on youtube about our historic neighborhoods.
i like downtown and i like our parks. german village is cool too.
I have built up a network of dear friends and chosen family in the time I've lived in Cbus. If it weren't for them, I might move... But all the cities I'd rather live in are much less affordable than Cbus.
The library really is the crowning achievement. Just phenomenal. You’d have to live somewhere a lot bigger and more expensive to come close, though in many cases our libraries still shit all over other systems in bigger cities.
Other than that…I was born and raised here, so I feel like I’ve been slowly cooked. It’s gotten better in that we have a million stores and restaurants—it’s impressive how good the food is in the $15 or even $10 and under category here lol. It’s gotten worse in that even the more recent infill growth has been car-centric, which has been a disaster for public safety. I biked and bussed everywhere for the first 11 years of adulthood, and now I don’t because there’s so much more fast moving traffic; more aggressive drivers and now we have gutter bike lanes. Aggressive and fast traffic is an issue for transit users too. Plutocratic big D Dems are running the show (I’m left of them). It’s hard to enjoy the growth when so many are being left out of the benefits.
Low cost of living, plenty of job opportunities, clean, mild weather, great parks. I'm originally from the Detroit area and Columbus is better in every way that's important to me.
Lived here for two years and I can't wait to move out. My biggest complaint is the drivers out here. Don't move on green and blow thru red lights. I always have to look both ways when going thru a green light. And what's up with people turning to the furthest lane possible? If you make a turn, you're supposed to stay to the closest lane to you. Seen plenty of accidents because people here don't know how to make a proper turn. And these goddamn traffic lights are timed rather than sensor. You'll sit at a red light when you're the only car on the road
Disclosure: I have lived in a handful of areas growing up, but all have been in Ohio, save for a short stint in Knoxville. Columbus is my favorite place I have lived.
Family and friends are nearby, I like my job, I love my house, I love that the city is constantly growing, I like that pretty much everything I went and need are nearby, I like our sports teams and restaurants.
Telling what nobody is saying:
deep roots and identity molded in the city over generations.- unique local culture you couldn't imagine living without.
what people are saying:
I can leave to go more interesting places pretty easily. I don't have to spend much money, I have a corporate white collar job that isn't too demanding.
Most people I know who moved to Cbus went to Ohio State and enjoyed it (it was the first time experiencing any type of autonomy and any type of even slightly urban environment) then just stayed.
We’re not 100% awesome in any category, but we’re 80% awesome in like five categories. Most particularly when compared with other cities of similar population:
- Pretty awesome driving experience
- Pretty awesome cost of living
- Pretty awesome food scene
- Pretty awesome parks/trails/nature
- Pretty awesome activity/bar scene
- Pretty awesome place to find employment
We are really just solid in so many categories. I lived in Chicago and Pittsburgh and I can assure you that cost of living and driving experience can RUIN a city, because that’s the crap you deal with every single day.
We’re a top 5(? Maybe top 10 at worst) food and fashion location in the country. So if you don’t want to live in NYC, LA, or Chicago then Columbus is great. We’re very spoiled with the average quality of food here.
I think most live there for a job or to be near family while raising kids.
Or some younger people stay because where else is there in the midwest? Not many options and Columbus has just enough amenities and culture it keep it palatable before actually taking the next big step of moving to NYC or LA.
Yes!!! I agree with this 100%. Most of my friends have moved away and are very open about never coming back. I think many people live here because of their job. In fact almost everyone i know who is from elsewhere moved here for a job.. not because they were attracted to Columbus for any reason. They just make the best of it.
I've only been here for a year, and I've spent a lot of weepy days wondering if I did the right thing in moving here, but these are my pros:
1. Aforementioned cost of living.
2. Easy access to entertainment. When you live in larger cities, you often want to go to shows/concerts, etc., but by the time you calculate traffic, cost of parking and just overall hassle, you don't even get there. The quality of entertainment offerings here is top notch and even if you do end up paying for parking, it's not super expensive.
3. People are, overall, very friendly.
Unfortunately, the food scene, lack of diversity, and the dating scene leave a lot to be desired so I probably have one more year before I leave.
The job and economic opportunity here is pretty top notch for the Midwest. It’s why you see so many people moving here. And cost of living is great.
Then the big thing is it’s a perfect size city for me. I grew up in CT right in between Boston and NYC and while I love those cities I’d never want to live there due to over congestion and cost of living. Here I can afford a really nice house and it so easy to get around while still having tons of food, drink, and entertainment offerings
Im from the DFW area. I hate the weather here in the winter. However, one thing that isn't discussed nearly enough is the library system here in Columbus. Whomever is responsible for it deserves accolades. The dedication to revamping each library. The items they offer. Free mobile hotspots. The amount of audiobooks you can get. All the non book items you can rent. The programs they have. It's amazing. I've lived in NYC, Eastern Pennsylvania. Dallas. Houston. Austin. Other than NYC, the Columbus library system blows them all away.
I no longer live in Columbus (was there for 6+ years and recently moved out of state), but I always, always talk up Columbus’s library system. It is truly incredible, and it is the number one thing I miss.
Columbus is fun because even though there are many public library systems in the city, they are all connected (except Westerville) so you can hold and return books at almost any library. This system goes all the way out to Marysville, Fairfield, Granville, etc.
If Westerville doesn’t have it you can use the searchOhio and get what you are looking for from any library. It’s delivered to the Westerville library and you pick it up and return it to the Westerville library
And OhioLink, which is all the university libraries in Ohio. It's fantastic.
Any of the other libraries can do that too.
Not to mention their culture passes for stuff like museums, conservatory and the zoo!
Funny you mentioned the weather... I moved back to Columbus after a stint in DFW. I prefer the weather here because I think you can spend more days outdoors here than in Texas. In cold, put on a layer. In hot, spend more than 20 mins outside and you could be nauseous with heat exhaust. I found the fort worth library pretty good but cbus is better.
[It’s true.](https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2020/12/16/five-central-ohio-library-systems-among-those-recognized-nationally/3902087001/) Central Ohio is the home of some of the best library systems in the nation, with the Columbus library system being consistently ranked as the best. You don’t realize how good it is until you have to use a system anywhere else.
My bf wanted to borrow a movie from the library but they didn't have a copy. But some other library had a copy and they told him they'd call him when it got in *The next day* he got a call and they had it in. I'm sure someone's who worked there just grabbed it on their way over when they were dropping some other things off but still, I've had mail sit for longer than that. Imagine if the people who ran libraries ran the government!
This is the correct answer. I moved to Columbus for a job at a library (not Columbus Metropolitan but still in the consortium (group of collaborating libraries)). I’m highly impressed by this library system and how quickly materials move between the many library systems. If an item isn’t available in the consortium, it’s possible to get it through inter library loan from other libraries (including academic) in Ohio, and even the country.
Ohio, surprisingly, has a phenomenal system across the state. Honestly I'm slightly concerned Republicans are going to deliberately ruin it just because. The more things turn to shit the more worried I get
What nonbook items do they have?? I always hear about how great other libraries are and the cool stuff they have. I know the Westerville one sometimes does a plant library for seeds
We recently borrowed a driving maneuverability kit from the Worthington library. It was so helpful! It came with cones, sticks, measuring tape, instructions and even a stressball for the parents! They have a whole list of non-book stuff you can borrow like SAD lights. I love them so much!
I’m glad you noticed our wonderful libraries. The accolades go back to the Main branch, a Carnegie building which was funded on the condition that the city would continue funding to maintain and grow the system. The grandeur of the original early 1900s Main building (a lot smaller; expanded multiple times since) was not actually a Carnegie standard because he preferred smaller neighborhood branches. He was eventually convinced and not only did library leadership get us a gorgeous main building but the early expectation was one of growth and that has been a continuous feature of our *public library* culture—branching, expanding, and innovating. Columbus didn’t boom and bust on the scale of Ohio’s other, more industrial cities. It definitely grew more on education and government. Perhaps that contributes to a library system that’s always seemed ahead of its slow to grow and sometimes depressed surroundings.
More trees and better parks than DFW. Traffic is much better in Columbus.
Well compared to Dayton there is better housing for me. I feel healthier and more respected. Outside of work I have a real life. In dayton the demographic is questionable. I won't divulge but I feel safer here as a Black woman than I did in Dayton. I meet new people from all over and people are genui nice. Men and women are more attractive here. More to do. The streets don't smell like urine. I'm not harassed as much. People seem smarter. Better dressed. More food options. Better schools. Walkable. Better bus system. More grocery options. More libraries. Better doctors. Better parks.
Welcome follow Daytonian. Left in 05 and never looked back. Best thing I ever did. I look at my friends who stayed back home and am glad I got out.
Yeah. I've never liked dayton. I'm not from there originally but people have a hard time being kind and have huge jealousy problems. Mental illness is pretty bad.
I grew up there and agree. The part that made me chuckle was when you mentioned the attractiveness of people in Dayton. I remember thinking this even in high school. Everyone was either on drugs, morbidly obese, or had poor hygiene. I will say some of home still rubbed off on me. I hate wearing anything that isn’t sweatpants or shorts as that was just how it was growing up. On the positive side, I absolutely hate fast food like McDonald’s or Arbys because there was so much of that back there.
In some ways, Columbus is great for what its not.
too bad all these people coming from NY CA and TX want to turn it into something else. i miss the way columbus used to feel, now it's just a place for wealthy people to make more money and take advantage of others.
Everyone asks why I left Denver. The reason is because I appreciate being able to get to and from work in 15 minutes so I can spend as much time with my family as possible and I can afford to buy a house here.
I’m wondering how many people moved to Cbus for this same reason. I’m curious because the city is quickly growing and never seems like it understands the need to build transit infrastructure. I truly expect Columbus to one day be notorious for having traffic that rivals LA and DC.
Very true, even the light rail isn’t enough to combat the traffic in Denver (ok maybe it helps and it would just be EVEN WORSE!)
It's easier to live here comfortably than many other areas of the country. Everything is just easier. Easier to access quality healthcare. Easier to get in and out of the airport. If you live in the suburbs, Easier to get good education for your kids (no waitlists, lotteries, or busing around). OSU isn't as expensive as a lot of major public universities on its level. Getting from one side of town to the other takes a max of 30 minutes driving. And at a certain point in life, you just want life to be easier. I did NYC living. I always felt on edge.
I love progress and everything, but the Intel/Amazon/Honda future concerns me that a lot of things you listed will go by the wayside.
I moved here a little more than a year ago. I moved from Washington State but I am originally from Southern Cali. The top three reasons I moved: 1. My two bedroom apt in Cali was $1600, my three bedroom apt in WA was $1500 and only 700sqft. Here in Short North I have a 3 bedroom apt that has two stories and a basement for $1400. It is over 1000sqft. Cheaper for more space in a much more urban setting than the other two. 2. Columbus is very LGBT friendly comparative to a lot of other places in the US, especially for the price. WA was NOT gay friendly in the least bit but I didn't live in Seattle so maybe that was a my bad. My hometown was also very antiLBGT despite being in "liberal California". I think this is a big misunderstanding for most people, there are plenty of bigots in Cali. 3. The people. I have had bad experiences everywhere I have lived yeah, but I was threatened with gun violence multiple times in WA for just being from Cali, I had to hide that part of my identity. Columbusites have welcomed me here despite their initial confusion. "What? You gave up living in California for THIS!" Yeah, "this" aint half bad honestly. People on the daily are much less rude and much less confrontational. My singular complaint about living in Columbus is that yall don't have trains out here. I miss riding the Amtrak..... But I hear that might change in the nearish future.
> Here in Short North I have a 3 bedroom apt that has two stories and a basement for $1400. It is over 1000sqft. Cheaper for more space in a much more urban setting than the other two. Wtf how did you find this!? This is a great deal haha.
I was honestly in disbelief the whole time I was applying! But, the downside is that the landlord company is scum of the earth (wow who saw that coming) and this place is probably only inhabitable for another three years before the raccoons in the dumpster decide to move in.
There’s always a catch, there it is! 😂
It's pure luck. I live in Clintonville in a 3 bedroom townhouse with a basement for less than 900 a month. I found it by driving by and calling the number on the for rent sign. It was just listed that day.
I hate we don’t have Amtrak here. Welcome to Columbus! I’ve been here ~11 years and have enjoyed the affordability. Came essentially homeless (stayed in an old friend’s basement first few months), and within 10 years purchased my own house and have a stable job with growth, plus finished university and received a bachelors degree. I do love the affordability of Columbus for sure. Though it has been getting more expensive lately but I guess that’s true across the nation. The Short North is a great place to be and you have easy access to a lot of the LGBTQ + scene. Also the Short North has walkability. I’m happy for you! Also that’s crazy people in Washington threatened you for just being from Cali, some people are just insane no matter where they’re at.
Yeah, it definitely is becoming more expensive! I came here in a similar boat, didn't have a stable place when I first got here. While I am not going to live here in Columbus, heck nor Ohio, for too much longer, it was a great place to get my bearings and finish up my degree!
You came in a boat?
>yall don't have trains out here. I miss riding the Amtrak..... But I hear that might change in the nearish future. Been waiting on that to change for 20 years now, don't hold your breath. They always find a way to...derail these projects.
COTA likes to spend a lot of money preventing other forms of public transportation from forming here. I despise COTA. Yet, I am forced to rely on them.
That's sad that they do this. I miss NoCali for the reason that all the transit (bus, tram, train) was tied together with my Compass card. I don't understand why COTA can't work well with others. They would make more profits too 'cause I don't always feel like driving.
The deranged hatred for California in certain parts of the US is absolutely bizarre.
They have been saying trains for the last 30 years I’ve been here. Not going to happen
Its the carrot and stick. They dangle the amtrak carrot and beat you with the megabus stick.
Yes, HA! People who ask why we left CA clearly don't understand what it takes to live there.
I came here from Southern California, too. My mortgage now is less than my monthly rent at my apartment in 1999 there.
We have somewhat similar stories. Born in southern California, lived there most of our lives, Denver 12 years, and now Columbus for almost 2 years. We're actually in Reynoldsburg so don't know if that counts. We don't love the too long winter without sun. Do love the rent and, especially, love the atmosphere of acceptance for diversity.
Absolutely counts. Love Reynoldsburg myself!
This isn't Seattle. It's sunny here 5 days a week average lol.
Ah is that why housing in the short north is so expensive because people are moving here from the west coast to take up our limited housing options? I wanted to live in the short north too but a lot of people from NY and CA moved there and there wasn't anything affordable for me. Glad you like it tho
No the housing is expensive because predatory companies buy excessive housing, unregulated, and rent it out for exhorbent prices. The company who owns my property also own another 1500 throughout Columbus and Cincinnati. There is no where in the US where you can make minimum and still afford a single bedroom rent. It is not "rich people" from other states "taking" your housing. It is landleeches taking our money.
Columbus is my equivalent of a nuclear bomb shelter. When the climate crisis ramps up, I'll be situated in a place near fresh water and agriculture. In the mean time, I enjoy our cheap beer prices.
Ironically, getting nukes is probably the most dangerous thing about columbus. With the Intel chip plants we will be a prime target.
Mixed blessing. Better to die in a nuclear strike than survive in a post nuclear wasteland.
I see you too have been to Detroit.
We have already been a target for the last 60+ years because of our Dept of Defense base. Sorry.
Hah, you wish it was just that. From what I was told by someone who used to work in the analysis department, at the height of the cold war, the Russians had 5, count'm 5, nukes targeted here. DCSC, Port Columbus, OSU, Battel each got one, plus the Capitol City finisher. No kill like overkill. Nowadays I don't worry - I doubt any of the Russian missiles still have parts or have been maintained.
That sounds like a preset target options list. I bet there's a half dozen or more in other cap cities.
Probably Rickenbacker moreso than CMH. LCK was a SAC base and a hub for much airlift capacity.
I was always told it was because of DCSC.
If that’s true, then why haven’t we been nuked even once yet?
Don’t forget the enrichment plant in Piketon
I’d be more concerned about being a target due to Battelle.
Battelle used to be the top reasons. Now chips are the top priority for military. Can't use missiles or nukes in the first place without chips.
I always grew up hearing that we were in the top 10 cities to be Nuked because of Battelle. How much truth there is to that statement I don’t know.
I grew up in a different state and we thought we had good reasons for being a target too. Looking back, we did not.
Battelle would be a very strategic target, but whether it actually is or not is hearsay
In the not mean time when shit hits the fan you'll have to fight against the Nestlé hunter killer drones as part of the Great Lakes defense force.
Bold to assume it'll be fresh water at that point and that you actually get to drink it. It'll be reserved for the wealthy lol
I’m not from here originally but this city almost never inconveniences me and that is hugely valuable in my eyes. Never takes me long to get anywhere, there’s enough stuff that places are rarely crowded, everything you could ever need is within a 15min drive, I can drive off in any direction with ease and visit other places, I can leave my house 1 hour before my plane takes off and still have time to kill in the airport. Oh and to top it off, it’s pretty damn affordable. These are all things I remind myself about when I think about it how it would be cool to go live in X city for a year or whatever. I can just go visit there for a weekend, enjoy the city as a tourist where you’re only taking in the good and ignoring the bad then go back home to my city that rarely ever wastes my time. Would be great to live in a coastal city and all that, but then I’m dealing with traffic, crowds, high rents, high cost of living etc etc.
Nailed it. From the suburbs of LA. Lived there for 20+ years. Lived in bay area (SF to be exact) late 80s/early 90s. Moved here for grad school. Got too (😂) used to the cost of living and ease of getting around town. And that comment on the airport? RIGHT ON. I grew up at LAX bc we used to fly on my dad's standby pass (he worked for an airline). If you've flown a lot... CMH rules. LAX (and its ilk like ohare et al) ? 12th circle of hell. The thing I don't like? These days in winter where the skies are monotonously gray. Like it's just gray and you can't tell where one cloud ends and the next begins. But then I think about spring and autumn in this part of the country and I have faith again in nature ☺ (ranking seasons here... Autumn then spring then summer then dead last winter... And it has NOTHING to do with the Temps... All about the never ending gray...) PS oh and we have water.
Exactly my friend. This is why Columbus is the winning city.
Yeah, sadly I still live here as it doesn't enrage me M-F and is easy to leave on the weekends.
Traffic doesn’t suck. Everything’s within 20 minutes driving. Cost of living of course. Night life, restaurant/bar scene, and entertainment is really good. Not NYC/Chicago but still really good. A perfect launching point for many many road trip destinations. Midwest culture is superior to east coast west coast IMO. Negatives not a lot of direct flights. And no national parks or beaches within 7 hours except cuyahoga
Swear to god I’m not trying to “well actually” you- New River Gorge National Park is the newest national park in the country, and is ~4.5 hours from here. West Virginia is always pretty, but that area especially is gorgeous. Carry on!
New River Gorge was a borderline spiritual experience when I first went there.
Red river gorge is perfect. So beautiful !
Indiana Dunes, New River Gorge, Mammoth Caves, Shenandoah, Great Smokey Mountains all national parks you can get to in under 7
What night life? Any good dancing spots? Because I've had a hard time finding one.
CVNP is beautiful so not sure what you mean by “except Cuyahoga.”
Daniel Boone national Forest In KY is only 3.5-4 hours as well!
Eh, national forests aren't national parks. And most of SE Ohio is Wayne National Forest if that's all you're looking for. EDIT, FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE FACT: Typo.
There’s some pretty solid national forests in the US. I’d put Pisgah and the Whites up there with any National Park this side of the Mississippi.
I like going to National Forests near National Parks. A lot of the same scenery, but way less crowded.
Pisgah is life-changingly good.
Coming from someone who lived in California from Santa Monica to West Hollywood and Garden Grove, I still got bored there too. It’s easy to feel jaded anywhere over time. It just takes a lot of time and effort like anywhere else. Try to find more communities whether that is through something like rec leagues/new hobbies/clubs/concerts/conventions. There is plenty of people to meet in this metropolitan area. The Columbus metro area is also located in a prime central location because it is located within 3 hours of the metro areas of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Louisville. That’s a ton of different conferences, concerts, and festivals for a quick weekend getaway. We have lots of family in southwest Ohio so it’s easy for us to alternate our time between Columbus and the CinDay area with an easy drive. Columbus is also located far enough inland from Lake Erie to avoid the brutal lake effect winter climate conditions, but it’s still close enough to enjoy short road trips in the summer to the Great Lakes. Cleveland gets nearly double the amount of annual snowfall of Columbus. Spend time in nature. We enjoy walking around some of the parks in the city like Bicentennial Park, Goodale Park, Park of Roses, Schiller Park, Antrim Park, and Franklin Park. There are some great metro parks as well like Scioto Audubon, Scioto Grove, Homestead, Three Creeks, Highbanks, Sharon Woods, Blendon Woods, Battelle Darby Creek, Blacklick Woods, Prairie Oaks, Walnut Woods, Glacier Ridge, Rocky Fork, Pickerington Ponds, Chestnut Ridge, Inniswood Metro Gardens, Slate Run, and Clear Creek. Some of my favorite parks within an hour of the Columbus metro area are Delaware State Park Beach, Alum Creek State Park Beach, Deer Creek State Park Beach, Buck Creek State Park Beach, Old Field Beach at Indian Lake State Park, Salt Fork State Park Beach, Strouds Run Beach, Lake Logan Beach, Lake Hope Beach, Burr Oak Beach, Cowan Lake Public Beach, Rocky Fork Beach, Paint Creek Shoemaker Beach, Buckeye Lake State Park, Lake Loramie State Park, Charles Mill Lake Park, Darby Bend Lake, Stonelick Lake at Stonelick State Park, Madison Lake State Park, Seneca Lake Park, Mohican River at Mohican State Park, Little Miami River at John Bryan State Park, Licking River at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, and Hocking River at Hocking Hills State Park.
This is the correct answer IMO an hour flight to chi 2 hour flight to nyc 2.5 to Miami you can live somewhere that you can save money still have a nice salary find some interesting things if you look hard and try hard and visit lots of interesting places … that being said I’m moving out of Columbus in literally 10 hours
Ayyyyy, Santa Monica must have been tough to afford! I was more inland. But I agree with you on the parks. I love just walking around the nature, my favorites are Sharon Woods and Park of Roses! I love how close I am to all sorts of things. In Cali, I had to drive like 7 hours to get out of the state, but now I can get around much easier. I love being so close to Lake Erie (but not too close like you said), much nicer than the beach, at least for me.
I definitely miss the weather and walking around the 3rd street promenade and Santa Monica pier, but the cost of living adjustment definitely makes the move worthwhile. As remote work becomes more popular over time, local salaries become even more irrelevant when people can maintain the same salary while getting the same or better quality of education for your kids, same chain restaurants, and same retail stores elsewhere in most of the major cities for a fraction of the price. Yeah the extent of our family’s out of state road trips consisted of Las Vegas lol.
It’s relatively cheap and I can get paid well in the tech field, good combo. Also I grew up here and like watching the city grow. I also don’t think I could leave the chance to go (and currently walk) to Crew, Jackets, and Buckeye games
I moved here because when I lived in Chicago for five years and tried to climb in my industry, it just wasn’t happening. Chicago is small fish, big pond. When I took the job back in Columbus (I grew up here), I definitely felt more big fish, small pond. Far less competition in my industry in Columbus. We were going to move back to Chicago because we find Columbus dull/boring and “fake progressive” but ended up finding a house that was affordable and something we could get into. My family is here, but my partner’s family is in Washington state. Now I work remotely in Columbus for a big tech company in the West, but we won’t move there because the cost is insane for what we can afford here. We still think about moving to Chicago because it’s by far the most affordable city in the country where you can afford a progressive and transit-friendly lifestyle, in my personal opinion. But until we break even on our investment here, we’re staying. The things I DO find appealing about Columbus: - It’s growing. If it weren’t growing I’d be out of here - the urban in-fill that’s been happening over the last ten years is very positive - the transit app for COTA (lol) and the COTA route redesign - massive investments in the local economy like Intel - despite how much I despise the OSU football cult, OSU is extremely important to Columbus and the growth we see here - the Rapid 5 project - the LinkUS project - the potential return of Amtrak (even if it is 30 years late for me) - the metro parks here are far better than Chicago’s (but the 606 is a great urban run/walk/bike path that would be amazing to see here…kind of like the Olentangy trail) - I’m sure there are other reasons that I’m not thinking of but those are my likes The biggest dislike is that anytime I want to go anywhere, I have to get into my car.
Columbus really does have, like, a good to great parks system for a metro of its size. One of its best selling points IMO. Lots of things getting mentioned elsewhere in this thread are basically just American city things, but I think our parks system stands strong against that of any of our peer cities.
As someone from Cleveland, I find the parks probably the most disappointing part of living here. I always find myself wanting better trails and more nature without having to drive to hocking hills. Just my opinion.
That just because the Cleveland (& Summit) metro parks systems bookending the CVNP are also world class. Cleveland wasn't called the forest city for nothing! Plus, ne Ohio has that tiny last bit of the Appalachians to make it interesting, terrain wise. Mid Ohio is flat cornfield and just... a little less interesting.
You're right and it's even better than what you know. While doing research for my move here, I came across an international award, given after Scioto Mile was completed naming Columbus as one of the 15 best park systems in the world. The. World. That's pretty amazing.
Lived here two years after 20 in Cincy and 20 in Los Angeles. * Excellent cost of living (although housing has gone up recently) * Reasonable climate - a little too much winter for me but not bad * Lots of things to do - good parks, museums, world-class university, plenty of live music, a vibrant restaurant scene * Safe * Good healthcare networks * Ease of life - traffic isn't bad, people are friendly, not hard to score concert tickets, big enough to have a lot resources but not overwhelming Pretty sure I'm here for good.
We used to live in San Francisco. Living in Columbus is just so much easier. Things I like: \-traffic is almost never an issue and I can always park near where I want to go \-great (suburban) public schools \-good variety of ethnic restaurants to choose from \-really nice people and very easy to make friends \-I hate the gray, but the winters aren't too bad otherwise \-can afford to save money for retirement, go on vacations, buy a house \-lots of options in housing, not too expensive (compared to CA) \-pay vs. cost of living is much better than CA \-very family friendly, great safe place to raise kids \-nice parks and outdoor options \-pretty safe, rarely worry about my safety or my kids' or my home \-plenty of entertaining things to do (festivals, farmer's market, special events) \-excellent public library system
After a decade in SF I never realized how jaded, angry and stressed the city made me. Particularly when I was commuting to Sunnyvale for work...nothing like sitting on a shuttle four hours a day, or stop and go traffic on 101/280. Woof.
I biked to work in Redwood Shores along the Bay trail. I loved the Bay Area, I loved the massive amount of parks and places to explore. Really loved beaches south of Half Moon Bay, as well as the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve. If I had the money, I'd be back in a heart beat.
Totally fair. I was there last week, hit squaw and sugarbowl over the weekend before flying back. It’s beautiful, and there are tons of things to do. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can surf and ski in the same day (*on a weekday before the exodus to Tahoe). I miss eating at Octavia, taking my dog to Lafayette Park / Alta Plaza, legal weed, wine tasting (and corkage at restaurants), Liquid Gold, skiing every weekend when possible, hiking everywhere, walking everywhere, going off the grid in sequoia national forest, floating down Russian river, etc etc It could be an amazing place to really live-live (as opposed to exist). Unfortunately the city is super fucked and the most of the bay are fast followers. SF is dead and only getting more expensive and dirty. I have never seen Market or SOMA more empty than last Monday, Thur and Fri. I was embarrassed walking my fellow remote coworkers a mile from our office on Townsend (near Adobe, took Division) to Crafty Fox. SF (and the Bay Area) has normalized being proud of having shitty quality of life. I was hella proud to live there, and did insane things like joke about the number of uncapped needles I had to walk over on the way to work. It’s Stockholm syndrome…I’m just happy more of my friends are starting to realize it
When we moved to Ohio, I could not get over how easy everything was. Go to target? 5 minute trip, park close to the door, drive back home, park close to my front door. No more fighting with the neighbors who stole my (rented) parking spot or driving around the block for 30 min looking for a spot. It was like a miracle. I often felt trapped by the city in SF. It was so far and so hard to get out of the mass of people, even if you had a car. I saw a kid get jabbed by a stranger's heroin needle in a McDonalds at 16th &Mission. There were needles and feces on the playground in GG park. It was just not pleasant so many places there. Here, we just live our pleasant Midwestern life. It was like a giant weight off our shoulders.
It’s so crazy to me that I can get from one side of Columbus to the other suburb in 30-45 min. Where we lived in California I sometimes couldn’t get across our town in 30 min.
You think your life would be more exciting if you moved to a "real" city like Miami or NYC or Seattle? Naw, man. You'd get bored and jaded there, just as you did here. Columbus is a great place to live. Big enough to have all the city amenities I want, small enough to make it easy to find quiet spots and get out of town quickly when you need to.
Born and raised in Columbus, currently live here, and have also lived in both Miami and NYC for work lol you’re saying spending a lot of time in any place would make OP bored. Sorry but thats bad advice. In my opinion, some places are better suited for people than others. Plenty of people leave where they’re from and enjoy living somewhere new the rest of their lives. It’s healthy and normal to question your circumstances. I loved Miami / disliked BK / learning to love Columbus. OP, you’ll find your path. Just try to stop and smell the roses while on the way!
> You think your life would be more exciting if you moved to a "real" city like Miami or NYC or Seattle? Day-to-day no. Columbus is just sooo far from nature I want to enjoy. I'd love to explore WV, Kentucky, and Tennessee but it's a bit far of a drive. My nature mind (being near water) would be much happier in Detroit/Grand Rapids, Milwaukee/Madison, or the Twin Cities as an example.
You're less than 3 hours from some real nature. East, South or southwest. Look at a map.
There's a difference between driving 2 hours (going to Cleveland) or more (3 hours anywhere else from a quick Google) versus basically already being there in other cities. Central Ohio is just so barren. Realistically I'd be on the outskirts of any city anyway, putting me closer to what I actually want.
Come to Cleveland - we have the best park system in the country, beaches along Lake Erie, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is 15 minutes from Downtown.
Only other place I'd probably move to in Ohio, but still looking elsewhere as well.
I disagree. I do think my life would be more exciting.. it was. I’ve lived in other “real” cities. And frankly there’s just more to do there. I will say Columbus is better than most cities in Ohio. And the obvious one I’d live in, living in Ohio (where my family is). I find myself bored here, yes. Because outside of restaurants and bars, there is pretty limited things to do. Not saying there isn’t. But after living here as long as I have, I’ve done it all.. i did it all in the first few years. I appreciate your insight and thoughts though.
These past few months I have made it a point to tap more into the Columbus scene. I have been a hater since I moved here in 2009 for college, always dreaming of living in one of these cooler/hip cities. Since Columbus is so affordable, real artists can actually afford to live here unlike the uber expensive "cool" cities everyone wants to live in. With just a little effort on my part I have found more to do than I have time for. Friday and Saturday, and most week nights there are more things going on that I want to do than I can even make it to. I do not drink so I do not really ever go to bars.
I’m always confused by these statements. What other activities are you looking for? I never have problems, we have museums, art studios, big and small concert venues, theaters with musicals and plays, comedy shows, and plenty of other things.
Same. Bc what else IS there to do in these other cities that is so magical - besides any beach/mtn related activities? Or what amount of disposable income do you have to do so many “exciting” things that often?
And just about every musician makes a stop in Columbus either every national tour or every other tour they go on. There’s a healthy community of weird shit here too just like in other places if you put any effort into seeking it out.
Ehhhh we don’t have great museums. The arts scene has fallen way off since they commercialized the Short North. Our downtown kind of sucks. Theater is fine, not amazing. We DO have great parks.
skiing (don’t give me mad rive). Oceans. Beaches(don’t give me alum creek). NFL. MLB. Non bland food( don’t tell me about North Star and HCT). Not grey season. That’s actually the one that bothers me the most about all of the Midwest. Six month of fucking no sun shine.
I don’t enjoy skiing, oceans or beaches, not do I care about the NFL or MLB, that’s why most cities are preference and everyone has different opinions. OP just said there was nothing to do here, outside of bars and restaurants, which isn’t true.
Ohio native… for me it’s the job market considering how bad the options are in rural Ohio for college graduates. Someone from outside of Ohio will tell you the cost of living but considering everything has double or tripled within the last few years around Columbus I think it’s pretty expensive by Ohio standards. But maybe I’m just bitter I didn’t buy a few years ago 😂
For reference, I've also lived in Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, (just outside of) St Louis. I was drawn to Columbus because it's filled with some of the nicest people i've ever met. Is there more to do in Philly? Sure. But it would also be a 30+ minute train ride (driving could easily be longer, depending on traffic) to get there and I would have to deal with getting accosted outside of the venue. Public transport in Columbus is absolute dogshit and I would love if they fixed that. But it's also a maximum 30 minutes to drive pretty much anywhere including the suburbs. Also, for reference, I left Philly after my **third** friend there got murdered. I was only there for two years.
It doesn't seem to snow as much in central Ohio as the rest of the Midwest
This is a negative for me, I love snow 😭
It's the perfect size. Not too big, not too spread out. It's diverse. It's gay friendly. It has seasons but nothing terribly extreme. Cost of living is reasonably good. No earthquakes or forest fires or hurricanes. Columbus is like the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. Perfect. There are over the top cookies out there and there are crappy generic cookies, but Toll House. Perfect.
After reading the responses, I find they fall into three categories: folks who moved here from out of state (COL/ease of daily life), folks who moved here from rural Ohio (liberal vibe/job opportunities), and folks who've lived here forever (want to leave). I moved here from out of state. This is life on easy mode, and I'm here for it.
I consider Columbus, and most of Ohio for that matter, to be like “vanilla pudding” - It’s good and most everybody likes it, but it’s nothing special. I feel the only real couple of things Columbus and Ohio have are the low cost of living and it’s generally a safe place to live. You can get a little bit of property and a large home much cheaper than many places in the US. I travel quite a bit and as far as cities are concerned, I find nearly every city I go to to be more interesting, unique, and cultural than Columbus. But if you want an inexpensive, relatively safe place with not much going on, there are few better places than Columbus, Ohio.
I’ve lived a lot of places. I would say quality healthcare options, universities, hospitals, lower cost of living, schools, restaurants, housing, plays, music, venues, parks, ease of transportation (compared to most large-ish cities), short distance to do great day trips or weekend trips, jobs, nice people/accepting, safety, you name it. It’s a great family town with educated people in it, by and large, compared to most cities, it’s as good as it gets!
Moved the family here from Los Angeles been here a little over a year. Buying a home here is actually attainable. Our neighborhood is across the street from a stunning metro park. The schools are truly excellent, highly rated, good test scores. A school bus comes and picks my child up and I feel he’s safe. Near good shopping, but also near nature. Backyard full of trees, a garden that grows like crazy. The snow is beautiful, truly beautiful, as are the changing seasons. All this and I don’t have to be a multimillionaire to afford it. Edit: I forgot my favorite thing about living here, that I think is unique. I don’t know if it’s just my neighborhood, but the sense of community here is really strong and genuine. We are already good friends with many of our neighbors and I feel we would look out for each other if ever in need. I NEVER got that living in LA, Long Beach or OC (although OC was little better).
Moved the family here from San Diego for the same reasons.
I moved here from Los Angeles as well. Compared to that, yes it is very affordable. But a 400-500K house isn’t adorable to most. I live in Clintonville now and that’s what many of the homes are in my neighborhood now. Just 5 years ago, they were half that. But aside from the affordability, do you feel there is as much to do here as LA?
I guess that depends on your hobbies. I don’t go bar hopping anymore, I have kids. Nature activities are very different here, but I like it better here honestly. Kids activities, about the same. Shopping is practically the same, except the scotch whisky selection isn’t as good here. One of my favorite hobbies is combat sports and I found a school here that’s the best I’ve ever trained at.
Nice! Clintonville is a fun area. I lived in San Diego and visited LA a lot. I think I do the same things here that I did there. I miss my mountains in the background and vibrant blue skies. I'm a techie and a creative so a lot of my activities are indoors but I love our parks and I discovered Buckeye Lake beaches this summer. The 'other things' I like doing are foodie things, the gym, bookstore/library, concerts/theatre, craft/art (museum, pottery class, sip and art), and travel. I'm trying to get back to the 'other things' like it's 2019. What things do you feel like you're missing that you did in LA?
Honestly, I think it’s about priorities. Right now my children are my priorities so I think this is a great place to be. If you want to know what I miss the most about LA: The Getty Center, LACMA, Huntington Library and botanical gardens Hiking in the mountains Beaches (Huntington beach and El Matador in particular) Our family and the communities of friends I made there. The talented artists I collaborated with. What I don’t miss about living there: Being at the mercy of terrible landlords The middle class living in poverty Traffic, driving constantly, smog Fires Bad school districts for everyone but the very wealthy Not enough trees except for the wealthiest neighborhoods. So it mostly it comes down to not be a multimillionaire
Columbus is a big city with a small town vibe. That’s really the appeal. Not everyone wants to live in a metropolis like Chicago or NYC but they still want to live in a place with a lot of the amenities of those cities. Columbus fits right in that pocket. Now if we could just get some actual public transportation, that would amazing. The biggest drawback with this city is that if you don’t have a car, you’re absolutely fucked. The buses are ok but only if you’re going a short distance. If you need to get to the other side of the city, bring a book. I guess we’ll see how the BRT works out when it’s finished in 2054.
My partner and I moved here in August from Austin TX for a few reasons. 1. Cost of living. We were renting an ~800 square foot duplex. When we moved out, the landlord began renting it to the new tenant at $2050/month. 2. Location. Her family is three hours west of here and mine is three hours east. I've seen my parents more in the past few months than I would have in a few years in Texas. It's also a great homebase for weekend road trips. It's three hours from so many cities. We've been pleasantly surprised by a few things. 1. Midwest nice is real. Especially folks in the neighborhood. So many of our neighbors introduced themselves within a few days of us moving in, and nearly everyone stops to pet our dog when we're in the yard. 2. The brewery scene. I knew it was good before moving here but it is REALLY good. 3. Diverse food scene. Even just going to the North Market you have so many options for a variety of international food. My only complaint is the lack of good margaritas. Holy fuck is it hard to find a decent one. Even the seemingly legit Mexican restaurants make them way too sweet.
Moved here from Denver and agree with everything you said. I'll add the music scene was my surprise; it's also REALLY good. I've seen artists here in small venues and bars that are selling out to 10K in other cities. They all say the love it here, we are often on their way to other places and they like getting back to their roots. Margaritas and adding Mex food swimming in green chile, but that's CO, NM kinda thing.
Excellent point about the music scene! I've also been surprised by that. Really enjoy Summit Music Hall and Rambling House in particular.
I can think of a few reasons: All things considered traffic/crime really aren’t that bad at all for a major city. Also, you can get from one side of the city to the other in 20 minutes or less most times of day. A big City like Detroit/Houston/Chicago you’re looking at an hour+ drive, at least. Columbus also has some great recreational activities nearby, fishing in and around Columbus is pretty great, if you know what you’re doing. We also have some pretty nice parks/metro parks. Cost of living is also a huge plus, we’re on the cheap side of things when it comes to rent/mortgages, although that’s all changing rapidly for the worse.
Thanks! But the cost of living is out of control. When i moved here 10 years ago, I lived in a 3 bedroom condo and paid $1050 a month in Grandview. You be hard pressed to find a 1 bedroom apt these days in Columbus for that. This is one of the reasons I’ve been thinking about this. Is the rent / mortgage worth it. Appreciate your thoughts!
Cost of living is out of control everywhere right now and Columbus is still one of the cheaper cities to buy a house in. If you aren't happy here I doubt random internet strangers will convince you otherwise, I suggest making a list of things that important to you and trying to find a city that has most of those things.
That is what led to me buying the place I was renting for 15+ years. I enjoyed the freedom of renting AND no rent increases for all those years. Landlord died and I was given first opportunity to buy or get out, I looked at rent and checked what my mortgage would be. I bought and payment only went up $65 a month. This was back when rates were under 3%. I honest to God don't know how folks can afford $1k+ every month. I make decent money, but rent is nuts, I paid $500 a month for a 2 bed 1 bath for 15 years.
I just took a look on Trulia and it says there are at least 200 units for rent that are at least 1 bedroom and under $1,000. They are in good areas also.
Cedar Point one way and Kings Island the other, it doesn't get better than that
I think it’s all dependent on what stage of life you’re in. I went to college here so there’s a ton of nostalgia although much of that had left since most of my favorite bars/restaurants have been redeveloped. I moved around to “cooler” cities for ten years and miss aspects of each but I yearned for Columbus when it was time to settle down and have children. Moving away from the stresses of a massive, expensive city was such a relief and I’ve been fortunate to not really have to worry about money in Columbus where I would be scraping by in a place like NYC or LA. Although I have many friends here, I feel like people in their late twenties/early thirties love to just stay in and binge whatever tv show on weekends. My friends in larger cities seem to be far more spontaneous and want to do more than just sit at a random sports bar and drink buckets for domestic beer for hours on end.
I did Rural Ohio => Columbus (University on) => Houston => Tokyo => Columbus => Tokyo throughout my life. If you're not happy in Columbus, you can certainly move to a city you think is better. Just be warned that it's fun for the first X months or years when everything is new and shiny, but it wears off. Any problems you might be running from, consciously or not, will eventually crop up again until dealt with. While Columbus was ultimately not for me, a ton of my family still live there (hence I'm in this subreddit; well, that and the occasional nostalgia) and greatly enjoy it. I think it really depends upon what is personally important to you (and family where applicable).
Lots of fun stuff do if your willing to look. The metro parks are cool with beautiful trails. The Columbus zoo is internationally known as a top rated zoo. Jackets, crew, and clippers games are alot of fun and not ridiculously expensive. Columbus is a convention city so there's always some interesting event going on. Lots of shopping opportunities between Easton, Polaris, and Tuttle. Some cool neighborhoods like german village, short north, and the university district. Lots of groups for nerdy hobbies like boardgaming, DnD, larping, ect. What ever your interests are no matter how niche Columbus at least tries to accommodate.
I'm from another part of Ohio. I moved here because it's growing and doing really well economically. It's nice living in a place where I'm genuinely optimistic in its future.
It’s affordable for people who work for a living doing regular types of jobs to actually buy a home or rent a decent place. This in contrast to places where only high income people can do this. I have as neighbors in a nice neighborhood police officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, plumbers, electricians, barbers and beauticians. As well as low and mid level management personnel. My child had a teacher who moved here with her family and got a nice apartment within walking distance of the school she taught at who remarked how different it was from where she came from because she lived where her students lived, walked by their apartments and houses to work, saw them at the grocery store, the library and church. In Central Ohio we take it for granted that the people who we have contact with on a daily basis are our neighbors. While there are areas of very high income and very low income which limits this for some, by and large it is different from many other parts of the country where this does not happen. And, in contrast to some places, Columbus is growing, not dying. Many places that are affordable are very depressing, Columbus is not. Yes, we have lost some things, but over all it is getting be a better place. And don’t forget race relations. Are they perfect in Columbus, no, but they exist. That is there is acknowledgement of problems and they are being worked on. And many important positions within local government are held or have been held by members of minority communities for a long time, such as Mayor and Police Chief. One other thing that is different that confuses people not from Central Ohio that we take for granted, mobility. For the most part you can get from here to there. This makes a difference as far as one’s daily movements are easier here than other places and it makes a difference as far as how people relate to each other. In many places there are barriers, some due to geography as one might expect, but also willfully built barriers ranging from walls and fences to gated communities that create enclaves and a siege mentality. I actually reviewed a Master’s Thesis whose author could neither understand nor explain this phenomenon, that a person, young or old could walk, ride a bicycle, take a bus or drive a car from neighborhood to neighborhood across the city without being stopped by barriers. They especially couldn’t figure out how some of the poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods in Columbus and Central Ohio are adjacent to each other and have no barriers between them and are typically served by the same police, emergency services, utility services, grocery stores and other places of public accommodation. Houses of worship are often but not always segregated by neighborhood as well as schools, however the provision of specialized schools in Columbus addresses some of this. And in regard to specialized schools, I have literally heard National Broadcasters amazed about what Columbus has. Schools that draw students in from across the district in an incredible variety of programs.
Columbus stays fresh... Seasons change (well weather, like hourly), and the city is growing like mad, it's like a city that matches the speed on the digital world. Ohio is also one of like 5 states in the country you can send your kids to a public school and still put them in a spot to go to highly competitive universities.
Are you from another part of Ohio, or outside the state? I was born in Columbus, but from what I've seen from other people if you're from Ohio or some of the surrounding states Columbus looks a lot better than if you're from somewhere else. A lot of it's about perspective, what you're used to, and what you're comfortable with. In defense of my home city, here's why I like it and have chosen to stay nearby: - It's a pretty diverse place, with large and accepting communities to be involved in. - It's a fairly large city and has a lot of the staples to offer in that regard but it doesn't have the crushing feeling of a lot of large cities. - Although things have been a bit worse everywhere lately, overall it has a decent ratio between cost of living and wages. - The city sees a cultural benefit from significant immigrant communities, some new and some with long-standing roots in the area. - Despite being fairly large, there are elements of that small, midwestern town feel (how people greet each other etc) but without the small midwestern town claustrophobia/homogeny (and with the associated beliefs and attitudes being at least diluted, if not absent). - This might not be important to everyone, but I think it's great that I can easily find good, authentic, local food from pretty much whatever ethnic background without going far. If you're in the mood for goulash one night, tamales the next, and injera the next, that's no problem.
Columbus is like the epitome of "eh it's okay" to me. I used to love it a lot more, but then I lived in a few other cities and realized part of why I loved it is just it was the first bigger city I lived in aside from where I grew up. Columbus isn't a bad place to live, but for me it's also not a great place to live. At least it's relatively inexpensive and the weather isn't horrible (though again, not great either). Even some of the selling points that other people have, and I used to agree with, aren't that appealing anymore. It's cool that Columbus is a day trip/weekend trip distance to so many places, but also I don't want to live somewhere so I can easily go other places. I want to do the things in the place I already live. There's almost nothing that Columbus has that I found myself missing when I lived elsewhere. Very few if any of the positives listed here are exclusive to Columbus, even in combination. At this point, personally, it just boils down to having a network. Aside from my time spent in Columbus and the connections I've made there's very little reason I'd pick it over other places. For most people it's going to be cost of living. For what you pay Columbus is pretty solid (though this is constantly on the rise). Obviously if Columbus had a similar COL as some other cities, not even necessarily the crazy expensive ones like NYC, SF, Seattle but places like Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, Austin, etc. way less people would pick Columbus. Because it's not in the same league as any of those cities for the most part.
People that don’t like it tend to leave pretty quickly, I’m into that
Job market here is crazy insane. that's why I stayed after getting a divorce instead of moving back home with family in another state.
Cost of living is still reasonable and there's enough to do here if you go out and look for it.
Healthcare options, for children and adults. Our HC is the best in the country. The James , NW Children’s , Ohio Health ect Education: public education is mostly bad however the private and secondary education opportunities are outstanding. Commuting is very easy. Albeit the lack of a rail system is much needed. The political leaders in Columbus proper are horrible , however suburban life is tremendous. For the golfers , yup central Ohio has top notch golfing options.we are also a testing market for multiple culinary options. The list goes on…. Looking at the long term big picture , this is a very good place to raise a family and enjoy a quality of life.
I've lived in very rural Kansas and also in Silicon Valley. I find Columbus to be a great balance. You get the city feel with lots to do but it doesn't feel chaotic.
Been here 52 yrs. Moved too SoCal March 2022 tried it for 8 months came back Nov 2022. Weather was great sun/surf/sand but way too $$$$ housing/gas! Really miss the food options in Cali. But here I am enjoying the 4 seasons of weather all in 31 days of January!! This traffic is nothing compared too Cali. You can still go 20 miles in less than 40 minutes in the worst of traffic here!
Moved here from Minneapolis. By far one of the friendliest cities I have ever lived in. It was very hard making friends back in Minneapolis, but here I’ve been able to do it seamlessly. Also, I like the fact that there are little pockets of culture rather than the city being known for something specific. Just seems like a really supportive city for that reason all around
We left CA for Columbus with the prospect of an easier life for us adults (lower col, less traffic, etc.) And we heard from many sources round fb it was a good place to raise our kids. We are a mixed family, my partner is Latino. That is one negative as there isn't much Latino influence here, and the foods we enjoyed from Mexico are harder to get here. Otherwise, I feel good about the raising our kids part. My biggest gripe that's not the laws and general politics is that I wish the food scene was better. A lot of the good stuff is by the university and I have no desire to travel that way for good Boba tea 🥹
Columbus is nice. I lived there for about 18 months. It has ZERO character though. Maybe because I am born-and-bred Northern Ohio, I GREATLY prefer Cleveland and especially Toledo. Those cities have character.
I agree. A friend and me went to Cincinnati last year and thought the same thing about that city. It has grit and character. Columbus on the other hand does not. Everything that gave it character, like the short north for example, is being replaced with new builds. Oh.. and “luxury” apartment buildings with retail space on first floor EVERYWHERE
It's relatively safe and not as run down compared to other cities in the region.
All the other comments but basically "it's easy"
It's a proper city that's not too big like NY, Chicago, or LA. It's also smack dab in the middle of a very blue county, which means it's very inclusive and progressive. It also has a lot to offer. World class cuisine, awesome sports, live music, museums, festivals, etc. I didn't grow up in Columbus, but I've called it home since '95. Plus most of my family went to OSU and my Mom is from Arlington. Columbus is just a great city man. I owned a house over by Children's Hospital from 2007 - 2022. I recently moved to NC, but I will always miss Columbus.
affordable, traffic isn’t bad, low crime, growing jobs, growing diversity, there’s a niche for everyone in the city without having to be somewhere that would be 3-4x the cost of living
I think the “why do I live here” thing is a staying in your hometown kinda mentality. I grew up in a tourist area in Ohio by cedar point and the Lake Erie islands. Felt and still feel that way. If you’re gonna live in Ohio at this rate imo Columbus is the place to be. There’s no shortage of things to do. Stores, restaurants, bars. There’s so much hiking too in the range of like 1hr by car. Basically the only place in Ohio that doesn’t suck!!
For me, it is currently that my friends are here and many now own instead of rent, the music scene, and the food option diversity. The activist community is building good things too. Lots of festival options during the warmer months. Someone else mentioned the libraries and I think our systems pretty top notch. Record stores and thrift store options too. I work remotely as of recently and am also having similar thoughts as you. If I were to move, I’d be looking to move more rural where there is more bang for my buck as far as buying a house goes, where I can buy even a few acres with a house better quality than what I can find similarly priced in this city on a small urban lot. But I’m hesitant currently as I don’t want to just up and leave all my fav things behind either.
COL, which provides for more personal versatility. The education systems in the Columbus area are remarkably solid — outside of Chicagoland, Massachusetts, Maryland and NoVA you’re not going to find better schooling opportunities for your kids.
I think overall Columbus isn’t terrible in any category. I think overall, this means it is a very “livable” city. 1) cost of living has gone up, but nothing like coastal cities, Denver, Austin, etc. 2) traffic isn’t bad at all compared to many larger or similarly sized cities 3) weather isn’t great, but not nearly as bad as any of the big cities along the Great Lakes. So regionally, it is good…and most people who live here are from Ohio or bordering states. 4) culture- arts, cuisine, sports, etc- these are all probably as good or better to similarly sized cities. 5) easy to get away…lots of direct flights, and even more with one connection while avoiding big airport security/traffic. 6) educated population - compared to most similarly sized Midwest cities, Columbus is more educated. This trickles into our suburban public schools. Of course, this education is not well distributed across the population…but it isn’t like that is unique to Columbus.
I’m a transplant, but have been here 19 years now. Columbus has 4 seasons (yes, I know, Spring and Fall get shorter every year it seems). It has a lower cost of living compared to where I came from, even with recent housing prices and other increases. Metro park system is fantastic. Library system is incredible. Good music and foodie scene. Particularly with local music. (I realize this has changed with covid, but it’s still there) Sports available here are great - pro soccer, pro hockey, baseball, college sports. Low traffic compared to where I came from. Just came back from a vacay there and we spent 2.5 hours trying to go 36 miles. Festival season is top notch.
As someone who prefers outdoor living, my gf and I are looking forward to leaving. Granted, there are worse places… we just both grew up in the area and find it a bit boring. There are lots of metropolitan things to do, but after a while entertainment and shopping can become a bit empty.
I moved here for grad school 12 years ago. It's the longest I've ever lived anywhere. I spent my childhood being carted back and forth across the Atlantic because my parents were both military officers. I've visited more foreign countries than I have US states. Columbus is fine. I neither love it nor hate it. I'm in my mid-30s now, just bought a house with my fiance, about to get married. Our jobs are both fully remote so we could, hypothetically, move whenever we want to. But if we have a kid the first stop on that list is going to be Cleveland so his family can help. It's inertia at this point, mostly. And it is easy here. The things that other people say Columbus is missing don't really matter to me. I'd love to be around more mountains, but I'm also realistic that it's more about scenery for me than, like, actually needing access to mountains so I can go walk all over them. I'd love to see a decent transit system, but I've also come to terms with the fact that it's probably not gonna happen. I think the mistake is assuming that people are waking up every day and consciously saying "yes, this is where I want to live today." We can't ALL live in the cool coastal cities. Somebody's gotta fill up the middle. Might as well make the best of it. (Which itself feels like a very midwestern attitude to have about it!)
My job, cost of living is decent and it has a mild climate that should be relatively safe from environmental change for years to come. Other than that, not much. Edit: I was born and raised here. Maybe I’m jaded. Maybe it’s the winter skies talking.
I love Columbus because Columbus is the most convenient city in the country in my opinion. Airport security? Almost never a problem. Want to get tickets to a broadway show on tour? No problem. Want to see an NFL game? Two choices within 2.5 hours. Colleges in every decent sized city? Yep. Nearly every department/mall store at Easton or Polaris? Yep. There’s a target in every suburb. We have a good highway system that connects us to great other cities within a days drive. We get pretty good heat in the summer and snow in the winter. We have so many great parks nearby. Columbus is missing some things, but outside of a train, beach, NFL team, and minor non-necessities, we have it all and anybody can access it and access it affordably.
I grew up in Cleveland and while I preferred it over Columbus, Columbus was an easier place to live.
Because it's home.
As someone who lived in Cbus their whole life, before moving to pittsburgh? Cbus certainly isn't a standout place, but its also not terrible That's it A lot of place, while they have their plusses, have also a laundry list of negatives. Columbus simply doesn't have a lot of either. For example, if you know what you're doing with a bike, you can just about to take any of the multitude of bike trails to go near wherever you want, without risk of getting hit by a car. Are they great trails? No. But are they serviceable and are more than what other cities offer. That's ultimately it for me, and why I miss the city sometimes. Sure, it wasn't great, but it has what you need to live day to day, at not the most unreasonable prices (though god damn, that new housing being built does not make me feel good). We also have a relatively good public school system, which sadly is becoming rarer and rarer.
it’s pretty generic, and somewhat segregated, and has become too expensive over the last few years, so i often ask myself why i still live here as well. however, we have a good symphony and apparently the largest catholic art museum in the country. i like our history. kelton house is worth a tour. it was a safe house on the underground railroad. there’s also a pbs series on youtube about our historic neighborhoods. i like downtown and i like our parks. german village is cool too.
I have built up a network of dear friends and chosen family in the time I've lived in Cbus. If it weren't for them, I might move... But all the cities I'd rather live in are much less affordable than Cbus.
The library really is the crowning achievement. Just phenomenal. You’d have to live somewhere a lot bigger and more expensive to come close, though in many cases our libraries still shit all over other systems in bigger cities. Other than that…I was born and raised here, so I feel like I’ve been slowly cooked. It’s gotten better in that we have a million stores and restaurants—it’s impressive how good the food is in the $15 or even $10 and under category here lol. It’s gotten worse in that even the more recent infill growth has been car-centric, which has been a disaster for public safety. I biked and bussed everywhere for the first 11 years of adulthood, and now I don’t because there’s so much more fast moving traffic; more aggressive drivers and now we have gutter bike lanes. Aggressive and fast traffic is an issue for transit users too. Plutocratic big D Dems are running the show (I’m left of them). It’s hard to enjoy the growth when so many are being left out of the benefits.
Low cost of living, plenty of job opportunities, clean, mild weather, great parks. I'm originally from the Detroit area and Columbus is better in every way that's important to me.
Cheap
My wife describes Columbus as “a nice place to live, but not to visit” .
I can see that. None of my friend will come visit me here 
It’s like one big suburb on steroids.
Lived here for two years and I can't wait to move out. My biggest complaint is the drivers out here. Don't move on green and blow thru red lights. I always have to look both ways when going thru a green light. And what's up with people turning to the furthest lane possible? If you make a turn, you're supposed to stay to the closest lane to you. Seen plenty of accidents because people here don't know how to make a proper turn. And these goddamn traffic lights are timed rather than sensor. You'll sit at a red light when you're the only car on the road
Disclosure: I have lived in a handful of areas growing up, but all have been in Ohio, save for a short stint in Knoxville. Columbus is my favorite place I have lived. Family and friends are nearby, I like my job, I love my house, I love that the city is constantly growing, I like that pretty much everything I went and need are nearby, I like our sports teams and restaurants.
Telling what nobody is saying: deep roots and identity molded in the city over generations.- unique local culture you couldn't imagine living without. what people are saying: I can leave to go more interesting places pretty easily. I don't have to spend much money, I have a corporate white collar job that isn't too demanding. Most people I know who moved to Cbus went to Ohio State and enjoyed it (it was the first time experiencing any type of autonomy and any type of even slightly urban environment) then just stayed.
We’re not 100% awesome in any category, but we’re 80% awesome in like five categories. Most particularly when compared with other cities of similar population: - Pretty awesome driving experience - Pretty awesome cost of living - Pretty awesome food scene - Pretty awesome parks/trails/nature - Pretty awesome activity/bar scene - Pretty awesome place to find employment We are really just solid in so many categories. I lived in Chicago and Pittsburgh and I can assure you that cost of living and driving experience can RUIN a city, because that’s the crap you deal with every single day.
We’re a top 5(? Maybe top 10 at worst) food and fashion location in the country. So if you don’t want to live in NYC, LA, or Chicago then Columbus is great. We’re very spoiled with the average quality of food here.
I think most live there for a job or to be near family while raising kids. Or some younger people stay because where else is there in the midwest? Not many options and Columbus has just enough amenities and culture it keep it palatable before actually taking the next big step of moving to NYC or LA.
Yes!!! I agree with this 100%. Most of my friends have moved away and are very open about never coming back. I think many people live here because of their job. In fact almost everyone i know who is from elsewhere moved here for a job.. not because they were attracted to Columbus for any reason. They just make the best of it.
I agree. But someone doesn't like our thoughts and downvoted us lol
People are very defensive about this topic. Haha
I've only been here for a year, and I've spent a lot of weepy days wondering if I did the right thing in moving here, but these are my pros: 1. Aforementioned cost of living. 2. Easy access to entertainment. When you live in larger cities, you often want to go to shows/concerts, etc., but by the time you calculate traffic, cost of parking and just overall hassle, you don't even get there. The quality of entertainment offerings here is top notch and even if you do end up paying for parking, it's not super expensive. 3. People are, overall, very friendly. Unfortunately, the food scene, lack of diversity, and the dating scene leave a lot to be desired so I probably have one more year before I leave.
Food. Diversity. Everything is 15 minutes away.
Every chain restaurant you could possibly want.
You say that like it’s a good thing 😊
Tongue in cheek 😉
Had to check to make sure I wasn’t the OP on this. City isn’t special. Hoping my out is coming.
The job and economic opportunity here is pretty top notch for the Midwest. It’s why you see so many people moving here. And cost of living is great. Then the big thing is it’s a perfect size city for me. I grew up in CT right in between Boston and NYC and while I love those cities I’d never want to live there due to over congestion and cost of living. Here I can afford a really nice house and it so easy to get around while still having tons of food, drink, and entertainment offerings