Safest neighborhood to live (Columbus, Cleveland: apartments, rent, house)

[Sjane08]

I was thinking of moving to Columbus next year. I was wondering where the safest neighborhood is located around Columbus. Also I will just be graduating college so I don't expect to make a huge salary are there decent priced apartments? I was more interested in a house but I know I will have to save for a few years. Also where are the best places to work in Columbus? I appreciate all and any advice. Thanks!

[bam989863]

What is your degree in?

[Sjane08]

My degree will be a Bachelor's of University Studies. I just never found something that really interested me so I was unable to choose something specific and I didn't want to stay in school another 4 years to figure it out. I know I will eventually it may just take more time than I hoped. But it is still a degree and I know I will at least be able to work in entry level positions or anything related to business because I have 18+ hrs of business related classes.

[jbcmh81]

Safest areas would by any of the outer suburbs, but also the urban core neighborhoods of Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, Downtown, Bexley, etc. As far as biggest employers, they would include government, banking, education and health. And Columbus is good for education, just because there are so many colleges around and there is a 100K+ student population.

[badguykc]

Just about any area outside of Columbus' city limits are good. Notable exceptions are the Short North, Brewery District, German Village, and Downtown. STAY AWAY from the West Side.

[Natural510]

Cleveland Ave and parts of the East Side are grimy too. I think you'll get a feel for a neighborhood just driving through it.

[Zen_master]

Originally Posted by Sjane08

I was thinking of moving to Columbus next year. I was wondering where the safest neighborhood is located around Columbus. Also I will just be graduating college so I don't expect to make a huge salary are there decent priced apartments? I was more interested in a house but I know I will have to save for a few years. Also where are the best places to work in Columbus? I appreciate all and any advice. Thanks!

If I had to pick one neighborhood I'd say New Albany. It's far enough away from the urban core that you won't have to deal with any transients passing through. By and large the entire community is less than 20 years old with much of the development occuring in the last 10 years. The drawback is it's nouveau riche profile. Housing is expensive there (and from what I've heard from residents as well as contractors - largely of poor quality... perhaps a side effect of springing up during the housing bubble when anyone who could swing a hammer was suddenly a builder). On the other hand a company named Casto has apartments in the area. When I first moved to Columbus I stayed in one of their complexes for a year. Rent was around $500 for a new and clean 1 bedroom with 600 sq ft and the community was decent. Do a Google or Bing on Casto and see what comes up in the New Albany area if you want the safest of the safe in your price range.

[Rumble]

After house hunting for five months, here's my basic breakdown of the area...

Within Columbus city limits:
Clintonville (solid middle to upper middle class historic neighborhood; broad mix of people)
German Village (extremely pricey historic neighborhood)
Short North, Arena District, and Victorian Village (trendy, lots of clubs/bars, mostly young professionals)
There are also a few hit and miss areas on the northwest side

Higher-end burbs:
Inner Ring: Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, Bexley, Worthington
Outer Ring: Dublin, New Albany, some parts of Westerville

Run of the mill cookie cutter burbs:
Hilliard, Gahanna, Pickerington, some parts of Westerville

Hit or miss:
Grove City, Canal Winchester

Burbs to avoid:
In general, east-side Columbus and its most immediate suburbs are on the places to miss list. Supposedly, these were decent middle class neighborhoods at one point but are on the decline
-Reynoldsburg
-Blacklick
-Whitehall