Columbus, OH

[gradstudent1234]

Can you give any more information about where Scioto Woods is? Like some of the major streets around it? Marble Cliff is a nice, safe area, but you don't need to go to far before you end up in some not so nice places.

It's between Wilson Road and Hague Ave, just north of 70. Thanks!

[latte thunder]

It's between Wilson Road and Hague Ave, just north of 70. Thanks!

NO! don't do it. This area is called The Hilltop and it's one of the worst in the city.

What type of things are you looking for in a neighborhood? Do you care about school districts, or proximity to OSU? Maybe we could recommend something.

Edited April 19, 2011 by latte thunder

[gradstudent1234]

NO! don't do it. This area is called The Hilltop and it's one of the worst in the city.

What type of things are you looking for in a neighborhood? Do you care about school districts, or proximity to OSU? Maybe we could recommend something.

I thought it might be sketchy. Thanks for the confirmation.

I don't care at all about school districts, but I'd like to be within a 10-15 minute drive to OSU. I was hoping to buy a house which is why I was looking in this area. What do you think about Clintonville? Or if you have other suggestions, I'd be open to buying a condo as well. Thanks again!

[datroy]

What do people think/know about German Village? I visited a couple weeks ago and drove around the various neighborhoods. While I liked Victorian Village and Clintonville (particularly the areas with the wider, less crowded streets), I really liked what I saw from German Village. I know it's south of downtown. How big of a hassle is that? I'm not really going to be looking to hit the bars near campus every weekend or anything like that - just go to class, library, etc. I may end up investing in a garage pass if there are still any available when I get there in September, so while walking to campus would be nice, I would still have parking if I did so. Would be interested in hearing anyone's thoughts.

Thanks

[latte thunder]

On 4/19/2011 at 12:25 PM, gradstudent1234 said:

I thought it might be sketchy. Thanks for the confirmation.

I don't care at all about school districts, but I'd like to be within a 10-15 minute drive to OSU. I was hoping to buy a house which is why I was looking in this area. What do you think about Clintonville? Or if you have other suggestions, I'd be open to buying a condo as well. Thanks again!

Clintonville is a good area, but you might have some trouble finding affordable houses for sale as a lot of the houses are rental properties or still full of yuppie baby boomers. I would suggest the Bethel/Henderson road area as well, especially around the Kenny rd intersection. I'm not sure what the name of this area actually is; I've always just heard it referred to by the street names! A lot of the people who live in this area are grad students/upper classmen or recently graduated and there are quite a few condos for sale. I think this would be your best bet. Just about anywhere off of those two roads are safe areas, but the closer you are to Kenny or 315, the easier your commute will be.

You may be able to find some houses on "campus" which is basically the square created by 11th to the south, 4th to the east, Hudson to the north, and 315 to the west. I would question your Realtor about how easily you'd be able to sell after you graduate, as you would almost definitely not want to live here if you didn't have to. It's not particularly dangerous, but is full of kids and other people who would be attracted to rent targeted at students.

For any other incoming students reading this, there are plenty more safe options to rent in Columbus, but buying might be more of a hassle.

 

On 4/19/2011 at 6:10 PM, datroy said:

What do people think/know about German Village? I visited a couple weeks ago and drove around the various neighborhoods. While I liked Victorian Village and Clintonville (particularly the areas with the wider, less crowded streets), I really liked what I saw from German Village. I know it's south of downtown. How big of a hassle is that? I'm not really going to be looking to hit the bars near campus every weekend or anything like that - just go to class, library, etc. I may end up investing in a garage pass if there are still any available when I get there in September, so while walking to campus would be nice, I would still have parking if I did so. Would be interested in hearing anyone's thoughts.

Thanks

LOL, its kinda funny that you liked the wider streets AND German Village! This area isn't a hassle to get to campus, buses run up and down high street all day, and its about a 10-15 min drive. You WILL NOT be able to walk it. There is also an express shuttle that goes from campus to German Village on fri/sat nights (with stops near the arena district and the short north) so you'll be OK if you have an alcoholic change of mind.

I used to live in German Village (and now I'm right across the highway downtown) and my best advice is to find a place in June. Seems to be when the cheapest apartments open up. Check out the brewery district, Merion Village, and Shumacher Place as well. I'm not sure what you comfort level is as far as neighborhoods, but it would probably be best to stay North of Hanford (gets unsafe south of here), and West of Bruck (more so for the looks factor, as this is an ugly, but not dangerous area until you cross Parsons). I would not advise Hungarian Village, it looks so close on a map, but it's...hood. For lack of a better word.

[datroy]

LOL, its kinda funny that you liked the wider streets AND German Village! This area isn't a hassle to get to campus, buses run up and down high street all day, and its about a 10-15 min drive. You WILL NOT be able to walk it. There is also an express shuttle that goes from campus to German Village on fri/sat nights (with stops near the arena district and the short north) so you'll be OK if you have an alcoholic change of mind.

I used to live in German Village (and now I'm right across the highway downtown) and my best advice is to find a place in June. Seems to be when the cheapest apartments open up. Check out the brewery district, Merion Village, and Shumacher Place as well. I'm not sure what you comfort level is as far as neighborhoods, but it would probably be best to stay North of Hanford (gets unsafe south of here), and West of Bruck (more so for the looks factor, as this is an ugly, but not dangerous area until you cross Parsons). I would not advise Hungarian Village, it looks so close on a map, but it's...hood. For lack of a better word.

Thanks. By "wider streets," I meant anything wider than the roads in the southern part of Clintonville and around campus where cars are jammed in on both sides of the road and only one car can (barely) get by in either direction at a time. I used to live in a neighborhood like that, and I'm not interested in doing it again - reversing an entire block so the car headed straight at you can get by, etc.

Another question. If I'm starting in September, will apartments be available in...September (or August)? It would seem to me that would make the most sense since that's when most people would be moving in. I'll be working until August and my current lease runs out in September and I'd rather not have to pay 2-3 months of double rent (my current place doesn't allow for a sublease).

Thanks

[latte thunder]

Thanks. By "wider streets," I meant anything wider than the roads in the southern part of Clintonville and around campus where cars are jammed in on both sides of the road and only one car can (barely) get by in either direction at a time. I used to live in a neighborhood like that, and I'm not interested in doing it again - reversing an entire block so the car headed straight at you can get by, etc.

Another question. If I'm starting in September, will apartments be available in...September (or August)? It would seem to me that would make the most sense since that's when most people would be moving in. I'll be working until August and my current lease runs out in September and I'd rather not have to pay 2-3 months of double rent (my current place doesn't allow for a sublease).

Thanks

Hmmm... Most of the streets in German Village are like this... with 3rd st being the exception. That's the main business area and might be what you saw? Traffic typically isn't that bad around here, so you don't normally have to reverse down the street to let someone through, but you will have to pull over for other people every once in a while. Of course there will be stuff availible for September/August, but much more that are closer to campus than in German Village as GVs population is more families/young professionals than students.

[datroy]

Can you tell me more about Merion Village? Roughly speaking, what divides Merion Village from Hungarian Village. Just browsing around Craigslist I've seen what appear to be nice places in and around Morrill St, Beck St., etc in between High St and Parsons Ave. On Google maps it says Hungarian Village. The posters on Craigslist say Merion Village. Obviously they have every reason to say so if Hungarian Village is known to not be as nice an area, but checking out the area in google street view it looks pretty nice.

Also, what should I know about Italian Village. I've heard that side of High Street is a little more questionable then the Victorian Village side. Driving around when I was out there generally confirmed that, but not being as nice as Victorian Village doesn't mean its not a good area. Any thoughts about that area would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[latte thunder]

On 4/20/2011 at 11:32 AM, datroy said:

Can you tell me more about Merion Village? Roughly speaking, what divides Merion Village from Hungarian Village. Just browsing around Craigslist I've seen what appear to be nice places in and around Morrill St, Beck St., etc in between High St and Parsons Ave. On Google maps it says Hungarian Village. The posters on Craigslist say Merion Village. Obviously they have every reason to say so if Hungarian Village is known to not be as nice an area, but checking out the area in google street view it looks pretty nice.

Also, what should I know about Italian Village. I've heard that side of High Street is a little more questionable then the Victorian Village side. Driving around when I was out there generally confirmed that, but not being as nice as Victorian Village doesn't mean its not a good area. Any thoughts about that area would be much appreciated.

Thanks

I think Morrill is the border between the two. I don't know what you're comfortable with, however I can't in good faith recommend you live there. It doesn't look like The wire, but that area is run down. Although It's getting gentrified and some of the houses are nicer it's not a street you'd want to walk down at night. It doesn't look that bad on google maps near highstreet... but this HAD to be taken on a sunday morning! That ugly warehouse on High St is a drive thru/liqour store, which always attracts some undesirables and once you get a few blocks down Morrill you'll see where the boarded up houses start. LOL, I feel like I sound like a spoiled rich girl here, but I actually checked out two places on this street the last time I moved (I bet I even know which listing you saw, because few of these houses have been fixed up) and you can find better places for the same rent a few blocks north.

Beck st closer to Parson is a better option. Even though parsons itself can scare a lot of people you should be pretty safe here. South lane is a very ugly street but the streets inbetween and including Beck and Forest have some nice homes. Try to drive around this area first, and see if Parsons is something you could live this close to. Also, note that the area across Parsons ("swanson's addition" I think?) is extermely poor. Not working class, but poverty stricken poor.

I promise I don't spend my weekends at the country club, lol. I actually spend quite a bit of time on Parsons and South High! I want to be as honest as possible because I know people have different comfort levels with this type of thing.

You should be OK in italian Village. I recommend you stay west of 4th St however (and again, as close to High as possible). This area is very gentrified... however you may feel about that. Kinda rubs me the wrong way, but it does tend to make areas safer faster, and give some sense of community. I prefer areas with a REAL sense of history; not the kind you buy but the kind you live. If you like this neighborhood you might also like West, which is directly northwestish of Victorian Village.

http://www.harrisonwest.org/

[nabelle]

Hi! I'll be moving down in the fall. Any opinions on University Village? Is it mostly grad students or undergrads?

[gradstudent1234]

Clintonville is a good area, but you might have some trouble finding affordable houses for sale as a lot of the houses are rental properties or still full of yuppie baby boomers. I would suggest the Bethel/Henderson road area as well, especially around the Kenny rd intersection. I'm not sure what the name of this area actually is; I've always just heard it referred to by the street names! A lot of the people who live in this area are grad students/upper classmen or recently graduated and there are quite a few condos for sale. I think this would be your best bet. Just about anywhere off of those two roads are safe areas, but the closer you are to Kenny or 315, the easier your commute will be.

You may be able to find some houses on "campus" which is basically the square created by 11th to the south, 4th to the east, Hudson to the north, and 315 to the west. I would question your Realtor about how easily you'd be able to sell after you graduate, as you would almost definitely not want to live here if you didn't have to. It's not particularly dangerous, but is full of kids and other people who would be attracted to rent targeted at students.

For any other incoming students reading this, there are plenty more safe options to rent in Columbus, but buying might be more of a hassle.

Thanks for the information. I've started checking out the Bethel/Henderson area and like what I've seen so far. If I was looking for condos instead of a home, would you be able to recommend any other areas? Thanks again.

[latte thunder]

On 4/22/2011 at 10:32 PM, nabelle said:

Hi! I'll be moving down in the fall. Any opinions on University Village? Is it mostly grad students or undergrads?

Hi,

I asked my BF about this complex the other day (he did undergrad at OSU). He said it was full of undergrads, and is basically a 24 hour party.

 

On 4/24/2011 at 10:05 AM, gradstudent1234 said:

Thanks for the information. I've started checking out the Bethel/Henderson area and like what I've seen so far. If I was looking for condos instead of a home, would you be able to recommend any other areas? Thanks again.

Downtown may be a good possibility? The City pushed for a ton of condos to be built in the downtown area but a good number are still vacant, so the prices have come down. You can difinitely find something under 200,000 and I did a quick search and found a one bedroom condo for 113,000. Downtown is a very easy drive to OSU about 10 - 15. This would double during evening rush hour, from about 5-6 PM but I've never had trouble getting around any other time of the day. Except game days of course, but then you'll even have trouble WALKING to OSU. Oh! you should also be able to take the bus from here. Big plus.

Sawmill is another idea, it's kinda like a slightly older (people wise, newer buildings) extention of the bethel/henderson area, but your commute will be longer. I don't think I've ever made this drive so I can't say for certain, but during the weekday it would be atleast 20 min. Probably more like 30+ during rush hour.

Anywhere else in Columbus and I think you'll really have to extend your commute. There may be stuff on the southwest side, around the frank road area but to be honest I'm not so familar with this side of town. I know they put up a bunch of housing right before the recession but before that this area was much more indrustrial. Still kinda smells weird, but you can get a house under 100,000. This area is a lot more working class/lower middle class and has a bit of sprawl, so may not be fun for a grad student.

[eat.climb.love]

I was wondering if anyone knew of any decent realtors around the OSU area. I would love to live within a walking distance of campus (<1.5 miles) and feel completely lost in this housing search. I have heard to stay away from Buckeye Real Estate but are there any realtors that anyone has had fabulous experience with and could recommend?

[latte thunder]

I was wondering if anyone knew of any decent realtors around the OSU area. I would love to live within a walking distance of campus (<1.5 miles) and feel completely lost in this housing search. I have heard to stay away from Buckeye Real Estate but are there any realtors that anyone has had fabulous experience with and could recommend?

Not really, unfortunately. MOST campus realtors are terrible. They charge ridiculous rent to live in housing that is often not quite up to code. They get away with it because most student's don't know any better. On the other hand, a lot of the properties are in disrepair because student's don't take good care of them!

For good or for bad, there really isn't any way you can make sure you don't get screwed over by a Landlord. I would look for properties based on your preferences (location in this case) and based on what you can afford. Of course, try to avoid realtor's whose tenants have had to put the rent into escrow a bunch of times/eviction happy landlords (you can check this out on the clerk of courts website) but this doesn't mean you'll like your apartment. Worst case scenario, you move in a year.

I would suggest that you try to find the nicest apartment in the nicest area you can afford. Hopefully, this will mean that the lanldlords care about their property and a landlord that cares about their property is really the best you can ask for. Perhaps you could focus on realtors that have campus property, but aren't exclusively campus based. These might not be as unscrupulous towards students.

[AshleyJ]

I will be moving from Tennessee to attend OSU for grad school in the fall as well. I've been looking at the Royal Neil Apartments. At the intersection of Neil Rd and Doldridge Ave. The apartment is reasonably priced and appears to be in great condition. The management team seems to be on top of things as far as communitcating with me. My only concern is the area. I don't neccessarily want to live in the heart of undergraduate life but I also don't want to move to far out as exploring the city of Columbus will be an adventure within itself for me. Is this area (Neil and Doldridge) okay?

[eat.climb.love]

I will be moving from Tennessee to attend OSU for grad school in the fall as well. I've been looking at the Royal Neil Apartments. At the intersection of Neil Rd and Doldridge Ave. The apartment is reasonably priced and appears to be in great condition. The management team seems to be on top of things as far as communitcating with me. My only concern is the area. I don't neccessarily want to live in the heart of undergraduate life but I also don't want to move to far out as exploring the city of Columbus will be an adventure within itself for me. Is this area (Neil and Doldridge) okay?

I used two websites Family Watch Dog and Spot Crime (I think those were their names?) to check out the areas. You would be surprised how quickly an area goes from nice to spotty so I would Google Map it and use websites like those to check it out if you can't see it. (Also I have no idea about the area - will be new so I have no advice on that. Hopefully it is pretty safe!)

A question to those of you from Columbus: how bikeable is it? I am thinking about just biking to class since I am looking at places in that awkward distance where driving is sort of silly (considering the parking passes I can afford are pretty far from my building) but walking might get tedious every day. (The 1.5-2 mile range so fairly quick trip via bike.)

[latte thunder]

I will be moving from Tennessee to attend OSU for grad school in the fall as well. I've been looking at the Royal Neil Apartments. At the intersection of Neil Rd and Doldridge Ave. The apartment is reasonably priced and appears to be in great condition. The management team seems to be on top of things as far as communitcating with me. My only concern is the area. I don't neccessarily want to live in the heart of undergraduate life but I also don't want to move to far out as exploring the city of Columbus will be an adventure within itself for me. Is this area (Neil and Doldridge) okay?

This area should be fine. There are a ton of shops and grocery stores in this area (as well as a bus line, if you need it) so this is a pretty good place to start if you aren't familar with the city. Also, its decently north of campus, so you shouldn't get completely swamped with undergraduates either!

[spozik]

A question to those of you from Columbus: how bikeable is it? I am thinking about just biking to class since I am looking at places in that awkward distance where driving is sort of silly (considering the parking passes I can afford are pretty far from my building) but walking might get tedious every day. (The 1.5-2 mile range so fairly quick trip via bike.)

Certain parts of Columbus are very bike friendly, others are not. There is a bike path that runs north and south of campus along the Olentangy River and then meets up with other bike paths in the area along the way. That's the prettier way. High St. itself also has a bike lane (multi-use, I guess; it's also the bus lane and sometimes there are cars in it) that I've never had any problems with. Biking from west of campus would probably be more difficult, as I don't think that many of those areas are as bike-friendly. If you are along High St., though, you should have no problems. Also keep in mind that as a grad. student at OSU you have to pay a mandatory fee that includes a bus pass, so you can always hop on that whenever you want, too.

[burgundykitten]

Bumping this with my own inquiries...

Has anyone ever lived at Village West in Victorian Village & have a thought on it? Or do you have any recommended housing suggestions (2 br & cat-friendly) on Thurber/in that general vicinity?

Does anyone know anything about OSU's College of Social Work (particularly the MSW)? I seriously have not been able to find forum opinions on it through any forum, but it's ranked 30th in the nation & is the best public Ohio social work option (in terms of rankings), but I wish I could get student input or anything.

[Silas]

Victorian Village and Harrison West are both really nice areas, though a little expensive sometimes (i.e., I pay ~$650/month including utilities for a beautiful, huge apartment in Clintonville, which is actually closer to campus than many Vic Village/HW apartments, while friends have paid >$650/month not including utilities for really small/not as nice places in those neighborhoods). That said, it's beautiful, quiet, safe, and relatively convenient.

[xuxu]

Hi everyone! I am looking for 1-bd apartment near campus. Although have been here for half a year, I still have no idea where to live....

My lab would be around med center so I'd like to live around south ( I don't like driving, but biking is okay ) I would live alone so security and peaceful is my top concern. That's why I have hesitation for apartments on Neil.... Also, I can't afford expensive ones...poor stipends

So, my concerns are

1. Safe

2. convenient

3. quiet (especially in the night...)

4. cheap or not expensive...

Really want your advice guys!

[burgundykitten]

Furniture's honestly not that bad to acquire. I think I found a couple places that are fully furnished, but they were uber-expensive. http://www.commonsosu.com/floorPlansInfo.php?id=120#

The other one I was thinking of was called... The Abigail, I believe? I don't know that those are fully furnished, now that I'm trying to find the listing again. You'd still probably do better getting basic furniture though - moving would suck, but living in an apt with only 400 sq ft (if you lived alone) sounds less appealing for the price. Craigslist can be a good source for basic things (not mattresses).

[Blurry]

I just got an offer OSU and would appreciate any feedback (recent) on good neighbourhoods to live in. I will probbaly accept the offer.

I'm looking to bring my fiancee with me who will be actively looking for work but may not get any for the first year so will support out of stipend (and savings if need be). We currently live in <500 sq.ft so used ot that sort of thing. I need cheap (under 600$ - around 600ish is ok if all utilities are included) in a safe place that is commutable (at least public transit) to OSU. I don't really know much about COlumbus: all I know is that Victorian Village and Short North seem to be safe places, walkable and close to OSU.

Where should I be looking? What should I avoid?

Many thanks!

[archer]

Does anyone have feedback about on-campus graduate housing?

A quick look at Google Maps shows that grad housing on Neil Avenue is fairly close to the History department at Dulles Hall, which is what I'm looking for. I really don't mind ugly, cramped apartments but I'd rather not deal with any silly curfews and restrictions that tends to come with campus housing. I've read through the leasing terms and conditions, and so far haven't been scared away. So does anyone have experiences/advice/warnings they could share? Thank you!

Edited February 14, 2012 by archer

[PhDreaming]

I have also been accepted to OSU and most likely will be moving there. I've found what look like decent and affordable apartments in the Discovery District on E Towne Street near Grant and Washington. I'll be out there in a couple of weeks but before I set up an appointment to see the place, I was hoping someone could tell me if this part of downtown is a nice place to live. It seems so close to downtown so I am concerned that the $500 price tag is surprisingly low and perhaps indicative of something that I should be aware of. Any thought?