It’s Hard To Find A Wallet That Fits All That Extra Cash
City life in most areas is known for being expensive. But
Columbus is just the opposite. Along with all the energy and excitement of city-living, Columbus also offers an incredibly affordable cost of living. On an index average of 100, AreaVibes.com ranks Columbus at 89 for affordability, bringing it in a whopping 11 percent under the national average.
The housing is probably the most affordable of all, coming in over 10 percent less than the national median cost at $139,000. When you start crunching the numbers, it’s no wonder why Columbus frequently has frequently landed at the top of lists covering the most affordable and livable cities over the past decade.
Columbus Is Part City, Part College Town
Move over,
Boston. Columbus is the real college city in the country. It might not have Harvard but what it does have is an astounding 62 universities and college which educate over 140,000 students every year. With numbers like that, there’s no getting around the college town feel here and that’s not a bad thing.
The biggest school in the area is
Ohio State University. As one of the largest and most respected public universities in the country, OSU makes up 60,000 students a year alone, bringing all of the energy, fun, sports, traffic, and parties with it. But don’t think of this as a party school town, either. Columbus as wildly successful graduation and degree rate. Students receive 10 percent more associate’s degrees, over 10 percent more bachelor’s degrees, and about two percent more master’s degrees more than other college student against the national average, according to AreaVibes.com
Columbus Is A Sports Lover’s Paradise
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been a sports fan. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve never attended any of the colleges in the Columbus area. Once you live here, you will get pulled in by the sports enthusiasm to some degree. Especially with OSU football which is very widely considered a religion here. But make no mistake, that’s not the only team—not by a long shot.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are the city’s NHL team. And you’ll find fans for teams ranging between
Cleveland and
Cincinnati teams including the Cleveland Browns versus the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Indians versus the Cincinnati Reds. Which city you choose to cheer for is up to you but the general rule is that you pick a city and stick to it, there is no flip-flopping.
You’ll Never Go Hungry Living Here
Cleveland’s food scene has always been pretty good but in recent years, it’s all but exploded. It starts with the finger-licking and award-winning barbeque from places like There’s City Barbeque and Ray Ray’s Hot Pit, through the Southern comfort food at the Hot Chicken Takeover, and goes all the way to some of the best ice cream you’ll ever find at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.
And if you think that’s just hyperbole, just ask U.S. News & World Report which listed Jeni’s as having The Best Ice Cream In America. And since Columbus residents obviously know what they’re doing as foodies, it’s no surprise that companies like Starbucks and Wendy’s use the city as a test market area where locals can try out and sample new menu items before everyone else.
Columbus Smiles
A lot of cities can be cold. You can live in some places for five years or more and still not know most of your neighbors. But that’s not life in Columbus. If you’re the least bit unfriendly or you have a problem getting to know the people in your neighborhood and community, then you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb.
This is a place where people smile at each other and say hello as they pass on the street. When you run into someone you know, even if it’s just barely, in the grocery store, you stop and talk. Your neighbors have your back and will help you out with whatever you need, whether it’s borrowing a cup of sugar or help moving in that new piece of Ikea furniture that you underestimated on the showroom floor. So, smile back. Otherwise, Columbus might not be for you.
But Columbus Also Knows How To Raise Its Glass
The nightlife in Central Ohio is one of the best in all of the Midwest, only out-shadowed by
Chicago and arguable
Indianapolis. Head to the Schottenstein Center to catch the latest band on the billboards or to Brother’s Drake Meadery & Bar for a live band over drinks with some friends.
Curio classes up the cocktail bar scene while places like 16 Bit + Arcade allows you to play video games while you’re knocking a few back. There are also close to a dozen clubs, gay and straight, in the city, offering a wide range of nightlife entertainment for all tastes.
A Park Isn’t Just A Park In Columbus, It’s A Work Of Art
There are nature lover and then there are Columbus nature lovers. The parks in the area are fantastic, whether you’re out for a leisurely walk or bird watching at Glen Echo Ravine or looking to hit a 14-mile trail in Worthington Hills. But The Topiary Park in downtown Columbus is one of the coolest parks you’ll ever see, featuring an assortment of landscape bushes and hedges, shaped and modeled after the famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.
Columbus Is Upside Down In All The Right Ways
It’s not so surprising that even the parks in Columbus are so creative and artsy once you discover just how creative of a city Columbus is. The city is filled with amazing artists of all sorts who take pride in being as unique as possible. Along with the awesome art you can find throughout the city, one of the best examples of Columbus’ creative streaks is the annual Doo Dah Parade, an event with nothing but the goal to be as flamboyant, exaggerated, and whacky as possible. But there is a very real side to the art scene here which you can find in the CATCO theater shows, COSI Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, CAPA center, and various art galleries around town.
The Weather Is As Wacky As The People
Technically speaking, Columbus is a city that experiences all four seasons. Of course, that’s not to say how long those seasons actually last. Winter can sometimes feel like it’s gone on so long, it might never stop. The snowfall actually comes in just under the national average at 24.8 inches annually, but January and February’s lows can dip down in the negative digits, making it feel endless. Then, suddenly, spring will break through and you’ll have about 10 days of the most gorgeous weather you could ask for. Summer always seems to come in like bullet, bringing average high of 97 degrees in July and August, but also waves of super thick humidity. The fall is pretty great, though, and you learn how to truly appreciate the gorgeous days more than ever.
Community Culture Is Strong In Columbus
You might not always hear the best things about the crime rates in Columbus. Like any big city, there are issues. But that doesn’t mean that this is an unsafe place to live. All you need to do is explore Columbus to see for yourself. There are always people on the streets and you can be, too.
If you’re easily bored, that won’t be a problem in the city of Columbus where community comes first and there is always something going on. You can have a blast and stuffing your face with everyone else from Ohio at the awesome Ohio State Fair or volunteer with the awesome folks of ComFest to get the annual and beloved Community Festival underway. There are outdoor movie events, holiday parades, the annual hot air balloon festival, and so many more ways to get involved and interact. There are neighborhoods to avoid, but overall this is an amazing city filled with great people and endless events that will remind you of everything there is to love about living in Columbus.
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