Hilliard or Gahanna? (Columbus, Westerville, Pickerington: renting, houses, high schools)

[317boy]

We are fairly new to the Columbus area and are currently renting a home in London, OH. My wife and I really want to get back into a more urban setting in the suburbs of Columbus. Our two favorite areas of interest are either Hilliard or Gahanna. Could someone please advise me on which would be better to settle down in and raise our children in. Thanks in advance.

[jbcmh81]

Hilliard is more "urban" and probably better overall, imo.

[Zen_master]

Any other requirements such as downtown access, freeway access, or proximity to shopping/entertainment? Do either of you travel much for work?

[FitMom77]

We moved here at the end of August and chose Gahanna. Several people recommended it to us, and we couldn't be happier. It's really close to Easton Town Center, close to the airport, about 10-15 minutes from the Polaris area, easy access to downtown, and Gahanna has a great little downtown area called Creekside. There are lots of festivals, etc there. I don't know much about Hilliard, but wanted to give you a newcomer's opinion of Gahanna

[robertfoshizzle]

They're honestly very similar. If you're living in London now, Hilliard might be a more comfortable transition since it's on the same side of town. Gahanna does have the advantage of easy access to I-670, making trips to the airport and downtown a breeze. Hilliard is pretty convenient to downtown too though.

If you like both, I say start looking at houses in both areas and pick the house you like best. You're going to get a similar experience either way in my opinion. Westerville might be worth a look too.

[bgfalcons86]

Gahanna, Westerville, Pickerington and Hilliard share a lot of similarities, with some differences too, of course. Incomes and housing values are pretty similar.

IMO, I'd give the edge to Hilliard over Gahanna, with schools being the deciding factor. Gahanna schools are good, but Hilliard schools rate a bit better overall. Also, the Hilliard high schools are a bit smaller and the facilities nicer than Lincoln HS in Gahanna. Obviously, you have a little ways to go until you get to the high school days, though.

[317boy]

Thanks for all of the input. My wife and I have really grown to love the Gahanna area, and that is where we have decided to move and raise our children. We couldn't have gone wrong either way, but it felt right when we were there each time.

[Zen_master]

Originally Posted by 317boy

Thanks for all of the input. My wife and I have really grown to love the Gahanna area, and that is where we have decided to move and raise our children. We couldn't have gone wrong either way, but it felt right when we were there each time.

Congrats

[ReloToOH]

I saw this post while searching for more information on Hilliard. I am relocating to Columbus in a few months for work, and while I was originally looking at just the downtown area, I want to get an idea of all options. What's Hilliard like? The schools there seem to be good. Is there much in the way of entertainment/amenities (grocery shopping, farmer's market, coffee, library)? How is the walkability/biking? What about the commute to the arena district? We are moving from out of state, and I don't know much about this area.

[Cbus76]

Originally Posted by ReloToOH

I saw this post while searching for more information on Hilliard. I am relocating to Columbus in a few months for work, and while I was originally looking at just the downtown area, I want to get an idea of all options. What's Hilliard like? The schools there seem to be good. Is there much in the way of entertainment/amenities (grocery shopping, farmer's market, coffee, library)? How is the walkability/biking? What about the commute to the arena district? We are moving from out of state, and I don't know much about this area.

Hilliard is typical cookie-cutter suburbia. Lots of subdivisions and strip malls. Very much middle class - not the upper-end of suburbs, but not at the bottom either. Same thing can be said for the schools - not the best of suburban districts, but certainly not bad. It's not oozing with character, but the small, older downtown area is ok I suppose. Commute to the arena district is probably 20 or 25 minutes.