Columbus has a high Quality of Life
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11/15/2008
I'm a lifelong resident of Columbus, and I continue to enjoy living here. I find the mix of big city ammenities (arts, sports, nightlife) and small town convenience (traffic isn't terrible, people are generally friendly) to be especially attractive.
It's important to realize that although Sperling's is trying to compare cities, it's very difficult to boil down a city as large as Columbus (population ~750,000) into a rating of a single number for example. Take the crime rate: Sperling's says it gets a "6" for violent crime although the national average is 3. This doesn't take into account the fact that there are some areas in the city that see very high crime rates, while others are extremely quiet. The area of Milo-Grogan and South Linden see lots of violence unfortunately, whereas the entire northwest side of the city is exceptionally safe.
Education is the same way. Although people tend to assume that Columbus City Schools are universally mediocre, the same geographic differences apply. For example, Elementary schools such as Winterset, Indian Springs, Colerain, and Clinton Heights are all rated "Excellent" by the state of Ohio, whereas many elementary schools in say Hilliard or Groveport and other suburbs are often rated lower.
Overall, Columbus is a very enjoyable place to live as long as you do a little research before you move. A final note to anyone not from the state: There is one obsession here that is almost universal, Ohio State Football. If you want to blend in with the locals, read up on it and you'll do just fine.
Ben | Columbus, OH