4869 Downing Dr
Columbus, OH 43232

"the area has its ups and downs but overall our experience here over the last 5 years has been mostly positive. there seems to be a bit of a revitalization recently as a lot of homes have changed ownership but it largely depends on the street you live on. the schools leave a lot to be desired but it isn't because of the teachers; in my experience, with 3 school-age children and surprisingly normal pto mom (as opposed to the rabid ones) at 2 different schools has been that the district itself is failing from the top down, not the bottom up. i am hopeful that the new superintendent will be able to make the changes needed for the schools to thrive but we've run out of time to play the waiting game. the looking potential of a teacher strike and the districts acceptance of hiring less than qualified replacements for the interim period, combined with the possibility of the state taking over the district after this year made it easy for our family to choose between staying and going when an out of state promotion was offered. the community is really amazing, but there is a real disconnect between generations, long-term residents, the flood of young professionals gentrifying neighborhoods that are still trying to heal from trauma, and many other important dynamics. if we had another 5 years to wait for the area to keep progressing, we would consider staying but the opportunity to move somewhere that has already lowered its crime with properly funded schools is too big of a draw when the immediate future here looks so uncertain. "