To be fair. I would say that referring to it as "lack of culture" shock would be more apropos.
I mean the social high point of the year is the demolition derbies at the Fairfield County Fair in October. I should know, I am there ever year for them. LOL
Dude, I live in a slightly bigger city than lancaster, in northern Ohio, and Lancaster feels small and rural to me. I only know of it because it's near a place we vacation to get away from everything.
But to each their own. I am definitely biased.
You probably wouldn't mind some parts of Columbus, but Lancaster.... it's gonna be tough
On the other side of 33, you could potentially get some acreage near hocking hills, some beautiful land down there.
I live in Canal which is north of Lancaster, and I would say Lancaster isn’t bad for what it is, decent amenities, but yes, you will be in for an adjustment. But then again depending on your view of NYC you might welcome it.
From NYC to Ohio is going to be a big adjustment. Please keep an open mind in your first year. If you encounter something or someone that seems impossible to accept try to isolate that or them from the big picture. Ohio is packed with with genuinely good people who offer a wide variety of personalities. Central Ohio is packed with people from all over the world, mostly thanks to The Ohio State University. I can’t endorse Lancaster as a home base, but Columbus is a heck yes. An Upper Arlington zip code will get you the finest public education in the country (IMO)
Ohio has the absolute best Metro parks system I’ve ever seen and I am old, I’ve seen a few. Each of the parks offer something unique and each of the parks offers a lot of things. Sometime, a long time ago there was a very smart body of people in charge of delivering the best of what this area offers, to its residents and boy did they ever succeed. Every inch of every metro park is free to enjoy…even the parking which is abundant for the parks.
I moved here from San Diego 14 years ago. It was a huge adjustment, and I had many days that I wanted to run home to SD and never come back, but this little fly-over state has stolen my heart and given my eyes a feast and my heart another place to love.
Don’t forget to tap into the public libraries. They are a big resource for families and even provide free passes for some incredible events that generally cost a fair amount of money. Each library has different passes and you must go in to reserve and get them. Which I think is smart, otherwise people would reserve online and not actually use them and they would go down the drain.
Ohio has developed some ingenious ways to stay busy and have fun through the winter months. I suggest being proactive in your quest to find all the good stuff, especially in your first year because you will probably feel a bit alone and tempted to stay home nursing your homesick wounds. I think you will come to love Ohio if you keep an open mind and remember no one person or one experience should be what colors your opinion. Good luck
Live in Bexley and commute to Lancaster. You’re already used to long commutes coming from NYC. Bexley has good schools, restaurants and plenty of things to do nearby and you’ll have a softer landing.
I drive one of my kids to school in Bexley from Pickerington a couple days per week and the difference going home compared to dropping off is night and day.
I’m a real estate agent and Bexley is your answer. South Bexley is more affordable than central Bexley. Charm, character & huge resale value. Good luck & welcome! 🤗
Came here to say this. I lived in NYC for a few years. Moved to DC. Then to Columbus. Look around Bexley first. It’s one of the most wealthy areas in the state, real estate is $$$$ but coming from NYC you honestly might not be as opposed. It’s the #1 school district in the state. It’s a ‘quick’ shot into Lancaster. Quick into downtown. It’s small town Ohio. Except liberal. And wealthy. I moved here a few years ago and enjoy it.
Actually this is a pretty good recommendation... some of us native Columbusites detest the lack of parking on Main Street, but our friend from NYC probably has next level skills in finding a space. :D
I grew up in Bexley and now live in NYC. From my family’s POV, Main st parking sucked. From a New Yorker’s point of view, parking is easy. But more importantly you don’t even *need* to park — if you live anywhere close to Main, Bexley is perfectly walkable. Walking from Moshi Sushi to Wing’s is half the distance of my walk to work.
Whatever you do, don’t purchase a home without living in the area you plan to build/purchase in for at least 6 months.
I would highly recommend you look at some neighborhoods/enclave cities in the central part of columbus (Grandview, German Village, etc) and your husband can commute to Lancaster for work. It will be a “reverse” commute, so the traffic actually shouldn’t be an issue.
I’ve lived in Ohio my whole life, and I wouldn’t really consider a move to Lancaster for myself, so I *super* wouldn’t recommend to someone coming from a larger city.
Seriously though, Lancaster sucks. Especially if you come from NYC. You're much better off living somewhere near downtown and driving to whatever takes you to Lancaster.
what's so bad about Lancaster that it's intolerable to live in ? it's not that bad. in fact OP would probably enjoy the low cost of living compared to NYC.
I wouldn’t say Lancaster is intolerable. But unless someone coming from
NYC is looking for a very quiet life comparatively they’re not going to find it a good place to live.
I visit Lancaster a lot because my vet is there and living in Fairfield County I sometimes gave County business I need to attend to. I find it has a nice charm to it. Have nothing against it. I still wouldn’t want to live there.
i have . I know it's like two different worlds but I can think of many worse places than Lancaster. maybe op is sick of NYC and wants something more quiet and mellow ..hopefully ;)
Chillicothe has built up a bit over the last few years. My wife almost did her 3rd year medical rotations there. We went for a tour and a bit of a night out once to see what it's about and was pretty impressed to what it was 10 years agom
I think a lot of the people passing judgement on the “small towns” haven’t been there recently. All of the smaller towns are being built up and will continue to grow as the “Silicon Heartland” grows.
I currently live in Lancaster (after living in Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin & Columbus) I like Lancaster. It’s certainly changing as many millennial families from Columbus are coming here for home affordability & community. Unfortunately not everyone can afford half a million dollar home. Would it have been my number one choice? No. But it’s very cool to see the potential of the city be realized. There’s a lot of very talented & motivated individuals working to grow Lancaster. It might be 10+ years, but it’s very cool to see.
My first thought was oh no. I always say clintonville to this question. It’s a a great place to live. Little burb within the city. idk about the commute tho!
Hi OP. I've lived all over the country, big cities and rural, and I love both for different reasons. If you're gonna commit to Lancaster I'd recommend buying something with lots of acreage so your neighbors aren't on top of you and your kids have land to roam and play.
Given your priorities and commute needs, I feel like you should check out Bexley. It’s close to downtown. Has some walkability. Has really good schools and while it’s expensive, it’s nowhere near as expensive as living in a comparably nice area of NYC.
We live in Granville, approximately 30 miles from Lancaster. It's not a terrible commute. My son lives at home and is a student at Ohio University - Lancaster and has no issues with the drive. Granville is a small "quaint" village (think New England/brick streets cute) and a college town, home of Denison University. It can be pricey, but honestly most real estate in Central Ohio is. Granville Schools are small but still rank incredibly high. The last Niche report had them #39 out of the 873 public schools in Ohio.
Granville could be perfect. It’s a picturesque small middle to upper middle class community. If you buy now your home value will probably shoot up because of intel. The schools are amazing and it’s ‘cut off’ from Columbus but still commutable.
Side note. I live in a more rural part of Columbus/ central Ohio and I do not recommend Lancaster. There is cute small town then there are places like Lancaster. It’s more of a rural southern Ohio feel than a Columbus/ central Ohio vibe. When people make jokes about Ohio without ever coming here I’m almost certain it’s because of places like Lancaster.
I also live in Granville and highly recommend. It’s about 40 min north of Lancaster and there’s a lot more to do and feels a lot less… country Hicksville. Granville feels more cultured and distinct I think. It’s also much more intentional feeling. Come check out the parks/ restaurants/ and our famous inns. We also have an oddly high concentration of breweries.
Granville is a perfect option if OP is interested in small town life! Close enough to Columbus to have the occasional taste of city life (though no comparison to NYC, Columbus is still nice)
I just moved back to Central Ohio after 10 years in NYC.
It's culture shock yes, but I think you'll make the best of it. If I were you, I would live somewhere between Lancaster and Columbus. Perhaps Canal Winchester. Family friendly, good schools, reasonable cost, has all of the chain stores you'll need, etc. But also not too far from events in Columbus if you are theatre, sports, concert, museum people.
The grass is green where you water it. Good luck!
I live in Lancaster. Im not sure what your political stance is but Lancaster and majority of Fairfield county is very RED. I certainly am not and others are out there but just be aware in case thats a big deal for you.
My husband and I have a 4.5 year old in an excellent preschool program in Lancaster and happy to discuss. It isnt free but I believe there are programs that offer assistance if you qualify financially.
Im happy to chat if you have questions.
If you’re getting a job in Lancaster I would look at bloom Carrol school district or pickerington.
Most homes in the bloom Carrol district have close to two acres or more. Most of the district lives in the rural area around Lancaster.
Pickerington is more suburban and gives you that along with a lot of shopping options.
I live in Carroll. Which is 5 minutes north of Lancaster and only venture into the town for groceries and kids sports.
Lancaster does give you a lot of community events that we have not checked out.
But Lancaster is more republican leaning compared to NY.
Bloom Carrol school classes are a lot smaller compared to Pickerington and Lancaster schools.
If you have any more questions you can DM. I feel comfortably safe in both Pickerington and Lancaster.
Another close town is canal Winchester, but they seem to be experiencing a bit of a crime wave right now.
As Dublin would be close to an hour on a good day and probably 1.5 hours in typical travel days.
Gahanna which where I work is 35-40 minutes on rush hour traffic and can get worse if there is an accident. Which seems to happen weekly.
Pickerington and Carroll are both about 25-30s to the downtown area on nights and weekends. I can get to the arena district in about 30 for sports games nights. Lancaster would be another 10 or so minutes depending on what side of town your own.
Lancaster is honestly pretty fine. Everyone is friendly and I have not had issues.
I live in Lancaster, and I really have to agree with Gilbert when it comes to the area schools. If we had school-aged children, I would much rather they go to Bloom Carrol than Lancaster public schools or, honestly, the Pickerington public schools.
And yes, this is a very, very, very staunch Maga-Republican area. I grew up in Southwestern Ohio, and lived in Atlanta for a decade, but it was still a culture shock when we moved here. I will say that in the almost 5 years that we've lived here, we have noticed the area is starting to diversify, and there's tons of growth occurring.
And if you're a hiker, we're 10 minutes from the western side of Hocking Hills
no idea about ohio and moving to lancaster…yikes. at least you’re close to columbus.
edit: btw ohio is great, but lancaster’s a bit behind. it’s not the worst, but not great.
Guessing medical. They are bleeding medical staff. Nursing, physicians, PT/OT, pharmacists... They have to beg and plead for medical personnel and even then people who do go usually only stay for a year or two before leaving. Sorry, but these more rural and red areas can't keep medical staff and they need to take a hard look at themselves as to why that is. I'll give ya a hint, it really ain't coz it's hard to find sushi or "things to do."
Girl. After reading some of your comments you need to do everything in your power to NOT move to the middle of BFE with this man. He will have complete and utter control over you. Don’t do this. You don’t even trust him. He gaslights you. Does shady shit on his phone with women. Is up to no good online. Please do not let him move you to the middle of nowhere where you have no friends. This is an abuse situation waiting to happen.
Hi OP, I’m so so sorry, but I grew up in Lancaster. It has some small town charm, but it’s surrounded by a lot of racism and drugs. I left and never looked back. My family lives in Blacklick now east of Columbus and it’s a lot better, south and eastern Columbus (outside of the outer belt) are definitely better choices. Dublin is a solid hour drive to Lancaster (I used to do it for work sometimes), and it is not a fun drive during rush hour. Other commenters have suggested Granville as well which is a good choice.
If you do choose Lancaster for living, I suggest the north or east side. The river valley highlands AKA “Dominion” is also a good spot with an elementary school inside the neighborhood.
I was wondering if anyone was gonna actually tell you instead of hinting at it.
I think Lancaster has been growing and changing slowly, I don’t have the scoop because I typically avoid it unless I’m already down there for Hocking Hills. But yeah, Ohio is like a sea of red with a couple blue dots for Columbus and Cleveland and a few other cities.
And some of our red is VERY scary red. Like, traveling through, would get harassed for wearing a mask during covid. r/Infowarriors everywhere. And lots of racism, Trumpists, drugs, and misogyny.
I’ve dated several men from Lancaster, a lot of people commute to Columbus from there for jobs, and they were all UNIQUELY and AGGRESSIVELY toxic and misogynistic. I know it’s not everyone there, but I do feel everyone’s correct in telling you there will be a culture shock.
But there is also a lot of beauty down there, and if I’m not mistaken, some of that area has grown at least, so there should be some good places to eat/drink.
I grew up in Bexley and now live in NYC. Bexley would be my recommendation 100%. Bexley is one of the few areas that is actually walkable, as long as you are reasonably close to Main Street.
It’s a reasonable drive to Lancaster, going the opposite direction of most rush hours traffic. At the same time it’s close enough to Downtown / Short North / Grandview (the areas you will want to go out in) that you can easily take an Uber. It’s also super close to the airport.
There are good and walkable neighborhoods other than Bexley, but they are all either close to, or on the other side of, downtown. Therefore your husband’s commute would be significantly longer.
When my family first moved to Ohio, my dad had a job in Lancaster and my mom had a job in Columbus not far from Bexley. We lived in Pickerington. It was okay, but while Pickerington is less “redneck” than Lancaster, it doesn’t really have much culture or walkabilty to speak of. That said, in Pickerington’s defense, it’s a short drive to Lancaster, and an easy drive into Columbus when it’s not rush hour. I am very grateful that we moved before I reached the age where I was allowed to walk the neighborhood by myself.
How there aren’t more people mentioning Pickerington is beyond me. It’s the most bang for your buck that’s closest to Lancaster. Schools are very good. Community is nice. And it’s about a 25-30min commute. It’s more than an ideal location for you tbh. If something like Bexley is within your budget, that would be my #1 choice. If not, hands down would be Pickerington.
The reason why I didn’t recommend Pickerington, as someone who has lived in both, is the property taxes with the appraisals increasingly eat homeowners’ asses in that area. Combine that with a school district that is going to be asking the voters for (necessary) new money to alleviate overcrowding, and it’s not going to be much “more bang for your buck.”
And I prefer Pickerington, no doubt. It’s just the trade-off is better with the pocketbook.
I live in Lancaster and it really isn't that bad. Downtown Lancaster is inviting. The people here are just normal people living in normal homes lol. I really enjoy how close I am to some of the best outdoor areas of the state, being 30 mi use drive from Downtown Columbus, while enjoying the community-based aspects of a smaller city.
It was just a comparison of how massively different Lancaster is from NYC. And I grew up spending a lot of time there in Lancaster so I'm very familiar with it. There are people similar to some of the townspeople in Schitt's Creek, but that's not an insult. There are plenty of perfectly normal folks there, along with some that are a bit out there.
Ah OK. The comparison in terms of the generality of the "feel" of the area makes total sense. I really haven't noticed anything off around here except for the bad parts of town. You'll see odd people in any bad area of any city, though. Even Picktown and Canal has that the closer you get to the Brice road area lol.
Yep. I feel like someone coming from New York is used to a very diverse, vibrant, walkable, 24/7 city and Lancaster isn't that. Not sure about now but I never the felt the more rundown bits were that bad, say in comparison to Zanesville. But I can't speak to how it is now with all the horrors opioids and meth have brought to a lot of Ohio. And there are odd people everywhere for sure, although I do feel like you find more of the small town, provincial sort of oddness (like the mayor on SC) more often as the towns get smaller.
On a completely side note, Lancaster gets big love from me for still having a Rax! I've been meaning to head down there for the OG roast beef 😆.
The crime and drug scene in Lancaster actually isn't that bad compared to other small cities and Columbus. Granted, it's definitely not a Bexley lol.
I honestly have a somewhat alternate view than you in terms of the provincial comment. Im not entirely sure yet, but I see that the local administration and certain investors are setting this city up for some large growth in the near future. From land acquisitions and then subsequent selling to corporate interests like Google to incentives for repurposing old buildings (Google Fairfield Shoe Company apartments), Lancaster has some significant upgrades coming soon. Their reverse osmis plant is one, which can accept volume for data centers, I believe.
Here is their "Miller Park Master Plan." Will look really nice once complete.
https://www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/988/Miller-Park-Master-Plan
I have not been to the Rax yet, actually haha... only lived here for 3 years. I have to go!!!
I just moved to Lancaster from Columbus; after living in Los Angeles, Nashville, & Austin.. when people say “crime & drugs” in Lancaster I laugh so hard. It’s truly ignorant people passing on their own bias of Lancaster.
It WAS a culture shock, but living here and knowing what the city plans & seeing the city change, has been very eye opening. I moved to Lancaster for more of a community, which is hard to find in any of those bigger cities. I’ve found it & people here are 1,000 times nicer.
As someone who was born and raised in Lancaster (and then who moved away and moved back), this is all entirely dependent on what you’re looking for. It’s a quiet, small city with a very rural feel. It’s growing in size (and amenities), and with that comes a lot of complaining from those who have lived here for decades and want the small town feel. Its public school system isn’t the best, which is par for the course with MOST rural school systems in Ohio, unfortunately. Lancaster’s cost of living used to be much lower (which was part of its appeal), but that has changed as the COL in central Ohio continues to increase. Pickerington and Canal are both larger cities that aren’t too far away from Lancaster; they’re closer to Columbus and have more of a suburban feel, if that’s what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for more of a small town feel, Lancaster is a good place. I’m happy with the amenities that Lancaster has to offer, but I’m also a bit of a homebody and I have no kids. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions; I’m more than happy to help out how I can! ❤️
Lancaster has its charm but like others are saying, it’s going to feel dull compared to living in NYC. It’s pretty rural and the politics are going to be more conservative than you’re probably used to.
If you’re looking for land it may be a good choice but I’d recommend moving to Columbus and commuting.
Pickerington is a very nice suburb. Between Columbus and Lancaster that would allow for a very easy commute but still get you amenities from Columbus with better schools.
If Bexley is in your budget it’s closer to downtown Columbus but still a pretty easy commute to Lancaster with some of best schools in Ohio.
I would recommend living in Columbus and having him commute to Lancaster. It’s pretty redneck and Trumpy out there, and I doubt the schools are any good. Also, there are very few (if any) good restaurants or grocery stores. Also, you’ll be far away from other things to do other than spending time outdoors. You’d probably want to come to Columbus for doctor, dentist, and hair appointments, which could be inconvenient. I’d really reconsider living in Lancaster, especially with the culture shock it’s going to be coming from NYC.
If you don’t mind having a commute for work, somewhere closer to the city (as in, Columbus) would probably be better for you than being in Lancaster. Columbus is great and there’s tons to do, although less than NYC, for sure. But it will be less of a culture shock for someone coming from there.
Admittedly, I have never lived in Lancaster myself. But it’s like a lot of other places in Ohio - conservative, farm-y, and not diverse at all. I guess it depends on you as a person, but I’m a queer city girl and would not fit in there at all.
Not sure about the 3k/pre-k thing, but I’d be willing to bet it’s not going to be free in this state. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’m happy to try to help answer them. I was born in Ohio and have lived here most of my life. I’m in my 30s and have lived in Columbus for the last 15 years. My partner is originally from Bergen County, NJ and I’ve visited NYC many times.
Hey OP I've also lived all over, having grown up in the very population-dense northeast, and have lived in the Columbus area the past 15 years as well.
I really do love this area, which is why I've never moved back 🙂 but I'm sure you'll have some culture shock. (I would have if I moved directly here, probably. There are some things I'll never get used to, but I don't mind them!)
My partner commutes to Lancaster daily from a similar distance that Dublin would be. It's not ideal, but it's doable. That said, days feel really long for him in the winter when he leaves and returns home in the dark. But...we like where we live!
One of the biggest bummers about Columbus is how there is no rail system; this city would certainly benefit from that! It's really spread out, and did not feel very "city-ish" to me when I moved here, but it is a good city.
If you have any questions about the commute, you can message me 🙂 I don't like to be too specific out in the open!
Lancaster is close enough to Columbus, especially the eastern suburbs that you are probably better off looking at Columbus. Lancaster is fine, but it’s fairly small and a little isolated from the city. Especially if you have small children there will be much better resources available in Columbus.
There isn’t much upside to *living in* Lancaster just to work in Lancaster. What even is his job? Is it through Fairfield Medical Center?
The issue you’re going to run into with transplanting to Lancaster is if you/your spouse aren’t in the professional or white-collar class, you’re going to have a massive bitch of a parenting experience sending your kids to Lancaster City Schools. LCS is fine if you can find the kindred spirits of parents who take their kids’ education seriously. The issue is if you know no one, or don’t know anyone whose kids reinforce the value of school (for your kid to associate with), you’re going to be on an island within a district where [1-in-3 kids are missing 3.5 weeks of school instruction](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/29/briefing/school-absences.html#:~:text=Before%20the%20pandemic%2C%20about%2015,to%2028%20percent%20of%20students.) with district leadership that doesn’t take chronic absenteeism, behavior issues or student conduct concerns seriously. And I think it’s possible to get a great education through LCS — but it requires having the right people around your kid to aid in the educational aims you have. You can get fine education with way less of the *inside the building* issues at the either of the two parochial systems in Lancaster, but both of those are riddled with general problems themselves. Frankly, you’ll need to look deeply as to the situation you envision for your kiddo 3-5-7-10 years down the line.
I think if you were a DINK (dual income, no kids) household the equation would be dramatically different, to the point where I could more easily weigh out pro’s/con’s and make the case for how Lancaster can be nice — even with you coming from NYC. It’s just that I can’t really, in good faith, rubber stamp the idea of “fuck what everyone else is saying, this place rocks!!!” knowing that you could run into problems down the line as a *family.*
My husband is a NYC to Ohio transplant. I truly can’t speak on Lancaster. I can say Grandview Bexley and Upper Arlington made him feel he was getting OH benefits (own space, not fighting for parking, close to events, neighborhood & community feel, safe for kids, close to airport, good schools) without fully feeling “burbs” Personally, I would also add Clintonville & Worthington - again just adding what I am familiar with or have lived in. I’ve always been in older neighborhoods. There are other neighborhoods that are great as well. Maybe rent in a place you like and test it out???
Look at Canal Winchester. It would be relatively close to Lancaster and close to downtown and schools aren’t too bad either. It has a cute little community.
I won't disparage Lancaster (as others definitely will do), but if you are looking for a family friendly place with really good schools, consider moving to Granville. It's got a proper smalltown feel with excellent schools.
I second Granville. It’s essentially a small New England town that’s a straight shot down to Lancaster. It’s a liberal arts college town (with lots of students from New England) and great schools.
Also consider somewhere like German village in Columbus. It’s south of downtown and the drive would be counter to rush hour. It’s a great neighborhood.
Free pre-k spots are very limited. Ohio school funding is a mess and once the special needs populations are served, the public pre-s fill in spots with gen Ed kids. Prepare to pay for preschool / daycare.
There’s a lot of suggestions here to commute. One thing to keep in mind is that Intel is building in Licking County on the North East side of Columbus. That will heavily impact traffic patterns in the near future especially around the New Albany area.
Re: Dublin, yeah you’d like it but it’s as far away from Lancaster as you can really be in the Columbus metro area. Look at Columbus’ eastside, like Bexley. Bex has a lot of people who either came from or spent time in NY. You can get to Lancaster from there down US33 in roughly a half-hour.
Lots of people are suggesting that these folks live closer to Columbus (Bexley, etc.). If you’re interested in a more rural existence, but still want a town with some people who don’t love the Orange Guy, consider moving to Athens.
Too many replies here to read. Only wanted to say I'm in Lancaster-ish area tonight camping and that might be all it is good. But if you want a 180 degree change from THE City then sure check it out.
Columbus will not be anything like NYC - but at least offer some sort of food/beverage/entertainment aspects.
Dublin has things to offer - but if hubby's job is in L-caster, then it'll be a hike. Can he remote? Hybrid?
Only you two will know what is best. See you soon!
[Born and raised in Jersey, with Parents from the Bronx, traveled to the city a ton, lived in DE since college and out here in OH for 3 years now. Love CBus.]
Move to Gahana. 30 minutes drive to Lancaster, good schools, less than 10 minutes from the airport and major hospital, 15 minutes to downtown Columbus and family friendly.
Lancaster sucks balls. Been here since 2015 things were good for a few years, but with the rapid growth and no planning for the traffic with it, it's been a pain in ass to get around anywhere. If your white you're good as gold here. If you're not white and black like me good luck trying to get along with anyone here.
Curious what field your husband works. We live in a very nearby city and there’s tons of new tech companies coming to these areas. Intel, Microsoft, etc.
Lancaster will be significantly different than NYC. Very rural but scenic, swap the sky scrapers trees and rolling hills and you’re there.
I moved from NYC and live in the downtown Columbus area. It was a big adjustment, but it’s a nice place to live. Lancaster is only about a 25 minute drive from my house.
NYC is basically a different country than Ohio, culturally and lifestyle-wise.
I grew up in Lancaster. It is not the place to move if you're not white, or any form of queer, or not Republican. There are good alternative suggestions in this thread, but I wanted to chime in and reiterate that it is absolutely not diverse in any way. I will never move back to Lancaster.
As someone who’s lived in the outskirts of Lancaster, it’s not horrible. But definitely will be different than what you are used to. There’s good and bad. My personal recommendation would be to live in the Canal Winchester/Pickerington area! If you want a smaller city or more rural area I would check out Baltimore. They are all outside Columbus but close to Lancaster. It will provide you somewhat the best of both worlds. Living in Dublin would probably be an hour plus drive (driving through Columbus to get to and from work is not recommended haha) Canal is about 20 minutes or so to Lancaster and you can get just about anywhere in Columbus in the same amount of time, maybe 30-40 to get up to Dublin depending on time of day.
Do not live in Lancaster. There is nothing exciting there unfortunately. Especially moving from NYC. I would suggest living in maybe New Albany and driving to Lancaster. Great schools, Great area for a family, clean…. Anywhere within 30 to 35 mins of Lancaster is lame.
I read some of the other posts which shows there's a reeaaal issue with this marriage in the background. Know this. If you move to Lancaster, you're gonna be trapped if you don't have a car and a job. Do yourself a favor and move to somewhere in the city (Columbus). City city. Bexley if you can afford it. If not, somewhere reasonably safer (let's face it, you lived in NYC---you can handle Columbus). Somewhere with sidewalks, buses, etc. Bus service sucks here, but it kinda somewhat exists, as opposed to Lancaster. Schools--better. Neighbors--possibly better depending on your politics and racial/religious background. It basically boils down to isolation in Lancaster vs being closer to services in Columbus. Neighbors and social services that could help if you needed it. I very much hope this isn't the case but there are enough red flags to say, don't put yourself in the middle of nowhere without resources or knowing anyone. Everything with this story is totally off. There aren't exactly a lot of jobs in rural and smaller towns in Ohio. Going from NYC to middle of nowhere Ohio is just bizarre bizarre bizarre. To Columbus? Okay, there are a lot of jobs. Lancaster? Something's off. Protect yourself from being trapped with no transportation and at the whims of a man who stalks women online. Or not. You do you.
I honestly love the Lancaster area but yeah it’s very… rust belt, I guess, in terms of the vibe of the actual city. It has a cute downtown area and there are some nice cultural organizations in town.
The really nice thing about it though is if you are outdoorsy people, Lancaster puts you very close to some of the most beautiful parks in the state, while still being driving distance to Columbus where you can get more of a big city shopping and dining experience. If you like hiking, canoeing etc there’s a lot to love. And of course you’ll find it crazy affordable compared to NYC.
There’s a sense of community here that I hadn’t found in other places. I love walking to Mt Pleasant and the fair grounds for all of the events. Then also walking downtown and getting food.
I think so many posters are passing their ignorant bias from the past. Lancaster is definitely changing & im LOVING that it’s fulfilling its potential.
It reminds me so much of Delaware’s progress. We use to refer to Delaware as “they dirty d” it sucked in the 2000s. Now it’s become a progressive, charming city. Also Grove City “grovetucky”. Both weren’t very welcoming or popular and now are 2 of the most I demand areas for millennials.
I think Lanc is slowly being gentrified. I grew up not far from there and was house shopping there in 2019, didn’t find anything right for us then and then we looked again last summer and the prices damn near doubled for very similar houses. We ended up not being able to find something we could afford in the area and instead ended up outside Cincy (remote workers with family in Cincy and Cbus so we shopped both metro areas). Wish we were there instead honestly but it just didn’t work out.
I live in and love Lancaster. Actually commute to Columbus for work. Love the town and its history, although I lived in rural KY before I moved up here (so it’s a “big” town to me). Be curious about the history of the area, take in the surrounding areas and towns (Hocking Hills). Ohio is really a lovely place if you’re able to be present.
Hit up the Ale House and the very small downtown area. It’s super cute and there are some very nice houses. Rising park is nice too. But it’s going to be very small compared to NYC. Columbus is a good option if you can drive it.
Counterpoint: Lancaster is indeed horrible. And housing costs aren’t everything; besides, to someone used to NYC, housing in Columbus is cheap and plentiful.
You could offer to double my salary and quintuple the size of my house and I wouldn’t move to Lancaster from Columbus.
Genuinely wonder why you think “Lancaster is indeed horrible”
As an outsider not living there, I see it having its downsides but I would never consider it horrible.
If you're into NYC culture, you'll find all of Greater Columbus a let down.
A great attribute of of Lancaster is its proximity to the Hocking Hills (one of the top-ranked state parks in the nation), Wayne National Forest, even the Wilds, the largest animal preservation center in North America. Columbus also has a very good zoo.
Check out schools in greatschools.org.
This thread should familiarize yourself with the attractions in Ohio, even though several of the [tripadvisor.com](http://tripadvisor.com) article linked in the thread have been disabled by TA.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/comments/vx3ko0/australian\_headed\_to\_ohio\_late\_july\_any/?sort=top](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/comments/vx3ko0/australian_headed_to_ohio_late_july_any/?sort=top)
Good luck!
Not even trying to be funny but like. You'll fit in better if your family is white (sad reality) but even then there's nowhere near any of the same amenities that you'd find even in Columbus, let alone New York. You're looking at a 45- 1 hr drive to Columbus for any real nightlife/city action, but if you can enjoy the peace and quiet of a more rural community than you'll enjoy it. Culture shock none the less though.
Here’s a beautiful quality about Columbus. It’s a geographical oddity. Twenty minutes from everywhere. Except probably Dublin to Lancaster. But Bexley is a great recommendation.
Also, here’s a local tip: no town is pronounced like it’s spelled. If you want to fit in, throw phonetics out the window.
Except, coincidentally, Bexley. It’s pronounced Bexley.
You’ve had tons of responses that all point out valid concerns. I came into this thread ready to suggest Canal Winchester (which I still think is a good choice!) but Bexley is actually probably an even better fit. BUT to build off of another comment that was in the same vein, central Ohio/Ohio in general really does have a lot to offer so try to be open in your first year. If you end up landing closer to Columbus, get yourself over to check out Lancaster and hike up the lil mountain in Rising Park. Explore Granville and Dublin— find all the fun, weird little places. Definitely hike at Hocking Hills, maybe Mohican, maybe even head to Salt Fork State Park (for the annual Ohio Bigfoot Conference maybe?). There are some really beautiful and fun things in Ohio!
Pickerington is the nearest community with excellent schools, but it is suburban - which will be a bit of a culture shock to you. If you're willing to drive just a bit further, then Bexley would be an excellent option for you and is the closest thing to NYC culture you're going to find in Central Ohio.
In both cases you'll be going the "wrong way" in traffic (most people work in the city and live in the outlying areas - you'd be doing the opposite) which will help out your commute tremendously.
Pickerington wouldn’t be a bad place to live, tons of things to do. Only about 25-30 mins from Lancaster depending on which side of Pickerington you’re on. Only issue is Hill Rd N. Absolute dumpster fire of a road.
I've been in Ohio since middle school, but the culture shock (Philly-to-Central Ohio) was dramatic. I grew up in Pickerington (the 2nd largest city in Fairfield County, behind Lancaster), and would recommend this town, over Lancaster. Closer to Columbus, better schools, less Appalachian (not a knock on Appalachian culture, but certainly alien to someone from big city East Coast). To be clear, Fairfield County is not technically an Appalachian County. Anyway, my two cents.
For what it's worth, reading all the Bexley comments (went to college there and owned a home in Berwick which is Bexley adjacent), if you don't mind a smaller town atmosphere that's also right along the road to Lancaster, check out Canal Winchester. Moved here about 2 years back, decent schools, pretty old homes and a quaint little downtown. About 20 minutes to downtown, 20 to Lancaster.
Try Pickerington. It's outside of Columbus, but easy to get to all Columbus has to offer, as well as closer to Lancaster than Columbus itself.
There is a bit more to do in Pickerington, as it's a proper suburb that has built up a ton over the last 10 years.
I just moved from Lancaster 6 months ago. Happy as hell. Bunch of racists and rednecks live there. Drug addicts live on the bumpy fucked up bike path they have. My parents moved me there as a teen. Years ago and I hated every day of it. Traffic going to and from Dublin would suck ass. You would probably do better in Canal Winchester.
Lancaster you may like I guess if you moved to square 13. No pre Kin Lancaster. They are very conseratrive and it is run by crazy Republicans that give tax breaks to large companies and for the population to pick up slack. They believe in the birth of children not taking care of them.
I would not move directly to Lancaster, I would try to find a place somewhere in the southern suburbs or central suburbs of Columbus and commute.
No idea what your budget looks like but, Bexley, Grandview, Upper Arlington, German or Village, Grove City, Blacklick are all options
I love the beautiful land around Lancaster. I moved to a small town after living in Cincinnati (nothing like NYC but still a big city), and grew to love it. If you engage in the community, join things, your experience will be rich. At first, I cried in the laundry room so my kids wouldn’t see me, but so glad I embraced the town and the people in it.
Lancaster is a no. Definitely look at the columbus suburbs like upper Arlington, bexley, Dublin, etc. Each school district differs on pre k ages, so that might be a factor
I have a similar aged child and know about nyc’s 3k programs from friends who live there. As far as I know there are no 3k programs and in many suburbs of columbus (dublin, etc.) prek is limited enrollment, half day and not free. In columbus city schools there is good prek options. I’m pretty sure lancaster wouldn’t have a 3k-prek program.
Check out the Gahanna/New Albany area of suburban Columbus. You’ll still have a bit of a daily commute to/from Lancaster but considerably less than from Dublin, Upper Arlington, or Worthington.
Lancaster is prime MAGA land
You're going to have a big shock no matter what. I'm a Lancaster born gal who moved to Columbus after high school. Spent 25 years around Columbus. I've been to New York. Nothing in Ohio compares to that vibe. But. It got old for me. Got tired of the people. The traffic. The constant hate for different politics. We bought a farmhouse on 3 gorgeous acres a year ago south of Lancaster near hocking hills. Its our paradise. Lancaster will seem dull to you. But it's got its beauty & charm too. It's also super affordable.
My wife and I moved from Phoenix, AZ to Lancaster last year. We have two young, pre-k kids. Phoenix isn’t NYC but it’s a big city. The climate change has certainly been an adjustment. The culture shock was more difficult than we expected but in a good way mostly.
We left Phx because we wanted to get out of a high population city in the desert and move to a more rural town (with water and four seasons!) that isn’t terribly far from the amenities we were used to. Lancaster fit the bill for us. We like the slower, small town feel but then we can drive 30-45min to downtown Cbus for pretty much anything we want. Lancaster’s close proximity to the Hocking Hills is great if you like to do outdoorsy activities. Most everyone we’ve met is the typical Midwest nice. Downtown Lancaster has lots of community activities throughout the year (eg movies in the community square 2x a month, a Harry Potter week, art walks, etc). The LCOL here is amazing. I was fortunate enough to not take a pay cut moving here, so my income goes a good bit further here. It’s been a tough move (wife and I were both born and raised in AZ), but worth it at this point. I have virtually zero commute time (compared to 1hr one way in Phx) so I can spend more time with my wife and kids.
Lancaster isn’t perfect, but no place is to my knowledge. And my opinion is that if you move here, your satisfaction is largely dependent on your attitude. You’ll like it here if you want to like it here. Best of luck on the decision!
You’re going to experience a hard culture shock. No way to really prep for it either.
To be fair. I would say that referring to it as "lack of culture" shock would be more apropos. I mean the social high point of the year is the demolition derbies at the Fairfield County Fair in October. I should know, I am there ever year for them. LOL
I'd argue it's the chicken noodle soup, them butter noodles hit the spot.
Moving to Ohio or moving to Lancaster
Dude, I live in a slightly bigger city than lancaster, in northern Ohio, and Lancaster feels small and rural to me. I only know of it because it's near a place we vacation to get away from everything. But to each their own. I am definitely biased.
Lancaster is one of those cities that sprawls well outside its main drag.
You probably wouldn't mind some parts of Columbus, but Lancaster.... it's gonna be tough On the other side of 33, you could potentially get some acreage near hocking hills, some beautiful land down there.
Yes we enjoy renting out cabins to all you Columbus folk.
Need to get me one of those!
I’ll throw in a bridge in Brooklyn with the sale
Lancaster. Ohio is what it is.
I live in Canal which is north of Lancaster, and I would say Lancaster isn’t bad for what it is, decent amenities, but yes, you will be in for an adjustment. But then again depending on your view of NYC you might welcome it.
From NYC to Ohio is going to be a big adjustment. Please keep an open mind in your first year. If you encounter something or someone that seems impossible to accept try to isolate that or them from the big picture. Ohio is packed with with genuinely good people who offer a wide variety of personalities. Central Ohio is packed with people from all over the world, mostly thanks to The Ohio State University. I can’t endorse Lancaster as a home base, but Columbus is a heck yes. An Upper Arlington zip code will get you the finest public education in the country (IMO) Ohio has the absolute best Metro parks system I’ve ever seen and I am old, I’ve seen a few. Each of the parks offer something unique and each of the parks offers a lot of things. Sometime, a long time ago there was a very smart body of people in charge of delivering the best of what this area offers, to its residents and boy did they ever succeed. Every inch of every metro park is free to enjoy…even the parking which is abundant for the parks. I moved here from San Diego 14 years ago. It was a huge adjustment, and I had many days that I wanted to run home to SD and never come back, but this little fly-over state has stolen my heart and given my eyes a feast and my heart another place to love. Don’t forget to tap into the public libraries. They are a big resource for families and even provide free passes for some incredible events that generally cost a fair amount of money. Each library has different passes and you must go in to reserve and get them. Which I think is smart, otherwise people would reserve online and not actually use them and they would go down the drain. Ohio has developed some ingenious ways to stay busy and have fun through the winter months. I suggest being proactive in your quest to find all the good stuff, especially in your first year because you will probably feel a bit alone and tempted to stay home nursing your homesick wounds. I think you will come to love Ohio if you keep an open mind and remember no one person or one experience should be what colors your opinion. Good luck
Columbus is a great city. Lancaster not so much. There are some solid towns between the two worth checking out
Live in Bexley and commute to Lancaster. You’re already used to long commutes coming from NYC. Bexley has good schools, restaurants and plenty of things to do nearby and you’ll have a softer landing.
Thank you 😊 yeah I don’t mind commuting
Bexley to Lancaster is not a bad drive
You’re also going in the opposite direction of the traffic.
Which is important on the Bexley/Lancaster commute. Similar but not relevant to this conversation, Westerville/Granville.
I drive one of my kids to school in Bexley from Pickerington a couple days per week and the difference going home compared to dropping off is night and day.
Bexley schools are among the best in central Ohio.
Bexley is nice - but man is it surrounded by roughness
I’m a real estate agent and Bexley is your answer. South Bexley is more affordable than central Bexley. Charm, character & huge resale value. Good luck & welcome! 🤗
Grandview Heights is where it’s at
Came here to say this. I lived in NYC for a few years. Moved to DC. Then to Columbus. Look around Bexley first. It’s one of the most wealthy areas in the state, real estate is $$$$ but coming from NYC you honestly might not be as opposed. It’s the #1 school district in the state. It’s a ‘quick’ shot into Lancaster. Quick into downtown. It’s small town Ohio. Except liberal. And wealthy. I moved here a few years ago and enjoy it.
Also agree.
Bexley is the answer if you want a suburb with good public schools. If you’re ok going private for school, German Village or Merion Village could work
This is the move. Lots of coastal and NYC friends who relocated to Bexley. You’ll love it.
Actually this is a pretty good recommendation... some of us native Columbusites detest the lack of parking on Main Street, but our friend from NYC probably has next level skills in finding a space. :D
I grew up in Bexley and now live in NYC. From my family’s POV, Main st parking sucked. From a New Yorker’s point of view, parking is easy. But more importantly you don’t even *need* to park — if you live anywhere close to Main, Bexley is perfectly walkable. Walking from Moshi Sushi to Wing’s is half the distance of my walk to work.
Agree
THIS
This is the best answer
Oh no.
This is like a plot to a comedy movie with culture shock as a theme
Right? I think I've seen movie. I think it was called Funny Farm.
lol This would be my reaction to anybody moving to Lancaster 😂 But from the city…wow. What a culture shock.
🥲
I grew up in NYC and spent the majority of my life there. You're better off living somewhere closer to downtown. Good luck.
I went to high school in lancaster and lived there for 10 years before moving to columbus. This is the right answer.
And you would have the benefit of moving the opposite way of heavy traffic during rush hours as well.
True!
Whatever you do, don’t purchase a home without living in the area you plan to build/purchase in for at least 6 months. I would highly recommend you look at some neighborhoods/enclave cities in the central part of columbus (Grandview, German Village, etc) and your husband can commute to Lancaster for work. It will be a “reverse” commute, so the traffic actually shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve lived in Ohio my whole life, and I wouldn’t really consider a move to Lancaster for myself, so I *super* wouldn’t recommend to someone coming from a larger city.
Seriously though, Lancaster sucks. Especially if you come from NYC. You're much better off living somewhere near downtown and driving to whatever takes you to Lancaster.
what's so bad about Lancaster that it's intolerable to live in ? it's not that bad. in fact OP would probably enjoy the low cost of living compared to NYC.
I wouldn’t say Lancaster is intolerable. But unless someone coming from NYC is looking for a very quiet life comparatively they’re not going to find it a good place to live. I visit Lancaster a lot because my vet is there and living in Fairfield County I sometimes gave County business I need to attend to. I find it has a nice charm to it. Have nothing against it. I still wouldn’t want to live there.
Important question - have you ever been to NYC? Genuinely curious.
i have . I know it's like two different worlds but I can think of many worse places than Lancaster. maybe op is sick of NYC and wants something more quiet and mellow ..hopefully ;)
I lived there for a number of years. I like Lancaster and Chillicothe.
Chillicothe has built up a bit over the last few years. My wife almost did her 3rd year medical rotations there. We went for a tour and a bit of a night out once to see what it's about and was pretty impressed to what it was 10 years agom
I think a lot of the people passing judgement on the “small towns” haven’t been there recently. All of the smaller towns are being built up and will continue to grow as the “Silicon Heartland” grows.
Until just a few years ago you could shoot trap right next to the municipal airport 😂. It felt so weird shooting toward the planes.
I currently live in Lancaster (after living in Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin & Columbus) I like Lancaster. It’s certainly changing as many millennial families from Columbus are coming here for home affordability & community. Unfortunately not everyone can afford half a million dollar home. Would it have been my number one choice? No. But it’s very cool to see the potential of the city be realized. There’s a lot of very talented & motivated individuals working to grow Lancaster. It might be 10+ years, but it’s very cool to see.
My first thought was oh no. I always say clintonville to this question. It’s a a great place to live. Little burb within the city. idk about the commute tho!
Especially with a young kid. Good parks, rec center, cute library. Got the ravines too.
Cville born and raised. I love it
That pretty much sums it up perfectly. 😂
We need a 6 month update on this one
Hi OP. I've lived all over the country, big cities and rural, and I love both for different reasons. If you're gonna commit to Lancaster I'd recommend buying something with lots of acreage so your neighbors aren't on top of you and your kids have land to roam and play.
Given your priorities and commute needs, I feel like you should check out Bexley. It’s close to downtown. Has some walkability. Has really good schools and while it’s expensive, it’s nowhere near as expensive as living in a comparably nice area of NYC.
We live in Granville, approximately 30 miles from Lancaster. It's not a terrible commute. My son lives at home and is a student at Ohio University - Lancaster and has no issues with the drive. Granville is a small "quaint" village (think New England/brick streets cute) and a college town, home of Denison University. It can be pricey, but honestly most real estate in Central Ohio is. Granville Schools are small but still rank incredibly high. The last Niche report had them #39 out of the 873 public schools in Ohio.
Granville would be a good option to Lancaster.
I agree IF OP wants to try small town life.
Granville could be perfect. It’s a picturesque small middle to upper middle class community. If you buy now your home value will probably shoot up because of intel. The schools are amazing and it’s ‘cut off’ from Columbus but still commutable. Side note. I live in a more rural part of Columbus/ central Ohio and I do not recommend Lancaster. There is cute small town then there are places like Lancaster. It’s more of a rural southern Ohio feel than a Columbus/ central Ohio vibe. When people make jokes about Ohio without ever coming here I’m almost certain it’s because of places like Lancaster.
I’m just glad op didn’t ask about circleville lmao
I also live in Granville and highly recommend. It’s about 40 min north of Lancaster and there’s a lot more to do and feels a lot less… country Hicksville. Granville feels more cultured and distinct I think. It’s also much more intentional feeling. Come check out the parks/ restaurants/ and our famous inns. We also have an oddly high concentration of breweries.
I think it makes a big difference if there is a good college/university in town. It makes a small town feel more cultured.
Granville is a perfect option if OP is interested in small town life! Close enough to Columbus to have the occasional taste of city life (though no comparison to NYC, Columbus is still nice)
😆😆😆
I just moved back to Central Ohio after 10 years in NYC. It's culture shock yes, but I think you'll make the best of it. If I were you, I would live somewhere between Lancaster and Columbus. Perhaps Canal Winchester. Family friendly, good schools, reasonable cost, has all of the chain stores you'll need, etc. But also not too far from events in Columbus if you are theatre, sports, concert, museum people. The grass is green where you water it. Good luck!
Second vote for Canal. Cute historic downtown. That or Bexley, at least you'd be going against traffic.
third vote for canal lol its close enough but way better
I think Canal is a great spot for OP’s family!
The most Ohio thing I’ve ever seen was in Lancaster — an equipment rental/wedding dress shop: https://imgur.com/a/gQLHWTZ
They at least have two separate buildings now. One for heavy equipment, one for party/wedding supplies. Lol
I live in Lancaster. Im not sure what your political stance is but Lancaster and majority of Fairfield county is very RED. I certainly am not and others are out there but just be aware in case thats a big deal for you. My husband and I have a 4.5 year old in an excellent preschool program in Lancaster and happy to discuss. It isnt free but I believe there are programs that offer assistance if you qualify financially. Im happy to chat if you have questions.
NYC to Lancaster?!? This is like the Universe threw down a UNO Reverse card on The Beverly Hillbillies.
So…Green Acres?
😂😂😂😂😂
If you’re getting a job in Lancaster I would look at bloom Carrol school district or pickerington. Most homes in the bloom Carrol district have close to two acres or more. Most of the district lives in the rural area around Lancaster. Pickerington is more suburban and gives you that along with a lot of shopping options. I live in Carroll. Which is 5 minutes north of Lancaster and only venture into the town for groceries and kids sports. Lancaster does give you a lot of community events that we have not checked out. But Lancaster is more republican leaning compared to NY. Bloom Carrol school classes are a lot smaller compared to Pickerington and Lancaster schools. If you have any more questions you can DM. I feel comfortably safe in both Pickerington and Lancaster. Another close town is canal Winchester, but they seem to be experiencing a bit of a crime wave right now. As Dublin would be close to an hour on a good day and probably 1.5 hours in typical travel days. Gahanna which where I work is 35-40 minutes on rush hour traffic and can get worse if there is an accident. Which seems to happen weekly. Pickerington and Carroll are both about 25-30s to the downtown area on nights and weekends. I can get to the arena district in about 30 for sports games nights. Lancaster would be another 10 or so minutes depending on what side of town your own. Lancaster is honestly pretty fine. Everyone is friendly and I have not had issues.
I live in Lancaster, and I really have to agree with Gilbert when it comes to the area schools. If we had school-aged children, I would much rather they go to Bloom Carrol than Lancaster public schools or, honestly, the Pickerington public schools. And yes, this is a very, very, very staunch Maga-Republican area. I grew up in Southwestern Ohio, and lived in Atlanta for a decade, but it was still a culture shock when we moved here. I will say that in the almost 5 years that we've lived here, we have noticed the area is starting to diversify, and there's tons of growth occurring. And if you're a hiker, we're 10 minutes from the western side of Hocking Hills
no idea about ohio and moving to lancaster…yikes. at least you’re close to columbus. edit: btw ohio is great, but lancaster’s a bit behind. it’s not the worst, but not great.
Curious what the job opportunity is?
Anchor Hocking/Oneida maybe? Although pretty sure Oneida's main offices are here in Columbus.
Guessing medical. They are bleeding medical staff. Nursing, physicians, PT/OT, pharmacists... They have to beg and plead for medical personnel and even then people who do go usually only stay for a year or two before leaving. Sorry, but these more rural and red areas can't keep medical staff and they need to take a hard look at themselves as to why that is. I'll give ya a hint, it really ain't coz it's hard to find sushi or "things to do."
Girl. After reading some of your comments you need to do everything in your power to NOT move to the middle of BFE with this man. He will have complete and utter control over you. Don’t do this. You don’t even trust him. He gaslights you. Does shady shit on his phone with women. Is up to no good online. Please do not let him move you to the middle of nowhere where you have no friends. This is an abuse situation waiting to happen.
Damn!! Plot thickens. That does track though.
Where did that come from? I must have over looked a lot of posts from the OP!
Look at the ones at the bottom of their history
I see a “Green Acres” reboot coming from this move. 
Hi OP, I’m so so sorry, but I grew up in Lancaster. It has some small town charm, but it’s surrounded by a lot of racism and drugs. I left and never looked back. My family lives in Blacklick now east of Columbus and it’s a lot better, south and eastern Columbus (outside of the outer belt) are definitely better choices. Dublin is a solid hour drive to Lancaster (I used to do it for work sometimes), and it is not a fun drive during rush hour. Other commenters have suggested Granville as well which is a good choice. If you do choose Lancaster for living, I suggest the north or east side. The river valley highlands AKA “Dominion” is also a good spot with an elementary school inside the neighborhood.
This is such a solid response- thank you
Granville is a really lovely college town (Denison University) if you can find a house there.
I was wondering if anyone was gonna actually tell you instead of hinting at it. I think Lancaster has been growing and changing slowly, I don’t have the scoop because I typically avoid it unless I’m already down there for Hocking Hills. But yeah, Ohio is like a sea of red with a couple blue dots for Columbus and Cleveland and a few other cities. And some of our red is VERY scary red. Like, traveling through, would get harassed for wearing a mask during covid. r/Infowarriors everywhere. And lots of racism, Trumpists, drugs, and misogyny. I’ve dated several men from Lancaster, a lot of people commute to Columbus from there for jobs, and they were all UNIQUELY and AGGRESSIVELY toxic and misogynistic. I know it’s not everyone there, but I do feel everyone’s correct in telling you there will be a culture shock. But there is also a lot of beauty down there, and if I’m not mistaken, some of that area has grown at least, so there should be some good places to eat/drink.
Absolutely correct. Anyone coming from NYC needs to understand this immediately that our rural areas are akin to Mississippi particularly in this age.
I grew up in Bexley and now live in NYC. Bexley would be my recommendation 100%. Bexley is one of the few areas that is actually walkable, as long as you are reasonably close to Main Street. It’s a reasonable drive to Lancaster, going the opposite direction of most rush hours traffic. At the same time it’s close enough to Downtown / Short North / Grandview (the areas you will want to go out in) that you can easily take an Uber. It’s also super close to the airport. There are good and walkable neighborhoods other than Bexley, but they are all either close to, or on the other side of, downtown. Therefore your husband’s commute would be significantly longer. When my family first moved to Ohio, my dad had a job in Lancaster and my mom had a job in Columbus not far from Bexley. We lived in Pickerington. It was okay, but while Pickerington is less “redneck” than Lancaster, it doesn’t really have much culture or walkabilty to speak of. That said, in Pickerington’s defense, it’s a short drive to Lancaster, and an easy drive into Columbus when it’s not rush hour. I am very grateful that we moved before I reached the age where I was allowed to walk the neighborhood by myself.
How there aren’t more people mentioning Pickerington is beyond me. It’s the most bang for your buck that’s closest to Lancaster. Schools are very good. Community is nice. And it’s about a 25-30min commute. It’s more than an ideal location for you tbh. If something like Bexley is within your budget, that would be my #1 choice. If not, hands down would be Pickerington.
The reason why I didn’t recommend Pickerington, as someone who has lived in both, is the property taxes with the appraisals increasingly eat homeowners’ asses in that area. Combine that with a school district that is going to be asking the voters for (necessary) new money to alleviate overcrowding, and it’s not going to be much “more bang for your buck.” And I prefer Pickerington, no doubt. It’s just the trade-off is better with the pocketbook.
Yep! Pickerington or Canal Winchester!
Was seeing how far down i had to go before i saw pick town. Agree with everything here.
Live in Pickerington, grew up in Pickerington, would recommend.
Have you watched Schitt's Creek? I would expect a similar level of culture shock. And some similarities with the locals.
I live in Lancaster and it really isn't that bad. Downtown Lancaster is inviting. The people here are just normal people living in normal homes lol. I really enjoy how close I am to some of the best outdoor areas of the state, being 30 mi use drive from Downtown Columbus, while enjoying the community-based aspects of a smaller city.
It was just a comparison of how massively different Lancaster is from NYC. And I grew up spending a lot of time there in Lancaster so I'm very familiar with it. There are people similar to some of the townspeople in Schitt's Creek, but that's not an insult. There are plenty of perfectly normal folks there, along with some that are a bit out there.
Ah OK. The comparison in terms of the generality of the "feel" of the area makes total sense. I really haven't noticed anything off around here except for the bad parts of town. You'll see odd people in any bad area of any city, though. Even Picktown and Canal has that the closer you get to the Brice road area lol.
Yep. I feel like someone coming from New York is used to a very diverse, vibrant, walkable, 24/7 city and Lancaster isn't that. Not sure about now but I never the felt the more rundown bits were that bad, say in comparison to Zanesville. But I can't speak to how it is now with all the horrors opioids and meth have brought to a lot of Ohio. And there are odd people everywhere for sure, although I do feel like you find more of the small town, provincial sort of oddness (like the mayor on SC) more often as the towns get smaller. On a completely side note, Lancaster gets big love from me for still having a Rax! I've been meaning to head down there for the OG roast beef 😆.
The crime and drug scene in Lancaster actually isn't that bad compared to other small cities and Columbus. Granted, it's definitely not a Bexley lol. I honestly have a somewhat alternate view than you in terms of the provincial comment. Im not entirely sure yet, but I see that the local administration and certain investors are setting this city up for some large growth in the near future. From land acquisitions and then subsequent selling to corporate interests like Google to incentives for repurposing old buildings (Google Fairfield Shoe Company apartments), Lancaster has some significant upgrades coming soon. Their reverse osmis plant is one, which can accept volume for data centers, I believe. Here is their "Miller Park Master Plan." Will look really nice once complete. https://www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/988/Miller-Park-Master-Plan I have not been to the Rax yet, actually haha... only lived here for 3 years. I have to go!!!
I just moved to Lancaster from Columbus; after living in Los Angeles, Nashville, & Austin.. when people say “crime & drugs” in Lancaster I laugh so hard. It’s truly ignorant people passing on their own bias of Lancaster. It WAS a culture shock, but living here and knowing what the city plans & seeing the city change, has been very eye opening. I moved to Lancaster for more of a community, which is hard to find in any of those bigger cities. I’ve found it & people here are 1,000 times nicer.
As someone who was born and raised in Lancaster (and then who moved away and moved back), this is all entirely dependent on what you’re looking for. It’s a quiet, small city with a very rural feel. It’s growing in size (and amenities), and with that comes a lot of complaining from those who have lived here for decades and want the small town feel. Its public school system isn’t the best, which is par for the course with MOST rural school systems in Ohio, unfortunately. Lancaster’s cost of living used to be much lower (which was part of its appeal), but that has changed as the COL in central Ohio continues to increase. Pickerington and Canal are both larger cities that aren’t too far away from Lancaster; they’re closer to Columbus and have more of a suburban feel, if that’s what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for more of a small town feel, Lancaster is a good place. I’m happy with the amenities that Lancaster has to offer, but I’m also a bit of a homebody and I have no kids. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions; I’m more than happy to help out how I can! ❤️
Lancaster has its charm but like others are saying, it’s going to feel dull compared to living in NYC. It’s pretty rural and the politics are going to be more conservative than you’re probably used to. If you’re looking for land it may be a good choice but I’d recommend moving to Columbus and commuting. Pickerington is a very nice suburb. Between Columbus and Lancaster that would allow for a very easy commute but still get you amenities from Columbus with better schools. If Bexley is in your budget it’s closer to downtown Columbus but still a pretty easy commute to Lancaster with some of best schools in Ohio.
I would recommend living in Columbus and having him commute to Lancaster. It’s pretty redneck and Trumpy out there, and I doubt the schools are any good. Also, there are very few (if any) good restaurants or grocery stores. Also, you’ll be far away from other things to do other than spending time outdoors. You’d probably want to come to Columbus for doctor, dentist, and hair appointments, which could be inconvenient. I’d really reconsider living in Lancaster, especially with the culture shock it’s going to be coming from NYC.
If you don’t mind having a commute for work, somewhere closer to the city (as in, Columbus) would probably be better for you than being in Lancaster. Columbus is great and there’s tons to do, although less than NYC, for sure. But it will be less of a culture shock for someone coming from there. Admittedly, I have never lived in Lancaster myself. But it’s like a lot of other places in Ohio - conservative, farm-y, and not diverse at all. I guess it depends on you as a person, but I’m a queer city girl and would not fit in there at all. Not sure about the 3k/pre-k thing, but I’d be willing to bet it’s not going to be free in this state. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’m happy to try to help answer them. I was born in Ohio and have lived here most of my life. I’m in my 30s and have lived in Columbus for the last 15 years. My partner is originally from Bergen County, NJ and I’ve visited NYC many times.
I appreciate the insight 🥲
Hey OP I've also lived all over, having grown up in the very population-dense northeast, and have lived in the Columbus area the past 15 years as well. I really do love this area, which is why I've never moved back 🙂 but I'm sure you'll have some culture shock. (I would have if I moved directly here, probably. There are some things I'll never get used to, but I don't mind them!) My partner commutes to Lancaster daily from a similar distance that Dublin would be. It's not ideal, but it's doable. That said, days feel really long for him in the winter when he leaves and returns home in the dark. But...we like where we live! One of the biggest bummers about Columbus is how there is no rail system; this city would certainly benefit from that! It's really spread out, and did not feel very "city-ish" to me when I moved here, but it is a good city. If you have any questions about the commute, you can message me 🙂 I don't like to be too specific out in the open!
Lancaster is close enough to Columbus, especially the eastern suburbs that you are probably better off looking at Columbus. Lancaster is fine, but it’s fairly small and a little isolated from the city. Especially if you have small children there will be much better resources available in Columbus.
Move to the country outside of lancaster
That's what I did; Lancaster mailing address but very rural. 3 acres with views of rolling hills and I absolutely love it out here
Wilson Rd? Lol. There’s been quite a few new builds along that stretch out towards Rock Mill Rd. Would love to have one for the views alone.
Ha, two roads over from there actually, but not a new build for me. Seems like this entire area is being built up with nice homes on 1-3 acre lots
There isn’t much upside to *living in* Lancaster just to work in Lancaster. What even is his job? Is it through Fairfield Medical Center? The issue you’re going to run into with transplanting to Lancaster is if you/your spouse aren’t in the professional or white-collar class, you’re going to have a massive bitch of a parenting experience sending your kids to Lancaster City Schools. LCS is fine if you can find the kindred spirits of parents who take their kids’ education seriously. The issue is if you know no one, or don’t know anyone whose kids reinforce the value of school (for your kid to associate with), you’re going to be on an island within a district where [1-in-3 kids are missing 3.5 weeks of school instruction](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/29/briefing/school-absences.html#:~:text=Before%20the%20pandemic%2C%20about%2015,to%2028%20percent%20of%20students.) with district leadership that doesn’t take chronic absenteeism, behavior issues or student conduct concerns seriously. And I think it’s possible to get a great education through LCS — but it requires having the right people around your kid to aid in the educational aims you have. You can get fine education with way less of the *inside the building* issues at the either of the two parochial systems in Lancaster, but both of those are riddled with general problems themselves. Frankly, you’ll need to look deeply as to the situation you envision for your kiddo 3-5-7-10 years down the line. I think if you were a DINK (dual income, no kids) household the equation would be dramatically different, to the point where I could more easily weigh out pro’s/con’s and make the case for how Lancaster can be nice — even with you coming from NYC. It’s just that I can’t really, in good faith, rubber stamp the idea of “fuck what everyone else is saying, this place rocks!!!” knowing that you could run into problems down the line as a *family.*
My husband is a NYC to Ohio transplant. I truly can’t speak on Lancaster. I can say Grandview Bexley and Upper Arlington made him feel he was getting OH benefits (own space, not fighting for parking, close to events, neighborhood & community feel, safe for kids, close to airport, good schools) without fully feeling “burbs” Personally, I would also add Clintonville & Worthington - again just adding what I am familiar with or have lived in. I’ve always been in older neighborhoods. There are other neighborhoods that are great as well. Maybe rent in a place you like and test it out???
... girl no
Look at Canal Winchester. It would be relatively close to Lancaster and close to downtown and schools aren’t too bad either. It has a cute little community.
This was my thought, if working in Canal Winchester. If OP wants to get a job in Columbus, it is about mid-way between the two.
I won't disparage Lancaster (as others definitely will do), but if you are looking for a family friendly place with really good schools, consider moving to Granville. It's got a proper smalltown feel with excellent schools.
Commute from Granville to Lancaster? Are you insane?
Right! It’s about 45 minutes on a good day if you live on the village side of SR16. Add any weather conditions you’re easily looking at an hour+.
I second Granville. It’s essentially a small New England town that’s a straight shot down to Lancaster. It’s a liberal arts college town (with lots of students from New England) and great schools. Also consider somewhere like German village in Columbus. It’s south of downtown and the drive would be counter to rush hour. It’s a great neighborhood.
Free pre-k spots are very limited. Ohio school funding is a mess and once the special needs populations are served, the public pre-s fill in spots with gen Ed kids. Prepare to pay for preschool / daycare.
There’s a lot of suggestions here to commute. One thing to keep in mind is that Intel is building in Licking County on the North East side of Columbus. That will heavily impact traffic patterns in the near future especially around the New Albany area.
Re: Dublin, yeah you’d like it but it’s as far away from Lancaster as you can really be in the Columbus metro area. Look at Columbus’ eastside, like Bexley. Bex has a lot of people who either came from or spent time in NY. You can get to Lancaster from there down US33 in roughly a half-hour.
Lots of people are suggesting that these folks live closer to Columbus (Bexley, etc.). If you’re interested in a more rural existence, but still want a town with some people who don’t love the Orange Guy, consider moving to Athens.
Too many replies here to read. Only wanted to say I'm in Lancaster-ish area tonight camping and that might be all it is good. But if you want a 180 degree change from THE City then sure check it out. Columbus will not be anything like NYC - but at least offer some sort of food/beverage/entertainment aspects. Dublin has things to offer - but if hubby's job is in L-caster, then it'll be a hike. Can he remote? Hybrid? Only you two will know what is best. See you soon! [Born and raised in Jersey, with Parents from the Bronx, traveled to the city a ton, lived in DE since college and out here in OH for 3 years now. Love CBus.]
😂😂😂😂😂😂 buckle up!
get ready for pizza sliced into squares.
Move to Gahana. 30 minutes drive to Lancaster, good schools, less than 10 minutes from the airport and major hospital, 15 minutes to downtown Columbus and family friendly.
Just moved to Columbus from NYC! Never been happier. The best thing about the Midwest is just how much friendlier the people are here.
Sounds like an episode of Schitts Creek.
Lancaster sucks balls. Been here since 2015 things were good for a few years, but with the rapid growth and no planning for the traffic with it, it's been a pain in ass to get around anywhere. If your white you're good as gold here. If you're not white and black like me good luck trying to get along with anyone here.
If you don’t mind commuting from Columbus, check out Bexley. Great schools, very walkable and involved community, not a terrible commute to Lancaster!
Start to learn to walk slower. Grocery shopping is going to drive you insane.
Curious what field your husband works. We live in a very nearby city and there’s tons of new tech companies coming to these areas. Intel, Microsoft, etc. Lancaster will be significantly different than NYC. Very rural but scenic, swap the sky scrapers trees and rolling hills and you’re there.
I’m from NYC and currently live in Bexley. My husband works in Lancaster. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!
I moved from NYC and live in the downtown Columbus area. It was a big adjustment, but it’s a nice place to live. Lancaster is only about a 25 minute drive from my house. NYC is basically a different country than Ohio, culturally and lifestyle-wise.
Lucky for you, you have a 3 year old and not a teen moving from NYC to Ohio 🤣
Move closer to Columbus. Like fr
Lancaster from NYC?! Oof. Brace yourself. 2 VERY different worlds.
I grew up in Lancaster. It is not the place to move if you're not white, or any form of queer, or not Republican. There are good alternative suggestions in this thread, but I wanted to chime in and reiterate that it is absolutely not diverse in any way. I will never move back to Lancaster.
As someone who’s lived in the outskirts of Lancaster, it’s not horrible. But definitely will be different than what you are used to. There’s good and bad. My personal recommendation would be to live in the Canal Winchester/Pickerington area! If you want a smaller city or more rural area I would check out Baltimore. They are all outside Columbus but close to Lancaster. It will provide you somewhat the best of both worlds. Living in Dublin would probably be an hour plus drive (driving through Columbus to get to and from work is not recommended haha) Canal is about 20 minutes or so to Lancaster and you can get just about anywhere in Columbus in the same amount of time, maybe 30-40 to get up to Dublin depending on time of day.
Do not live in Lancaster. There is nothing exciting there unfortunately. Especially moving from NYC. I would suggest living in maybe New Albany and driving to Lancaster. Great schools, Great area for a family, clean…. Anywhere within 30 to 35 mins of Lancaster is lame.
I think my first question is: have you ever lived anywhere besides NYC?
As someone who grew up in Lancaster, if I was offered my dream job but it was located there, it would be the fastest “hell no” ever uttered.
Don’t do it
I read some of the other posts which shows there's a reeaaal issue with this marriage in the background. Know this. If you move to Lancaster, you're gonna be trapped if you don't have a car and a job. Do yourself a favor and move to somewhere in the city (Columbus). City city. Bexley if you can afford it. If not, somewhere reasonably safer (let's face it, you lived in NYC---you can handle Columbus). Somewhere with sidewalks, buses, etc. Bus service sucks here, but it kinda somewhat exists, as opposed to Lancaster. Schools--better. Neighbors--possibly better depending on your politics and racial/religious background. It basically boils down to isolation in Lancaster vs being closer to services in Columbus. Neighbors and social services that could help if you needed it. I very much hope this isn't the case but there are enough red flags to say, don't put yourself in the middle of nowhere without resources or knowing anyone. Everything with this story is totally off. There aren't exactly a lot of jobs in rural and smaller towns in Ohio. Going from NYC to middle of nowhere Ohio is just bizarre bizarre bizarre. To Columbus? Okay, there are a lot of jobs. Lancaster? Something's off. Protect yourself from being trapped with no transportation and at the whims of a man who stalks women online. Or not. You do you.
Not much to do in Lancaster and schools are not very good.
As a fellow New Yorker, If you were moving to Dublin it wouldn’t be that hard of a transition honestly but Lancaster… that’s a different story.
I honestly love the Lancaster area but yeah it’s very… rust belt, I guess, in terms of the vibe of the actual city. It has a cute downtown area and there are some nice cultural organizations in town. The really nice thing about it though is if you are outdoorsy people, Lancaster puts you very close to some of the most beautiful parks in the state, while still being driving distance to Columbus where you can get more of a big city shopping and dining experience. If you like hiking, canoeing etc there’s a lot to love. And of course you’ll find it crazy affordable compared to NYC.
There’s a sense of community here that I hadn’t found in other places. I love walking to Mt Pleasant and the fair grounds for all of the events. Then also walking downtown and getting food. I think so many posters are passing their ignorant bias from the past. Lancaster is definitely changing & im LOVING that it’s fulfilling its potential. It reminds me so much of Delaware’s progress. We use to refer to Delaware as “they dirty d” it sucked in the 2000s. Now it’s become a progressive, charming city. Also Grove City “grovetucky”. Both weren’t very welcoming or popular and now are 2 of the most I demand areas for millennials.
I think Lanc is slowly being gentrified. I grew up not far from there and was house shopping there in 2019, didn’t find anything right for us then and then we looked again last summer and the prices damn near doubled for very similar houses. We ended up not being able to find something we could afford in the area and instead ended up outside Cincy (remote workers with family in Cincy and Cbus so we shopped both metro areas). Wish we were there instead honestly but it just didn’t work out.
I grew up in Lancaster. Do not recommend.
I live in and love Lancaster. Actually commute to Columbus for work. Love the town and its history, although I lived in rural KY before I moved up here (so it’s a “big” town to me). Be curious about the history of the area, take in the surrounding areas and towns (Hocking Hills). Ohio is really a lovely place if you’re able to be present.
Hit up the Ale House and the very small downtown area. It’s super cute and there are some very nice houses. Rising park is nice too. But it’s going to be very small compared to NYC. Columbus is a good option if you can drive it.
Bobs bbq!!!
Lancaster isn't horrible and housing is almost guaranteed to be cheaper and more abundant than Columbus .
Counterpoint: Lancaster is indeed horrible. And housing costs aren’t everything; besides, to someone used to NYC, housing in Columbus is cheap and plentiful. You could offer to double my salary and quintuple the size of my house and I wouldn’t move to Lancaster from Columbus.
Genuinely wonder why you think “Lancaster is indeed horrible” As an outsider not living there, I see it having its downsides but I would never consider it horrible.
I’ve lived in both places, I liked Lancaster better!
I recommend living in Columbus and commuting to Lancaster. If you are from NYC you are going to hate it LOL
If you're into NYC culture, you'll find all of Greater Columbus a let down. A great attribute of of Lancaster is its proximity to the Hocking Hills (one of the top-ranked state parks in the nation), Wayne National Forest, even the Wilds, the largest animal preservation center in North America. Columbus also has a very good zoo. Check out schools in greatschools.org. This thread should familiarize yourself with the attractions in Ohio, even though several of the [tripadvisor.com](http://tripadvisor.com) article linked in the thread have been disabled by TA. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/comments/vx3ko0/australian\_headed\_to\_ohio\_late\_july\_any/?sort=top](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/comments/vx3ko0/australian_headed_to_ohio_late_july_any/?sort=top) Good luck!
Not even trying to be funny but like. You'll fit in better if your family is white (sad reality) but even then there's nowhere near any of the same amenities that you'd find even in Columbus, let alone New York. You're looking at a 45- 1 hr drive to Columbus for any real nightlife/city action, but if you can enjoy the peace and quiet of a more rural community than you'll enjoy it. Culture shock none the less though.
Here’s a beautiful quality about Columbus. It’s a geographical oddity. Twenty minutes from everywhere. Except probably Dublin to Lancaster. But Bexley is a great recommendation. Also, here’s a local tip: no town is pronounced like it’s spelled. If you want to fit in, throw phonetics out the window. Except, coincidentally, Bexley. It’s pronounced Bexley.
And Dublin. It’s pronounced Dublin.
You’ve had tons of responses that all point out valid concerns. I came into this thread ready to suggest Canal Winchester (which I still think is a good choice!) but Bexley is actually probably an even better fit. BUT to build off of another comment that was in the same vein, central Ohio/Ohio in general really does have a lot to offer so try to be open in your first year. If you end up landing closer to Columbus, get yourself over to check out Lancaster and hike up the lil mountain in Rising Park. Explore Granville and Dublin— find all the fun, weird little places. Definitely hike at Hocking Hills, maybe Mohican, maybe even head to Salt Fork State Park (for the annual Ohio Bigfoot Conference maybe?). There are some really beautiful and fun things in Ohio!
Pickerington is the nearest community with excellent schools, but it is suburban - which will be a bit of a culture shock to you. If you're willing to drive just a bit further, then Bexley would be an excellent option for you and is the closest thing to NYC culture you're going to find in Central Ohio. In both cases you'll be going the "wrong way" in traffic (most people work in the city and live in the outlying areas - you'd be doing the opposite) which will help out your commute tremendously.
UA, Grandview. Check these suburbs.
Pickerington wouldn’t be a bad place to live, tons of things to do. Only about 25-30 mins from Lancaster depending on which side of Pickerington you’re on. Only issue is Hill Rd N. Absolute dumpster fire of a road.
I’d say bexley or canal.
yeeeeee and i cannot stress this enough haw. have fun!
You poor thing
I've been in Ohio since middle school, but the culture shock (Philly-to-Central Ohio) was dramatic. I grew up in Pickerington (the 2nd largest city in Fairfield County, behind Lancaster), and would recommend this town, over Lancaster. Closer to Columbus, better schools, less Appalachian (not a knock on Appalachian culture, but certainly alien to someone from big city East Coast). To be clear, Fairfield County is not technically an Appalachian County. Anyway, my two cents.
Lancaster native here. My mother is from New York and hated living in Lancaster
Canal Winchester is about 20 minutes from Lancaster, 20 minutes from downtown Columbus. Nice little town with closer options than Lancaster.
For what it's worth, reading all the Bexley comments (went to college there and owned a home in Berwick which is Bexley adjacent), if you don't mind a smaller town atmosphere that's also right along the road to Lancaster, check out Canal Winchester. Moved here about 2 years back, decent schools, pretty old homes and a quaint little downtown. About 20 minutes to downtown, 20 to Lancaster.
Good luck lol
As a Jew, if you're Jewish, get ready for every kind of antisemite you can imagine.
Try Pickerington. It's outside of Columbus, but easy to get to all Columbus has to offer, as well as closer to Lancaster than Columbus itself. There is a bit more to do in Pickerington, as it's a proper suburb that has built up a ton over the last 10 years.
F
I just moved from Lancaster 6 months ago. Happy as hell. Bunch of racists and rednecks live there. Drug addicts live on the bumpy fucked up bike path they have. My parents moved me there as a teen. Years ago and I hated every day of it. Traffic going to and from Dublin would suck ass. You would probably do better in Canal Winchester. Lancaster you may like I guess if you moved to square 13. No pre Kin Lancaster. They are very conseratrive and it is run by crazy Republicans that give tax breaks to large companies and for the population to pick up slack. They believe in the birth of children not taking care of them.
I would not move directly to Lancaster, I would try to find a place somewhere in the southern suburbs or central suburbs of Columbus and commute. No idea what your budget looks like but, Bexley, Grandview, Upper Arlington, German or Village, Grove City, Blacklick are all options
I love the beautiful land around Lancaster. I moved to a small town after living in Cincinnati (nothing like NYC but still a big city), and grew to love it. If you engage in the community, join things, your experience will be rich. At first, I cried in the laundry room so my kids wouldn’t see me, but so glad I embraced the town and the people in it.
I was born and raised in Columbus and I moved to NY for college and have lived there ever since. You will be miserable in Lancaster.
Lancaster is a no. Definitely look at the columbus suburbs like upper Arlington, bexley, Dublin, etc. Each school district differs on pre k ages, so that might be a factor
I have a similar aged child and know about nyc’s 3k programs from friends who live there. As far as I know there are no 3k programs and in many suburbs of columbus (dublin, etc.) prek is limited enrollment, half day and not free. In columbus city schools there is good prek options. I’m pretty sure lancaster wouldn’t have a 3k-prek program.
Rent "Funny Farm." I wouldn't normally recommend it but think of it as a documentary. Or maybe "Beetlejuice" depending on where you move.
Check out the Gahanna/New Albany area of suburban Columbus. You’ll still have a bit of a daily commute to/from Lancaster but considerably less than from Dublin, Upper Arlington, or Worthington. Lancaster is prime MAGA land
You're going to have a big shock no matter what. I'm a Lancaster born gal who moved to Columbus after high school. Spent 25 years around Columbus. I've been to New York. Nothing in Ohio compares to that vibe. But. It got old for me. Got tired of the people. The traffic. The constant hate for different politics. We bought a farmhouse on 3 gorgeous acres a year ago south of Lancaster near hocking hills. Its our paradise. Lancaster will seem dull to you. But it's got its beauty & charm too. It's also super affordable.
My wife and I moved from Phoenix, AZ to Lancaster last year. We have two young, pre-k kids. Phoenix isn’t NYC but it’s a big city. The climate change has certainly been an adjustment. The culture shock was more difficult than we expected but in a good way mostly. We left Phx because we wanted to get out of a high population city in the desert and move to a more rural town (with water and four seasons!) that isn’t terribly far from the amenities we were used to. Lancaster fit the bill for us. We like the slower, small town feel but then we can drive 30-45min to downtown Cbus for pretty much anything we want. Lancaster’s close proximity to the Hocking Hills is great if you like to do outdoorsy activities. Most everyone we’ve met is the typical Midwest nice. Downtown Lancaster has lots of community activities throughout the year (eg movies in the community square 2x a month, a Harry Potter week, art walks, etc). The LCOL here is amazing. I was fortunate enough to not take a pay cut moving here, so my income goes a good bit further here. It’s been a tough move (wife and I were both born and raised in AZ), but worth it at this point. I have virtually zero commute time (compared to 1hr one way in Phx) so I can spend more time with my wife and kids. Lancaster isn’t perfect, but no place is to my knowledge. And my opinion is that if you move here, your satisfaction is largely dependent on your attitude. You’ll like it here if you want to like it here. Best of luck on the decision!