Newark, Ohio area
Jan 17th, 2008, 09:42 AM
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Newark, Ohio area
If a person were to accept a job in Newark, Ohio - what is the best community to live in for families? I would be looking for the obvious - best junior high & high schools & access to kids activities like a competitive swim team. Quality of life items like Arts, Entertainment, Outdoor Recreation...the usual things many of us with kids look for in a community. Thank you.
Jan 17th, 2008, 10:18 AM
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I was just learning more about Granville as a good option. Can you give me any "inside information" - like desirable neighborhoods? Is there a better "end of town" to live in than others?
Jan 17th, 2008, 02:04 PM
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Granville for sure! It's very small - and the houses are surprisingly expensive - but it is SWEET. It's more of a New England feel than many New England towns! LOL.
It is really a village - picture small, very quaint streets, with a cute main street. Lots of Victorian houses, small yards, all pedestrian friendly.
There are a few "sprawlish" neighborhoods with newer, bigger houses, but they are not in the walking village. If you look on a map, they are off of Rt 539, Newark-Granville Rd (street names around Glyn Tawel).
They have a first rate school system too. I believe they are listed in one of the "top high school" lists.
Granville has all these laws to control chain development. There are no McDonalds or anything similar. (Unlike Newark - lots of stuff there.) Now, they are building a highway from Columbus, so it is increasingly under pressure, but they are pretty committed to their "special" status.
My son goes to Denison University, so we get there quite often. Students are required to live on campus all four years, so you get to live in a college town without the annoying college kids. LOL. Denison has a gorgeous campus.
Newark itself seems a little down on its luck. They are trying to rejuvenate their little downtown. I have never seen anyplace there I'd want to live - but that doesn't mean a thing, as I haven't looked at Newark with that in mind.
Let me know what else you need.
It is really a village - picture small, very quaint streets, with a cute main street. Lots of Victorian houses, small yards, all pedestrian friendly.
There are a few "sprawlish" neighborhoods with newer, bigger houses, but they are not in the walking village. If you look on a map, they are off of Rt 539, Newark-Granville Rd (street names around Glyn Tawel).
They have a first rate school system too. I believe they are listed in one of the "top high school" lists.
Granville has all these laws to control chain development. There are no McDonalds or anything similar. (Unlike Newark - lots of stuff there.) Now, they are building a highway from Columbus, so it is increasingly under pressure, but they are pretty committed to their "special" status.
My son goes to Denison University, so we get there quite often. Students are required to live on campus all four years, so you get to live in a college town without the annoying college kids. LOL. Denison has a gorgeous campus.
Newark itself seems a little down on its luck. They are trying to rejuvenate their little downtown. I have never seen anyplace there I'd want to live - but that doesn't mean a thing, as I haven't looked at Newark with that in mind.
Let me know what else you need.
Jan 18th, 2008, 05:23 AM
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In that area I would also suggest Granville. Our daughter attends Denison Univ so we've visited the area numerous times. Granville definitely seems to be more prosperous than the Heath/Newark area. It's a beautiful, very hilly town and certainly is more reminiscent of New England.
Part of its charm is indeed the lack of chains, although CVS took over the local pharmacy last year. There are quite a few upscale shops and some excellent restaurants.
Denison provides some great opportunities for cultural events, arts, speakers programs, concerts, etc. And you are only 35 mi. from Columbus.
It's schools have a very good reputation. As far as neighborhoods, Denison is small and you can cross town in about 10 min. There are some nice areas around Denison and a new development south of town that looks very nice (but don't know the name of the development or prices).
It's definitely worth considering.
Part of its charm is indeed the lack of chains, although CVS took over the local pharmacy last year. There are quite a few upscale shops and some excellent restaurants.
Denison provides some great opportunities for cultural events, arts, speakers programs, concerts, etc. And you are only 35 mi. from Columbus.
It's schools have a very good reputation. As far as neighborhoods, Denison is small and you can cross town in about 10 min. There are some nice areas around Denison and a new development south of town that looks very nice (but don't know the name of the development or prices).
It's definitely worth considering.
Jan 18th, 2008, 07:56 AM
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Granville definitely looks like a terrific town. I was searching on-line and had trouble finding much in the way of houses for sale. I continued running into the same listings - so either there isn't much for sale or I'm not as good at searching as I would like to think I am. Yes- noticed the housing was surprisingly high for some properties that didn't look particularly exciting. Excellent schools are a big priority for us - so definitely interested in the area. Of the quirky things I was looking for - I couldn't find a nice, big family fitness center. The one that continued popping up looked very small and not quite what I"m used to.
Jan 18th, 2008, 09:56 AM
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Blueslipper:
Do a google search and enter the words Granville Oh real estate. The first link is the google real estate site. It will show you houses for sale there and where they are on a map. You can zoom in and out on the map. It's pretty neat.
Here's the link, but I bet it won't work:
http://tinyurl.com/yvu55b
The heart of the village is where S. Main St. intersects W. Broadway.
The only fitness place I've noticed is the Newark YMCA. If you want something fancier you'd probably have to look at Columbus. (Have you been to the Easton Center outside Columbus? A new twist on the mall concept...)
Another nice about Granville is it has a pretty extensive walking/biking trail system. It also has some creeks suitable for kayaking. (Search Licking County kayaking.)
http://www.granville.oh.us/page.cfm?ID=50
There is a private lake/beach club. But it is not fancy. Sort of a family owned place. It is on Lake Hudson, off of Old River Rd SE. It is a man-made lake with picnic facilities. It looks fun for younger kids.
Here is a link to the newspaper that serves the area.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Do a google search and enter the words Granville Oh real estate. The first link is the google real estate site. It will show you houses for sale there and where they are on a map. You can zoom in and out on the map. It's pretty neat.
Here's the link, but I bet it won't work:
http://tinyurl.com/yvu55b
The heart of the village is where S. Main St. intersects W. Broadway.
The only fitness place I've noticed is the Newark YMCA. If you want something fancier you'd probably have to look at Columbus. (Have you been to the Easton Center outside Columbus? A new twist on the mall concept...)
Another nice about Granville is it has a pretty extensive walking/biking trail system. It also has some creeks suitable for kayaking. (Search Licking County kayaking.)
http://www.granville.oh.us/page.cfm?ID=50
There is a private lake/beach club. But it is not fancy. Sort of a family owned place. It is on Lake Hudson, off of Old River Rd SE. It is a man-made lake with picnic facilities. It looks fun for younger kids.
Here is a link to the newspaper that serves the area.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Jan 18th, 2008, 12:59 PM
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wliwl - Thank you for the link. It worked great. I found a perfect house - too bad it's $800,000 ++! That is very handy - thank you. I shouldn't ignore the "ads." I appreciate your help.
Feb 9th, 2008, 01:32 PM
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I live in Granville and have a son who has attended Granville schools from 3rd-11th grades. The town is wonderful and the schools are excellent. It is also great being 30 minutes from the Easton area of Columbus, with lots of great shops and restaurants. There are lots of homes for sale (a lot of executives seem to live in Granville when transferred to Central Ohio for the schools, then they get transferred out of Ohio after a few years, so there are always homes for sale). There really are homes of all prices available. It's a great place to live!
Feb 15th, 2008, 12:59 PM
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Hmmm, restaurants in Granville.
We eat often at Brews, which is right on Main St. It has beer and typical pub food.
http://www.brewscafe.com/index.php
(I notice the web site has a photo of their old location - they've moved down the street a bit.)
There is a new restaurant open in Granville but I can't recall the name of it -- I'll ask my son when I talk to him.
A lot of people eat at Granville Inn - we've found it uneven. But it's a nice atmosphere, sort of historic/fancy.
http://www.granvilleinn.com/dining.php
We've had a couple of nice meals at The Manna in Newark.
http://www.themannarestaurant.com/
If you're looking for a place to stay I strongly recommend The Fraley House Bed and Breakfast. If you want to save money we've gotten the Marriott Courtyard in Newark on Priceline (the "Name Your Own Price" section) for $50 and it's a nice hotel.
Good luck!
We eat often at Brews, which is right on Main St. It has beer and typical pub food.
http://www.brewscafe.com/index.php
(I notice the web site has a photo of their old location - they've moved down the street a bit.)
There is a new restaurant open in Granville but I can't recall the name of it -- I'll ask my son when I talk to him.
A lot of people eat at Granville Inn - we've found it uneven. But it's a nice atmosphere, sort of historic/fancy.
http://www.granvilleinn.com/dining.php
We've had a couple of nice meals at The Manna in Newark.
http://www.themannarestaurant.com/
If you're looking for a place to stay I strongly recommend The Fraley House Bed and Breakfast. If you want to save money we've gotten the Marriott Courtyard in Newark on Priceline (the "Name Your Own Price" section) for $50 and it's a nice hotel.
Good luck!
Feb 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM
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Speak of the devil - son just called. He says the restaurant is called Del Mar. He thinks he likes Brews better - here's a review, I couldn't find a web site.
http://www.mymfn.com/?p=223
http://www.mymfn.com/?p=223
Feb 15th, 2008, 01:07 PM
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^ This might be a better review --
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/p...=2007711010311
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/p...=2007711010311
Feb 18th, 2008, 05:26 AM
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In Granville, would recommend The Granville Inn (which we've always found to be very good), Buxton Inn, agree with Brews, and the Del Mar (we ate there last Oct. Food quite good but service slow - figured they were still working out the new-opening kinks).
Mar 20th, 2008, 04:29 AM
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We're off to check out Granville! I've continued scouting out the real estate, and haven't found a lot of interesting options in our price range. We're not "McMansion" types - love the feeling of an established neighborhood. I am looking/hoping for certain features like an above-average kitchen, 9' ceilings, 2(+) car garage, and Granville Schools. We might consider new construction if we can't find what we're looking for. If anyone has some specific neighborhood suggestions - I would love to hear. I'm curious about the newer development south of town that dfr4848 mentioned. Thank you all!
Mar 20th, 2008, 05:33 AM
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blueslipper - well, we're off to Granville ourselves today. Spending weekend with daughter and help her celebrate 20th birthday. [Apparently its' still OK to be seen with parents at that age - especially if they're picking up the tab!] If I catch the name of that development south of town, I'll pass it along.
