New Albany, Ohio, has earned the top spot on Business Insider’s annual list of America’s 50 best suburbs. New Albany is roughly a 20-minute drive from Colombus, with an average household income of roughly $185,000 and a population of approximately 8,000. Let’s explore more reasons you should live in New Albany, OH.
Education
New Albany is highly ranked for its humongous learning campus, spanning some 200 acres. The campus accepts children from grades K-12. In fact, every school within the vicinity has clinched the national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. Ohio State University is a mere 20-minute commute, for the older kids. 79% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher and more than 99% have a high school diploma.
Safety and Housing
The average home value in New Albany is $485,2000, with a homeownership rate of almost 94%. There are around 110 active public listings in the community, with prices ranging from $200,000 to almost $5 million – according to Zillow, the biggest, online real estate network. With that said, the New Albany Links and New Albany Country Club are among the district’s most in-demand neighborhoods.
The FBI has also reported 25 cases of violent crime per 100,000 people in the neighborhood. According to the New Albany Police Department’s September 2015 report, there are two cases of domestic violence, one of disorderly conduct, and four cases of larceny/theft. Since 2014, cases of kidnapping and child endangerment have been at zero. Furthermore, the poverty rate in the district is a low 1.2%.
Recreation
More than 600 acres of green space and public parks allow residents to regularly stay active. Between Wexner Community Park, Thompson Road Park, and Bevelhymer Park, residents have access to soccer, football, baseball, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, and a variety of fun walking trails.
Each neighborhood is connected to the Village Center, New Albany Market Square, and learning campus via thirty miles of trails. If you’re keen on socializing, you may join a walking club that organizes the nation’s biggest walking-only race, the New Albany Walking Classic.
The city also hosts the New Albany Classic Grand Prix, the highly renowned equestrian event in the US that increases awareness of domestic violence.
The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts offers theatre dance, live music, and educational classes for culture junkies. Local school productions are also often staged here.
Golfers will appreciate the New Albany Country Club, which is home to the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus championship golf course. Members can spend their afternoons in the grand clubhouse, which houses a 250-seat ballroom, three restaurants, five pools, a 30,000-square-foot health club and 18 tennis courts. That’s plenty of entertainment for those who love to keep fit!
Thirty miles of connectors link the district to Market Square, a hotbed of cafés, shops and the New Albany Farmers Market. From its annual Fourth of July and Founder’s Day parades to special events like the Taste of New Albany, there’s little wonder then New Albany is identified as a well-curated community that embodies the best traditions of small-town America.