Financial Woes Paint Different Views of Cities
By Kathleen Hildenbrand
Dispatch Reader
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Let me tell you something about the "livability" of the top two cities in the recent SustainLane survey that ranked Columbus dead last (Dispatch article, June 4).
I lived in San Francisco for five years before moving to Portland, Ore., for another five. Yes, both cities are beautiful. They're near the ocean, the air is clean, the people are progressive, and you don't need a car.
So why did I leave these paradises on Earth? Because everyone else wants to live there, too, so the housing and rent prices are sky-high, while the job market is in the toilet.
It was all so livable, I found myself in debt with nothing much to show for it, except the privilege of living in these cities. So I moved to Columbus, a place that, while not on any hipster radar, I knew was affordable, with a large young population and decent cultural scene.
A year later, my partner and I own a home in an area that we actually aren't scared to come home to at night, and I have my own business. We both have a commute of less than 15 minutes, and for the first time in years actually have some discretionary income. So I'm glad that Columbus isn't getting national press as a great place to live, because I know firsthand that once that happens, the livability they're looking for disappears into thin air.
