"It's got a working-class feel and a very strong community spirit."
Just west of Columbus, Valleyview is a quiet village that offers direct access to shopping, dining and green spaces. Valleyview is the type of neighborhood where kids walk to school and ride their bikes in the streets. In the summertime, neighbors play cornhole in each other's backyards while burgers sizzle on the grill. In the winter, it's not uncommon to see groups of kids building forts and having snowball fights. “It’s got a working-class feel and a very strong community spirit,” says Realtor Kareem Jackson, a former resident of Valleyview who sells homes in the neighborhood with Key Realty. “When I lived there, everyone knew everyone. It’s the type of place where neighbors will keep an eye on your house when you’re gone.” Interstate 270, also known as Columbus’ “outer belt,” passes through the neighborhood and makes it easy to reach the city. With its friendly atmosphere and enviable location, housing prices in Valleyview keep rising. “I would consider it a hidden gem neighborhood. Once homebuyers find out about it, they always want to see more of it,” Jackson says. The village has a mayor and council structure of government and its own police department.
Authentic Mexican and Yemeni cuisine
Most of the neighborhood’s restaurants are located on West Broad Street. Tacos Don Deme serves authentic Mexican dishes like birria burritos and enchiladas. Burnzie’s Old Trail serves beer and burgers in a rustic environment. The King of Almandi Yemeni Restaurant serves halal dishes. There is a Kroger on the community’s eastern side and a Home Depot just west of the outer belt. Along West Broad Street, there are stores like CVS, Dollar Tree, GameStop, Giant Eagle Supermarket and a motorcycle shop called Cycle Gear. Valleyview is also home to a women’s clothing store called Rainbow Shops, a Mexican goods store called El Music-ON Latin Mall and two car dealerships owned by actor Mark Wahlberg.
1960s ranch-style houses, split-levels and New Traditionals
The neighborhood has a very low housing turnover rate. "A lot of families have been there for a long time,” Jackson says. "Buyers usually only get in there if someone passes away.” South of West Broad, 1960s ranch-style houses sell for between $160,000 and $250,000, and 1950s split-levels range from $240,000 to $300,000. Residents express a great deal of pride in their properties. “One way to tell a good neighborhood that’s older is to look at the alleys,” says Realtor John Hellwege, who lives in the village and sells homes there with Myers Real Estate. “When you look at the alleys in Valleyview, they’re in good shape and kept clean.” Most of the houses just south of Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway were developed in the 1970s. Ranch styles in the area sell for between $220,000 and $290,000, and split levels sell for as much as $315,000. New Traditional-style houses south of that highway sell for between $270,000 and $330,000. Trains run through the southeast corner and north end of the community. They can be noisy. "I lived near the train tracks when I was there, and they were annoying at first, but you eventually get used to them," Jackson says.
Public schools within walking distance
Children on the east side of the community often attend Valleyview Elementary and Westmoor Middle School. Both schools have C-minus Niche ratings. Those children move on to West High School, which has a C Niche rating. The high school was designed by the same architect who designed Ohio Stadium. Children who live south of West Broad attend Stiles Elementary and Norton Middle School -- both of which have C Niche ratings -- before attending Westland High School, which has a C-plus Niche rating. Westland High School offers Advanced Placement classes. Ohio State University, which has about 60,000 students, is 10 miles northeast.
Hilltop YMCA and public green spaces
Within Valleyview, there’s a neighborhood pocket park on Dibblee Avenue. Dibblee Park has a four-table shelter with a nearby grill, plus swing sets and a play area. Visitors can also organize a pickup game and shoot hoops on the basketball court. For those who prefer to exercise indoors, there’s the Hilltop YMCA. In addition to the cardio and weights in the main workout area, there is an aerobics studio, an indoor pool, a sauna, and a place for people to drop off their children. Westgate Sports Park is less than a half mile east of the neighborhood. The park includes baseball diamonds, athletic fields, basketball courts, pickleball courts and lighted tennis courts. Camp Chase Trail passes through the neighborhood’s southeast corner along the railroad track. People walk and bike down the 12-½ mile paved trail. “You can take that trail to connect to another trail to get to Cincinnati if you want to,” Jackson says.
Hollywood Casino Columbus, concerts at Nationwide Arena and football games at Ohio Stadium
Hollywood Casino Columbus is located within the community. The casino has 65 table games and over 800 progressive slot machines. “Some residents work at the casino,” Jackson says. The Buckeyes football team faces off against other Big Ten Conference programs at Ohio Stadium, 11-½ miles northeast of Valleyview. In the downtown, residents can see musical acts like Weezer and New Kids on the Block at Nationwide Arena.
Getting around Columbus
Downtown Columbus is 10 miles east via interstates 270 and 70. The outer belt encircles Columbus and is a critical thoroughfare for the city. The interstate creates considerable noise for residents who live south of West Broad, where there are also bus stops.
Written By
William Palicia
Photography Contributed By
Mitchell Birnbaum
Video By
Jonathan Bradley
