While London may only be recognized by some as the second largest US city known as 'London,' it's better known by gamers as the hometown of Wigglearms Williams, one of the bad guys in the Super Nintendo game SOCKS THE CAT ROCKS THE HILL. Londonians in the game even throw fruit at the bruiser as he goes through town.
Even though it has a population of just under 10,000, London was undoubtedly seen by millions leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics since the fire department and water tower were featured on a Nike commercial promoting the event. For those who like their small quaint community, luck would have it that this exposure didn't create a mass population influx. In fact, London has had a slow but steady population growth of around 12 percent every decade from the '80s on.
Moving to London
London is a bit of an enigma in the world, but this is what keeps those who love the community from leaving. The violent crime rate in Ohio is already about a quarter less than the national average, and the same rate in London is a full half of Ohio's in general. Even with this being the case, though, population has remained relatively stable in the city. Of course, there are a bunch of old houses here. That might scare off the lesser of us, but those with any taste recognize that these houses are still nice. Check out the place; you'll love it. Oh, but you might want to do a little prep work first.
When to Start Looking
Finding a rental apartment in London isn't the most dire of situations. There are plenty of places to go around, and with an estimated population decline of about .3 percent between 2010 and 2012, there are even more to go around. You could probably find a nice place if you started looking about one month before the move, but we know your type. You want more than nice, don't you? Well if you put a few extra weeks of research into it, you can find rental homes in your ideal neighborhood. So strap up your boots and keep reading! Well, you don't really need boots in this situation, so just keep reading.
When to Make the Move
They say that timing is everything. Well it's not. After all, what good is timing if you're not in the right place? Well, London is the right place, but if your timing includes moving there during the winter months, you might kick yourself later. Between December and February, average high temperatures don't even creep above the 40 degree mark. During this same period of time, average low temps hover right around 20 degrees. Keep in mind, though, that Columbus has a festival season which runs from April to November, and since the big city is only 30 minutes outside of London, you might catch some traffic during the winter months. You should either look up the timing of these festivals, or ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
That was a Dirty Harry reference... for those who didn't catch it.
What to Bring Along
London is a pleasant area, and even with the relatively large number of places for rent, you'll still want to come looking your best. This usually means having at least proof of income and references from former landlords in tow. Additionally, most landlords will perform a credit check, so those who do this and save them the trouble will undoubtedly earn a few brownie points. If you really want to get in good, though, bring along a criminal background check. London has a violent crime rate one half of that in Ohio, which has a rate about a quarter of that found in America as a whole, and everyone would probably like to keep it that way.
Unless you took that earlier Dirty Harry quote to heart. In that case, you might want to skip the background check. Unless you're Clint Eastwood. You can probably slide by then.
London Neighborhoods
Maybe you're looking for a giant home. Maybe you're looking for smaller city apartments. Regardless of your taste, at least one area of London has the neighborhood that you're looking for. Prices vary considerably in the area, and you could opt for anything from a new home to an abode in the downtown area that shows its historical context. The main thing to take away from this then, is that all of the areas and neighborhoods in London have their own little benefits which you'll covet when you choose to live in another neighborhood.
Southern London: The area south of East and West High Street is only populated on the west side. Many of the homes are antiquated, but so is the downtown shopping area which is nearby. Cyclists will especially love getting a house rental here, though, since the Prairie Grass Trail runs right through the area.
Central London: There are a variety of homes in central London, and you can even opt for apartment rentals at Devonshire Apartments. What draws many people, though, is the proximity to Cowling Park. Add that to the fact that London Square Shopping Center is also nearby, and there's not much to be complained about. Even the yards are relatively big in most areas, so you won't even have to look at that one annoying neighbor.
Eastern London: They're not bragging, but eastern London is kind of a big deal. The homes here are beautiful and the neighborhoods are set up in an affluent-type subdivision sort of way. If you're a pet lover, the close proximity to Sheffield Veterinary Hospital will obviously be a perk; and if you're one of those people who don't like pets, and thus don't have a heart, you'll still love the proximity to the Walmart Supercenter.
Living in London
The neighborhoods throughout London have plenty to offer, but you can't spend your life traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood just to enjoy parks and shopping. Fortunately in London, you won't have to. There are so many attractions and places to enjoy in London, that it'll likely take you years to experience them all. Unless you don't work for a living, in which case, you can probably cover them all in a few months. But if you're not working, you might want to keep that from your landlord. Could hurt the interview process!
Festival Season
If you decide to find rental apts in London, you'll only be half an hour away from Columbus. This means you can take advantage of all of the festivals that occur there during the year. There's even a testicle festival. We would've looked it up to tell you what it was all about, but to be completely honest, we were a little scared.
Head to the Fair
There's no need to travel around the state to enjoy a fair or amusement park when you're living in London. The Madison County Fairgrounds are located on Elm Street here, so you'll always be near the action when the fair rolls around during the summer. Unlike places in the south, you definitely don't want to ride the wide open rides during the cold months here.
A Little Bit Country
Yes, Ohio is a northern state, but you can always get a little taste of the south in London. From rodeos and barrel racing to good old fashioned tractor pulls, you'll finally be able to break out that cowboy hat.
