Why We Moved to New Albany: Finding Downtown Amenities in the Suburbs

Srinivas and Shobha Koushik like New Albany so much that they’ve moved to the northeastern Columbus suburb three times. “You could say that Central Ohio is where our roots are,” says Srinivas, 57, who works in information technology. “We’ve lived in Central Ohio for longer than any other place, including India, which is where we’re from.”

After moving to the Columbus area in 1990, the couple first lived in Dublin. But, wanting to be closer to their eldest daughter Sheena’s new school—nearby Columbus Academy—the Koushiks relocated to New Albany in 1995. They became early believers in the then-village’s unique mix of stately homes, countless green spaces and, of course, seemingly endless bike paths and walking trails.

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Professional commitments twice took the Koushiks from New Albany: In 1999, the family moved to New York before returning to New Albany in 2002. They remained in the suburb until 2013, when they moved to California before again returning this past May. This time, Sheena, now grown, brought them back: She had been living in Kansas, but with her husband and 2-year-old child, decided to return to Central Ohio. She looked at all the usual places: Worthington, Dublin, Upper Arlington.

“But then, she came back to New Albany,” says Shobha, 55, who currently is employed at Intuit. “We were happy that she chose New Albany.”

Reflecting on close to 30 years of on-again, off-again living in New Albany, the Koushiks point to improvements in the area. Roundabouts enable traffic to flow more smoothly, and ample shopping options have sprung up. “If I want to go Downtown these days, I do go,” Srinivas says. “But you do the same things here in New Albany.”

But the heart of the community remains the same. “There are so many times I take a walk around the New Albany trail, and I’m seeing faces and individuals that I’ve seen walking,” Srinivas says.

Living Beyond City Limits:A Guide to Columbus’ Suburbs

The Koushiks see their current home, in the Lambton Park area of the New Albany Country Club neighborhood, as their final stop for a while. “My older daughter, my son-in-law and our granddaughter [were] the attraction that brought us back,” Srinivas says. “That’s probably something that’ll keep us here.”

10-year population growth: 40 percent

Average home price: $504,182

1-year property value increase: 14 percent

5-year property value increase: 36 percent

Sources: Zillow, U.S. Census Bureau

This story is from the December 2021 issue of Columbus Monthly.