Lancaster, OH

My first of three days in Ohio brought me to Lancaster, Ohio (pronounced LAN-kiss-ter by the locals, oddly). It reminded me of a cross between Beacon, NY and Arab, AL -- but that might just be because I spent a few fall days in both of those places; Beacon had a small old downtown like Lancaster, and Arab had one main drag with newer retail and restaurants (the Walmart part of town). Such is Lancaster.

The community I reviewed has come back from a few years of low, low occupancy and a bad reputation, thanks in large part to the aforementioned new retail nearby. More people see the place, and more people apply to live there, so demand goes up, apartments fill with more qualified households, and quality improves. Yay! An affordable housing success story! (At least for now!)

So, I was encouraged by that, since the reports over the last few years were downers. Then, I ventured downtown and had a wonderful lunch at Shaw's which was a lucky find -- casual elegance indeed! Plus, they are a member of Local Matters, a group out of Columbus that "wants to be part of creating a new paradigm that combines the power of food with education, strategic, community partnerships and a willingness to commit greater resources in a more thoughtful and intentional way to break this cycle." Pretty awesome. I like a good paradigm shift!

Before driving back to Columbus, I peeked into The Georgian, a fantastically old and gorgeous building from the 1830s, and strolled up Wheeling Street, which is chock full of houses on the historic register, and at least three of my dream homes:




Le sigh. I want to move to everywhere.