North Linden - Columbus, OH

The seed of Linden's development was planted in 1800 when the district was awarded to Dr. George Stevenson in consideration for his military service. The area developed gradually, but it was aided by the addition of a streetcar line from Columbus to Westerville in the late 1800s. By 1921, the outward growth of Columbus had caught up with the small village, and Linden Heights Village was annexed. Subdivisions bloomed, and commercial enterprises sprung up along the streetcar route, which was to become Cleveland Avenue. North Linden's biggest growth occurred in the 1950s when more than 4,300 homes were put up.

Every year, the downtown Riverfront area becomes an outdoor culture venue, showcasing performing and visual arts, offering a taste of gourmet foods and presenting hands-on activities, during the nationally acclaimed Columbus Arts Festival. The nearby Museum at the Ohio History Center weaves a rich and vibrant tapestry of Ohio's past.

North Linden supports a cluster of fast-food restaurants, including McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Kroger, on Cleveland Avenue, and several independent eateries scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Feed your inner Jamaican with hearty island food from Ena's Caribbean Kitchen on Cleveland Avenue. Locals love the spice and kick of the BBQ jerk chicken as well as the tenderness that makes the meat fall off the bone. Add rice and a side of collard greens, sweet cornbread or caramelized fried plantains for a generous meal that comes in at less than $10. Parking can be a problem, but the food is well worth finding a spot.

Stop in for a soul-food lunch or early dinner at the New Harvest Cafe and Urban Arts Center on Arlington. Take in some live music, theatre, or open mic poetry while you savor moist, tender meatloaf with sides of pan-fried cabbage and golden roast potatoes. The cafe has its own garden for growing organic herbs and veggies, and it hosts urban gardening workshops.

Check out the unlikely combo of Somali and Italian cuisine at Darbo Restaurant on Cleveland. Locals absolutely wax euphoric about the Kk chicken kalankal - diced chicken with strips of jabati bread in a creamy curry sauce. You get large portions, delicious food and complimentary bananas and pineapple juice.

The Crest Gastropub brings unique drinks and healthy food choices to the table. Signature drinks include the Ohio rose with bourbon, maple syrup and lemon juice, and menu delights include flash-fried goat cheese balls glazed in honey, roasted beet sliders and Ohio pot pie in veloute sauce. This pub also keeps 57 beers on tap. For nightclub action, the party crowd go to Shelby's Adobe Lounge on Huy.

North Linden is somewhat walkable, especially for anyone who lives near a retail center, but to get to work and run your errands, you need a vehicle. Nestled between highways, this neighborhood gives drivers easy access to I-71 on the west side for a road trip to Cleveland or to I-670 in the south for a drive to Port Columbus Airport. Most businesses provide some free parking, and metered street parking ranges from $0.40 to $1 per hour.

If you don't want the maintenance and expense of a car, you can always take the bus. Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, provides bus service, and routes run north-south along Cleveland and Maize and east-west along E Weber.

You might be lucky enough to hail a cab at the shopping center or outside a pub, but don't count on it — just phone in and reserve a taxi. Uber serves the area, and with a few taps on your smartphone app, you can choose your ride and arrange a pickup. Dedicated bike lanes run along Maize between Oakland Park and Norris, but North Linden doesn't have the best infrastructure for cyclists. Bike-friendly roads for east-west travel include Oakland Park, E Cooke and E Hudson, and Karl and McGuffrey carry the north-south bike traffic.

With seven city parks to choose from, North Linden residents have lots of options for outdoor recreation. On the west side, you can kick around a soccer ball, swing the bat, shoot some hoops or relax with a picnic at Audubon Park or Cremeans Park. In the central area, you can play ball in the diamonds, and the kids can play in the playground at Kenlawn Park and Huy Road Park.

At the neighborhood's southern edge, 20-acre Linden Park has it all. You can play soccer, basketball, tennis or baseball, enjoy a relaxing picnic while the kids climb over the playground equipment, or lift weights and work out at the recreation center. Keep an eye on the calendar for special seasonal events and sports and leisure programs such as free line dancing. If you want to give your dog a good workout, take him to Wheeler Park just 10 minutes away to the southwest, and turn him loose in the enclosed 1-acre run.

For cost of living, North Linden comes in 6.4 percent lower than the Columbus average and gives residents a price break, especially with regards to housing. The average rental rate in this neighborhood is just $480 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.

A one-way trip to the city center on a COTA bus costs $2, and a pint of beer at the pub costs around $5 on average. Expect to pay about 7 percent less than the national average when you fuel up at the gas station.

Northern Lights Shopping Center on Cleveland holds the area's most dense concentration of retailers, and only a few small businesses have shops elsewhere. Don't expect to find boutiques in this district — try the downtown area instead.

Zettler Hardware has been serving the Columbus area since 1844, and it continues to sell tools, building materials and housewares with heavy emphasis on customer service. Expect the friendly staff of this old-fashioned store to fix you up with whatever you need, from the smallest nuts and bolts to the most heavy-duty snow thrower. If you need custom-printed T-shirts for a school club, a corporate event or a bachelorette party, go to Concept Wear on Oakland Park. You can get bags, hats and hoodies embroidered or screen-printed with a design that makes your group a team.

For treasure hunters, Family Dollar carries seasonal and household bargains, and Ohio Thrift stocks liquidation and buy-out clothing, housewares and furniture.

Two major grocery stores, Save-a-Lot on Cleveland and IGA Foodliner on Westerville, keep the locals stocked up. Residents make the 10-minute drive to the southwest for fresh produce and festivities at the seasonal North Market farmers' market.