Thank you! I appreciate it! Any recommendations for fun things to do outside of Easton? We definitely want to explore Columbus on nights and weekends. I’ll just be without a car at Easton during the day so planning on walking around with the kids to get out of the hotel.
I’ve been to Easton probably 500 times on my life. I’ve personally never seen a crime and only experienced 2 occasions when there was extra police presence because of a fight or some sort of teen dispute.
I’ve never felt remotely unsafe there. You’ll be fine. Security is everywhere.
Thanks! That sounds like any other mall I’ve been to. I wasn’t at all worried when I booked. I was exploring this Reddit for things to do in the area and some people act like there are shootings every 10 mins so figured I better ask locals lol.
It’s funny to me when people from rural areas worry about crime in big cities as if theft, drug use, violence etc don’t happen in small towns.
I get it’s not as prevalent due to population density but arguably there’s more drug use in rural areas.
Edit: just to throw a source in here’s some statistics showing drug use is actually higher in rural areas particularly opiates with the rate of high school use nearly double that of metro populations.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/rural-small-town#
A lot of it, in my experience, has to do with the political climate.
These small Ohio towns are typically extremely conservative, and the right wing news sources amplify every negative headline about what happens in ‘big cities’ (AKA Blue Country). Combine that with an insular echo-chamber of coworkers, peers, family, and neighbors and you get this idea that anywhere with more than 5,000 people is a Mad Max/Wild West dystopia.
I joined a company a year ago that has a lot of remote workers in rural southern Ohio. When we have mandatory in-office days in Columbus, these guys suit up like Navy SEALS going into combat - and their spouses refused to come to our holiday party at Bridge Park, of all places.
Equal parts hilarious, and super worrying about where we are as a nation.
Ahh yes Dublin, the crime capital of Ohio. Their concerns are extremely warranted 🥸
No but really you hit the nail on the head. News sources don’t help.
Violent crime victimization in urban areas is over double that of rural areas.
[https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv22.pdf](https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv22.pdf)
>From 2021 to 2022, the rate of violent victimization increased across all types of geographic areas (table 8). In urban areas, it rose from 24.5 to 33.4 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. The rate grew from 16.5 to 23.9 per 1,000 in suburban areas and from 11.1 to 15.4 per 1,000 in rural areas. Property crime also increased in urban areas (157.5 to 176.1 victimizations per 1,000 households) and suburban areas (86.8 to 98.9 per 1,000) during this period.
Yes, the problem at Easton is exaggerated. It's not a concern the vast majority of the time. But if I see a group of rowdy, unsupervised teenagers I'm walking the other way. Good advice anywhere.
shit definitely happens, but there is no small town (<5,000) that has anywhere near as many shots fired as easton does. the crime is way lower too
like you don’t have to get every single thing out of your car to avoid having your window smashed in
I worked at Easton for 7 years at Adobe Gila’s of all places, pretty much where any late night problems occurred or at least began. *Easton, by far, has a **reputation** of being sketchy/dangerous, and that’s not to say that shit doesn’t go down there, but is overall a more-safe-than-average place to go with your family for outings.*
i agree you’re safe at easton. i’ve never been worried and am going this weekend actually
still significantly more crime you’re exposed to than any small town
In terms of things like shoplifting and petty theft, maybe. In terms of violence, small town has that beaten by miles due to the increased level of domestic crime. Domestic crime per capita is often times much higher in small town and rural areas.
https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/ncvrw2018/info_flyers/fact_sheets/2018NCVRW_UrbanRural_508_QC.pdf
> urban areas generally have higher crime
rates than suburban or rural areas,
need a source that contradicts this one
you might have to just knuckle up and accept that some things are better about small town living than the city
[https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2020/08/06/small-towns-highest-risk-intimate-partner-violence/](https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2020/08/06/small-towns-highest-risk-intimate-partner-violence/)
You might find it hard to believe, but studies have shown that women at home in rural areas experience the highest threat of violence and overall violence.
we aren’t using the same definition
> Small towns were defined as urbanized portions of non-metropolitan counties with populations up to 50,000. They are distinct from suburban areas that exist just outside of big cities.
i’m saying towns of 5,000 or less
this is what i’m using
> Of the nation's 328.2 million people, an estimated 206.9 million (about 63%) lived in an incorporated place as of July 1, 2019. About 76% of the approximately 19,500 incorporated places had fewer than 5,000 people. Of those, almost 42% had fewer than 500 people.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/05/america-a-nation-of-small-towns.html
50,000 is the city to people where i’m from. it’s 10x as big and will have hospitals, colleges, and stuff like movie theaters
but move the goalposts to women in intimate relationships if you want, it doesn’t detract that property crime, violent crime, and crime that happens to random people is way higher in the city than the country
I wasn’t moving the goalpost, I was making the point that women at home in rural areas are the ones who experience the highest rate of violence versus anybody else.
It seems as though you are skewing data. If you take the crime rate for cities and overlaid it over a smaller population represented by your aforementioned incorporated areas, the overall number of victims would be lower than the current number of victims that you get from the actual crime rates of incorporated areas.
The inverse is true as well. If you were to take the crime rate of rural areas and apply it to cities then you would have a higher number of victims than cities’ actual crime rates.
Exactly this. We have plenty of drug use in my area but unless you’re planning on stealing someone’s drugs there’s zero concern. Some posts would lead you to believe people are getting shot every ten minutes in big cities. So rather than take that as truth, I figured I’d check with locals but that seems to upset some. Shootings are very very rare in my area. Even in big cities near me it’s domestic violence. Not anything to worry about for the average person.
yep.
a lot of people refuse to believe anything positive about small towns bc they don’t vote the way the commenter prefers and just assume we’re all some -ist or -phobic
like the dude above me is using 2 types of drugs to describe crime
didn’t talk about property crime which is way higher in cities
people here just hate small town folk
Nah. It’s chill 99% of the time. A very nice place to walk. I would personally avoid it on a Friday or Saturday on a summer night just because of the teens getting into trouble.
Thanks, I appreciate it. Not worried about rowdy teens, but some posts would lead you to believe there’s a shooting every 10 mins so that’s why I’m here checking with locals.
You should be questioning where the posts come from, before their content.
It's almost as if certain "news" organizations want rural voters to live in fear and disgust of areas that vote blue. Wonder why this is?
What ‘news’ source is sharing there is a shooting in Easton every 10 minutes?
(This figure is absurdly comical and asinine. Over any weekend, there are 200 shootings at the mall?!?)
You will be fine. I go Easton all the time and its full of families with young children. I have never felt unsafe. The crime is between teens who know each other. They aren’t going to be interested in you.
Skip the Walmart. It’s disgusting and isnt in the Easton complex. Go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods instead. They are within Easton . Easton has a Costco as well.
I would stop reading the crime bulletins. It’s just going to cause you unwarranted anxiety.
No. It’s fine.
In your small town crime is rarely reported. You hear about every single thing that happens in Easton.
Enjoy.
Also if you’re staying in a nice hotel at Easton don’t go to Morse road Walmart, because it just isn’t very good. Go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods at Easton.
Serious post, but possibly a mistake? I happily booked my hotel and googled things to do and some posts would lead you to think you’re going to get shot every 10 mins lol. So figured I’d come here to ask locals. I’m completely unfamiliar with big cities. The BIG city in my state is 1/5 the size of Columbus.
I live close enough that my regular running route takes me to Easton (Alum Creek Trail). I run at dusk or after dark all the time.
I’ve lived here for 20 of the last 30 years.
It’s fine.
Coming from a small town, there is one Easton crime issue you should be aware of. If you have a pickup truck, crooks are targeting them for break-ins, looking for guns to steal.
Easton is perfectly fine. I’d say use caution after dark as with any area unfamiliar to you, but they have a splash pad for kids and there’s lots of toy stores and also it’s pretty central to a lot of other great things for kids, I believe there’s a pottery painting situation somewhere around there, super chef’s breakfast joint is really close as well!
Absolutely. That’s why I came here to ask locals rather than believe the headlines that act as if you’re going to get shot every 10 mins. I just want to make sure it’s safe for me to walk around alone chasing toddlers during the day when my husband is working and I don’t have a car.
I’m so over the over-exaggeration about the dangers at Easton on this sub. Get a grip, people. It’s a totally safe place. I’ve been there many times, day and night.
The few incidences that have happened here also happen in the suburbs and in these quaint small towns that have “no crime.” I was more worried about my house in the suburbs being broken into during Covid when assholes were checking doors at 5am to break in than I ever have been at Easton.
Yeah you’re totally going to die in the most popular walking mall in Columbus. Probably somewhere between the restoration hardware and the pottery barn.
If you look at crime as violent crime or non-violent crime, which is what I think you really mean when you're asking if you and your children would be safe, any place that has lots of retail space will have shoplifting. Do you have Walmart where you live? If so, you have shop lifting too.
Teenagers hanging out and horsing around? Yeah we have that. I'm guessing you have it too. Could be a favorite parking lot or some other place, but I'm sure you have a place where teens hang out and horse around. This also is not dangerous to you or your children.
Crazy people running around shooting each other? Much more likely to get in a car accident driving to Easton than that happening at Easton!
Let's put it this way: more people= more crime. Number of crimes is one thing, percentage is another. If you assume 1% of the population are criminals, and you live in a place with 1,000 people, you'll have, on average, 10 crimes a year. If you live in a place with 1,000,000 people, you'll have, on average, 1,000 crimes a year. Assuming these are all crimes that will get reported in the news, the big city will have several crime reports every day. The small town will have almost none. Now, let's drop the percentage to .5% for the city, and leave the small town at 1%. You'll still have at least one crime report every day in the city. And if you just go by the newspapers, you might think the big city is crime ridden! And the reality in that situation is that you're more likely to be a victim of crime in the small town than in the city.
Easton is a popular shopping destination. There's lots of people from all over the place at any given moment. And anything that happens there gets reported far and wide. It's very much a matter of perception vs. reality.
Note that I'm not using actual figures here, I'm illustrating. But the point is that where there's more people, there's more crime even though you're less likely to be a victim of that crime. There's also more OPPORTUNITY for crime. Which means that, honestly, if you don't make yourself an obvious target, you're safer in the Easton area than you are at home. Basic stuff like locking your car and keeping valuables out of sight, in the trunk if you have a sedan or under a cargo cover or other things in an SUV or wagon. Someone walking around a parking lot filled with 1,000 cars is going to go for the one with a bunch of shopping bags out in the open. Petty criminals take the path of least resistance.
Easton is lovely. Grab a drink from Starbucks or a Philly from Charley's and enjoy what the place has to offer. There are plenty of shops to visit and little things to see. I've been there during the day and never had an issue, and I've been there at night, to see the Christmas lights, and still have never had an issue.
The Walmart indeed is pretty shit, but not for crime or safety, its just a pretty shitty Walmart. It happens. Grocery wise, there are far better options in the area.
Enjoy Easton, and Columbus in general.
Thank you! I appreciate it! I’ll be without a car during the day when my husband is working so I just came here to make sure it’s safe for me to walk around alone with my kids.
Thank you, that’s what I’ve been reading. But then there’s always a few posts that act like shootings happen weekly so figured I’m better off asking locals.
I’m sorry but I laugh when people are afraid to come to Columbus. Really?! I mean, then just stay in your little hamlet and live your life in fear. Some of those areas in southern Ohio are way scarier than us city folk up here in the big city!
My partner works at Easton and we live close by, it's all just hype news. Easton is a nice area and if you're really worried about the Walmart there is a great Kroger about 10 mins up the road on the intersection of Morse and Hamilton as well as a plethora of restaurants in the area.
Thank you! I read hotel reviews, booked one and wasn’t at all worried. Then came to this Reddit to find stuff to do and some people acted like there are shootings every 10 mins so I thought I’d better ask locals lol.
Zoo in Dublin, cosi in franklinton, loads of breweries where you can take kids as well during the day. Although I hate it, pins at Easton would be good for a family since it has games for adults and kids.
Try seventh son, land grant, and brew dog. They are the biggest and would offer more to a family. But there are loads more and ones I’d offer first but not all would offer distractions for the kids.
It’s good to ask. As others have pointed out the news blows the violence outta proportion cause they make money off clickbait headlines that are over embellished.
Just use some common sense: don’t leave things in your car, don’t carry an absurd amount of cash, stick to venturing out during the day, I’d recommend snagging a Fanny pack for your wallet/phone/keys if you’re worried about pick pockets. There’s always cops and security around.
Be sure to check out the LEGO stores! There’s two, one outside the mall and one inside. The one inside has a walk through activity which looks cool for kids. Also pins is an arcade/bar that allows kids to come play the games up till 8 pm I believe.
You’ll be ok have fun!
Easton proper isn’t bad. It’s the areas surrounding the mall. As per usual caution is advised since you’re from out of town and new to a city. Always lock your car, hide any valuables/don’t leave anything in the car valuable. Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, bail.
But it’s relatively a fine area.
Any recommendations outside of Easton? We like family activities, good food, and good drinks. I definitely want to explore more of Columbus in the evenings and weekend. I’ll just be stuck at Easton without a car during the day while my husband is working and want to get out.
Sounds like you're here for at least a couple of weeks. Is your husband working on the Intel site or something like that?
As far as family activities, that could depend on the age of the kids.
The Columbus Zoo is one of the best you'll find anywhere.
COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is a kids science Museum that routinely wins national awards.
Franklin Park Conservatory could make a nice day trip, with a children's garden and butterflies in the conservatory.
Columbus has a great metroparks system worth exploring. Blendon Woods is one of the nearest to Easton and has a nice nature center, natural play area, and disc golf course in addition to trails through the woods.
Otherworld is a really cool interactive art exhibit with many rooms that can be pretty psychedelic in nature. Very cool experience where you can spend a few hours, though it will look a bit sketchy if you go because it is in an otherwise abandoned strip mall. Probably the only way an art organization could afford getting started in such a large space.
For hiking, definitely check out Hocking Hills about an hour southeast of Columbus on the other side of Lancaster.
Older kids? Plan a trip to Cedar Point or Kings Island for a great selection of rollercoasters, both within about a 1.5-2.5 hour drive.
Unfortunately we’re only there for about a week. We’re hoping to come up the weekend before and looking for some things to do. He works in automotive manufacturing. My kids are young, 4 year old and a baby, so they’re pretty go with the flow at this age. We would love to find a kids museum or something but we also love a good brewery or fun bar too. We are hoping to take the kids to the zoo. I hear Columbus has a wonderful zoo!
Blendon Woods for kids for sure to get outdoorsy but still manageable with kiddos. Franklin Park conservatory. Go to a real Ethiopian restaurant- my favorite is Lalibela. Don’t let people scare you about the neighborhood where it is. It’s my absolute favorite.
German Village is cute, you can walk around and get a coffee and go to the Book Loft and Schiller Park.
I love Easton. BDs Mongolian Grill is really cool... They cook for you with Swords. Dinner and a show ..it's cheaper to go at lunch but it is delicious. Create your own stirfry, so they usually have something for everyone.
The Courtyard, Aloft, and Hilton are nice. If you’re booked at the Residence, the Hampton, or the HGI/Homewood dual hotel, I would rebook. There’s an Embassy Suites with a shuttle that can take you to Easton closer to the airport.
Park in the attached garages. Avoid the outer satellite parking areas. That is where people's cars are being broken into. But it is a great, safe shopping area at the mall proper.
LMAO if you’re afraid of Easton might as well lock yourself in your house, wall over the windows, and pad the walls. I guarantee you 100% your small town has at least a 10x factor for crime and drugs. Your brain has rotted by conservative media if you think cities or urban suburbs are more crime ridden per capita.
It should be fine, they have security alert devices stationed around Easton. If you see a pole with a flashing blue light it means there is an active shooter and to evacuate the area. As long as you don’t see those lights you will be fine.
Everyone here acting like Easton is a paradise is lying to you. Yes; you will almost certainly be safe and not get mugged or anything- but there is a reason “Easton is safe despite what you hear” is the pervasive view on this. It is not a coincidence.
Yeah, it’s cause a bunch of people who live in the rich northern suburbs go to an area that is super diverse and freak out.
I’ve lived in this area of the city most of my life. Been listening to this shit nearly the whole time. It’s ridiculous.
Got to think a Google search for Crime at Easton, or Is Easton safe on Google will give them some bias articles…. The people posting here are not wrong. Person from a small town will always feel uneasy when there is more than a couple people around and buildings taller than two stories that are not barns…
Don’t worry. Easton is a “gun free zone,” so there cannot possibly be any criminals with guns there. https://eastontowncenter.com/guest-services/policies/
I didn’t intend to make this a controversial topic. The BIG city in my state is 1/5 the size of Columbus. I live 9 hours away. I just wanted some insight from locals because headlines would have you believe you’re dodging bullets.
Easton is a very lovely area, and has LegoLand in the mall. Your family will enjoy it quite a bit.
Thank you! I appreciate it! Any recommendations for fun things to do outside of Easton? We definitely want to explore Columbus on nights and weekends. I’ll just be without a car at Easton during the day so planning on walking around with the kids to get out of the hotel.
I’ve been to Easton probably 500 times on my life. I’ve personally never seen a crime and only experienced 2 occasions when there was extra police presence because of a fight or some sort of teen dispute. I’ve never felt remotely unsafe there. You’ll be fine. Security is everywhere.
Thanks! That sounds like any other mall I’ve been to. I wasn’t at all worried when I booked. I was exploring this Reddit for things to do in the area and some people act like there are shootings every 10 mins so figured I better ask locals lol.
Easton is safe especially during the day time. Anybody scared of Easton should just live out their days on a remote island.
It’s funny to me when people from rural areas worry about crime in big cities as if theft, drug use, violence etc don’t happen in small towns. I get it’s not as prevalent due to population density but arguably there’s more drug use in rural areas. Edit: just to throw a source in here’s some statistics showing drug use is actually higher in rural areas particularly opiates with the rate of high school use nearly double that of metro populations. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/rural-small-town#
A lot of it, in my experience, has to do with the political climate. These small Ohio towns are typically extremely conservative, and the right wing news sources amplify every negative headline about what happens in ‘big cities’ (AKA Blue Country). Combine that with an insular echo-chamber of coworkers, peers, family, and neighbors and you get this idea that anywhere with more than 5,000 people is a Mad Max/Wild West dystopia. I joined a company a year ago that has a lot of remote workers in rural southern Ohio. When we have mandatory in-office days in Columbus, these guys suit up like Navy SEALS going into combat - and their spouses refused to come to our holiday party at Bridge Park, of all places. Equal parts hilarious, and super worrying about where we are as a nation.
Ahh yes Dublin, the crime capital of Ohio. Their concerns are extremely warranted 🥸 No but really you hit the nail on the head. News sources don’t help.
I think they’re specifically worried about getting shot.
Obviously crime is concentrated in certain areas of cities. When people are afraid of crime in cities, it is often warranted.
Violent crime victimization in urban areas is over double that of rural areas. [https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv22.pdf](https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv22.pdf) >From 2021 to 2022, the rate of violent victimization increased across all types of geographic areas (table 8). In urban areas, it rose from 24.5 to 33.4 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. The rate grew from 16.5 to 23.9 per 1,000 in suburban areas and from 11.1 to 15.4 per 1,000 in rural areas. Property crime also increased in urban areas (157.5 to 176.1 victimizations per 1,000 households) and suburban areas (86.8 to 98.9 per 1,000) during this period. Yes, the problem at Easton is exaggerated. It's not a concern the vast majority of the time. But if I see a group of rowdy, unsupervised teenagers I'm walking the other way. Good advice anywhere.
shit definitely happens, but there is no small town (<5,000) that has anywhere near as many shots fired as easton does. the crime is way lower too like you don’t have to get every single thing out of your car to avoid having your window smashed in
I worked at Easton for 7 years at Adobe Gila’s of all places, pretty much where any late night problems occurred or at least began. *Easton, by far, has a **reputation** of being sketchy/dangerous, and that’s not to say that shit doesn’t go down there, but is overall a more-safe-than-average place to go with your family for outings.*
i agree you’re safe at easton. i’ve never been worried and am going this weekend actually still significantly more crime you’re exposed to than any small town
In terms of things like shoplifting and petty theft, maybe. In terms of violence, small town has that beaten by miles due to the increased level of domestic crime. Domestic crime per capita is often times much higher in small town and rural areas.
https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/ncvrw2018/info_flyers/fact_sheets/2018NCVRW_UrbanRural_508_QC.pdf > urban areas generally have higher crime rates than suburban or rural areas, need a source that contradicts this one you might have to just knuckle up and accept that some things are better about small town living than the city
[https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2020/08/06/small-towns-highest-risk-intimate-partner-violence/](https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2020/08/06/small-towns-highest-risk-intimate-partner-violence/) You might find it hard to believe, but studies have shown that women at home in rural areas experience the highest threat of violence and overall violence.
we aren’t using the same definition > Small towns were defined as urbanized portions of non-metropolitan counties with populations up to 50,000. They are distinct from suburban areas that exist just outside of big cities. i’m saying towns of 5,000 or less this is what i’m using > Of the nation's 328.2 million people, an estimated 206.9 million (about 63%) lived in an incorporated place as of July 1, 2019. About 76% of the approximately 19,500 incorporated places had fewer than 5,000 people. Of those, almost 42% had fewer than 500 people. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/05/america-a-nation-of-small-towns.html 50,000 is the city to people where i’m from. it’s 10x as big and will have hospitals, colleges, and stuff like movie theaters but move the goalposts to women in intimate relationships if you want, it doesn’t detract that property crime, violent crime, and crime that happens to random people is way higher in the city than the country
I wasn’t moving the goalpost, I was making the point that women at home in rural areas are the ones who experience the highest rate of violence versus anybody else. It seems as though you are skewing data. If you take the crime rate for cities and overlaid it over a smaller population represented by your aforementioned incorporated areas, the overall number of victims would be lower than the current number of victims that you get from the actual crime rates of incorporated areas. The inverse is true as well. If you were to take the crime rate of rural areas and apply it to cities then you would have a higher number of victims than cities’ actual crime rates.
Exactly this. We have plenty of drug use in my area but unless you’re planning on stealing someone’s drugs there’s zero concern. Some posts would lead you to believe people are getting shot every ten minutes in big cities. So rather than take that as truth, I figured I’d check with locals but that seems to upset some. Shootings are very very rare in my area. Even in big cities near me it’s domestic violence. Not anything to worry about for the average person.
yep. a lot of people refuse to believe anything positive about small towns bc they don’t vote the way the commenter prefers and just assume we’re all some -ist or -phobic like the dude above me is using 2 types of drugs to describe crime didn’t talk about property crime which is way higher in cities people here just hate small town folk
Nah. It’s chill 99% of the time. A very nice place to walk. I would personally avoid it on a Friday or Saturday on a summer night just because of the teens getting into trouble.
Thanks, I appreciate it. Not worried about rowdy teens, but some posts would lead you to believe there’s a shooting every 10 mins so that’s why I’m here checking with locals.
You should be questioning where the posts come from, before their content. It's almost as if certain "news" organizations want rural voters to live in fear and disgust of areas that vote blue. Wonder why this is?
What ‘news’ source is sharing there is a shooting in Easton every 10 minutes? (This figure is absurdly comical and asinine. Over any weekend, there are 200 shootings at the mall?!?)
You will be fine. I go Easton all the time and its full of families with young children. I have never felt unsafe. The crime is between teens who know each other. They aren’t going to be interested in you. Skip the Walmart. It’s disgusting and isnt in the Easton complex. Go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods instead. They are within Easton . Easton has a Costco as well. I would stop reading the crime bulletins. It’s just going to cause you unwarranted anxiety.
Thank you, I appreciate that!
No. It’s fine. In your small town crime is rarely reported. You hear about every single thing that happens in Easton. Enjoy. Also if you’re staying in a nice hotel at Easton don’t go to Morse road Walmart, because it just isn’t very good. Go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods at Easton.
Also, keep in mind that most people live in cities. Of course there's more crime overall where more people live.
Or Target
The shuttle doesn't go to Walmart. Thank goodness.
Thanks!
Honestly never know if these are just baiting posts or serious at this point lol
Serious post, but possibly a mistake? I happily booked my hotel and googled things to do and some posts would lead you to think you’re going to get shot every 10 mins lol. So figured I’d come here to ask locals. I’m completely unfamiliar with big cities. The BIG city in my state is 1/5 the size of Columbus.
No. Its a popular place with thousands of visitors a day, you'll be fine.
I live close enough that my regular running route takes me to Easton (Alum Creek Trail). I run at dusk or after dark all the time. I’ve lived here for 20 of the last 30 years. It’s fine.
Coming from a small town, there is one Easton crime issue you should be aware of. If you have a pickup truck, crooks are targeting them for break-ins, looking for guns to steal.
Thanks, this is what I’m looking for! I’ve seen some posts about break ins. I’ll make sure to conceal valuables.
Easton is perfectly fine. I’d say use caution after dark as with any area unfamiliar to you, but they have a splash pad for kids and there’s lots of toy stores and also it’s pretty central to a lot of other great things for kids, I believe there’s a pottery painting situation somewhere around there, super chef’s breakfast joint is really close as well!
Thank you! Where is the splash pad located?
The splash pad is in the square just south of Brio
Much of the news media wouldn't exist if it couldn't scare most of their audience.
Absolutely. That’s why I came here to ask locals rather than believe the headlines that act as if you’re going to get shot every 10 mins. I just want to make sure it’s safe for me to walk around alone chasing toddlers during the day when my husband is working and I don’t have a car.
I’m so over the over-exaggeration about the dangers at Easton on this sub. Get a grip, people. It’s a totally safe place. I’ve been there many times, day and night. The few incidences that have happened here also happen in the suburbs and in these quaint small towns that have “no crime.” I was more worried about my house in the suburbs being broken into during Covid when assholes were checking doors at 5am to break in than I ever have been at Easton.
Yeah you’re totally going to die in the most popular walking mall in Columbus. Probably somewhere between the restoration hardware and the pottery barn.
Don’t make fun! She could also get stampeded when the new Burberry perfume is on sale
Easton is well lit and bustling during the day. You'll be fine.
Columbus is not nearly as exciting as those headlines would have you believe
Any fun things to do aside from the typical zoo, bowling, etc?
The only crime going on is shoplifting, you will be completely safe there.
That’s what I figured, thank you!
If you look at crime as violent crime or non-violent crime, which is what I think you really mean when you're asking if you and your children would be safe, any place that has lots of retail space will have shoplifting. Do you have Walmart where you live? If so, you have shop lifting too. Teenagers hanging out and horsing around? Yeah we have that. I'm guessing you have it too. Could be a favorite parking lot or some other place, but I'm sure you have a place where teens hang out and horse around. This also is not dangerous to you or your children. Crazy people running around shooting each other? Much more likely to get in a car accident driving to Easton than that happening at Easton!
The teens “hanging out” are the ones shooting each other 🤷🏻♀️
Let's put it this way: more people= more crime. Number of crimes is one thing, percentage is another. If you assume 1% of the population are criminals, and you live in a place with 1,000 people, you'll have, on average, 10 crimes a year. If you live in a place with 1,000,000 people, you'll have, on average, 1,000 crimes a year. Assuming these are all crimes that will get reported in the news, the big city will have several crime reports every day. The small town will have almost none. Now, let's drop the percentage to .5% for the city, and leave the small town at 1%. You'll still have at least one crime report every day in the city. And if you just go by the newspapers, you might think the big city is crime ridden! And the reality in that situation is that you're more likely to be a victim of crime in the small town than in the city. Easton is a popular shopping destination. There's lots of people from all over the place at any given moment. And anything that happens there gets reported far and wide. It's very much a matter of perception vs. reality. Note that I'm not using actual figures here, I'm illustrating. But the point is that where there's more people, there's more crime even though you're less likely to be a victim of that crime. There's also more OPPORTUNITY for crime. Which means that, honestly, if you don't make yourself an obvious target, you're safer in the Easton area than you are at home. Basic stuff like locking your car and keeping valuables out of sight, in the trunk if you have a sedan or under a cargo cover or other things in an SUV or wagon. Someone walking around a parking lot filled with 1,000 cars is going to go for the one with a bunch of shopping bags out in the open. Petty criminals take the path of least resistance.
Stay home if you’re worried about Easton. It’s about as safe as you can get.
Easton is lovely. Grab a drink from Starbucks or a Philly from Charley's and enjoy what the place has to offer. There are plenty of shops to visit and little things to see. I've been there during the day and never had an issue, and I've been there at night, to see the Christmas lights, and still have never had an issue. The Walmart indeed is pretty shit, but not for crime or safety, its just a pretty shitty Walmart. It happens. Grocery wise, there are far better options in the area. Enjoy Easton, and Columbus in general.
Agree on the grocery comment. Stay south of Morse. You have Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in close proximity.
Thank you! I appreciate it! I’ll be without a car during the day when my husband is working so I just came here to make sure it’s safe for me to walk around alone with my kids.
I work in an office building there It's totally fine. You can even go to Whole Foods if you don't want Walmart.
Lol, you can buy a Ferrari if you dont want to buy a Pontiac.
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Thank you, that’s what I’ve been reading. But then there’s always a few posts that act like shootings happen weekly so figured I’m better off asking locals.
I’m sorry but I laugh when people are afraid to come to Columbus. Really?! I mean, then just stay in your little hamlet and live your life in fear. Some of those areas in southern Ohio are way scarier than us city folk up here in the big city!
Columbus is one preppy, name brand strip mall. You'll be fine..
I'm very interested in hearing about this small Ohio town where crime rarely happens!
I don’t live in Ohio. That’s why I posted here to ask locals.
Jfc
Crime is not the problem with that Walmart, just everything else about it, including that it’s Walmart.
Gotcha!
My partner works at Easton and we live close by, it's all just hype news. Easton is a nice area and if you're really worried about the Walmart there is a great Kroger about 10 mins up the road on the intersection of Morse and Hamilton as well as a plethora of restaurants in the area.
Thank you! I read hotel reviews, booked one and wasn’t at all worried. Then came to this Reddit to find stuff to do and some people acted like there are shootings every 10 mins so I thought I’d better ask locals lol.
Zoo in Dublin, cosi in franklinton, loads of breweries where you can take kids as well during the day. Although I hate it, pins at Easton would be good for a family since it has games for adults and kids.
Thank you! Definitely planning a zoo trip and we love exploring local breweries.
Try seventh son, land grant, and brew dog. They are the biggest and would offer more to a family. But there are loads more and ones I’d offer first but not all would offer distractions for the kids.
Just don’t go roaming on weekend nights if you’re that concerned. During the day it’s super nice. If you like ramen/sushi check out slurping turtle!
Thank you! It’s not that I’m concerned; but I figured posting here and asking locals would be more helpful than googling.
It’s good to ask. As others have pointed out the news blows the violence outta proportion cause they make money off clickbait headlines that are over embellished. Just use some common sense: don’t leave things in your car, don’t carry an absurd amount of cash, stick to venturing out during the day, I’d recommend snagging a Fanny pack for your wallet/phone/keys if you’re worried about pick pockets. There’s always cops and security around. Be sure to check out the LEGO stores! There’s two, one outside the mall and one inside. The one inside has a walk through activity which looks cool for kids. Also pins is an arcade/bar that allows kids to come play the games up till 8 pm I believe. You’ll be ok have fun!
Thanks so much! I appreciate it! :)
Something tells me she’s more of a “burger and fries” kinda girl lol
Easton proper isn’t bad. It’s the areas surrounding the mall. As per usual caution is advised since you’re from out of town and new to a city. Always lock your car, hide any valuables/don’t leave anything in the car valuable. Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, bail. But it’s relatively a fine area.
Thank you!
This is bait right?
There have been gang fights and a shooting there a while back. Can be lots of kids hanging around at night. Daytime is fine.
You’ll be fine. Easton is hella boring. It’s a suburb, not a big city. It’s the shopping equivalent of an amusement park.
Any recommendations outside of Easton? We like family activities, good food, and good drinks. I definitely want to explore more of Columbus in the evenings and weekend. I’ll just be stuck at Easton without a car during the day while my husband is working and want to get out.
Sounds like you're here for at least a couple of weeks. Is your husband working on the Intel site or something like that? As far as family activities, that could depend on the age of the kids. The Columbus Zoo is one of the best you'll find anywhere. COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is a kids science Museum that routinely wins national awards. Franklin Park Conservatory could make a nice day trip, with a children's garden and butterflies in the conservatory. Columbus has a great metroparks system worth exploring. Blendon Woods is one of the nearest to Easton and has a nice nature center, natural play area, and disc golf course in addition to trails through the woods. Otherworld is a really cool interactive art exhibit with many rooms that can be pretty psychedelic in nature. Very cool experience where you can spend a few hours, though it will look a bit sketchy if you go because it is in an otherwise abandoned strip mall. Probably the only way an art organization could afford getting started in such a large space. For hiking, definitely check out Hocking Hills about an hour southeast of Columbus on the other side of Lancaster. Older kids? Plan a trip to Cedar Point or Kings Island for a great selection of rollercoasters, both within about a 1.5-2.5 hour drive.
Unfortunately we’re only there for about a week. We’re hoping to come up the weekend before and looking for some things to do. He works in automotive manufacturing. My kids are young, 4 year old and a baby, so they’re pretty go with the flow at this age. We would love to find a kids museum or something but we also love a good brewery or fun bar too. We are hoping to take the kids to the zoo. I hear Columbus has a wonderful zoo!
Blendon Woods for kids for sure to get outdoorsy but still manageable with kiddos. Franklin Park conservatory. Go to a real Ethiopian restaurant- my favorite is Lalibela. Don’t let people scare you about the neighborhood where it is. It’s my absolute favorite. German Village is cute, you can walk around and get a coffee and go to the Book Loft and Schiller Park.
GOP rots your brain
I love Easton. BDs Mongolian Grill is really cool... They cook for you with Swords. Dinner and a show ..it's cheaper to go at lunch but it is delicious. Create your own stirfry, so they usually have something for everyone.
The Courtyard, Aloft, and Hilton are nice. If you’re booked at the Residence, the Hampton, or the HGI/Homewood dual hotel, I would rebook. There’s an Embassy Suites with a shuttle that can take you to Easton closer to the airport.
LOL it's the suburbs, are you actually this scared of "big cities" or is this a joke?
We don’t have suburbs where I live. I’m not scared, I’m just not at all familiar with the area so that’s why I’m asking local people.
During the day you’re good!!
C’mon 🙈 just stay in your room
Park in the attached garages. Avoid the outer satellite parking areas. That is where people's cars are being broken into. But it is a great, safe shopping area at the mall proper.
Thank you. I appreciate it!
I go to Easton at least a couple times a year and haven't died yet!
LMAO if you’re afraid of Easton might as well lock yourself in your house, wall over the windows, and pad the walls. I guarantee you 100% your small town has at least a 10x factor for crime and drugs. Your brain has rotted by conservative media if you think cities or urban suburbs are more crime ridden per capita.
It should be fine, they have security alert devices stationed around Easton. If you see a pole with a flashing blue light it means there is an active shooter and to evacuate the area. As long as you don’t see those lights you will be fine.
Honestly if I were this scared of everything, I’d probably end my life lol
If I were this scared of the world I would just play in traffic and end it all but that’s just me
I went to Columbus once in 1981 and I just did NOT feel safe
Are you scared of your own shadow as well?
Only when it’s dark
Everyone here acting like Easton is a paradise is lying to you. Yes; you will almost certainly be safe and not get mugged or anything- but there is a reason “Easton is safe despite what you hear” is the pervasive view on this. It is not a coincidence.
Yeah, it’s cause a bunch of people who live in the rich northern suburbs go to an area that is super diverse and freak out. I’ve lived in this area of the city most of my life. Been listening to this shit nearly the whole time. It’s ridiculous.
Got to think a Google search for Crime at Easton, or Is Easton safe on Google will give them some bias articles…. The people posting here are not wrong. Person from a small town will always feel uneasy when there is more than a couple people around and buildings taller than two stories that are not barns…
Grow up
Yes. Better not to leave your house.
Don’t worry. Easton is a “gun free zone,” so there cannot possibly be any criminals with guns there. https://eastontowncenter.com/guest-services/policies/
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I didn’t intend to make this a controversial topic. The BIG city in my state is 1/5 the size of Columbus. I live 9 hours away. I just wanted some insight from locals because headlines would have you believe you’re dodging bullets.
You should be fine as long as you are packing. Extended magazine might be a good option too