Moving to New Albany: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to New Albany means moving to Columbus's most deliberately-planned affluent exurb -- a real, documented transformation from a small farming community into an upscale, Georgian-architecture-themed community with a top-tier school district and a genuine, current data-center-driven economy.
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Learn moreA real, deliberately-planned community with enforced design covenants
New Albany's transformation began in 1986 when L Brands founder Leslie Wexner and developer Jack Kessler formed The New Albany Company, purchasing 300+ lots and building roughly 1,400 Georgian-styled homes to date under real, enforced design requirements -- a genuine, distinct identity from a typical suburban subdivision.
A genuinely top-tier school district
New Albany-Plain Local School District ranks #5 Best School Districts in Ohio per Niche 2026, with New Albany High School individually ranking #14 among Ohio public high schools -- a real, consistent strength across every grade level.
A genuine, current data-center and corporate-HQ economy
The New Albany International Business Park already hosts real, operating Amazon Web Services, Meta/Facebook, and Google data centers, alongside Abercrombie & Fitch's genuine global headquarters -- a present-tense economic driver distinct from Intel's own longer-horizon fab project in the same park.
A genuinely lower city income tax than Columbus
New Albany's own 2.0% city income tax (collected through RITA) runs genuinely lower than Columbus's own 2.5% rate, though New Albany's property tax runs correspondingly high.
Key takeaways
- New Albany's real planned-community identity, driven by The New Albany Company since 1986, is genuinely distinct from a typical suburban development.
- New Albany-Plain Local School District ranks #5 in Ohio per Niche 2026 -- a real, consistent strength.
- The New Albany International Business Park's AWS/Meta/Google data centers are already operating -- a genuine, current economic driver, distinct from Intel's own longer-horizon fab timeline.
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