Moving to the nether parts of the county and beyond might be the trend, but some people prefer the perks that come with living in neighborhoods closer to downtown.

            “When we moved to town, we specifically were looking for a place to live in this are---Midtown,” Gary Wortley said. “We like the mix of people. We like the history and sense of establishment that is here.”

            Wortley is chief operating officer of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System. His wife, Constantina Tsolainou, holds the Paul S. and Jean R Amos chair in music and is director of choral activities at Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music.

            The couple moved to Columbus about a year ago. They live in Peacock Woods, which Wortley said is only four minutes away from the library.

            “We like being close to town, with all of the things---the library, the RiverCenter, the new CSU campus, the Springer Opera House, and the new Broadway development…” Wortley said.

            Alice Budge said she loves her neighborhood---Overlook---for some of the same reasons.

            “I like the closeness to downtown---also being part of Midtown. For me, access to the central library and the Mildred Terry Library are important,”  said Budge, who is a member of the Muscogee County Library Board. “The Columbus Museum is right across the street. The Springer and the RiverCenter are right downtown. Banking is so accessible.”

            The diversity of their neighborhoods is also a plus, Budge and Wortley said. 

            Overlook is a diverse neighborhood in terms of age and to some extent in terms of race, said Budge. She and husband John Greenman, retired Ledger-Enquirer publisher, have lived there for a decade.

            Some Overlook residents are living in the family homes they grew up in, Budge said.

            Wortley said other newcomers are attracted by some of the elements that made Peacock Woods attractive to him and his wife.

            “I love this area. These are the things that are extremely attractive to people who are coming from other urban environments,” he said.

            Budge said she likes Columbus so much---and Overlook has much to do with those feelings---that when her husband accepted a job in Athens at the University of Georgia, she opted to continue to live in Columbus. He comes home on weekends and considers this home.

            “I find the homes very comfortable and older---though many of them have been remodeled,” she said. “I find my neighbors very positive. There are some collective things we do, like the Memorial Day picnic. People who have lived in the neighborhood come back because they feel so positive about it.”