Upper Arlington Might Be the Community for You

Upper Arlington is a residential area covering about 10 square miles. There are tons of cool, unique arts programs and public parks. The schools are top ranked. Its location allows for easy and quick access to downtown Columbus, the Columbus airport, and major highways.

Upper Arlington doesn’t match your image of a typical, cookie-cutter neighborhood. The town has arts programs for kids and adults, and the landscape of the town is even decorated with art. In the summer, the Cultural Arts Division puts on free concerts and free movies in the parks. Upper Arlington even hosts annual special events throughout the year that bring the whole community together.

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Upper Arlington is Decorated With Art

Outside the Box

This is a recent project that involved wrapping and decorating utility boxes with decals of artwork by local artists to prevent graffiti and beautify the city. A panel of judges selected ten artists to design the covers for the boxes, and they were installed in July 2017.

Arts in Community Spaces

Because of this project, artistic sculptures decorate the town and enhance the landscape of the community. The brochure has images and descriptions of each work of art, so you can do a self-guided tour throughout the town and gain knowledge of each artwork’s artistic purpose, the historical background of the piece, and the materials it’s made of.

Are your kids aspiring artists?

UA Arts Academy

Parents can register their kids for one of three summer camps: Musical Theater Day Camp, Camp ROCK!, or Making Movies Camp. These camps give kids the opportunity to find their creative outlet in musical theater, playing music and performing, or movie-making.

At the theater camp, the kids go through auditions, rehearsals, and finally, a big performance on the final day of camp. At Camp ROCK!, kids learn to play guitar, bass, drums, or keyboards, or learn to sing, and are taught by professional musicians from Columbus. Kids learn everything that goes into music, including performance, basic notation and tablature, stage presence and style, rhythm, harmony, songwriting and microphone techniques. In Making Movies Camp, kids can be actors, directors, camera operators, editors, or scriptwriters. They get to make commercials, music videos, and films. These camps provide kids with a community of friends to share creative adventures with.

Looking for a community of fellow writers?

Literary Arts Directory

This project provides writers with local workshops, open mics, poetry readings, literary conferences, book clubs, literary agents, and even Columbus publishers. The literary arts directory has writing groups for poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and screenplay writers. Some groups are for writers of specific genres, some blend meditation with writing, some are workshops for all kinds of creative writing, and there are many other options for whatever sort of writer you are. Some of the open mics give out awards, while some are more casual. The Literary Arts Directory has groups of published writers, unpublished writers, and aspiring writers.

It Wouldn’t be Upper Arlington Without the Labor Day Arts Festival

Every year, 25,000 people come to this festival. There are interactive performances and activities, 200 artists with a wide variety of styles and mediums, and vendors with food and drinks. The festival hosts local, regional, and national artists. There’s a stage with performances all day and an activities area with arts and crafts for children and adults.

The first festival was more of an art show than a festival because of its small size. In 1966, local artists sold their work in small, local parks like Miller Park and the Mallway. Since then, it expanded to the Municipal Center and then expanded further to Northam Park. Now, the Labor Day Arts Festival is a signature of Upper Arlington.

Their Public Parks Have Everything

There are 23 public parks that cover, in total, 180 acres of land. Athletic fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, picnic areas, barbecue grills, art installations, sledding hills, playgrounds, and other venues are all available in various parks in Upper Arlington. In the summer, you can see free movies or attend free concerts in the parks with other people in your community.

Education is Important

Upper Arlington has top-rated public schools. Here are some examples:

Dublin Coffman High School

They’re rated #1 for best public high school teachers in Ohio and #3 for best public high schools in Ohio. Their good college prep is apparent in students’ high passing rates in AP exams, as well as in their high SAT and ACT scores. The school also offers both AP and IB courses and extracurriculars that cover a wide range of interests, such as art club, the Business Professionals of America organization, and Robotics club.

Upper Arlington High School

This public school is rated 9 out of 10 overall and #11 for best high school for STEM in Ohio. Their students get high scores on the SAT and ACT, and their scores have shown improvement over the past few years. The school offers AP and IB courses and a wide variety of clubs, such as the Cinematic Arts and Production club, the Computer Science and Programming club, and the Fantasy Football club.

The Wellington School

They’re rated #3 best private K-12 school in Ohio, #4 best private high school in Ohio, and #5 best high schools for STEM school in Ohio. They were the first coeducational, independent school in Columbus, Ohio. The small classes allow for an individualized education, and in grades 9-12, students have the option to dive deep into the field of their interest or choose from a lineup of electives and core classes.

Upper Arlington is a great place to raise a family because of its strong community and great schools. The area is unique for its artistic style and community events. You can get the benefits of a suburban community while being just a short car ride from Downtown Columbus.