Image courtesy of Wikiwand.  

As any resident of Ashville, Ohio will tell you, this is the place to live a life full of family and small town values while being minutes away from Columbus.  Fully walkable, this is where you want to live!  

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Ashville Village History Lesson

Ashville, Ohio was born in the 1800’s as a distilleries owned by Richard Staige, who sold them in 1812 to Mahlon Ashbrook.  Ashbrook and his brother Absolom went into business together and became highly successful-- even building a grist mill on Walnut Creek and owning a store run by his sister and brother-in-law.  His brother-in-law went on to be Ashbrook’s-- as it was called back then-- first postmaster.  However, 1855 saw the end of their fortunes and a slowing down of the village’s growth.  

1876 saw the construction of the Scioto Valley Railroad and the Ashville Depot was built.  Ashville already had a train station that connected the railroad to rural roads, but the Scioto Valley Railroad built a new station and made Ashville quite an important stop in Pickaway County.  It was closed in 1976 and-- due to local efforts-- moved and preserved as a Historical Place.  

In 1882 Ashville became incorporated and inaugurated its first mayor, W. R. Julian.  Today the village is 2.51 square miles-- all of it land-- and a village council.  

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Ashville's Local Politics & Village Services/ Departments

Ashville has a mayor-council system of government.  According to AshvilleOhio.gov, there are two sources of duties for the Mayor and the Village Council: the Ohio Revised Code and the Ordinances of Ashville.  All of the Village Council meeting minutes are available on the website for public consumption.  In addition to his legislative duties, the Mayor also runs the Mayor’s Column on the website as a way to communicate with his constituents and draw attention to community interests.  

The Ashville Police Department serves the community with honor and is located on West Main Street.  Their Core Values were established to be guides for high standards of service: Integrity, Professionalism, Sense of Justice, Duty, Loyalty, Discipline and Courage.  The Police don’t just serve in time of need-- they also provide alarm permits, bike safety, railroad crossing safety, and more.  

However, Ashville does not have its own dedicated fire department.  The village is served by the Harrison Township Fire Department which also provides EMS services.  The department also serves Walnut Township, and parts of Jackson, Madison and Muhlenberg Townships, covering roughly 127 square miles.  It’s also staffed by 16 full-time members and several part-time members.  Each 24-hour shift is staffed by 5 full-time and 3 part-time firefighters/EMS.  According to the website, staff can hold a level two fire card, be a fire safety inspector or instructor.  Emergency technology employees certificates that range from EMT to paramedic, and every staff member continually trains.  Training is done in-house and on-site, at the Ohio State Fire Academy, and/or through continuing education programs.  

The Ashville Service Department is responsible for keeping the streets clean and clear in all weather.  Their responsibilities include snow plowing and ice control, weed control, leaf pick-up, signs and more.  They are on-call 24/7 to respond to area needs.  

What’s it like to live here?

The weather in Ashville is about average for Ohio-- the coldest and snowiest months are December through March, which also happen to be the windiest months.  Some form of precipitation falls throughout the year, and the highest temperatures occur from June through September.  Tornadoes do occur in the area at about the Ohio state average and only 10% higher than the national average.  There is also some minor earthquake activity.  Since records have been kept, Ashville has declared an emergency only 3 times.          

The cost of living in Ashville is slightly lower than the national average.  According to Niche.com, the average house value is $145,500 and rent is $764-- both of these numbers are well below the national average.  60% of Ashville residents own their own home while 40% rent.  Ashville has a “dense suburban” feel.  

The average household income is $67,713 and the individual income is $31,756, both of which are decently higher than the national average.  Most individual residents make between $15-34 thousand/year and slightly less make between $35-64 thousand/year.  Almost half of the residents have a high school diploma or a higher degree-- 24% have an associates degree or some college experience, 14% have a bachelor’s degree, and 9% have a Master’s.  The majority of residents are under retirement age-- 30% are minors, 23% are college-aged or in their early 30’s, and 32% are between 35-54 years old.  

There is very little racial diversity in Ashville.  A huge chunk of the population-- 92%-- is white, with only 2% Hispanic, 6% bi-racial, and virtually no other ethnicities are present.  Those who identify as male or female are evenly split-- exactly 50%, right down the middle-- and there is no information on how welcome the LGTBQ+ community might be, though voters tend to lean conservative.  

Niche.com rated Ashville a C+ in crime and safety.  The majority of crime is theft-based and non-violent, with practically no murders or robbery (theft with threat or application of violence).  As of January 16, 2020 there are 5 registered sex offenders living in Ashville-- but rape and assault rates are insanely low at 24/100,000 residents each, compared to the national averages of 40.7 and 282.7 respectively.  Virtually no arson charges have been reported as of 2012.  Ultimately, with over 4,000 residents packed into just over two and a half square miles, Ashville is a fairly safe-- those registered users on the neighborhood-building app Nextdoor say that feeling safe is one of the top things they love about Ashville.  

Nextdoor users also call Ashville “peaceful,” “welcoming,” “family-friendly,” and “clean” as some of their other top favorite aspects of living here.  Several also hail it as highly walkable.  Top interests are mostly focused out of doors, with home improvement, gardening, camping/grilling and dogs all on the list.  Crafts and sewing was also listed as a top interest.  

Ashville’s education is provided by the Teays Valley Schools, which are ranked as above average.  Walnut Elementary School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 20:1 with over 400 students in pre-K through 5th grade.  89% are proficient in math and 83% in reading.  Ashville Elementary has over 300 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1.  These students have 87% proficiency in math and 82% proficiency in reading.  The other elementary schools is South Bloomfield Elementary, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 18:1.  Their proficiency scores are the same as Ashville Elementary.  

Teays Valley Middle School serves over 400 students, with 73% proficiency in math and 69% in reading.  Their student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, grades 6-8.  

Teays Valley High School serves grades 9-12 with a ratio of 19 students to each teacher.  Over 1,000 attend, with 56% proficiency in math and 66% in reading.  The average SAT score is 1150 and the average ACT score is 24.  Teays Valley High School has a graduation rate of 94%, most of whom are interested in staying in Ohio for a college or post-high school education.  The top three picks for graduates are: Ohio State University, Ohio University, and University of Cincinnati.  

Part of living in a community is having those around you who share your faith.  Ashville is primarily Christian, with over 10 churches listed on the village’s unofficial website.  Most of the churches listed are Lutheran or Methodist, but Baptist is also on the list.  

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What does Ashville do for fun?  

Ashville is home to a rather unique little museum, the Ohio Small Town Museum.  A nostalgic walk through time, the museum is home to the very first traffic light created by local Teddy Boor.  It worked up through the 1980’s and looks like something out of the Jetson’s.  They also have a rare 17-star Ohio flag, a mural, and excellent archives of local information.  You can visit them on Facebook, or in person!   But it gets better! You remember reading above about the train depot that once stood in Ashville?  It’s now this very museum!  

The Ashville 4th of July Celebration is legendary enough to warrant its own website!  It’s a five-day affair with a terrific fish-fry featuring over 2,500 pounds of fried perch!  Free entertainment is offered daily.  This 4th of July bash has not one or two, but THREE parades!  The festivities are traditional-- the first celebration was back in 1929-- and courtesy of the Ashville Community Men’s Club, a non-profit that benefits the community with scholarships, youth programs, athletics, and more.  

Given that the same non-profit group is in charge of Halloween and Christmas, we’re pretty sure those are amazing festivities too!  

The Ashville Viking Festival is sure something to see!  According to the festival's Facebook page, it’s a living history event that re-enacts a Viking All-Thing.  Music, dance, swordplay, food-- all the good Viking staples to a warrior life!  Founded in 2004 it takes place in town towards the end of April.  Past events have included belly dancing and tunic-making.  A really unique and fun way to not just learn about history-- for a few days, you can LIVE it!  

If the festivals aren’t currently in town, you can always check out the Community Events Calendar on the village’s website.  There, you can see the many sports games, club happenings, and other community events in a full-month layout.  It’s even color-coded so you know who is posting it  

Ashville’s Parks and Recreation is at the heart of the community.  There are three parks in Ashville-- more parks are in the surrounding area-- which belong to the Pickaway County Parks.  However, they are all owned by the Village of Ashville: Centennial Park, Community Park, West Side Park.  These parks play integral parts in the community celebrations of Christmas, Halloween, and more.  Many of the parks’ different facilities are available for rent for birthdays, weddings, and more.  

Along the same lines, check out Cooks Creek, which is one part golf course and one part natural area.  Its bordered by Little Walnut Creek and the Scioto River and they’re very proud of being “development-free” and “nature-filled.”  Bird watchers also love this area, and are welcome!  

What if you just want a night away from cooking and washing dishes?  

Head on over to Jackie Rays, a bar with vegetarian-friendly menu options housed in a restored historic building.  Sadly, Jack-- the namesake owner-- has passed away, but according to TripAdvisor the legacy of excellence continues under new ownership.  Check out the menu-- it’s not just pizza!  

Herrenhaus Elflein is a Frankish vineyard and winery.  The estate features German grapes-- Kerner, Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, and the Gewürztraminer hybrid Traminette.  They also grow cherries, pears, and apples.  The dinner service has a limited but excellent menu featuring the house wines and wine coolers you do NOT want to miss!  The menu features Frankish German foods, meats and cheeses from Boar’s Head, a coffee service and desserts.  An elegant night out, perfect or a date or intimate party.  Definitely a touch of worldly class in a small village.  

Other fast food options that are typical of American culture are around-- Wendys, Subway, Mcdonald’s and the like-- so if you’ve got a food skeptic in your family you’ve got some safe options around.  And let’s face it-- sometimes you just want a quick sub or greasy burger from a drive-through instead of a sit-down diner.  

If you’re looking to relocate to the Columbus suburbs, give Ashville a closer look-- it’s got the small-town values with a great community who values their natural spaces, faith, and each other.  Above-average schools with low student-to-teacher ratios, Ashville is a safe, walkable place to settle in and live a good life.  Just as your realtor, or a local resident!