I will be purchasing my first home on the Westside. West of Colerain Ave. (Cincinnati: section 8)

[cincybuyer]

I know that there have been many threads regarding the westside vs eastside in this forum. However, I have ruled out the eastside (too little house and minimal yard for your money). I am currently looking on the westside of town west of Colerain Ave. I work in West Chester but want to be close to downtown and the westside offers many alternate routes to work if 75 is a mess like usual. I would like honest opinions from people who know the areas on the westside and not just speculating. Is White Oak East ok? I have read some not so great things about Mt Airy and White Oak East is neighboring Mt Airy. Please do not respond if you are only interested in sharing your hatred for the westside of town. Thanks

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by cincybuyer

I know that there have been many threads regarding the westside vs eastside in this forum. However, I have ruled out the eastside (too little house and minimal yard for your money). I am currently looking on the westside of town west of Colerain Ave. I work in West Chester but want to be close to downtown and the westside offers many alternate routes to work if 75 is a mess like usual. I would like honest opinions from people who know the areas on the westside and not just speculating. Is White Oak East ok? I have read some not so great things about Mt Airy and White Oak East is neighboring Mt Airy. Please do not respond if you are only interested in sharing your hatred for the westside of town. Thanks

In my opinion, White Oak East (which is part of either Green or Colerain Township, I don't remember) is basically a continuation of Mt. Airy (City of Cincinnati), which itself isn't as bad as many of the people that post here make it out to be. There are lots of beautiful homes (well-kept, OCCUPIED ones at that) in that part of town. I lived in that area for about nine months, and the only problem I ever had was an old drunk guy who tried to break into my apartment and was subsequently placed under citizens' arrest and hauled off by Colerain's finest.

The only parts of Mt. Airy I would honestly avoid are the two Terraces (Hawaiian and Bahama) and the area surrounding the Little Flower Apartments (right by the Speedway at Colerain and Kirby). Other than that, have at it. Take a Sunday drive around the area and judge for yourself.

Westside vs. Eastside vs. Kentucky...boy, Cincinnati is something else.

[sandasene]

Can you be more specific? Street names? Budget?

I live in that area so I'll try to help you out.

[kelent]

Hi, We have been looking mostly in and around New Richmond, but also from Goshen and Stonelick down to Georgetown. When we get there in Feb. (we will be renting temporarily) we plan to tour the Westside also, up towards Oxford. From the listings I have seen, I am seeing smaller, older homes but on larger properties. Best of luck in your new home!

[progmac]

Everyone i know in westwood loves it. You get a lot for your money. Stay west and north of werk, probably. Your mileage may vary, but check it out.

[deg1114]

I had a friend that lived in Groesbeck and liked it. The houses are reasonable and you get a decent sized yard as well. It has been around 10 years since he lived there so I don't know how it is today but it may be worth checking out.

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by kelent

we plan to tour the Westside also, up towards Oxford.

Oxford is not the Westside. It's in Butler County, 40 miles from Cincinnati.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by deg1114

I had a friend that lived in Groesbeck and liked it. The houses are reasonable and you get a decent sized yard as well. It has been around 10 years since he lived there so I don't know how it is today but it may be worth checking out.

Groesbeck and White Oak are not getting any better. Mt. Airy at least is pretty much stable.

[goyguy]

I worked with somebody who made an almost identical query a couple of years ago. He ended up buying a place in White Oak just west of Colerain Ave, adjacent to a large park. Everything's gone great for his family there. The park isn't one of those places where "undesirables" and teens gather after dark, and many retirees live on their block who are happy to baby-sit. They had to forsake "charm" for a generic '60s-vintage split-level house, but they bought at a "happy" price and have plenty of room for when the kids get older (and even if more kids arrive.)
That's one cautionary note I have to sound about White Oak and Monfort Heights, as well as the Colerain Township communities of Northbrook and Groesbeck. They're home to a large number of people who settled there in the 1950's to '70s and are now getting older. I brought that up to the C-D'er I helped also, for what will become of those kinds of neighborhoods as a goodly quantity of houses go on the market? Colerain Twp appears to be not weathering the transition all that well, but as is the case with Mt Airy a lot of that has to do with the apartment complexes which were built to accommodate single Baby Boomers and have now fallen out of style and converted to Section 8. Some of the brick Capes in Groesbeck and Northbrook which people fought to own 50-60 years ago are also now held by absentee landlords who accept subsidy vouchers. Painting with a broad brush leaves out spots, but all too often folks "on assistance" aren't the most ideal neighbors. This issue is insignificant to the south in Monfort Hts and White Oak - so far. And I think the lack of Hawaiian Terraces and Walden Glens will help those areas pull through with little effect on their quality of life.
Buy a little farther out to the north or west, and you'd be that much closer to I-275 and its interchange with I-74. Closer in to town but north of the city limits, you'd have the Cross County Highway available for quick connections as well.
If children are part of the household, the Northwest school district (which includes Colerain and Northwest High Schools) are well-regarded though not top-tier.

[cincybuyer]

Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback. I am going to drive around Mt Airy today before Thanksgiving dinner. I will let you know what I find. Have a great day!!