Cincy is on our list for relocation... (Cincinnati, Canton: section 8, best neighborhoods)

[oldhousejunkie]

I was wondering if you guys could give me an idea about Cincinnati.

My husband and I are looking to move from the south (I know...we're going in reverse). I love Ohio...my grandmother is actually from outside Canton. I've been to Cincy three times, and really liked it even though my visits were brief.

My husband is in law enforcement and I work in historic preservation. We would be looking to live in a historic neighborhood...hopefully one with a village atmosphere (it's own shops, restaurants, etc.) During my last visit, I spent some time in Hyde Park and LOVED it, but I have a feeling it's out of our price range. Although we wouldn't buy right away, our eventual price range would be $100k-$150k. Fixer uppers are not a problem. I really like Craftsman bungalows and Tudor Style homes, although I wouldn't turn down a nice Italianate rowhouse either! :-)

Can you give me any tips for neighborhoods? Another important factor would be safety. We live in Columbia, SC right now, and in the course of the two years we've been here, our house was broken into twice (despite having a security system). I don't want to repeat that experience, especially since we may go out of town to visit our folks back in SC on a regular basis.

Also, what townships around Cincinnati have police departments?

Thanks in advance!

[Wilson513]

There are probably 30 police departments in Hamilton County alone. And, there are three states that meet here and a total of six counties. Problem is that there are a lot of cadets still not placed from Cincinnati's excellent police academy. There are also dozens of private security forces and a half dozen universities, hospitals, etc. But, a lot of unemployed.

Cincinnati may have the best inventory of unmolested historic property in the US. Others will brag on that I'm sure.

Good luck!

[kjbrill]

I assume you are asking about township police departments since your husband is in law enforcement. In Hamilton Co. where Cincinnati is located, several townships have their own police force - Colerain, Green, Sycamore, etc. Do a Google on Hamilton County Ohio Townships and then the individual township web pages. The surrounding counties, Clermont, Warren, and Butler also have many township police forces. But I have to say I believe the numerous incorporated suburbs surrounding Cincinnati possibly offer a wider opportunity for employment in law enforcement, especially if experience qualifies for an upper level job.

Spend some time going through the past threads on this forum and you will definitely see Cincinnati is a fertile area for a historical preservationist. While I sometimes doubt whether the propertry deserves preserving, others on this forum keep saying it is our greatest asset.

Good luck in your decision to relocate.

[Sarah Perry]

In addition to township police departments, there are a few municipal departments that are probably good places to work, too. Wyoming and Blue Ash come to mind.

[oldhousejunkie]

Thanks for the leads on police departments. Out of curiosity, is the police academy something that you enroll in like a college? In SC, you have to be hired by a police force as a trainee before entering the police academy.

Any historic neighborhoods we should stay away from? I've seen Over-the-Rhine listed as an up-and-coming area, but should we shy away from it? I've also seen Gaslight show up a few times. I also saw a neighborhood called College Heights (or something similar) listed in Old House Journal's Best Neighborhoods for fixer-uppers. Is that a decent place?

[restorationconsultant]

If you want an overview of preservation and neighborhoods, check out Cincinnati preservations website.
Cincinnati Preservation Association :: Vision :: HISTORIC PROPERTY FOR SALE


I have preservation blog that covers most of the historic neighorhoods that you might want to check out.
Victorian Antiquities and Design


I spent a summer in Columbia, I was doing a stencil restoration project outside of the city. Cincinnati has more Urban feel, but I would imagine you might like the "garden district area" over in Covedale. Westwood has lots of craftsmans, Norwood has some great homes as well, and if you are looking for a more urban "neighborhood" perhaps Northside. You might even like Riverside with its views of the river, some really nice Federal and late victorian on the hills if you want to be out a bit. Unless you are a serious Urban pioneer, you are best to shy away from West end and parts of OTR. Vine streets and Main are doing well. the are is rapidly turning around but there is still alot to do.

If you look at "fixers" you need to check for VBML orders (Vacant Building Maintenance License) and "condemn". They will not show up on a title search and the city passes out VBML's like candy so if its been vacant for while check the city list. You can search "orders or citaions on this website by typing in the address:

CPOP - Code Enforcement Address Search

Cincinnati has the finest architectuire in the nation and it is attracting preservation minded people from across the country.

[progmac]

For tudor, craftsman start looking about five miles from downtown. Closer in and you have the earlier victorian and even greek revival. There are also a fair number of american foursquares once you are about two or three miles from downtown.

Hyde Park, Oakley Mt Lookout, Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, College Hill, Westwood, and Covedale are safe neighborhoods full of tudor, craftsman, and also colonial architecture. The tudor and colonial were seemingly more popular on the west side (there was a lot of old money in westwood back then) whereas the arts and crafts styles are more common on the east side. These are broad strokes but reasonably accurate I think.

Westwood is easily the largest of these neighborhoods with over 35,000 residents, so there are many micro-neighborhoods within. the eastern portion has been struggling with crime for a long time although recent apartment teardowns and westwood's recent 'say no to section 8' attitude seem to be helping.

Your best architecture bang for the buck in those neighborhoods is westwood. College hill is next. Westwood seems to be carving a very clear path forward and things are looking up. I think college hill is still trying to figure out how it fits in after a great deal of suburban flight, but that doesn't change the fact that many college hill streets are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Covedale is a good value as well and has long been seen as a safe and affordable area for families.

Hyde park and oakley, not surprisingly, offer a very bad value in terms of architecture. There are many 200k+ flips where the owners thought it best to tear out the plaster, fireplace, original woodwork, bath fixtures, etc, and replace each with a low-medium quality product from home depot. Reasonable historic properties of character in hyde park are three to five hundred thousand or more. You may find the occassional diamond-in-the-rough in Oakley, but Oakley struggles with the overpricing that comes from speculation and that is stalling out the now nearly-complete turnaround of that neighborhood.

I'm starting to run out of steam this morning and haven't even gotten to pleasant ridge or kennedy heights, much less the older victorian neighborhoods. I may edit this post later to add some more information but hopefully some others chime in.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by oldhousejunkie

Thanks for the leads on police departments. Out of curiosity, is the police academy something that you enroll in like a college? In SC, you have to be hired by a police force as a trainee before entering the police academy.

Same here. In Cincinnati you have to be accepted as a recruit before entering the academy. Upon completing the academy you are also credited 18 college hours toward a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice at University of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati is not currently soliciting police recruits, as they are having difficulty placing the last graduating class in permanent jobs.

Some info I was looking at this morning said in 1990 13% of police forces were requiring a college degree for new hires. It stated this has now increased to 30%.

[kelent]

I am moving to Cincy too, from NY. Here is a nice little website describing some of the areas:Neighborhoods - cincy.com

[kjbrill]

Just an off the wall suggestion. Lebanon Ohio, in Warren County north of Cincinnati has some really nice older homes since it was first settled in the 1790s. And nearby, the Lebanon Ohio Penitentiary and the Correctional Institution, two prisons next to each other may provide employment for the hubby. Even during economic down-turns, prisons cannot be ignored. Even early release programs can only go so far.