Why does Hamilton have such a bad rep with locals? (Cincinnati: fit in, crime)

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

I would agree that Lebabon is cute, though its funny because I've heard locals really dog S. Lebanon as a very backwards area.

Lebanon and South Lebanon are two different animals, that's for certain. People in Lebanon -- who fancy themselves as the elite of Warren County -- sure get perturbed if you mix 'em up!

[nicolepsy]

hi,
dont even worry about driving thru east hamilton (especially if youre just going to stay on high street thru downtown to get to west hamilton (the west side). i know lots of people that wont shop in hamilton because they are afraid but there really isnt anything to worry about. some people are just fraidy cats i guess or dont want to be seen in certain places or something. it is perfectly harmless believe me.

[nicolepsy]

i think it was paper mills (not steel mills) that hamilton had. i think that the men could make an o.k. living in the 50's or so because of it. but it is a different story now. poor hamilton seems to try every so often to improve itself but i really dont think it will ever come back. and yes, it seems that most of hamilton (and sw ohio in general) has kentucky roots which is why some say hamiltucky. they just brought their kentucky ways and accents with them long long ago and it kinda stuck. so be prepared for a big culture shock. but most are good people and you shouldnt be afraid. i guess when people give up hope they turn to drugs and crime and that is why certain people view hamilton as bad.

[hamiltonfan]

Things are changing in Hamilton, local leaders and citizens are turning things around. From new businesses, schools, and arts development to revitalization of the city's historic downtown and neighborhoods, its is a fun time to be a resident.

Hamilton was a paper and safe town that climaxed in population in the 1960's at 72,000. The city hit 60,000 residents in 2000, but, population has turned around and is now at around 62,000.

If you are looking for a new home, there are several new developments in the city, such as Hamilton West Estates, Sterling Estates, Arbor Springs, Falcon Meadows, etc, etc. Hamilton West Estates is probably the nicest.

Let me know if you need any more information, I'd love to share.


Here are some good photos of the city (copy the URL, city-data isn't posting this right).
Hamilton! - Gallery 1 - Downtown (All-NEW Comprehensive Look)

[Briolat21]

Hamiltonfan,

My husband and I really liked the city to be quite honest. I've driven out there many times now (not the same as living there, I know..).. and looked at Sterling Estates, Hamilton West Estates and Governor's Hill. I think we're leaning towards Governor's Hill.

For commuting reasons I think we'd prefer Monroe if we could get it (a little more centrally located)... but right now the builder we're focusing on has better lots in Hamilton.

We think the downtown area's really cute. Its too bad there aren't many nicer restaurants in the downtown area for dinner.. I think that'd be fun, walking down the boulevard past the sculptures to have a nice steak dinner.

I think "river cafe(?)" or something like that seems to do a business, but it'd be nice if there was something else downtown - other than Texas Roadhouse and Mariachi out by the Lowes.

We liked Pyramid Hills, and even the view of the river. At this point I'm leaning towards saying I'll be a future resident, but even if I'm not, I hope that Hamilton continues to rebound. With all the growth going on in WestChester, Liberty Twp., and Fairfield Twp., Hamilton should be able to grab on to some of that. Especially there on the Fairfield/Hamilton border.

[Linda Pratt]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

For commuting reasons I think we'd prefer Monroe if we could get it (a little more centrally located)... but right now the builder we're focusing on has better lots in Hamilton.

Schools are better in Monroe than Hamilton. Also compare crime rates in the two areas.

[Ohiogirl81]

Briolat21, if Hamilton is where you want to live, do it! The more people like you that move into the area, the better it will become.

[hamiltonfan]

I know several people who bought in Govenor's Hill, they seem to like it.

Urban school districts will always get lower state ratings, but that doesn't always equate to a worse educational experience. Right now, Monroe schools are just rebounding from financial difficulties and are facing major overcrowding problems. Hamilton schools are more diverse, and several elementaries are actually rated Excellent.

Hamilton City School was rated the #1 Urban School District in Ohio recently, as well.

As far as resturants, the River Bank Cafe is great and the mayor is opening an Irish pub and resturant on High Street. There is also a great resturant in the German Village called Third Street Tap and Grille. A major project proposed for downtown--Riversedge. It includes urban flats, townhomes, and retail. When the downtown Hamiltonian Hotel is converted to a Courtyard by Marriott, it is to have a chain resturant as well.

My grandparents live in Monroe, and while it is clean and safe, I find it amazingly cookie-cutter and boring.

Monroe is a small, growing suburb with little identity (besides the flea markets) while Hamilton is an established, gritty, historic city with great cultural amentities, architecture, diversity, and charm.

Good luck and welcome to Ohio!

[Briolat21]

That's great to hear about the proposed new developments.

And yes - to everyone, I have checked the crime statistics. Its at about 8.6%, median for Ohio is at 4.7, Monroe is 5.9%.

However for Hamilton, the majority of the crime seems to be Burglary and some car theft. Now is that great? No, of course not. But its not something that frightens me off because like most urban areas, that crime is probably localized within a fairly small area.

Cincinnati has a crime rate of 7.15%, and their numbers are mostly for burglary as well, however their violent crime index is higher and that's more what worries me.

Yes, I've also looked up the sex offender statistic. As I mentioned, it is lower than the current community I'm coming from in MI (which by the way was accepted as a perfectly fine place to live). Again, a lot of people with these problems seem to live in the districts that have lower rent/more poverty... and these are not the areas I'm looking to live in.

Their schools are rated highly and compare favorably to the Ohio average, with the exception of Middle School. However I don't have children at this time, so its not an immediate concern for us except perhaps for resale in the future.

I would agree that Monroe is cookie cutter -- in its defense, it had little choice. It seems its gone from farming village to "WestChester North" in a matter of a decade, and that doesn't really allow for character or charm. It would be a little more commutable for us, and for that reason is still in contention, but I would agree Hamilton is a more dynamic and appealing environment.

Again, I've enjoyed all the comments, its interesting to see what the locals think of things... Hmm.. maybe one day, years from now, I'll be a Local!

[hamiltonfan]

^Great.

You are right on the money when you consider that those crime numbers reflect the entire city. You have indicated that you will probably be building in a west side subdivision if you end up in H-town. If there were stats neighborhood by neighborhood, I think you'd find that the older areas of town is where crime is more likely to exist, so, there isn't much diffenence in living on the west side of Hamilton a couple miles outside of the older part of the city and living in Fairfield Twp (where the crime rate is lower on the whole) just a couple miles from the urban core of Hamilton.

I believe Governor's Hill students go to Fillmore Elementary on Main Street. It is rated Excellent and will be rebuilt to open in 2010 as Highland Elementary on the same site.