Need some general Cincy info (Cincinnati, Dayton: middle-class, section 8, real estate)

[cheese9988]

I am considering a relocation to the Dayton/Cincy area and I have some questions.

I'm looking for a safe, affordable, urban neighborhood on the north side of the city. Houses need to be less than $100k. I need to know the commute time between Cincy and Dayton during the morning as well. The closer to 75 the better.

[progmac]

a quick few to take a look at:

college hill
northside
westwood
st bernard (not part of the city of cincinnati)
pleasant ridge
kennedy heights
bond hill (towanda section)

finding a good house in many of these neighborhoods is going to push your 100k, but if you can live with a one or two bedroom and some quirks, you should be okay.

all cincinnati neighborhoods are cool in their own way and full of caring people and good neighbors.
unfortunately, our most affordable urban neighborhoods (where median prices are well below $100k) also come with a degree of safety concern because of the actions of a very small portion of the residents. non-drug related violent crime remains quite rare. petty and property crime are a concern in some neighborhoods.

just the other day, we were going on and on telling someone not to commute from Cincy to Dayton. Can't find the thread though...

[abr7rmj]

While the prevailing sentiment from many on this board is not to commute from Dayton to Cincinnati, understand that it is done by many people every day. With the ongoing expansion of I-75 between the two cities, it will soon be four lanes through all the way.

The one caution most people would agree on is if you work or live NORTH of Dayton. That makes it considerably more difficult for several reasons, not the least of which is the extreme traffic congestion through downtown Dayton in the mornings and evenings. If you live or work south of Dayton and commute to north Cincinnati (or vice versa), it is entirely realistic and doable, and really isn't that much different of a commute than what people do every day all around the country.

My cousin lives in Centerville and works in Blue Ash and he likes the set up. He takes back roads to 71 near Kings Island and it's nothing more than a standard 45-minute commute.

[kjbrill]

If you truly need to commute to Dayton, then consider someplace like Middletown for your $100K house. For that matter, look at Dayton itself.

What makes you want to purchase a under $100K house in Cincinnati and then burn up costs for gas, car wear & tear, high mileage depreciation, tires, plus the time commuting to Dayton? It just doesn't make sense to me.

[SonnyDaze]

Originally Posted by progmac

a quick few to take a look at:

college hill
northside
westwood
st bernard (not part of the city of cincinnati)
pleasant ridge
kennedy heights
bond hill (towanda section)

I'd add Hartwell and Lockland to this list based on their proximity to 75 and relative affordability.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by CincyExpert

I'd add Hartwell and Lockland to this list based on their proximity to 75 and relative affordability.

Everyone is giving you possible working recommendations. But I still go back to the fundamentals - what is the reason? Are we missing something? Desiring a lower echelon house in Cincinnati and then commuting to Dayton makes absolutely no sense to me. Please clue us in.

[cheese9988]

I would be commuting 20 mins south of Dayton. Where I am from, you can usually get a decent priced, older home for under $100k within the city limits, I'm in one now. As long as it doesn't need a roof or furnace, and you can do repairs yourself, you can usually make out. However, since I have never been to the southwest corner of Ohio, I do not know what the housing market is really like. I can guarantee that your taxes are cheaper.

Is there any touristy stuff besides sports, bars and restaurants? How is the snow down there?

Before I make my decision I am going to check out both cities. I'm already not getting a great vibe from Dayton for some reason. Cincinnati seems like the better pick for me, but I will have to check it out.

[goyguy]

I'm in voluntary (and happy) exile from Cincinnati. But if I were to return there to live I'd not rule out any of the areas already mentioned. To that list I'd definitely add Roselawn, as it soundly meets all your criteria. The Ohio 126 expressway - officially renamed from "Cross County" to "Ronald Reagan" though few call it by the latter - passes close by to the north. I-75's Paddock Rd interchange is reachable from anywhere in the neighborhood within five minutes. The community is the northernmost within the city limits along the Reading Rd corridor.
Many people write off that part of town because it's undergone a demographic shift from overwhelmingly White (and heavily Jewish) to "multicultural" with an AA majority. There's also been significant decay in its northwest sector and along the southern boundary connecting to Bond Hill. Quite a few of its numerous 4-to-12-unit "brick box" apartment buildings are Section 8 friendly, which rarely is a boon to a neighborhood. But these buildings are almost all along the main thoroughfares. The streets on either side of Reading Rd, and between Losantiville/Kenova and Summit - the bulk of the territory - are lined with well-kept, owner-occupied, single family homes. The Gaslight District east of Reading Rd has more of a middle-class feel with mostly Cape Cod and Colonial styles of houses. West of Reading Rd is a "step up the ladder," the Garden District, where you'll see some similar dwellings but also Tudors and larger Colonials. Except for the trees' having grown still more mature, there's little to suggest that the area ever "changed." The jarring evidence of change is along Reading Rd, and on Seymour Ave to the south. Onetime supermarkets are now storefront churches. A shopping center has few occupants other than a pizza chain franchise, a nightclub, and a day care facility. Several nightspots are well-known for the wrong reasons: homicides, drug dealing, and an overall "unsavory clientele." These, along with a couple of gone-to-seed apartment complexes on the outskirts and a large park at the southeast corner where you can buy "anything, any time," are what bring on the "Roselawn Drug Bust," "Woman Shot in Roselawn," etc headlines which tar the entire community. On streets like Parkdale or Glendon all that seems to be miles away. And it might as well be.
The downturn in real estate means that there are a lot of Roselawn residences which can be had for a song. Quite a few are even priced below $100k lately, not that there's very much on the market. If schools are not an issue (those in the neighborhood are atrocious) and neither is living on the same block with German Catholic, AA, and Russian Jewish households you ought to give it a look-see.
The Roselawn Community Council has me on their e-mail list, but contrary to possible belief I'm not a paid spokesperson. I think it's a neat slice of territory even without my favorite restaurant's being there. And I like taking people on deliberate detours to hear, "Whoa - this is NICE!"

I also have lotsa love for Pleasant Ridge and Hartwell. Speaking of Hartwell, the township area abutting it to the west (known as Valleydale, but in realtors' listings it's "Springfield Township East") is often overlooked. It's a sleepy miiddle-class enclave with tree-lined streets and sturdy though modest houses. Don't look into buying on the even-numbered side of Marley, only because the back yards bump up against businesses and parking lots along parallel Vine St. Nobody needs a car wash or drive-thru's as part of their everyday sound track.

Finally () - I'm enthused about the suggestion of Middletown for the sake of its affordability and its proximity to southern Montgomery County. Another possibility would be Lebanon, at least the older section as opposed to the monotonous sprawl subdivisions that have sprung up at the outskirts. I-75 isn't terribly far to the west, and access to Ohio 741 right into Dayton's fringe is easy.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by progmac

a quick few to take a look at:

college hill
northside
westwood
st bernard (not part of the city of cincinnati)
pleasant ridge
kennedy heights
bond hill (towanda section)

finding a good house in many of these neighborhoods is going to push your 100k, but if you can live with a one or two bedroom and some quirks, you should be okay.

all cincinnati neighborhoods are cool in their own way and full of caring people and good neighbors.
unfortunately, our most affordable urban neighborhoods (where median prices are well below $100k) also come with a degree of safety concern because of the actions of a very small portion of the residents. non-drug related violent crime remains quite rare. petty and property crime are a concern in some neighborhoods.

just the other day, we were going on and on telling someone not to commute from Cincy to Dayton. Can't find the thread though...

It's on page 2 and locked.

.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by cheese9988

I would be commuting 20 mins south of Dayton. Where I am from, you can usually get a decent priced, older home for under $100k within the city limits, I'm in one now. As long as it doesn't need a roof or furnace, and you can do repairs yourself, you can usually make out. However, since I have never been to the southwest corner of Ohio, I do not know what the housing market is really like. I can guarantee that your taxes are cheaper.

Is there any touristy stuff besides sports, bars and restaurants? How is the snow down there?

Before I make my decision I am going to check out both cities. I'm already not getting a great vibe from Dayton for some reason. Cincinnati seems like the better pick for me, but I will have to check it out.

Ancient history/archaeology (SunWatch):

Home

Modern, big and widespread:

Places to visit-driving directions-nearby restaurants-hotels-airports

Cincinnati has zoo (water critters across the river in Newport) and other historic stuff. Both towns have music, theater and art interests, including classical but Cincinnati has more.

Snow is plentiful but generally less than points north.