Still curious about East Price Hill (Cincinnati, Green: low income, apartments, foreclosures)

[Tex?Il?]

I've been to Cincinnati a couple times, but never really thoughy about the west side, until I found that controversial video I so recently posted a thread about.

But it got me curious to know more about it.

When I checked up on the neighborhood on Google Earth, I learned that the Queen Tower has one of the nicest Italian restaurants in it, Prima Vista, and the building is primarily condos and apartments, and apparently maybe not luxury, but still considered nice, and then the reviews of the restaurant mentioned the efforts to revitalize the "Incline district" but yet it doesn't get nearly the amount of attention when people talk about up and coming areas in Cincys core areas. It still retains a reputation of low income and crime problems.

Is that high rise considered desirable? Does that immediate area have the potential to be the nucleus for revitalization? Its so close to downtown with great views of the city.

What do you think?

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Is that high rise considered desirable? Does that immediate area have the potential to be the nucleus for revitalization? Its so close to downtown with great views of the city.

What do you think?

From eating at Prima Vista and perusing E.P.H., I think the tower is nice and well kept. Who knows what the place is like at 3a.m. but it seems nice.

The surrounding neighborhood is really block by block. In a very general way, East Price Hill is worse off than West Price Hill. The incline district is nice and a lot of the homes are owner occupied and well kept. There are some very rough areas in East Price Hill. There are also some rough areas in West Price Hill as well.

The entire area has been socked with a wave of foreclosures over the past few years and slumlords have been snapping up a lot of once owner occupied homes and making them into low income rental. I know several landlords in my neighborhood and one in particular has been flipping foreclosures to other landlords. In the past year she has done this with more than 10 properties. I can say from living in an area that has a high concentration of rental properties, the tenants are a reflection of the landlord.

So, to summarize, East and West Price Hill are very different. And I haven't even mentioned Lower Price Hill. Let me just say Lower Price Hill is plain ghetto. And many of the ghetto types are Appalachians.

Take it block by block. There are a lot of good people holding Price Hill together and fighting to take it back from the downturn the place has been plagued by over the past decade or more.

One more thing. The more downtown (including OTR) revitalize to the point that they attract new residents and business, neighborhoods like Price Hill will benefit. Simply because as downtown fills up there will be people who will want to be close to downtown but can't find housing, afford it, or prefer larger single family homes. When this happens Price Hill and neighborhoods like it will be back in business.

[Bhiggins]

The crime wave coming up the hill, as I like to say, from East/Lower Price Hill along with Fairmount is what caused me to move out of West Price Hill.

Glenway Avenue 10 years ago used to be a safe place to walk and visit for many, but now it's DEFINITELY not as well off as it once was. Two years before I moved from West Price Hill to Monfort Heights, there was a string of violent armed robberies along the business distrct in West Price Hill. The most notable one, correct me if I'm wrong, was a large robbery at a Mexican Clothing / Retail Store within walking distance of Price Hill Chili. They had to shut the whole street from Ferguson to Guerley down, it was bad.

But the year that really made me realize that the area was going downhill was in 2005 when literally EVERY house in a newer subdivision, I cannot remember the name, but it was across from the intersection of Omena and Glenway... Every house was burglarized within A WEEK! Also in 2005, home invasions were becoming more common, most noticably along Cleves Warsaw.

I am VERY happy I got out, I managed to sell the house and move us to a safe and stable community (Don't know about stable, the way things are looking, Green Township could either improve or decline in the next 5 years and it looks like it is not doing too well lately...). To make a long story short for people who TLDR'd (Too lazy didn't read) my post, Glenway Avenue, especially from Muddy Creek to Overlook Avenue, looks like a boulevard straight out of Southcentral Los Angeles.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Bhiggins

Glenway Avenue, especially from Muddy Creek to Overlook Avenue, looks like a boulevard straight out of Southcentral Los Angeles.

I used to live in LA. Not even close.

[Bhiggins]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

I used to live in LA. Not even close.

I used to live in LA too, very close, especially when the kids from Western Hills High School get out.

[TomJones123]

In my opinion, there is very little in Cincinnati that resembles LA. You are entitled to yours, so this is my last argument one way or the other. But LA? It's huge, sprawling, very diverse, and just an entirely different world from Cincinnati. Not to mention the life and death gang banging and deep rooted gang effects on the community are not to be found anywhere in Cincy, not even East Price Hill; as if this were the worst area in Cincy?

With that said. We are free to disagree and I will be moving onwards to other posts having stated my point of view and respectfully disagreeing with yours. I wish you all the best.

[Bhiggins]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

In my opinion, there is very little in Cincinnati that resembles LA. You are entitled to yours, so this is my last argument one way or the other. But LA? It's huge, sprawling, very diverse, and just an entirely different world from Cincinnati. Not to mention the life and death gang banging and deep rooted gang effects on the community are not to be found anywhere in Cincy, not even East Price Hill; as if this were the worst area in Cincy?

With that said. We are free to disagree and I will be moving onwards to other posts having stated my point of view and respectfully disagreeing with yours. I wish you all the best.

Just saying...

[t45209]

The Enquirer just did an article about Price Hill within the last few weeks. Despite former councilman Cranley's ability to get banks to loan him money for mutli-million dollar development there, the signs of stress in the neighborhood are undeniable.

Since 2000, East Price Hill property values have declined 29%, compared to a citywide average of 5%. Only 36% of homes in the neighborhood are owner occupied, and vacant properties increased 66%. The neighborhood is fundamentally being undermined by slumlords who do not maintain properties, and the demographics have been shifting to a poorer and poorer economic group.

So, while a few stalwarts are trying to hold the neighborhood together, and you can buy a great view on the edge of the Incline district for a fraction of Mt. Adams, I think you would have to be a brave soul to take a chance on East Price Hill. It's going to take a long time to reverse the systemic decay that has occurred there, and the city is woefully ill-equipped financially to do anything to counter it.

[progmac]

The incline district of east price hill probably has more potential than anywhere else in the city. Areas with views are already developed and in some cases fairly high-end. Everything else is block-by-block. There are a lot of people living up there and trying to make the neighborhood a better place. In the long-term, you look at a this neighborhood -- it is a few minutes from downtown, has a cool historic housing stock -- the long term picture is really quite good. The near term picture is a little more muddled, what with the foreclosure crisis and the historic toll of suburban flight

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by progmac

the historic toll of suburban flight

And I wonder if gas prices and the economy will reverse this trend.