Considering relocating to Cincinnati area. (Warren, Bowling Green: to rent, homes, school district)

[SMTfamily]

We are a family of 7 from the Carolinas currently living in Northwest Indiana about 50 miles from Chicago. We moved here for a job a little over 2 years ago and hate it. We would like to move back to the South, but there aren't many options in my husbands field. He has a potential opportunity in the Cincinnati(Mason) area. It is somewhat closer to our family in the Carolinas by about 4-5 hours. Which makes the trip doable in one day verse two. We really hate the environment here in NW Indiana. We have had a very hard time finding our place here. We are a somewhat conservative family, and the values here have not had a good influence on our kids or us for that matter. We have had a hard time making friends. Families here appear to be either snooty or ones with 3-4 kids by 3-4 different fathers. Doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I am saying all this to show some of what we dislike about here.

My biggest concern is that we won't like Cincinnati anymore than we do NW Indiana. I was hoping since Cincinnati is closer to the south, it would be somewhat friendlier and easier to acclimate to. But I know that may not be the case. Originally I thought we could live in Northern Kentucky, but since the position is in Mason, I don't think that is possible. We would be looking to rent for a while. What would be the typical cost of rent for a 4 bedroom single family home in a decent area. We may homeschool once we move, but would still like to be in an area with good smaller schools. We prefer more rural/country areas to tight packed subdivisions. Thanks for your help.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by SMTfamily

My biggest concern is that we won't like Cincinnati anymore than we do NW Indiana. We may homeschool once we move, but would still like to be in an area with good smaller schools. We prefer more rural/country areas to tight packed subdivisions.

Cincinnati may not be much of an improvement but Mason is somewhat far removed from it, but if you want to be in a country area SE Warren county still has a lot of area not over run with cookie cutter subdivisions. Warren county is also a very conservative area.

[SMTfamily]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will check that area out. What would the commute be to N. KY. I ask because the homeschooling laws are less restrictive in KY than OH.

[SWOH]

^Honestly it would not be fun. Probably about an hour each way with rush hour traffic, longer if you don't want to live in Ft. Thomas and want to do something like Union instead.

If you are looking for a more southern-esque atmosphere with good schools, I'd suggest Lebanon.

Why?
1. Historic downtown with a more southern vibe overall in my opinion. Anchored by the Golden Lamb, Ohio's oldest inn.
2. Lebanon is still relatively rural, but yet there are lots of suburban and town housing options too
3. It is always a stop for Republican presidential candidates when coming to the area
4. Lebanon is not flat at all! I know that's a big grips among some I know in NW Indiana


Probably other good choices would be Morrow and Maineville / South Lebanon. kjbrill and others can fill you in more on Mason, and I can say that Monroe will feel a lot like Crown Point Indiana. Lakota (Liberty and West Chester Twps) will be maybe be a good fit, but honestly if you are going for the south's distinctiveness you won't find it there. Lebanon, Morrow, or Maineville may be appropriate substitutes though...

[immersedincincy]

Lebanon, Morrow, Waynesville, do seem to be a little more southern oriented than Mason. What about the Loveland, Milford area in northern Clermont County? That's about a 30 minute drive.

[Briolat21]

Lebanon doesn't feel anymore "southern" to me than the rest of the Cinci metro - which is overall considerably more Southern feeling (to me) than it should be, given that Ohio is a "northern" state.

Yes - Lebanon has a quaint downtown and yes it is a major republican stop (warren county is hard core conservative) - but if that's how we define Southern then that's a pretty broad brush.

Lebanon is a fairly small town (not quite 20,000) which has a bit of an independent identity from the surrounding cinci-metro - because its been the county seat of warren county and therefore always had its own population beside commuters. It has a lot of antique stores and has some nice little festivals.

I know nothing about homeschooling (not my cup of tea), but I'd be surprised if there aren't others in the cinci-metro doing it (it seems to be more popular today than in the past). Lebanon schools usually get good ratings. Plenty of properties outside of town (in the townships) on acreage for relatively reasonable costs - easy commute to Mason on either I-71 or Rt 42 (10 - 15 minutes).

A reasonable option for someone working in Mason, but still don't know that its particularly "Southern" in any meaningful way.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by immersedincincy

Lebanon, Morrow, Waynesville, do seem to be a little more southern oriented than Mason. What about the Loveland, Milford area in northern Clermont County? That's about a 30 minute drive.

If the job is in Mason, Yes Lebanon, Morrow come into play. Both short commute distances and some you don't have to touch an Interstate.

But I am trying to get a read on the smaller schools statement. That certainly leaves Mason and Lakota out of the picture - they are huge. Then I see homeschool and think why would you care?

Because they are older and have had a longer time to slowly develop, Lebanon and Morrow may have more availability of the slower lifestyle you seem to be searching for. But Maineville - forget it, explosion from farm land to jam packed subdivision overnight. That is what caused all of their financial problems with the Little Miami School district, by the way headquartered in Morrow, quit jacking our property taxes every time we turn around.

But I will state if you are looking for conservative people, Warren Co. is the place to come.

BTW, my daughter is also doing homeschool in Hawaii. She and I disagree on several levels. She has a degree in elementary education from Bowling Green State University here in Ohio. She lives in Hawaii as her husband is in the Army and stationed at Pearl Harbor. Her middle son has been diagnosed with ADHD. My opinion is she is penalizing the other two children, an older daughter and a younger son, by requiring them to do homeschool. She is forcing them to conform to her ideal of an upbringing and denying them of a conventional upbringing. We argue about this constantly. I just simply remind her of her days at Mason HS here, when she won the John Philip Sousa Award. She is denying them that possibility.

Whatever your issues are with the public school system, just don't turn them away.

[CincyIU29]

As much as I disagreed with kjbrill on the last thread we posted on can't agree with him more here.

If you're homeschooling why does the size of the schools matter? You are really limiting areas based on this. Mason and Lakota(West Chester) are by far the most conservative suburbs of Cincinnati. Very Christian, very homogenous, and have a very sterile culture.

But then again I really wouldn't rule out sending your kids to public school, ESPECIALLY for ideological regions. It makes no sense. You can't keep your kids in a protective box forever and like kj said it can really hurt the opportunities for your children to develop intellectually and receive awards. Not to mention participate in various selective academic programs.

Obviously it's your perogitive, but all those areas are in the most conservative part of the state, fiscally and socially, so if that's what you want, that's the place to go.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by CincyIU29

...If you're homeschooling why does the size of the schools matter? You are really limiting areas based on this. Mason and Lakota(West Chester) are by far the most conservative suburbs of Cincinnati. Very Christian, very homogenous, and have a very sterile culture.

But then again I really wouldn't rule out sending your kids to public school, ESPECIALLY for ideological regions. It makes no sense. You can't keep your kids in a protective box forever and like kj said it can really hurt the opportunities for your children to develop intellectually and receive awards. Not to mention participate in various selective academic programs.

Obviously it's your perogitive, but all those areas are in the most conservative part of the state, fiscally and socially, so if that's what you want, that's the place to go.

Very much agree with CincyIU29 but I'm going to be even more direct and non apologetic. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but Cincinnati's metro (even as it extends outwards through Lebanon, West Chester, Loveland, and Milford) will never regress to returning to Dorothy and Toto's Kansas.

Glad to say that even these outer, conservative enclaves adjoining Cincinnati haven't turned back their clocks as far as you asked. My best wishes to you folks; Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, and Texas may be be calling your names, but not SW Ohio.

[Sarah Perry]

Got to disagree with all of you who've started addressing the topic of homeschooling with the OP. THEY DID NOT ASK ABOUT THAT, and probably are not all that interested in your opinions.

To the OP: personally I find the entire southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky areas to be very socially and politically conservative, with the possible exception of the most urban parts of Cincinnati. A commute to Mason for work from anywhere in Kentucky is just a non-starter. Although I probably would drastically disagree with you on almost every topic, I suspect you want a strong family life, and a parent spending hours on an exhausting commute just makes no sense. Settle down in Mason or points slightly north, get connected with the homeschooling network in the greater Cincinnati area (there is one), and find a church out there that meets with your approval. There should be plenty of those to choose from, too. You should do fine. In other words, this is not San Francisco, Portland, Boulder, or Ann Arbor. It's plenty conservative enough, trust me.