what do people think of st. bernard? (Cincinnati, Norwood: crime rate, houses)

[StB]

Hi, I was just curious as to what people think of St. Bernard. I live here, and I think it is a great town with very friendly people. I think that people have a negative opinion of it because we are almost entirely surrounded by the city of Cincinnati (bond hill, north avondale). The public school district just received an 'Effective' rating and we have great catholic schools- St. Clement and Roger Bacon. There are many affordable and nice homes here. Anyway, I was just curious as to what people think about St. Bernard.

[Subway]

I've never been there, but I definitely have a negative image of it from what I've heard. I'm sure the fact that it is surrounded by some of those high-crime neighborhoods definitely plays a role in its negative image.

[StB]

Haha, ok. Yea people here are definitely used to the negative image. St. Bernard is very nice and safe considering the neighborhoods around us.

[zorst]

I always forget about it as a neighborhood. When I drive through I think I could live here and then promptly forget about it when I leave. I do know they have a cool old cemetery.

[gigalotamus]

We are moving from St. Bernard to NC, and as excited as I am about the move, I really will miss a lot of things about living here.
First is that I love being within walking distance to the grocery store, the library, the schools, restaurants, parks, etc...
I love that we are surrounded by larger high crime areas and yet St. B seems to go on unaffected by it. My particular street is about the safest you can find here and the neighborhood is filled with kids riding bikes and scooters and playing outside.
I've never lived in a place with so many playgrounds in it...and I love the community pool here (and I certainly appreciate the decent rates they have if you buy a pass).
I love that my daughter is in a small school where everyone knows each other.
I think it really is a great, safe place for families with children.
That being said, I won't miss the occasional scent from nearby factories (although they are usually ok ones...soap and popcorn seem to be the most common). I also think it's a shame how high the teenage pregnancy rate here is and I wish I saw more going on to combat it.
Anyway, I do think St. B is a great little town that not alot of people are aware of.

[Ohiogirl81]

I agree that St. Bernard is often overlooked and underrated. There are some attractive neighborhoods there.

And for heaven's sakes, every single one of Cincinnati's "nice" neighborhoods is adjacent to a high crime area!

[zorst]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

And for heaven's sakes, every single one of Cincinnati's "nice" neighborhoods is adjacent to a high crime area!

I'm wondering if that relationship is parasitic or symbiotic?

[Crew Chief]

I LOVE the smell of the St. Bernard Soap Co. as I drive my big truck down I-75. One of these days, I ought to drive down and see the rest of the city!

[Brenda lykins]

I haven't been to St Bernard for years .my brother and I used to walk from Winton Place to go swimming at the city pool I loved going there.we used to walk through tunnels

[goyguy]

Wow, I'm glad this thread was brought back to life, since it died before I signed on with C-D!

St Bernard isn't exactly an oasis in the middle of ghetto hell. The section of Avondale to the south looks a little raggedy, especially along Mitchell Ave, but to the east of course you have all those "gaslight" streets lined with amazing mansionlike (if not actual mansion) houses. Ross-then Tennessee-then Ross again Ave (lol) divides Paddock Hills from Bond Hill after leaving St Bernard. PH has the lowest crime rate in all of Cincy's District 4, even lower than Hartwell. Once you've turned off Paddock Rd with all its brick box four-families (none of them shabby) you could just as easily be in Wyoming. As for Bond Hill, it's all commercial and industrial south of the Norwood Lateral, with any sketchy sections not starting until north of that highway. The only really "bad" community bordering St Bernard is Elmwood Place, but as is the case with the city neighborhoods is it really all that dangerous or are negative racial/ethnic/class assumptions at work?

It was a shocker when OLA closed and Bacon went coed, but it seems parochial education is doing all right in St Bernard now. Too bad the same can't really be said for the public schools; the high school was state-of-the-art when it opened but the academic quality isn't rated all that high.

Gone are the days when St Bernard was what my dad called "a rich lil' community." P & G lavished tax revenue on that city, and provided jobs for hundreds. Other manufacturers like Nu-Maid Margarine ("country fresh," lol) added generously to the kitty. Now that so many factories have been leveled, P & G is now the "St Bernard Soap Company," and much skilled labor is "outsourced," I have to wonder about the employment rate and tax base. The physical appearance of the town is still good, but ya gotta figure people are shelling out more for their property, excise, etc taxes since the cash cows have left.

St Bernard looks like Mayberry, lol, the way folks stop and chat on the street while kids roam and play freely. On hot nights, the Dairy Queen (?) on Vine St is surrounded by pre-teens propping up their bicycles while they consume frozen treats and gab with their friends. The homes and yards are immaculately maintained. Recreation areas like the big complex of ball fields which backs up against I-75 are heavily used, always a positive sign.

My favorite thing about St Bernard, though - gotta admit - is the Long John Silver's by the fire station. The one in Hartwell closed probably 20 years ago, and I love me an LJS platter with extra hush puppies so think nothing about making the trip.

St Bernard is one of the places I "steer" Cincinnati relocators to, but with a cautionary note if the person(s) aren't Caucasian. I don't sense that there's a racist overtone to the city, but it didn't get to be 98-or-so percent White and stay that way by accident.