Possible move to Cincinnati.. schools??? (Columbus, Dayton: homes, safe area, to buy)

[CLD123]

Possibly moving to the Cincinnati area. I’ve heard a lot about Indian hill, Wyoming,Madeira,Mariemont, Mason , and Sycamore schools. Any input on Kings or Loveland? Would like larger lot, nice downtown area, and great (preferably smaller) school system. TIA!!😁

[SWOH]

If you have the $$$.... Wyoming, Mariemont, or Madeira given that criteria. Go ahead and scratch the others off the list.

[wrightflyer]

That's tough. Especially the larger lot. If you want an older home and have the money, Terrace Park might work. Part of Mariemont Schools and neighboring Mariemont has a true town center. Indian Hill proper you easily need 7 numbers on the price tag to get in, especially for land. Madeira has no actual downtown, but has homes on decent size lots, but not more than an acre. Sycamore and Mason are likely the same, with some far-flung parts of Mason maybe offering sizable lots (1-5 acres, maybe). That could also make for a long commute.

Loveland and Wyoming have OK downtown areas. I haven't been to Wyoming's, but have heard it isn't big. Loveland isn't big either, but it is nice since it sits right on a major rail-trail that extends all the way to Xenia, Yellow Springs, Urbana, Dayton, Columbus and beyond. Both schools are good, with Wyoming being among the best. Depending on the lot size you are looking for, you may find something in Wyoming, but it won't be big (>1 acre). And it won't be cheap. Loveland schools, while still good, will offer more land and cheaper homes (especially price per square foot). The district still isn't that big and only has one high school.

Kings doesn't have a true town downtown. I believe it basically bleeds suburb over from Mason and Deerfield Township. If you want suburb up there, Mason would be better, but it is a big district, so that might put Kings back into play. Kings may also put you closer to Loveland and Lebanon isn't far, which has a true historic downtown. Schools in Lebanon are pretty decent too, alongside Loveland.

It also depends on where in the vast Cincinnati metro you and/or your significant other may be working. If you are working downtown, Loveland and Kings would be a haul. Lebanon even more so. Indian Hill will (likely) be out of your price range, but I could be wrong. Anderson Township and Forest Hills Schools, especially near I-275, can get you downtown relatively quickly via Kentucky and I-471. While Forest Hills Schools is big, the student body is split between two high performing high schools (Anderson and Turpin Hills). Most homes down there have decent size lots and homes tend to be newer (meaning post WW-II). Anything brand new with land will likely be in Warren County and a haul to downtown. But would be decent drives to northern Cincinnati work locations.

Without price and work location, it is hard to give a solid recommendation here.

[wrightflyer]

I'm adding this separate because it is outside the box.

If you feel your child can perform in an exceptional environment, check out Amberley. Cincinnati Public Schools, but that also gives you access to Walnut Hills High School. That is the best high school in the state. And there are at least 400 districts in Ohio, some with multiple high schools. I don't know enough about its elementary school assignment (you can request another elementary in Cincinnati, but the good ones are hard to get into if you don't live in their boundaries. Walnut Hills starts at 7th grade, I believe, so middle school isn't a factor. If you are wary of Amberley's assigned elementary school inside CPS, I recommend looking at catholic schools, or if you can, non-religious private. Catholic Schools in Cincinnati and its Archdiocese are very strong for the most part, so I would actually look there first.

Amberley is its own suburb, with large lots for being so close to the city. Homes range from 1950's rambling ranches to more modern estate homes from the 90's and early 00's. It has its own police force, and it is a quiet little town. No actual town center (minus there, I know), but you will be centrally located in the metro and prices will be a little cheaper since it is CPS. One note. Because it is an older suburb, sidewalks are not very prevalent. But most if not all streets are 25 mph, including main roads Ridge and Galbraith. And the police will ticket.

[CLD123]

THANK YOU Both so much! We don’t need to drive to downtown. Just want a safe area with good schools. North would actually be better as our family is in C-bus. When I say a larger lot I just mean more than a half acre. I just wasn’t sure if King’s or Loveland is the better school district. Well reputable and safe. I think mason is too big for us. A place with a lot of kids too. Thanks so much for the input! Home price around 350,000.

[mrstop]

Where are you working? I would look close to there rather than being closer to Columbus (unless you're commuting there very often. Any of the places you mentioned wouldn't add much time to Columbus (maybe 15-20 mins at worse). On the other hand, your location could add 30-45 minutes to your daily work commute each way.

[veetzvino]

Wrightflyer - I'm not quite sure what you mean "Madeira doesn't have a downtown." They don't have a square but they have a downtown with shops and restaurants. I lived in Madeira and loved it, but most lots are smaller with some that would be over a half acre. Can't say enough about that place and how family oriented it is.

Loveland is a great place with a cool downtown. You could definitely get a nice lot out there.

Mariemont seems like a great place to live as well, but you'll be hard pressed to find a bigger lot.

Indian Hill is like living in the country but as Wrightflyer said, very expensive.

[CLD123]

My husband works from home so being close to downtown isn’t important to us. He may have to go once and and a while. Maybe 45 from would be fine. Does anyone know how friendly and accepting of newbies Loveland and Kings schools are? When we moved to Texas we were going to buy in a “good” school district but when we went to visit they were very rude and not caring. We ended up going elsewhere and have been very happy. It is so hard to tell about the “whole” school by only looking online at test scores. And better sports? Thanks!

[SonnyDaze]

The west side of Wyoming (west of Springfield Pike) has a fair amount of homes on larger lots. $350k would only get you something considered average-sized at best however. Their schools are excellent and if you're interested in sports for your kids, their high school teams are among the most competitive for small schools in the whole Greater Cincinnati area.

[cincitransplant2]

Madeira has a nice downtown-y area, but the homes are currently quite overpriced. My realtor tells me that it will take nearly 10 years to get the value out of a home in Madeira.

Kenwood has homes in the Indian Hill schools, and are not quite as expensive as the homes in Indian Hill proper. There are some homes in Indian Hill that are either on the smaller or rehabby side that can be had for under 750K. The school system isn't huge, and is one of the best in the state.

Mariemont has really high property taxes. I don't know if I would want to deal with that after the changes to the tax code where anything above 10K cannot be deducted from personal taxes.

Wyoming has great schools (also one of the highest ranked in the state), and homes that fit many states and price points.