Houston to Cincinnati, a good move? (Green, Mason: crime rate, big home, neighborhoods)

[INeedATylenol]

We're a young-ish couple (late 20's/early 30's) with a small child, and plan to have several more children in the near future. We'll be moving to Cincinnati within a couple months and I must say, I was really excited before I started reading on these forums about how bad the crime is there! Compared to Houston, do you think the crime is really an issue? I have read the figures, but I want real advice from people who live there. Is Cincinnati a good place to raise a family? The main reasons we want out of Houston (where we were both born and raised) is the weather, crime rates, and for a change. I want better for my children than Houston has to offer, so would making the move to Cincinnati be a good idea? I've never been, so I feel like we're going in blind here. Has anyone lived in or visited both areas? I'd really like to hear what your pros and cons are for both areas. Thanks for reading.

[unusualfire]

The town has not seen any real crime. There is no gang violence shooting up the place randomly.

[INeedATylenol]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, there is a lot of gang violence in Houston (depending on where you venture off to) that seems to be growing quite rapidly. I remember when I was a kid I swore I'd never leave, but it's not the same city I grew up in. We're both very "street-smart" people, and know not to stick our noses in where they don't belong. More than anything the thought of up and moving half way across the US scares me since I literally have no idea what we are in for there.

[MUGuy]

I get a kick out of reading these message boards...you would get the sense that the city is going up in flames if you read some of the posts ;-).

I have to say, being born and raised here, it is one of the best places to grow up as a kid. Sure - there are a few areas that contribute heavily to the crime rate that you would want to not look for houses or might not to necessarily live.

Cincinnati has some of the best school districts in the nation (Indian Hill high school was recently rated #48 in the nation). Madeira, Mason, Wyoming, and Sycamore are also superb. If you would want to go this route - Cincinnati also has a heavy influence of private/parochial schools which are amazing (sorry, I'm biased as I went to parochial schools from K-12).

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

[CincyExpert]

Anything past doesn't the city's inner ring suburbs doesn't see much crime at all. It won't cost you much here to live in a nice area with good schools, shopping, parks, etc.

[Traveler87]

Sorry, but I really wouldn't go exactly with what a lot of people say on this forum lol. Go by the facts. Cincinnati is an amazing city, changing and growing, and experiencing so much right now. Everytime I go to Cincinnati I have a great time, and was just there a few weeks ago, it was nice to see all the growth happening.

[YoMikey617]

I would bet that Houston is by far worse than Cincinnati. We don't have Mexican gang issues. We just black gang issues and poor appalachian meth addicts. But Cincinnati is WAY smaller than Houston, and there is no way that the crime is nearly as bad in Cincinnati as it is in Houston.

PARTS OF CINCINNATI have a large population of impoverished urban blacks who are generally disenfranchised in the greater Cincinnati economy. They're poor and lack social mobility to get the higher paying jobs in this town. It's worse than some cities, but typical of most Midwestern Rustbelt towns. The poor neighborhoods are naturally going to have a higher crime rate. But in many parts of town, you couldn't get mugged if you tried.

Cincinnati Media outlets are not in the business of reporting real news. Instead, they act as "Crime Reporters" and every newscast tends to be a "Drive By Shooting Report." The people on this board who post about crime probably watch a lot more tv than they ever do visiting places in Cincinnati. That or else they live in declining areas like MtAiry, Westwood, Green Twp, or Price Hill. I lived in Westwood for a month and I have to admit I was somewhat on edge... But I wasn't scared for my own safety. I was more or less on edge hoping my car wouldn't get broken into.

[YoMikey617]

I don't have kids, but as far as raising kids in Ohio goes....

I happen to think that if you're younger and on a good career path, Ohio has to be one of the best places to raise a family. Better yet, it's a lot easier to live here if you have kids in most income ranges. Ditto for all of Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Pittsburgh, and the suburbs two hours commuting distance from Chicago.

* You get nice, big homes in good school districts for next to nothing. Homes here don't appreciate like they do on the coasts, but on the same note... ...at least everyday people can afford the American dream. The avg age for first time buyers here is about 10-15 years younger than it is in cities like Boston or DC.
* Consider the most expensive neighborhoods in Houston... Then compare the Houston home prices with Hyde Park (45208) and Mariemont (45227). I don't feel like naming every affluent hood in town but you get the picture.
(please note: Indian Hill Home prices resemble Texas oil money hoods but the homes are not nearly as gaudy)
* Private school tuition here is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. You don't have $40K/yr private school tuition or the stress of "700 applications for 23 student spots" like you have on the east coast. If you want private schools, you have a huge selection here of good, established schools and a diverse selection of religious schools if that's your thing.

When it comes time for college...
Ohio has one of the best selections of state schools and the character of Ohio's state colleges is all over the map.

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by YoMikey617

But Cincinnati is WAY smaller than Houston

The same response that I used when comparing Cincy to Charlotte can also be applied to Cincy and Houston ... Houston is not as small as Charlotte, but definitely smaller than Cincy:

That's because Cincy is larger, unless you're referring to "city limits" and not population. Charlotte uses 243 sq mi to define it's boundaries, while Cincy uses 78.

This explains why Cincy has has roughly 600,000 more people in it's MSA and Cincy's population density is 3,879.8.0/mi² ... compared to Charlotte's 2,232.4/mi², more than 1,500 people per sq mi.

To the density that you noticed, that's also a good observation, there are 2,129.2/mi² housing units in Cincy compared to Charlotte's 951.2/mi².

Houston: 3,372 per sq mi
Cincinnati: 3,880 per sq mi

Houston is also 600 sq mi. lol.

I cannot find housing unit density stats on Houston, but I would bet that Cincinnati blows Houston out of the water in this area as well. If anyone can find it, please post it (Cincy is 2,129.2 units per sq mi).

[ex-cincy]

Comparing Houston to Cincy is like comparing apples and oranges.

I currently live in Houston, but grew up and went to high school in Cincy. While Cincy is a great town, I would never go back. There just isn't anything there career wise.

Houston is a boom town. The city has an entrepreneurial spirit that is simply unmatched in any midwestern city. That entrepreneurial spirit has enabled Houston to become one of the most diverse and fastest growing cities in the US. Everyone seems to do well in Houston, regardless of whether you are asian, hispanic, white, or black. Housing is also probably more affordable in Houston than Cincy believe it or not.

Economy - While Cincy has a slew of fortune 500s, Houston is 2nd on the list only to New York with 22. Cincy also lacks a large professional services base unlike Houston (legal, accounting, consulting, etc...) If you don't work for Kroger, GE, Federated, P&G, or 5/3 (and not in the medical field), your career prospects are pretty limited in Cincy.

Crime is relative. Sure there is crime in Houston, just like any other major city but you can avoid it if you live in the right areas. Cincy, crime areas are mostly inner city close to downtown. All the suburbs are pretty safe and clean.

Weather is also relative - if you like 4 seasons, cincy is the place for you. If you like hot and not so hot, Houston is the place for you. Cincy is definitely more pleasing on the eye with its rolling hills and parks. However, Houston has better restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

Schools - Cincy has great schools if you live in the right area. Houston has great schools if you live in the right area.

Traffic - Contrary to what you might think, the traffic is actually worse in Cincy than Houston. Although a concrete jungle, Houston's massive freeways have added much needed capacity. Cincy's infrastructure was designed in the 50's or 60's.

Finally, Cincinnati is not a diverse city, so moving up the corporate ladder might be tougher if you are minority.

BTW, there is NO WAY Cincy is larger than Houston -I don't care what statistics you come up with. Houston's metro population is aproaching 6 million (probably is 6+ when you count the # of illegals) and continues to climb.