Norwood??? (Cincinnati, Avon, Reading: middle-class, crime, houses)

[DDerringer0807]

So I have been looking into different neighborhoods for my fiance and I to move to when we make the move to cincinnati in a few months. After realizing that the westend may not be the best place for us and our pug, Herbert...I've been looking into the Norwood neighborhood. Any thoughts on this area, the homes are beautiful. How close is the neighborhood to downtown, because that is where I will most likely be working. How far away is this neighborhood from Hebron KY - where my fiance will be working; we know it's going to be a good commute for him, but I don't want it to be an hour...any estimates? Thanks, this is all very helpful! I look forward to your thoughts!

[CincyExpert]

Norwood is its own city in the middle of Cincinnati. Its primarily white working class but the crime isn't that bad and you can get real bang for your buck with the homes there. It's about 6-8 minutes from downtown and about half an hour from Herbron.

[goyguy]

I'm a fan of Norwood also. You may not hear much, or much good, about it because of its past. What was originally a German-American, solidly middle-class community became a lot less so during the mid-20th-century Great Migration. Norwood's gigantic General Motors plant, and Cincinnati Milacron's in neighboring Oakley, were two of the high-wage magnets for rural and Appalachian "immigrants" from KY, WV, etc. So a great deal of the local joking at the expense of "hillbillies," "brars," etc was at Norwood's expense too. Even as the industrial age of the United States went out the window with the 1900's, the smear on Norwood remained. But even as class-conscious Cincinnatians snickered and "I'm Proud of Norwood" bumper stickers were slapped on hundreds of cars in defense, most of the well-constructed older houses there were kept up just fine and there was still "neighborliness" in abundance.

You'd be 10-15 minutes from downtown along I-71, tops, and if backups are bad you can always go via Montgomery Rd & Gilbert Ave or Madison Rd to Torrence to Columbia Pkwy OR Madison to Victory Pkwy to Gilbert instead. There's also fair bus service (about as good as it gets in da Nati) along Montgomery.

Other close-in city neighborhoods worth a look are Oakley, Northside, Pleasant Ridge, and Winton Place (pretty much anywhere) and Westwood, Roselawn, and North Avondale (some great sections, some OK, others not-so-great - it all depends on which street and sometimes even which block but there are some awesome finds waiting to be found.)

Since it appears that a subdivision house done up in brown brick and pale pastels isn't your thing, you can rule out most of what's in and near Hebron. But not far from there are some excellent established communities along I-75 and Dixie Highway as well as on the river. Park Hills, Erlanger, Fort Mitchell, and Ludlow are four of my favorite communities "south of the border," as well as Covington and Newport (with the same quality and safety spectrum in effect as that for the three Cincinnati sections I brought up.)

[Hyden]

I graduated from Norwwod in 73...I have been away for 35 years. I went through there and it had all changed. It was nothing like I remembered. To me it was sad.

[jw109192]

Check out Paddock Hills as well. It's sometimes confused with North Avondale. It abuts the west side of Norwood, on the other side of Reading Rd. The houses are a bit more classic than the stock of Norwood with beautiful walking streets and great access to downtown via 71/75 and Victory/Reading Rds. Paddock Hills - A Community Working Together

[ilovepaddockhills]

Paddock Hills is a hidden gem! Beautiful old tudor homes, and gorgeous tree-lined streets. It's also CIncinnati's most diverse neighborhood. A great place to raise a family and centrally located with both I-75 and I-71 just minutes away. Moderator cut: advertising outside of the classified ads is not allowed

[HuskerDu]

I like the area of Norwood that is right at the Edwards exit 6 off of I-71. The section or pocket that is just south of that exit on the west side of 71 seems quiet and there are some nice houses that would probably be double the price if they were on the other side of the highway. I was driving around there the other day and it seems like you could walk to either Oakley or Hyde Park square pretty easily, not to mention Rookwood Commons/Pavillion being right there.

[jlrosen]

Norwood did not report its crime statistics last year, so I couldn't call it safe