Price Hill Incline District condo...thoughts? (Cincinnati, Covedale: middle-class, section 8, apartments)

[Staliz77]

Hello, everyone! I've been in the market for a condo for awhile, and found one I really like in Price Hill in the "Incline District." I've done a little research on the area and so far like what I hear about what is happening there, and the street the place is on is very quiet and on a nice hillside. I'm wondering what those of you here who have been around the Cinci area for a lot longer than I have think about buying a 2-bedroom condo in Price Hill in terms of resale in 5 years or so and what the neighborhood has to offer. Thank you!

[goyguy]

Ehhhhhhhh...<wavers right hand.> Historically, that part of town was divvied up into three sections: Lower Price Hill - scrunched in between the west end of the 8th St Viaduct and the bottom of the hill, wrapping around to the riverfront; Price Hill "proper" along West 8th St and Glenway & Warsaw Ave's; West Price Hill surrounding the intersection of Pedretti and Glenway (with Covedale factoring in at a location that changes depending upon whom you ask.)

Lower Price Hill has, from Day One, been the first stop for immigrants to Greater Cincinnati. The "complexion" of the immigrants is the only thing that's changed - German initially, Appalachian later, Hispanic in the 21st Century. What's remained constant is the inevitable pairing of poverty and crime. Once you reach the riverfront portion of the neighborhood, however, you'll find trendy apartment and townhouse complexes mixed in among well-kept older homes. "Location, location, location" - you can't beat being "right next to" downtown with river views.

Price Hill "proper" has been solidly middle-class for most of its existence, and German Catholic to the core.

West Price Hill of course has a lot of the same German "flavor," but was established by Italian families who'd gotten their American start in Fairmount's "Little Italy."

What's transpired in the last 10-25 years is that perhaps partially as a result of Cincinnati's district high schools' implementing citywide open enrollment, Covedale/West Price Hill to a fairly notable extent and Price Hill "proper" to a greater extent have become very "diverse." Many of the pedestrians trudging up the long slope on Glenway Ave are now AA and Hispanic. For a while there was even a "soul food" restaurant on Warsaw, and the neighborhood's arteries have added "ghetto" staples such as cellphone shops and furniture/appliance rental outlets to the retail mix. All the renowned chili parlors, and Seton (girls) and Elder (boys) high schools, have stayed put. Quite a few White folks, however, have fled for "greener pastures" or are looking over their shoulders. There's been a lowering of the average income level, with an inversely proportionate increase in crime, accompanying the demographic transitions. Through all of this, there are still "good" blocks where most of the residents have been there for generations and take pride in their homes and "not so good" blocks where the housing is deteriorating and Section 8 is paying rent. As in countless other urban communities everywhere, you can pass from "night" to "day" by no more than turning a corner. Noting all this, the media and others have seen fit to re-dub the neighborhood "East Price Hill" as a racist/classist nudge-wink: those in the know, know that West Price Hill is a notch or two up the average-income ladder and has a higher percentage of pale-skinned people.

While the effort doesn't appear to be quite as concerted as that being undertaken in nearby Westwood, there are many people actively involved in trying to maintain "diversity" in Price Hill while restoring the quality of life the community once enjoyed. A lot of the energy is being directed toward the sector nearest the edge of the hilltop, where the Queen's Tower high-rise has perched (precariously, imho) for forty or so years. I'm so not surprised that the neighborhood is being "branded" as the "Incline District;" that's fitting. As a diehard city kid, I'm rooting for the plans to go well. Those plans call for construction and reconstruction of low-density (if not single-family) housing around Queen's Tower and presumably north of Glenway around there as well.

From what the thread originator wrote, it sounds as though s/he is actually mulling over buying a place that's in Lower Price Hill on the side that faces the river: perhaps along Overlook, Elberon, or Maryland Ave? Around there would be a pretty safe bet in terms of resale value; as for the (re)development district at the top of the hill, I have a wait-and-see attitude. My nature is to be a second-generation urban pioneer, lol: let the first wave of White settlers do the dirty work, then as long as the community hasn't lost its "character" and remained "mixed" I'll contemplate relocating there then. That's what I did sixteen years ago, where I am now, and my only disappointment is that the neighborhood has gone on to become too yuppified and un-neighborly as prices kept on going up up up. Lots of things in life are worse than having one's property value more than double, though!

[soozycue520]

My friend's son just bought a 2 family property for rental/investment purposes in the Incline District around Queen's Tower. Her granddaughter lives in one unit, and he rents the other. He got a good deal on the property, and was able to put some money into the place.

From what I understand, there is a lot of redevelopment going on in this area.

Also, what I know about Cincy is you can have some great "blocks", and a few blocks away, it's drug central. It's like that all over. It doesn't necessarily effect the value of a good property, in the good "blocks". I have personally seen this in alot of neighborhoods. I can give examples in a number of neighborhoods.

The Incline District has great views of the city. I think they are some of the best. The view from Primavista, the restaurant in Queen's Tower, I believe, is the best of the best. This can only be a good thing.

Personally, I say, go for it!!

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by soozycue520

From what I understand, there is a lot of redevelopment going on in this area.

True. Fifteen years ago, when a friend of mine moved to Morrow Place, there was nothing but rundown houses with refrigerators on the front porch and cars on bricks in the front yard. Her house was great, but her neighbors didn't have the same vision. A short time after she moved in, the condos were built at the end of the street. Since then, the refrigerators and the cars on bricks ... slowly ... have moved on.

Also, what I know about Cincy is you can have some great "blocks", and a few blocks away, it's drug central. It's like that all over.

Also true. Every "nice" neighborhood in Cincinnati butts up against one that wouldn't be considered quite so nice. It's a city of pockets within neighborhoods within neighborhoods. Parachute down anywhere in the city, walk five minutes in any direction, and you'll find a completely different vibe from where you started.

Come to think of it, that's topmost of one of the many things I like about Cincinnati.

[tntnb]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Noting all this, the media and others have seen fit to re-dub the neighborhood "East Price Hill" as a racist/classist nudge-wink: those in the know, know that West Price Hill is a notch or two up the average-income ladder and has a higher percentage of pale-skinned people.

goyguy, I was born in 1959 and grew up on the corner of 8th and Elberon—smack in the middle of East Price Hill. Believe it or not, I began hearing the designation “East Price Hill” by the time I was in high school. In fact, I vividly recall a conversation with a sociology prof in college (ca. 1980) about the differences between East and West Price Hill. So while the term may not have been used widely until the 1990s, it’s definitely been around longer than that.

By the time I was born, the demographics of East Price Hill were already “in transition.” Three decades before people of color began moving in, whites from the hills of Appalachia had done the same. This displeased the traditional German-Catholic population. When I was in grade school, there was a tremendous amount of tension between the neighborhood kids who attended Holy Family and the mostly Appalachian/Evangelical Protestant children who went to Whittier Elementary.

I suspect the East/West Price Hill differentiation was originally made to distinguish between the poor, working-class Appalachians who were moving up the hill from 8th and State from the more solidly middle-class German Catholics who kept creeping west toward Delhi and Covedale.

There's no question that the term is "code language," however—now with decidedly racist as well as classist overtones.

[Jerrod1979]

I've lived in the neighboorhood for two years now and have really enjoyed it. The access to downtown and UC is great. It's also encouraging to see the work Price Hill Will is accomplishing, the new Kroger, and the upcoming Incline Square Project.

[BJLundy]

The building at the corner of W 8th St and Elberon Ave is being considered for renovation. In the past, it was once known as the Robinson Apts. Classy architecture and close proximity of downtown are two things in it's favor. If done in a tasteful way and incorporating both some shops and units, it could be a great investment (or maybe you would stay and make it a permanent home. Good luck. BJLundy

Originally Posted by Staliz77

Hello, everyone! I've been in the market for a condo for awhile, and found one I really like in Price Hill in the "Incline District." I've done a little research on the area and so far like what I hear about what is happening there, and the street the place is on is very quiet and on a nice hillside. I'm wondering what those of you here who have been around the Cinci area for a lot longer than I have think about buying a 2-bedroom condo in Price Hill in terms of resale in 5 years or so and what the neighborhood has to offer. Thank you!

[tntnb]

Originally Posted by BJLundy

The building at the corner of W 8th St and Elberon Ave is being considered for renovation. In the past, it was once known as the Robinson Apts. Classy architecture and close proximity of downtown are two things in it's favor. If done in a tasteful way and incorporating both some shops and units, it could be a great investment (or maybe you would stay and make it a permanent home. Good luck. BJLundy

Wow, that's really great news. I grew up on that corner. When I was a kid, a drug store (Norval's Pharmacy) and a dry cleaner (Kiffmeyer's, if I'm remembering right) were located on the ground floor of the building. Across the street on West 8th, a Sohio (later BP) gas station; across the street on Elberon, a barbershop (Leo's Barbershop, to be exact) and a small grocery store. I lived in the big house next to the grocery store, on the 3d floor.

Leo the barber lived in the house behind his shop. Every New Year's Eve he's get out in the yard and clang pots and generally raise hell . . . he was a good guy. I'll never forget his thick, eastern European accent (was never quite sure where Leo was from).

That's a great, cool looking building and the apartments were first-rate . . . 40 years ago. The building was also known as the Elberon Apartments; thus, the giant "E" at the top -- at least this was so when I was a kid (maybe the "E" is no longer there). My mom's name was Edith, and I fooled my friends into thinking the "E" was placed there in her honor by Norval the pharmacist because she was such a good customer.

So very glad to hear the building might be renovated. Thanks for posting.

[haileigh32]

I can not believe people are actually recommending Price Hill. NO ABSOlUTELY NOT. If you want to be terrified to leave your own home, here gun shots every night, be robbed. Just get online and check out the sexual offenders list. True Price hill is trying to "fix things up a bit" but they have a long way to go. My cousin moved there 3 weeks ago and his place has already been robbed as well as his car striped on two seperate occasions. I live right outside of price hill and have to drive through everyday to get to the highway and the trash (or should I see Crack heads) you see walking around is disturbing.

I am relocating to a new city and until I've seen this post I trusted peoples opinions about the city. But I can't beleive this - to all of you people who posted that price hill is ok you should be ashamed of yourselves ( if you were moving to a whole new state would you really want it to be in a price hill area, Really?)

I agree the incline district is tempting it is a little outside of the major crime and its up a hill so the trash doesn't like to walk up there (that would mean they have to work) The price is nice for what you get but it's not worth it you will regret it the whole time. And as far as resale unless you want to sell it to section 8 forget about it. PLEASE DON'T DO IT

[soozycue520]

Price Hill is a big place. Are you speaking of LOWER Price Hill?

Your generalization of the entire area is off the mark. Yes, there are some shady areas in Price Hill, but every part of it is not as you describe.

I have a number of friends that live in Price Hill, and have NEVER had the problems you speak of. It all depends on where you are {which is probably @ 8th & State}.