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I will be coming with my girlfriend, and both of us are in our mid 20's (well, Im late 20's I guess). We both have bachelors degrees and we are coming from the Norfolk, VA area. The reasons we are coming are affordable housing and more job opportunities. I will be looking for something in corporate finance or accounting, and she will be looking for something in corporate training or marketing. The following are my related concerns.
Jobs-
From some research, I do know that Cincinnati is amongst the top cities in the country for presence of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies based in its borders, which is pretty good news for both of us. Additionally, from some research, it appears accounting and finance jobs are more plentiful in the area, and they seem to pay between 40-50k to start for 3-5 years of experience and a bachelors degree. Here, an equivalent person would be lucky to make 35-40k. Is that the reality of accounting and finance?
Housing-
What neighborhoods are the safest for 175k? I would prefer to be not remotely near a bad or higher crime neighborhood. I do know that Cincy isnt the safest city in the country, but I would not like to cross over a street and get shot at either. I would also prefer about 1500sqft or more, and some yard. I am used to the very wide open "suburb like" living of southern Norfolk, VA and Virginia Beach, VA. I checked some real estate in Cincy, and it appears many houses are in the old style town, row or otherwise packed together form that you find in aging cities like Philly, Boston, St. Louis and NYC. Im not a fan of this type of house, but I do not mind living in a "vinyl jungle" either.
Diversity/Tolerance-
My girlfriend, who will likely be my wife, is Dominican, and is a darker shade of Dominican, and she lived most of her life in South Florida. She has been mistaken for African American and Asian Indian. I am many things, but a majority European ancestry, and I look white. She grew up in, obviously, a very diverse area, and wants the same for her children. I am a realist, and I know that "diversity" often comes with a high crime rate price tag. I mentioned Northern Kentucky right across the river (which seems to be the closest real thing to commutable suburbs Cincy has), and I could see her face sink. Although, my dream would be to live in a suburb with a crime rate of less then 1/3 the US average, I can understand her concern that these normally are 90% or better "white", and our children, who will be a mix of about 10 different things, might struggle with growing up in such a sterile, monoracial environment.
So, in order to marry the two, my guess is that we are simply going to need to find a safe place inside the city limits.
So, how tolerant are the safer places in the city of a biracial couple? Children? How about in the city as a whole? Ive cruised over a few posts and it seems that many people seem to have concerns over racial tensions, and if thats the case, we would probabably pass on Cincy.
Things to do-
I would enjoy Cincy, because it has two pro sports teams, where I can see my beloved Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Vikings when they visit. However, my girlfriend would be more interested in things like live music, and we would both be interested in museums and site seeing. So how are these things?
Hello- I hope you are excited for your move to Cincinnati, it is truly a great city. First and foremost, my name is Tim and I was born and raised on the West side of Cincinnati. I lived in Clifton while I attended the University of Cincinnati (04-08) where I earned my BBA in Finance and Real Estate. I am now a Real Estate Agent with Huff Realty on the West side.
You are coming to the right city for the low cost of living, great financial job market, and awesome night life. For convenience to the downtown area and great neighborhoods with tons of young couples, then Hyde Park, Oakley, Norwood, and Mt. Lookout are perfect. The property values hold much stronger on the East side due to its welcoming neighborhoods, lower crime rate, and walk-able communities. However, being a West side of Cincinnati native, I must say this is still a very good place to live. You will definitely get more bang for your buck on the West side with equal convenience to downtown. 175k will get you much more house on the Westside and will put you in a newer (1960's and 1970's vs. 1880-1920's) house. Up north towards Mason and West Chester, you will find the new 'vinyl jungle' houses in nice neighborhoods with great schools. The only downside is the commute to Downtown Cincinnati (40-60 min).
I am a licensed Realtor with Huff Realty in Cincinnati and would love to help you make your move. If you have any questions about Cincinnati or local real estate, please let me know! Thanks-Tim 513-598-3244 TTrauth@huff.com
Hello- I hope you are excited for your move to Cincinnati, it is truly a great city. First and foremost, my name is Tim and I was born and raised on the West side of Cincinnati. I lived in Clifton while I attended the University of Cincinnati (04-08) where I earned my BBA in Finance and Real Estate. I am now a Real Estate Agent with Huff Realty on the West side.
You are coming to the right city for the low cost of living, great financial job market, and awesome night life. For convenience to the downtown area and great neighborhoods with tons of young couples, then Hyde Park, Oakley, Norwood, and Mt. Lookout are perfect. The property values hold much stronger on the East side due to its welcoming neighborhoods, lower crime rate, and walk-able communities. However, being a West side of Cincinnati native, I must say this is still a very good place to live. You will definitely get more bang for your buck on the West side with equal convenience to downtown. 175k will get you much more house on the Westside and will put you in a newer (1960's and 1970's vs. 1880-1920's) house. Up north towards Mason and West Chester, you will find the new 'vinyl jungle' houses in nice neighborhoods with great schools. The only downside is the commute to Downtown Cincinnati (40-60 min).
I am a licensed Realtor with Huff Realty in Cincinnati and would love to help you make your move. If you have any questions about Cincinnati or local real estate, please let me know! Thanks-Tim 513-598-3244 TTrauth@huff.com
A 40-60 minute commute is way too much for me. I have health conditions which require me to be fairly close to my job, which I imagine, will likely be in downtown Cincinnati. I would probably consider the suburbs if my job was located in one, but that probably doesnt have a high chance of happening.
That said, what kind of house can around 175k get in those neighborhoods on the East side you mention? Im not too interested in the West Side. I live in Norfolk, VA, and it sounds far too much like here, where there is a couple good neighborhoods shuffled in a bunch of gutter, I simply do not want to live like that any longer. Im tired of people getting shot in neighborhoods completely circling mine.
A 40-60 minute commute is way too much for me. I have health conditions which require me to be fairly close to my job, which I imagine, will likely be in downtown Cincinnati. I would probably consider the suburbs if my job was located in one, but that probably doesnt have a high chance of happening.
That said, what kind of house can around 175k get in those neighborhoods on the East side you mention? Im not too interested in the West Side. I live in Norfolk, VA, and it sounds far too much like here, where there is a couple good neighborhoods shuffled in a bunch of gutter, I simply do not want to live like that any longer. Im tired of people getting shot in neighborhoods completely circling mine.
175k will get you a 2-3 bed 1-2 bath in the best neighborhoods the east side has to offer. To be honest, the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Cincinnati are made up of pockets of nice neighborhoods surrounded by not so nice ones. When you get twenty minutes out, Bridgetown, Green Township and Delhi offer very nice and safe neighborhoods with one of the best school districts in Ohio (Oak Hills). They are all on the westside of Cincinnati and you get much more house for your dollar. 175k will get you a 4 bed 3 bath in a neighborhood with a more 'suburban feel'. These neighborhoods offer a 15-20 minute commute to downtown Cincy. I ran a MLS search for 160-180k and came up with 10 properties in the nicer East side neighborhoods and 35 properties in the best West side neighborhoods.
To view these properties, go to Huff.com and sign up for 'My Home Finder Search'. Select me (Tim Trauth) as your Huff agent on the Home Finder and we can help you guys find a great home. Thanks.
175k will get you a 2-3 bed 1-2 bath in the best neighborhoods the east side has to offer. To be honest, the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Cincinnati are made up of pockets of nice neighborhoods surrounded by not so nice ones. When you get twenty minutes out, Bridgetown, Green Township and Delhi offer very nice and safe neighborhoods with one of the best school districts in Ohio (Oak Hills). They are all on the westside of Cincinnati and you get much more house for your dollar. 175k will get you a 4 bed 3 bath in a neighborhood with a more 'suburban feel'. These neighborhoods offer a 15-20 minute commute to downtown Cincy. I ran a MLS search for 160-180k and came up with 10 properties in the nicer East side neighborhoods and 35 properties in the best West side neighborhoods.
To view these properties, go to Huff.com and sign up for 'My Home Finder Search'. Select me (Tim Trauth) as your Huff agent on the Home Finder and we can help you guys find a great home. Thanks.
There is a line between being helpful on a public blog and trolling for business. Most everyone in the world knows how to find a real estate agent. I'm getting the idea that you are just trolling for business, which, if it does not violate the rules of use here, it should. Should we check with the moderator?
Wait a minute, here it is right in the TOS:
Real Estate Agents and other businesses will not advertise their services nor solicit business in their posts. Create a free business profile by going to http://www.city-data.com/profiles/add and fill out your forum profile instead. Do not include links to your websites, MLS listings, etc. in your posts. Do not try to push the envelope by attempting to hide your intentions. Do not solicit business by DMs.
Last edited by Wilson513; 02-26-2009 at 06:06 PM..
Reason: Add quote from TOS
You can get a nice home in one of the northern suburbs of Hamilton county for 175k. Some places you might want to check out are Finneytown, Wyoming, Blue Ash, Forest Park and Springdale. These places are all 15-20 min from downtown and are some of the more diverse suburbs in the region ranging from 40% white to 85% white.
175k in Oakley = 2 bedroom/1 bath well away from the only attractive part (the square)
175k in East Norwood (walking distance from Oakley & Hyde Park) = 4 bedrooms/2 bath and more of an "up-n-coming" status... we just don't have 3 bars on a square.
175k in Oakley = 2 bedroom/1 bath well away from the only attractive part (the square)
175k in East Norwood (walking distance from Oakley & Hyde Park) = 4 bedrooms/2 bath and more of an "up-n-coming" status... we just don't have 3 bars on a square.
Ok, so Norwood, from what I read seems the best marriage of the things Im looking for. How far away is the nearest neighborhood youd consider "bad", I mean, is it three blocks away, or 3 miles away? I can handle a couple miles down the road, but I just dont want to get in a situation where one street is nice houses and good folks, and the street over are crack dealers and gunshots.
Does Norwood have a number of houses with decent size yards, or is it all jumbled together?
How are the elementary schools in the area right now?
Ok, so Norwood, from what I read seems the best marriage of the things Im looking for. How far away is the nearest neighborhood youd consider "bad", I mean, is it three blocks away, or 3 miles away? I can handle a couple miles down the road, but I just dont want to get in a situation where one street is nice houses and good folks, and the street over are crack dealers and gunshots.
Does Norwood have a number of houses with decent size yards, or is it all jumbled together?
How are the elementary schools in the area right now?
Oh, I hate to be disagreeable, but Norwood is the last place I would suggest for two college educated persons with apparent racial diversity. Historically, Norwood Ohio was the home of the Fisher Body GM assembly plant where redneck blue collar workers (mostly white, UAW union workers) found their way from Kentucky and Tennessee. Almost everyone in Norwood was connected in some way to the GM plant. The plant is closed now, but their third generation descendants populate Norwood aplenty. It was once said that a black man could not be found after dark in Norwood Ohio. And, that was not all that long ago. It has been described as the twelve step capital of the US because it has more bars and AA meetings than anywhere else. That is an exaggeration, of course, but you get the point.
Today, a sprinkling of yuppy renovators have made thier mark on Norwood, and the all black surrounding neighborhoods of Bond Hill, Evanston, Kennedy Heights have encroached somewhat. This is a good thing for Norwood and the area. But the schools are terrible and there is absolutely no charm whatsoever. I'll let others give you their best positive suggestions but I'd take Norwood off the list, period.
Oh, I hate to be disagreeable, but Norwood is the last place I would suggest for two college educated persons with apparent racial diversity. Historically, Norwood Ohio was the home of the Fisher Body GM assembly plant where redneck blue collar workers (mostly white, UAW union workers) found their way from Kentucky and Tennessee. Almost everyone in Norwood was connected in some way to the GM plant. The plant is closed now, but their third generation descendants populate Norwood aplenty. It was once said that a black man could not be found after dark in Norwood Ohio. And, that was not all that long ago. It has been described as the twelve step capital of the US because it has more bars and AA meetings than anywhere else. That is an exaggeration, of course, but you get the point.
Today, a sprinkling of yuppy renovators have made thier mark on Norwood, and the all black surrounding neighborhoods of Bond Hill, Evanston, Kennedy Heights have encroached somewhat. This is a good thing for Norwood and the area. But the schools are terrible and there is absolutely no charm whatsoever. I'll let others give you their best positive suggestions but I'd take Norwood off the list, period.
You seem knowledgable about the local history, where would you suggest?
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Cincinnati is a great place to live
