What about Mt Auburn? (Columbus, Cincinnati: middle-class, for sale, real estate)

[flash3780]

I moved to Cincy about a year ago. I'm currently living in downtown and am considering buying a house within the next year or so for me and my fiancée. I'm 29 and work in Springdale; my fiancée is a nursing student at UC. I know that there are a ton of great neighborhoods in the area (Hyde Park $$, Mt Adams $$, E. Walnut Hills, Oakley, Clifton, etc. are often mentioned on this forum) but I haven't heard much about Mt. Auburn. I've mentioned it to some people I've met from the area but they're mostly suburbanites and get nervous whenever they drive inside of I-275. Nonetheless they all eek when I mention Mt Auburn, which makes me think twice.

Even still, there seem to be some really great streets in Mt Auburn, such as Liberty Hill, Milton St, and Boal St. I've also come upon some really interesting up-and-coming areas such as the area around Hopkins Park (Bigelow St, etc). Dorsey St and Gothe St near Jackson Hill Park seem to have some really nice houses with great city views.

So, what's the deal? It seems as though Over-the-Rhine gets a ton of press for their trendy ($$) condos. (If you ask me, Vine St can get a bit dicey north of 13th St almost all the way up to the Mad Frog. Besides, I like having walls in my house.) Hyde Park and Mt Adams are waaaay expensive.

What about Mt Auburn? Is resale a problem? Are there any other moderately priced, well kept neighborhoods around? I always hear horror stories about Price Hill, but I honestly haven't been there. Northside? Fairmount? St Bernard? I haven't heard much about College Hill and Amberley.

I suppose we're looking for a neighborhood where you get a lot of bang for your buck (and maybe a cool city view - although that's not necessary). One major criterion I have is sidewalks. It drives me nuts to go out to suburbia and see all of these planned communities with people walking in the stinkin' road because there are no sidewalks. Of course, I don't want to live somewhere with drug dealers and "ladies of the evening" frequenting my front yard either. It would also be neat to pick up a house with a bit of character. Does this utopia exist? For under $175K?

[jlrosen]

Prospect Hill in Mt. Auburn is a great place. Ignore the opinions of anyone who lives outside of 275 on this matter. I am as equally unqualified to recommend Whitewater Township or Lebanon as they are to recomend Prospect Hill.

Go with Prospect Hill

[Mike Dunn]

Add Mulberry Street to your list. Also, sounds like you may like Northside.

[Staliz77]

I looked at a great condo (with walls, I may add) on Mulberry near Sycamore. Awesome area. Wound up continuing to rent, but I was in love with it.

Mt. Auburn is great, and Northside is wonderful...you could DEFINITELY get some bang for your buck there.

[goyguy]

Prospect Hill is way past its "urban pioneer" days and is now a well-established lil' enclave of upscale tranquility. Like many similar urban communities throughout the country, it bumps right against some scary places like "unreconstructed" OTR yet is quiet and relatively safe regardless. Gentrification came late to Mt Auburn as a whole and is still mainly concentrated on and near Auburn Ave south of McMillan St. Some streets such as Glencoe Place are well on their way to becoming the next Prospect Hill, thanks to gut rehabs of existing rowhouses and newly-constructed housing that blends in well with the old. Other areas such as Dorchester and Highland Ave's remain "ghetto" and are best steered well clear of.
I concur that Northside is an excellent option. College Hill is less of a "city" neighborhood and has its good and not-so-good parts. Amberley Village has one of the highest per capita incomes in Hamilton County and its houses are priced accordingly. There's zero urban feel there - I think commercial establishments are entirely zoned out, LOL...aside from the new McMansion development called Rollman Estates, what you'll find in Amberley is lots of sprawling ranch houses on big plots of land. It's also almost entirely populated by the "Caucasian persuasion," and for a half-century or so has been Cincinnati's "Jewish Indian Hill." (All of the big synagogues that'd originally been located in Avondale pulled up stakes when demographics shifted and are now there.)
St Bernard is well situated along Vine St and I-75, and has retained its appeal as a peaceful enclave even as surrounding areas have headed into a skid downward. Local restaurant options are along the lines of fast food (Dairy Queen, KFC, Chili Time, et al) rather than "ethnic" or trendy. It's, as they say, a great place to raise kids.
Opinions are mixed when you bring up the west-side communities of Westwood and Price Hill. A lot of the negative bias comes from natives who remember these areas as all-but-entirely German Catholic and middle- to upper-middle-class, and who fled for greener (Delhi Township etc) pastures when "diversity" arrived. The eastern portions of those neighborhoods are undeniably facing challenges to their quality of life in the form of transiency and increased crime. But much remains the same as ever, and you'll find new and recent - as well as longtime - residents singing praises. There as in St Bernard, though, what you won't find is any particular "walkable center" with scads of entertainment possibilities; the business districts are strung along Harrison and Glenway Ave's and unless you're a major chili fan there isn't much in the way of restaurant choices.
Fairmount = I've been backed up against the wall many a time for my endorsement/defense of places, but not so for that one. "Flight" to the suburbs and outer neighborhoods, along with public-housing developments, make this an area to hasten through with the doors locked. It's unfortunate because there's some nice and inexpensive real estate to be found; a while back, there was an awesome bungalow-style house on a quiet street called Trevor Place which was in great shape and was selling for under $100k. But the problem is what makes the prices low: drug dealing, homicides, large-scale housing abandonment/decay, and so on.
A neat "secret" is southwestern Clifton, west of Clifton Ave and south of McMillan. The noisy robbery magnets known as UC students don't bring themselves and their gadgets, cars, and kegs over there. The high rental/purchase prices are up in the "gaslight district." You even stand a good chance of landing a nice small house with a commanding view; the neighborhood is atop a steep hill (Ravine St was one of my childhood "thrill rides.") While a section of Clifton technically, this enclave is also known as Fairview Hts. Although it's in a quiet setting, you don't have far to go for everything that McMillan and Calhoun St's offer and not much farther for the rest of Clifton's shopping and night life. Expressway access, you ask? Right down McMillan St and across Central Parkway. Said parkway (reached via McMillan or Ravine) makes for a blink-and-you're-there trip to Music Hall and downtown too.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by goyguy

A neat "secret" is southwestern Clifton, west of Clifton Ave and south of McMillan. The noisy robbery magnets known as UC students don't bring themselves and their gadgets, cars, and kegs over there. The high rental/purchase prices are up in the "gaslight district." You even stand a good chance of landing a nice small house with a commanding view; the neighborhood is atop a steep hill (Ravine St was one of my childhood "thrill rides.") While a section of Clifton technically, this enclave is also known as Fairview Hts. Although it's in a quiet setting, you don't have far to go for everything that McMillan and Calhoun St's offer and not much farther for the rest of Clifton's shopping and night life. Expressway access, you ask? Right down McMillan St and across Central Parkway. Said parkway (reached via McMillan or Ravine) makes for a blink-and-you're-there trip to Music Hall and downtown too.

That is a nice area. It is now populated by a lot of UC students these days as it is pretty close to campus. However,most of the students in that area are graduate students who are less disruptive.

In that area, you have an interesting mix of older frame "shotgun houses" and duplexes along Ada and Volkert and Cassett as well as a lot of large older homes lining Fairview Ave. Last time I looked there were a number of REO/foreclosures in the area that could be had at reasonable prices. The biggest problem in that area is parking. On street, it is a crapshoot at best.

[flash3780]

Thanks for the great advice. I'll check out Northside and Clifton Heights. I've driven through them both, but not enough to get a "feel" for the neighborhoods. I split a cupcake from "Take the Cake" on Hamilton Ave with my fiancée once and it was great. I also like Oakley and am considering O'Bryonville and am wavering on whether to consider the East Price Hill Incline District. I suppose I'll just see what pans out.

[wilson1010]

Originally Posted by flash3780

I'm 29 and work in Springdale; my fiancée is a nursing student at UC. I know that there are a ton of great neighborhoods in the area (Hyde Park $$, Mt Adams $$, E. Walnut Hills, Oakley, Clifton, etc. are often mentioned on this forum) but I haven't heard much about Mt. Auburn. I've mentioned it to some people I've met from the area but they're mostly suburbanites and get nervous whenever they drive inside of I-275. Nonetheless they all eek when I mention Mt Auburn, which makes me think twice.
. . .

I suppose we're looking for a neighborhood where you get a lot of bang for your buck (and maybe a cool city view - although that's not necessary). One major criterion I have is sidewalks. It drives me nuts to go out to suburbia and see all of these planned communities with people walking in the stinkin' road because there are no sidewalks. Of course, I don't want to live somewhere with drug dealers and "ladies of the evening" frequenting my front yard either. It would also be neat to pick up a house with a bit of character. Does this utopia exist? For under $175K?

Since you are working in Springdale, why not look at Greenhills? I'd go over to the area east of the Greenhills Shopping Center and drive those circular streets. Farragut, Ingram, Hadley, Junefield, etc.

[Mike Dunn]

You may want to add Pleasant Ridge to your search too. Some great homes, neighborhoods.

Mike

[CincyBuckeye84]

I moved to Milton Street a year ago this Feb from the Victorian Village area of Columbus. Milton is a great street. The basic borders are Sycamore to Highland and Liberty Hill to Boal. I think Milton is the nicest of all of them. There are several homes for sale on Milton currently that have been "For Sale" since I was down here looking in December of 2008 for a flat to rent. One is a brand new house that mimics the architecture of the older houses, has a two-car garage, a CCTV security system and an elevator, yes, I said an elevator. Back in November it was listed for $760,000.00. Not sure if the price has come down. But there are a lot of flats to rent that are reasonably priced. I have a balcony that over looks the city and I pay only 700/month and the place is huge. For that view in even columbus, you could expect to pay upwards of 1200 to 1600 a month for a one BR flat. I would really consider prospect hill if you are looking for urban living with the quiet and safety of the suburbs. I have had no problems (except for the sheet of ice that became Milton Street this past winter as you basically slide all the way down the street and hope there are no cars coming on Sycamore. I always had to try and make sure I parked facing up the hill or on the flat part at the top of the street.)

The only thing that sucks is that there are NO friggin decent grocery stores nearby. There is the UC Kroger, but the selection is limited. You could shop at Finley Market, but its not that great compared to what I have seen in other places I have lived. Basically if you want to get groceries and have a decent choice, you have to get on the freeway and drive 5 miles to Rookwood/Norwood where there is a bigger Kroger, a Biggs and a Whole Foods. Also, there is not a lot of places to eat that are quick and good with easy parking (since you have to DRIVE EVERYWHERE) in this city.