Where does a single prof. woman live north of Cincinnati?

[lukin0102]

As a single male in his 30's I would agree with what everyone on here has said about West Chester. I have lived and worked in West Chester for the past four years and while it is very safe, it is not exactly a great place for singles. There are alot of families in this area and not too much nightlife. I would agree with others who suggest Clifton or the Gaslight District. Of course there is always the Hyde Park, Oakley, and Mt. Lookout areas but, as someone suggested, I would not like the commute to where you work.

[aquila]

I just want to reiterate that West Chester DOES have a lot of singles that live out here. But the popular "urban singles scene" is what is missing in that you won't find a lot of nightlife that attracts most singles. You're more apt to encounter them in a grocery store, bookstore, church or gym. But if what you're looking for is a late-night, active street life, bar-hopping lifestyle and an urban "vibe", then no you won't find that here.

[Charis2]

If you decide to locate in Cincinnati rather than in the NW suburbs and are interested in Clifton, I recommend that you stick to the Gaslight District, the area to the north of the University of Cincinnati campus (UC). It extends approximately from Dixmyth Ave., W. Martin Luther King Dr., and Jefferson Ave. on its southern border to just a bit past Lafayette Ave. to the north. There are some pretty crummy student apartments there, but most of the properties are older single-family homes on lots with mature trees. There's a small but charming business district along Ludlow Ave., with a movie theater (both art house and commercial pix), eight or nine restaurants (several of which are good to very good), a CVS, an IGA, a coffeehouse, an ice cream parlor . . . you get the picture. It has a real neighborhood feel, and since warm weekend evenings are full of people strolling along Ludlow, there are nice opportunities for meeting people as well. I lived there for three years and loved it.

The Gaslight area rests on top of a steep hill which is very steep at its eastern edge. At the bottom of this hill is Vine St., which demarcates the border between Clifton and Avondale. The Gaslight district is relatively safe. Avondale, on the other hand, has one of the highest violent crime rates in the city, so I wouldn't locate very far down the hill.

If you are looking to rent in Clifton rather than buy right away, be aware that many apartment ads will claim that the property is in Clifton when it is not in the Gaslight District. Properties in Corryville, an unsafe neighborhood just east of UC, are often advertised as being in "Clifton/Corryville" or "Clifton nr". To the south of campus is Clifton Heights, which is full of old walkups occupied by undergraduate party animals.

As other posters have noted, West Chester is a very suburban, very rapid-growth area. The commute to Dayton along I-75 would be much better from there than from Clifton, since you wouldn't be caught in the bottleneck of people commuting to the GE plant along I-75 in Evendale.
Also, West Chester is more culturally diverse than many Cincinnatians are aware, since it's received an influx of affluent South and East Asian professionals.

Best wishes for your search.

[pennswoods]

Thank you Charis2 for the detailed info. on city neighborhoods. I will also visit West Chester and see what it has to offer. You mentioned that West Chester is becoming culturally diverse. Do you consider it to be "mentally/socially integrated" - or do people of similar backgrounds appear to form their our communities.

[RockandSoul]

I think Hyde Park, Oakley, Madisonville are the best for singles but the commute is far.

I do know some single people from my area that just bought relatively inexpensive condos near Kings Island area, so that might be a good new area.