Withamsville...nice area? (Cincinnati, Union, Summerside: HOA, crime, hotel)

[jimandheather]

Hello all. I am sitting in a hotel in blue ash and I am deep in the middle of a house hunt here in Cincy. I found a decent looking place in Withamsville and I was wondering if anyone could give me some insigt into how the area is. How are the schools? Is it a safe neighborhood? Any info would be great. Thanks!
Jim

[WhereForARt]

It's certainly safe enough - to be honest, it's sort of a boring area. It's in Clermont County and sits between Anderson Township/Forest Hills and Amelia off St. Rt 125 (Beechmont Ave.). I believe that it's served by the West Clermont School District, which is not one of the better districts, but certainly not one of the worst. I wouldn't want to live there, but I'm sure some would (and do!).

[Ohiogirl81]

Very safe, very suburban. What you'll find are a lot of subdivisions of varying ages coming off the main roads, but those subdivisions may or may not be connected and some areas may have a disconnected feel to them. Also, you may be in one of two townships: Pierce or Union.

West Clermont is the school district; it's had some ups and downs lately but overall is solid. There are two high schools, Glen Este and Amelia, two middle schools, and a number of neighborhood elementary schools.

Good luck!

[nico7]

Withamsville is pretty removed from the action. I don't know about the schools, but I can tell you that it's pretty quiet over there, except as you get closer to the intersection of I-275 and Beechmont Ave there is a lot of traffic (typical of Beechmont).

The neighborhoods are quiet -- almost entirely families. My girlfriend lives there and there are many people who live in the same neighborhood they grew up in, often in the same house.

[nightrider127]

My husbands brother lives in Withamsville, have lived there for years and years. It's very quiet on their street and the surrounding area. I have never heard anything from my BIL about their being any kind of problem with crime. They do have a HOA in the area they live in.

[jlawrence01]

Withamsville is a small town that has been surrounded by a lot of new construction and growth. It is a relatively quiet area taht still has some country charm. I was out there over Memorial Day and noted little change.

Except that the doctor's office where I received most of my medical care for 30 years is now a tattoo parlor.

[Didamc]

Withamsville is in Union Township, Clermont County (www.union-township.oh.us/). It is served by West Clermont School District (www.westcler.k12.oh.us/). Your children would most likely go to Withamsville Elementary and Amelia Middle. West Clermont runs on the "small schools" format (read about it on their website under About Us: High School Redesign.) I went to West Clermont schools my whole life (Summerside Elem, Glen Este) but it wasn't in the small school format when I graduated, so I can't give you much help with how that works, I've heard good and bad things about it. You may want to contact the district or one of the high schools and talk to someone there about it before you make a decision on that, if that is very important to you. When I went to school there, the education was as good as could be offered since for 10 years the residents would not pass a levy to support a school that had doubled in size in that time. My senior year of high school was when the first levy was passed since I was in elementary. The residents have now successfully been passing levies, so I can only imagine it is getting better.

As for crime, Union Township has got to be one of the safer neighborhoods I know of. The police force is top ranked nationally and internationally. Aside from assistant principals leaving their infant children in their cars on 90+ degree days, the biggest crime I hear about (and have experienced) is teenage pranks (mailbox bashings and the sort). Also, they do go out late at night and test doors of cars and houses, so never leave them unlocked.

As has been said, it is very very suburban, but you are close to two major shopping areas, Beechmont / Cherry Grove (Anderson Towne Center) and Eastgate. Both areas become a cluster mess during major shopping holidays, but you get use to it. Right on 275, so about 20-30 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.

If you have any other questions about the area, I grew up there and just recently moved back.