How's the area around the VA Medical Center (Dayton, Kettering: foreclosures, lofts)

[maintainin]

Hi all, thinking of applying for a job at the VA Medical Center there in Dayton. Doing some reading, I've read differing opinions on the west side from there are good and bad parts to the west side to the whole west side being a monumental crap-hole. Are there any good middle class neighborhoods on that side of the city that are within a few miles of the hospital?

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by maintainin

Hi all, thinking of applying for a job at the VA Medical Center there in Dayton. Doing some reading, I've read differing opinions on the west side from there are good and bad parts to the west side to the whole west side being a monumental crap-hole. Are there any good middle class neighborhoods on that side of the city that are within a few miles of the hospital?

Hmm, I'd say avoid the west side. Much of the west side surrounding the VA (W Third St, Gettysburg) are dumps at best, hellholes at worst. Drexel, which is part of the city, lies west of the VA and is rather rough as well. While there are stable pockets on the Northwest Side of Dayton, these too are still hampered by a poorly performing school district and being surrounded by some really rough neighborhoods. Tie in the fact that commercial businesses have all but vacated the area (Kroger pulled out a year or two ago from NW Dayton) and you can begin to get a picture.

Dayton itself, it is a very depressed town, kind of bordering on Detriot like status. But, just like Detriot, there are certain suburbs that are extremly wealthy. I'd venture to say Dayton's metro is better off than Detriot's for two reasons: 1) Less depressed and 2) Cincy's proximity.

Some things that I'm assuming in my recomendations here. Schools are important, and safety. Otherwise, do you like suburb or city? Are schools that important? And of course, budget?

So, with that said and no budget to go by, I'd say look into close in suburbs south of Dayton. Oakwood (if you can find what you want in your budget) is great with amazing schools. By far the best suburb in the area school, community, and housing stock considered. However, taxes are high here due to service costs and schools.

Kettering would be a great compromise if your budget isn't too high or you can't stomach Oakwood's taxes. Schools are good, to excellent, and there is plenty of housing stock. I'd stick with the older west side of Kettering, west of Far Hills Ave. mainly because the area is a little more stable. The whole metro quaked a little when GM shut down for good in late '08, but Kettering took it on the chin. Still, it seems everyone is still alive, but parts of east Kettering (built in the 1950's-1970's) are aging and foreclosures have hit NE Kettering hard. That area probably still has some bottoming out to do.

One last note. Most of the immediate suburbs in the Dayton metro are easy to commute between. The only devil of a road would probably be I-75 through downtown, but once the construction is over in a few years, it hopefully will look better. An east-west commute on US 35 would probably be the best option, IMO, since I75 is usually a mess. From West Kettering or Oakwood to the VA, I'd take Far Hills/Main St. north to US-35 west to the VA which is at Liscum and US35.

Hope some of this helps. Of course, if you are not looking for suburbs, even more dense inner-ring ones, there are places in certain Dayton historic districts to look at. Downtown may even be an option, but since I have no info, I'll just start here.

[maintainin]

Well, I am single. I have a daughter who lives in Sidney north of Dayton but she wouldnt be staying full time so schools aren't really an issue with me. But I definitely dont want to live in, around or have to drive thru a ghetto everyday. A 5 or 10 mile commute wouldn't be bad but I absolutely do not want to spend more than 15 minutes getting to work. It's just something that I have never had to put up with and do not want to put up with.

[maintainin]

So how are some communities farther out from Dayton. Like Trotwood? Is that actually considered part of Dayton still? Or New Lebanon? That looks like its due west of the VA there by about 10 miles.

[Love-Cinci]

There really is no way to get to the VA hospital w/o going through rough areas. Take that criteria off your list and there is a lot that can open up. Dayton is just a rough town. Trotwood is newer construction but is still has some pretty crazy stuff happen.

If your concern is staying clear of high crime areas then your best approach is on 35, which opens up the entire south eastern portion of the metro. I think Wright Flyer covered all that pretty good.

[wrightflyer]

New Lebanon is a possibility, but from the people that I know who live there, they say it is a very small town, and suffers from little to no growth and development. Unless you are used to small town, I'd probably look in other areas first.

Dowtown could be an option, since it is safe espcially compared to other parts of Dayton. It can be a little expensive for some of the lofts however. The cheaper properties are probably better avoided, and make sure it really is downtown. I've seen some complexes on the west side of the river advertise downtown, when they really aren't, and that side of the river can become rough, fast.

Again, open up your window for commute by 5-10 minutes (5-15 miles) and you end up on the eastern end of US35, which has some decent areas in Riverside and more affluent Beavercreek. While US35 flows pretty well, it can be a pain in the event of an accident. Still, I haven't had this problem maybe once every couple of months. Even in the winter it can be pretty hassle free. The 675 run around is the road with the most winter problems.

As a comparison, from the far east side of Beavercreek, door-to-parking lot, it takes me 15-20 minutes tops to get to UD at rush hour. That is about a 20 mile drive. That's the nice thing about Dayton, unless you are on I-75, there is really no "rush hour" per se.

[joe from dayton]

What is your budget? What type of community are you looking for?