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Old 04-05-2012, 08:55 AM
 
Location: West Texas
2,449 posts, read 5,935,473 times
Reputation: 3125

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I've read some of the previous posters requests for information, and I see the substantial and informative replies they receive, so I'm hoping for the same.

I'm originally from San Francisco, but have no desire to ever go back there.

I'm mid-40s and retired from the U.S. Navy, and currently living in west Texas. I LOVE the town. It's only got a population of around 95k, but has all the amenities I need (super Walmart, Sam's, Lowes, Best Buy, etc.). It's also packed with both local steakhouses as well as the normal resaurant chains (Olive Garden, Outback, Golden Corral, Applebees, etc.).

The crime here is low and normally located in one part of the city (north side) and even then, normally among people who know each other (fights over girfriends, drugs, etc.).

The people are extremely friendly, without being too "in your face."

I probably could be happy staying here forever if it wasn't for two things: first, the summers get incredibly hot. Last year we had almost 100 days of temperatured at or over 100 degrees for the high; secondly, the town is trying up... literally. The city has grown too large that the water table can't support us, and there's only between 18 - 24 months of water left (without substantial relief).

So, my company (I believe) has some opportunities at WPAFB. I am very adaptable and quick to learn, so the type of job isn't as important to me as the area I'd be living in.

To the point... I'm looking for an area that would be close enough to WPAFB that I won't bear more than a 1 hour commute (don't even know if that's realistically too long or short an expectation). Here are other factors to consider:

Housing price (I would be buying): Between $100k-$250k
Children: One in college, one a freshman in highschool

I would prefer an area with detached homes... schools I'm not as worried about because we always push our children to excel regardless (I don't expect the school to make my children learn... that's my job... I just want them to competently teach).

I'd like an area that's also not too far from restaurants and other businesses. I'm not a cultural-intensive person (I don't frequent city symphonies, museums, etc.). I'm more concerned about a suburban-type environment (if one exists there), that's not too far from WPAFB. Also, my wife is a nurse, so if there's a clinic/hospital nearby that would be a bonus.

Thanks for any inputs/info that y'all can provide.
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Old 04-05-2012, 10:05 AM
 
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You can live damn near anywhere if you are willing to commute up to an hour. WPAFB is very centrally located--it is not one of those bases that is in the middle of nowhere. The best public schools are going to be Oakwood and Centerville, however most of the suburbs have good or better school systems. Your price point will also put you in any suburb you want. Most of the Dayton area is a suburban environment. Centerville, Washington Twp, Miami Twp, Miamisburg, etc. will put you by the Dayton Mall. Beavercreek and Fairborn will put you by the Fairfield Mall and close to WPAFB. Kettering will put you by The Greene, which is an outdoor mall. Regardless, they are all within an easy commute of each other.

There are numerous hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes in the area, as well as a VA hospital.
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Old 04-05-2012, 10:35 AM
 
Location: West Texas
2,449 posts, read 5,935,473 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joe from dayton View Post
You can live damn near anywhere if you are willing to commute up to an hour. WPAFB is very centrally located--it is not one of those bases that is in the middle of nowhere. The best public schools are going to be Oakwood and Centerville, however most of the suburbs have good or better school systems. Your price point will also put you in any suburb you want. Most of the Dayton area is a suburban environment. Centerville, Washington Twp, Miami Twp, Miamisburg, etc. will put you by the Dayton Mall. Beavercreek and Fairborn will put you by the Fairfield Mall and close to WPAFB. Kettering will put you by The Greene, which is an outdoor mall. Regardless, they are all within an easy commute of each other.

There are numerous hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes in the area, as well as a VA hospital.
Thanks for the input, Joe... I'll check online to see about real estate houses/prices for those areas. Which mall is the better one? ("Happy wife, happy life!" LOL)
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Old 04-05-2012, 11:21 AM
 
Location: West Texas
2,449 posts, read 5,935,473 times
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I was also looking at the City-Data information on crime and it shows that Dayton has nearly twice (if not more) the national average of crime (in all categories). Is it (crime) really that bad there? I saw a previous thread where some were saying it IS bad, and others were saying it's not that bad.

If it's twice the national average, is that accurate?
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Old 04-05-2012, 11:52 AM
 
12,073 posts, read 23,149,431 times
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PM sent.
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Old 04-06-2012, 07:00 AM
 
Location: NKY's Campbell Co.
2,107 posts, read 5,063,296 times
Reputation: 1302
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rathagos View Post
I was also looking at the City-Data information on crime and it shows that Dayton has nearly twice (if not more) the national average of crime (in all categories). Is it (crime) really that bad there? I saw a previous thread where some were saying it IS bad, and others were saying it's not that bad.

If it's twice the national average, is that accurate?
It's a big city and big metro (something like 800K?). While Dayton really is not all that much bigger than your town of 95K in west Texas, it has some big city problems, especially in certain neighborhoods where crime is mainly concentrated.

Almost all the suburbs have little crime. By that, I mean people are shocked when there is a murder or two in a year. For example in Beavercreek, I believe the past two concerned a police officer killing a man coming at him with a knife and a father son dispute where the older son killed his elderly father. Some suburbs go for years without a major, "top story" crime. Bank robberies are typically the biggest suburban concerns. Fan Fact, some of the most notorious gangsters of the Al Capone bank robbing era hid out in places like Dayton. Surprised that is never mentioned more often.

Back to the point. The biggest crimes you will deal with in places like Centerville, Wasshington Twp., Springboro, Clearcreek Twp, , Miamisburg, Oakwood, Beavercreek, Kettering, Tipp City, Troy, Englewood, Brookville, etc, will all be petty crime.

Even that list is not limited to every area that is low on crime.

As Joe said, you can live pretty much anywhere in the immediate Dayton metro (and parts of Northern Warren County which is Cincinnati metro) and be within an hour of WPAFB. Most of those areas have low crime. My parents have lived in our current home in Beavercreek for 12 years and called the police twice, one for kids being obnoxious (ringing door bells at 11pm) and another for kids messing with their flower beds.

Last edited by wrightflyer; 04-06-2012 at 07:15 AM..
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Old 04-06-2012, 07:13 AM
 
Location: NKY's Campbell Co.
2,107 posts, read 5,063,296 times
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I would contact a realtor concerning which suburb or neighborhood would be the best fit for you. From reading your concerns, wishes, and price point, I would look at Kettering as a jumping off point. It sits between all three major malls, is close to WPAFB, and near a number of hospitals. Homes range from small cape cods to larger estate homes on wooded lots. Your price point covers a decent chunk of Kettering's housing stock.

There are two Supercenters just outside of Kettering (one west, another southeast), a nearby Target and Kohls and Lowes, and Mejier (a midwest super center chain). The Greene just east of the city is the closest cluster of restaurants. There are a number of chains near Dayton and Fairfield Malls. Also, there are many local establishments in and near Kettering. In Dayton proper, there are a number of fancy local fares in the Oregon District for a nice night out.

Some of the big hospital systems in the area include Premier Health Partners, which has 4-5 hospitals in the region with their anchor hospital being the primary facility for central Dayton. Kettering Health Network has 7-8 hospitals or medical centers across the region, most smaller in scale. Their main hospital is Kettering Medical Center in Kettering.

All three major malls are decent. Fairfield is bleeding a bit due to The Greene being only 7 miles down the road. Personally, I believe ever since The Greene opened, there has been a rush to glut Dayton's retail market. Austin Landing, between the Dayton Mall and Springboro, will probably hurt Dayton Mall just as The Greene has hurt Fairfield. Enough on that though.

Hope you are able to find stuff you want in Dayton and the surrounding areas. Good luck with the move!
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Old 04-09-2012, 08:27 AM
 
Location: West Texas
2,449 posts, read 5,935,473 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrightflyer View Post
I would contact a realtor concerning which suburb or neighborhood would be the best fit for you. From reading your concerns, wishes, and price point, I would look at Kettering as a jumping off point. It sits between all three major malls, is close to WPAFB, and near a number of hospitals. Homes range from small cape cods to larger estate homes on wooded lots. Your price point covers a decent chunk of Kettering's housing stock.

There are two Supercenters just outside of Kettering (one west, another southeast), a nearby Target and Kohls and Lowes, and Mejier (a midwest super center chain). The Greene just east of the city is the closest cluster of restaurants. There are a number of chains near Dayton and Fairfield Malls. Also, there are many local establishments in and near Kettering. In Dayton proper, there are a number of fancy local fares in the Oregon District for a nice night out.

Some of the big hospital systems in the area include Premier Health Partners, which has 4-5 hospitals in the region with their anchor hospital being the primary facility for central Dayton. Kettering Health Network has 7-8 hospitals or medical centers across the region, most smaller in scale. Their main hospital is Kettering Medical Center in Kettering.

All three major malls are decent. Fairfield is bleeding a bit due to The Greene being only 7 miles down the road. Personally, I believe ever since The Greene opened, there has been a rush to glut Dayton's retail market. Austin Landing, between the Dayton Mall and Springboro, will probably hurt Dayton Mall just as The Greene has hurt Fairfield. Enough on that though.

Hope you are able to find stuff you want in Dayton and the surrounding areas. Good luck with the move!
WrightFlyer -

Thank you very much for the information... it's truly appreciated. I'll pass this on to my wife and we can look at some properties online to get a feel.

Take care, and thanks again!!

~ Rath
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Old 04-10-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati (Norwood)
3,530 posts, read 5,001,720 times
Reputation: 1930
Even though I'm a Cincinnati resident, I've also lived in Franklin, Ohio for years and have driven about Dayton in every direction possible. Therefore, Rathagos, may I ask that you trust the above contributors when they affirm that the entire area around Dayton Mall is an epicenter for suburban retail shopping of every description. It really is--and the communities listed (Kettering, Oakwood, Centerville, Beavercreek, etc.) are all fairly close to WPAFB. So! Let's all just welcome you right now to Dayton--okay?
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Old 04-10-2012, 08:17 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati
4,472 posts, read 6,195,397 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by motorman View Post
--and the communities listed (Kettering, Oakwood, Centerville, Beavercreek, etc.) are all fairly close to WPAFB. So! Let's all just welcome you right now to Dayton--okay?
Ya, Dayton, even though it's development has sprawled quite a bit and engulfed many small farm towns, etc. into it's metro, is still small enough to allow you 20 to 30 minutes to WPAFB from most all directions. Especially from the above mentioned areas.
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