Miamisburg (Cincinnati, Dayton, Kettering: middle-class, for sale, real estate)

[CincitoDayton]

-Where you are working?
Miamisburg

-How much you are willing to spend on housing?
$140k for a home, or $800/month for rent

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
30 minutes

-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
Secular private or excellent public


Right now I'm commuting to Miamisburg from SE Cincinnati, and I'm interested in making the move next year. I have a brilliant son, so my main concern is finding the best school for him. Is there a school comparable to Cincinnati's secular Seven Hills? How good is the best public school? My plan is to find a place to live in the safest neighborhood near the best school, hopefully within 30 minutes of Miamisburg. What are the safest neighborhoods closest to the best school(s)?

[Ohio Hello]

I'm not a parent, but I've heard good things about Bellbrook's schools. It's about 30 mins from Miamisburg. I think an apartment could be within your rental budget, and Trulia lists a few homes for sale within your price range. Maybe someone more familiar with real estate in that area can give you some input. Good luck!

[dxdtdemon]

The Miami Valley School is a secular private school that is excellent but extremely expensive. I don't think that there are any other secular private schools. There is a new regional magnet high school for STEM subjects in Kettering that your son might be able to test into if he's that age that I think is supported by tax dollars. I do agree that Bellbrook has the best quality of school for the housing costs that you are looking for.

[CincitoDayton]

Thank you so much. That is exactly the sort of information I needed. This is my first job out of graduate school, and I expect to be able to afford a significantly more expensive house in five years. At that point will Bellbrook still be our best option if we go the public-school route?

[CFoulke]

Valley View Schools in Germantown are supposedly excellent as well - and Germantown is roughly a 15 minute drive from Miamisburg. I used to live in Germantown and although I had no children - I did pay an additional school district tax every year to pay for the schools there. Good luck....


I found this for you to look at also: http://www.greatschools.org/

[hensleya1]

Hi CincytoDayton--

I'm going to join the chorus here of everybody who's recommending Bellbrook.

One interesting thing to consider is where exactly your work is located. I know you say "Miamisburg', but find out whether the work is actually within Miamisburg city limits, or merely uses a Miamisburg address (and thus likely is within Miami Township instead).

If the latter, then there will be no city taxes (1-3% of your income, depending on jurisdiction).

Ohio law states that you pay city taxes if you live or work in the taxing jurisdiction.

But they also say that townships cannot levy an income tax under any circumstances (with the exception of a JEDD, but that's another can of worms).

Meaning that if your work is in Miami Township, and you also live in a no-tax jurisdiction such as Bellbrook or any township (Washington Township nearby), then you avoid paying any city taxes at all. And that could potentially save you thousands of $ every year.




If your work is in Miamisburg city proper itself, and you're going to pay city taxes in either case, then I'd recommend living in Centerville - good schools and closer to your job - and arguably, Centerville has a better business district.

[joe from dayton]

The best public school system in the area is Oakwood. That said, Centerville and Bellbrook also have very good school systems.

[wrightflyer]

Oakwood is probably out of the OP's price range. Of course, if he does not mind moving his son between public school's in a few years (or can find a decent rental in Oakwood for $800/month), than I would say to eventually move to Oakwood.

In the mean time, Bellbrook and Centerville would be good options with homes in your range and excellent schools. Centerville is probably the largest district with an Excellent Rating in the area, so think of Mason or Lakota (though only one high school, so maybe not as big population and land wise as Lakota). Bellbrook is smaller, but not too small. Think Wyoming (Bellbrook with more homes on estate sized lots mixed with traditional ranches in the town itself) or Mariemont (though minus the exceptional town center, though Bellbrook proper has a small, historic town center).

Centerville, while bigger, also has more housing in both stock and your price point. There are also plenty of rentals in your range. Bellbrook, since it is smaller, has fewer homes in stock and they go faster because of simple supply and demand. Demand is strong for Centerville too, but there are more homes in the latter.

If private school is where you want to end up, Miami Valley School cannot beat anything. It is expensive, probably about ~$15,000/year, though I am sure there are scholarships available. I'd at least check it out, especially if you are adding that to your yearly budget along with rent or mortgage. Miami Valley School is located in the northern end of Washington Township in a corner close to Kettering and not far from Centerville proper. Just an FYI, Washington Township feeds to Centerville schools (always double check that with a realtor).

[Dayton Sux]

I would also recommend Sugarcreek Township & Bellbrook (Greene County, or, closer to Miamisburg area, Washington Twp & Centerville (Montgomery County).

If you can locate in the unincorporated parts of Washington Twp you will have access to an excellent public school while also avoiding the city income tax, and be closer to work, since of the two this area is closer to your work..

Both of these communities are safe upper-middle-class suburban areas.