Where to live in Dayton, Ohio (Beavercreek, Beaver: city hall, income, income tax)

[Dayton Sux]

The fascination with living close to where you buy your "stuff" is bizarre to me

It's about an idealized urban lifestyle, where the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker are all a three block walk from ones apartment or house. Where one is not dependent on a car for everything. I think the "walkable" concept is shorthand for this.

I actually grew up that way in Chicago so did experience what a true walkable (mixed with using the bus and rapid transit) city life was like. Walkable in that it was possible to walk to the drugstore, barber, grocer, baker, butcher, school, church, playground, bank, tavern, job, etc. The sort of world where everyone had one of those two-wheel "granny carts" for larger purchases.

But that was 40 years ago, and this type of condition is now pretty rare in the US...probably limited to a handful of cities or neighborhoods.

...on edit, here is a good web article on the concept:

What is Walkability?

[Dayton Sux]

Not having a walkable grocery stinks. But, it's not the end of the world.. Part of the reason I moved to the area is to be within walking distance to coffee shops, bars and restaurants.

This is probably the big benefit of living downtown or in the Oregon or perhaps even South Park. The live music scene that's worth listening to is still pretty much concentrated in the center city...with a few outliers....pretty much walkable or bikeable.

There are rather limited choices (& limited hours)when it comes to coffeeshops (Dayton isn't really into the coffee thing the way Cincy and Louisville are), though Press is indeed the top of the pops when it comes to quality.

...a list off the top of my head:

Coffee

Open 7 Days a Week

Press (the best)
Ghostlight (the "coffeehouse" coffeehouse)
Starbucks near UD
(I should say these places, Press & Ghostlight, close early..7 PM...on weekdays and even earlier on Sundays...not sure about Starbucks' hours).


Limited Hours (not open 7 days, only during business hours, etc)

Ohio Coffee (in the 5th/Third Tower lobby)
Boston Stoker on CHS (they are open on Saturdays until 1 PM I think).
Coffee Stand in the 2nd Street Market
...and places that might be in lobbys (like Kubricks...I think they used to be downtown) that are not that visible (like Ohio Coffee).

Groceries. Here's my list:

Downtown or very Near

The little supermarket on 3rd between the Arcade & Fedex.
The Kroger on Wayne
2nd Street Market
5th Street Deli (i'll concede the point that they do have some grocery items)

Further afield:

Stop & Save (or whatever it is) @ Third & Irwin for ethnic eats
Charlies (Troy Street in OND) for rye bread and sausage and some ethnic eats
Mihauacan Market (Troy Street) & La Tienda (Tals Corner), for Mexican/Latin American eats.

The next ring out: The Krogers at the edge of town (Smithville, Siebenthaler), Dots in Belmont, DLM in Oakwood, Aldi in Westtown.

[Dayton Sux]

We are moving to Dayton area as well and are finding these posts responding to queries by newcomers to be most helpful. I now have a list of places to eat, grocery shop, etc. (in addition to Trader Joe's, of course) Wondering what neighborhood offers walking access to a good public library? Near art galleries, neighborhood cafes, any of the above? We've owned almost all of our 40 years of marriage but will probably rent now as we will be there only two years or so.

It sounds like Yellow Springs or maybe Oakwood (if you are closer to their business district), or the downtown/Oregon and South Park areas...South Park would put you closer to the Brown Street strip that is related to University of Dayton.

"Good Public Library" doesn't really exist here (it will be the downtown library when the finish rebuilding it), but I'd also suggest getting a community card (for a fee, but it pays for itself pretty quick if you are an avid reader or have more of an academic interest..as in reading a lot of nonfiction) at UD, which gives you access to the statewide Ohiolink catalogue as well as the UD collection.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

This is probably the big benefit of living downtown or in the Oregon or perhaps even South Park. The live music scene that's worth listening to is still pretty much concentrated in the center city...with a few outliers....pretty much walkable or bikeable.

There are rather limited choices (& limited hours)when it comes to coffeeshops (Dayton isn't really into the coffee thing the way Cincy and Louisville are), though Press is indeed the top of the pops when it comes to quality.

...a list off the top of my head:

Coffee

Open 7 Days a Week

Press (the best)
Ghostlight (the "coffeehouse" coffeehouse)
Starbucks near UD
(I should say these places, Press & Ghostlight, close early..7 PM...on weekdays and even earlier on Sundays...not sure about Starbucks' hours).


Limited Hours (not open 7 days, only during business hours, etc)

Ohio Coffee (in the 5th/Third Tower lobby)
Boston Stoker on CHS (they are open on Saturdays until 1 PM I think).
Coffee Stand in the 2nd Street Market
...and places that might be in lobbys (like Kubricks...I think they used to be downtown) that are not that visible (like Ohio Coffee).

Groceries. Here's my list:

Downtown or very Near

The little supermarket on 3rd between the Arcade & Fedex.
The Kroger on Wayne
2nd Street Market
5th Street Deli (i'll concede the point that they do have some grocery items)

Further afield:

Stop & Save (or whatever it is) @ Third & Irwin for ethnic eats
Charlies (Troy Street in OND) for rye bread and sausage and some ethnic eats
Mihauacan Market (Troy Street) & La Tienda (Tals Corner), for Mexican/Latin American eats.

The next ring out: The Krogers at the edge of town (Smithville, Siebenthaler), Dots in Belmont, DLM in Oakwood, Aldi in Westtown.

Wow... nice list!

Quick (and stupid) addition - there is a Starbucks in the Sinclair library. Wish it had better hours though, I think it is only open around mid-morning through lunchtime....


Any word on whether the new library is going to get a coffee shop? It seems like if Winans was going to come downtown that would be a good place to go (or at least near the library, maybe on St. Clair).

[Amandarthegreat]

Originally Posted by OHKID

Any word on whether the new library is going to get a coffee shop? It seems like if Winans was going to come downtown that would be a good place to go (or at least near the library, maybe on St. Clair).

They've been pretty consistent in saying that the downtown branch will have a cafe, so I hope it's a yes.

[SouthernerinOhio]

Whether you are talking of downtown D.C., Dayton, Chattanooga, or Atlanta, a neighborhood in transition has many tensions among those being displaced, those moving in, those staying in place. Still, all that energy stemming from change is impressive.

[SouthernerinOhio]

"The fascination with living close to where you buy your stuff" Uhm. It's more like being close to a cafe where people may chat with each other instead of holing up in their apartments or house, where you can sit in the library and read the many magazines that stimulate your brain without paying for myriad subscriptions, and being able to get your medicines without having to get in the car, drive, park, etc. Buying stuff? Not so big on that, but when we do shop we like to shop local.

The walkability article gets it right, and thanks for passing that on. Connectedness is sometimes face to face.

[Amandarthegreat]

Originally Posted by SouthernerinOhio

"The fascination with living close to where you buy your stuff" Uhm. It's more like being close to a cafe where people may chat with each other instead of holing up in their apartments or house, where you can sit in the library and read the many magazines that stimulate your brain without paying for myriad subscriptions, and being able to get your medicines without having to get in the car, drive, park, etc. Buying stuff? Not so big on that, but when we do shop we like to shop local.

The walkability article gets it right, and thanks for passing that on. Connectedness is sometimes face to face.

By "stuff", I mean like the mall or car dealerships or any other consumer-heavy landmark. Libraries, grocery shops, pharmacies and so one aren't really conspicuous consumption-esque places.

[woxyroxme]

Dayton has all kinds of homes near downtown that are boarded up as people who work in town moved out to Greene County instead of staying and pushing back against the decline. The same thing is happening in Cincinnati as they are moving to Warren County.

Several years ago I was on a message board (woxy.com) with a guy known as "Drexel Dave" we took all kinds of photos of the urban decay for a blog he did called "Real Dayton" he lived on Wayne Ave and was in a band that did shows at the Canal Street Tavern and did art works pics of local political figures in old bed pans, stuff like that.

Anyway he was always passionate about the conditions of the area and recognized the need for good people to move back into the city. Dayton's problem is too many people who work downtown park their SUVs too close to Von Maur's at night.

[Amandarthegreat]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

Dayton's problem is too many people who work downtown park their SUVs too close to Von Maur's at night.

That is an excellent summation, woxyroxme!