Thoughts on Clayton area (Dayton, Kettering: homes, safe area, movies)

[GradientBlze]

Hi there. Another Air Force family moving into the area soon. I was wondering about Clayton and any thoughts on living there. It is North of 70 where we are looking. I searched previous threads and I think there was talk of 'look north of 70' and I was unclear why that was.

Our family is nearby and we are hoping to stay in the area long term. I know the schools aren't the best. My number one is a safe area. I would also like to know how far we would be looking as far as good quality shopping/dining/movies?

Thanks!

[SWOH]

Welcome to the area!


I'll give some quick thoughts - expect a more detailed post over the weekend.

Clayton is a great place to live and I would choose it in a second. I'm in that area a lot, and it is quite nice.

Schools are good - Northmont District - IMO the best large district north of 70. This is because of its excellent extracurricular programs, including its stellar academic team. More info on it here:

Northmont Academic Challenge Team wins college tournament Northmont is the first Ohio high school to win a college event - Englewood Independent - englewoodindependent.com
Northmont (back around "my days" doing academic team haha)
Northmont High School - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, an amazing new high school is currently being built. Check that out here:
RUETSCHLE: Northmont Master Plan unveiled

Construction should be wrapping up this year.

[GradientBlze]

Awesome, thanks!

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by GradientBlze

Hi there. Another Air Force family moving into the area soon. I was wondering about Clayton and any thoughts on living there. It is North of 70 where we are looking. I searched previous threads and I think there was talk of 'look north of 70' and I was unclear why that was.

Our family is nearby and we are hoping to stay in the area long term. I know the schools aren't the best. My number one is a safe area. I would also like to know how far we would be looking as far as good quality shopping/dining/movies?

Thanks!

Since you said Air Force, I assume you're being posted at WPAFB? If so, I would recommend the communities nearest the actual base - most obviously Beavercreek, but also Kettering and Bellbrook. That has the benefit of being near the work but also close to shopping and other amenities (the Greene, Fairfield Commons, Cornerstone, the Fraze, and others).

That's because from Clayton you're probably looking at a 30 minute drive to get to base... further than almost any other suburb in the metro area.

Since you said long term moving, the long term trends of the area become important - and I'm not a fan of anything northwest of downtown Dayton (the Salem Avenue corridor, anything in Trotwood, and possibly Englewood too). Clayton may be far enough out that it'll never be affected by the urban dessication that's occurred along the Salem Avenue corridor and spilled over into Trotwood...

[wrightflyer]

I agree with both posters. Clayton, especially north of I-70, is really nice and safe. I don't think I would leave Englewood out-to-dry, as it is still a fairly nice community of diversified economic means. Much like Kettering. Just not as large and not as many amenities.

Northmont is one of the few large D-I schools that is wealthy and getting a brand new high school. Most districts, like Kettering, Beavercreek and Centerville, usually just renovate or add onto an existing structure. That, I think, is a plus for Northmont having those new facilities.

Keep in mind that if you are looking for 2-10 acres, it will be much more doable out here, especially stretching into Clay Township (west of Clayton/Englewood/Union & north of I-70). The land will be cheaper and there is an OK stock of homes that would normally run 400-500K+ in places like Beavercreek Township or Sugarcreek Township (Bellbrook area). And the schools are just as good.

Most typical big box shopping will be done in one of two places in the areas north of Dayton. Either the Miller Lane corridor north of the Benchwood Rd. exit off I-75 south of I-70, which some people are saying is going down hill (I have mixed feelings on the area myself). Or Old Troy Pike one exit east of I-75 off I-70. I think that area is holding better, despite Huber Heights being a mixed bag (it has nice areas and less nice areas, but nothing dangerous). That is because it has more stores (including Gander Mountain, Hobby Lobby, Elder-Beerman, etc.) than Miller Lane, which has more restaurants. It also is closer to the larger swath of new housing in Huber's north end as well as Tipp and Troy. If you cannot find what you need at either location, Fairfield Commons is probably your next best bet less you want to drive through downtown's construction. That may not be an issue if you only shop infrequently, but if you are already by the base, Fairfield Commons and the Fairfield Road shopping corridor is right there.

Commute to the base, especially from the far west side of Northmont's school district, would be 30-45 minutes, which is long by most Dayton-centric commutes. Keep in mind I-70 between OH-49 and I-75 is being widened over the next year or two, so that is causing some delays up there.

[dxdtdemon]

Add one to the "it's a great place to live, but there are other good places to live for military families that are closer to the base" camp.

[RDriesenUD]

Yeah, I have nothing bad to say about the area, except that is isn't close to the base or the better retail places in the area.

[SWOH]

^This should help:

Proposed retail center expected to attract national businesses | www.daytondailynews.com

But there is a retail void given the Salem Mall area's decline. There's a reason why the Englewood KMart is still open... not too many other places for people in Northmont, Brookville, West Milton, Preble Co, etc. to shop. I imagine this center will be doing killer good business, that and if the Northmont Plaza at the dam underwent a much needed revoation.

But yeah, wrightflyer hit the nail on the head with where the shopping options are. Clayton/Englewood is more isolated, about a 10 minute drive from Huber Heights for most retail options. But the good news is that Huber Heights has a lot of shopping options. And also it's not horrible to get to Beavercreek or Dayton Mall via the Trotwood connector and US 35.


Also - the more detailed post will be coming, I promise! This weekend.

[GradientBlze]

Thank you all. Your feedback is appreciated!

[GradientBlze]

Originally Posted by SWOH

^This should help:

Proposed retail center expected to attract national businesses | www.daytondailynews.com

But there is a retail void given the Salem Mall area's decline. There's a reason why the Englewood KMart is still open... not too many other places for people in Northmont, Brookville, West Milton, Preble Co, etc. to shop. I imagine this center will be doing killer good business, that and if the Northmont Plaza at the dam underwent a much needed revoation.

But yeah, wrightflyer hit the nail on the head with where the shopping options are. Clayton/Englewood is more isolated, about a 10 minute drive from Huber Heights for most retail options. But the good news is that Huber Heights has a lot of shopping options. And alsi it's not horrible to get to Beavercreek or Dayton Mall via the Trotwood connector and US 35.


Also - the more detailed post will be coming, I promise! This weekend.

Looking forward to more details will check out the retail center, that sounds promising.

Commute isn't too big of a deal to us for the right house. Most of the bases we have been to are middle of nowhere, 30+ mins to anything.