Yellow Springs or bigger? (Columbus, Cincinnati: fit in, for sale, real estate)

[elmoseattle]

Hi!

I grew up in Yellow Springs and moved to the Seattle area at 13. I want to go home as I've never felt quite right here, plus the cost of living is through the roof.

If all goes as I plan it my husband can keep his job and do it remotely from home which gives us all the flexibility in the world (literally) of where to live. If that falls through I'll have to consider the likelihood of having to move closer to Columbus or Cincinnati to find a job (I think?)

So, I have fond young childhood memories of growing up in YS- but those are childhood memories, possibly different than the reality of living there as an adult/parent.

We have three kids- 10,5, and 3. Oldest is on the autism spectrum so Education is definitely #1 consideration for us. Next priorities being safety, proximity of things to do with kids, community feel, maybe walkability. I'd like a little land or a big back yard. I'd like to stay under 300k very max to buy a 4 bedroom home.

A few more things to note. We lean fairly left politically and not very religious and while I don't tend to make this part of regular conversation or major decision making, I wouldn't mind finding a place where I feel like I maybe sorta kinda fit in. Also, my husband is Panamanian and I want to live somewhere where he/we won't have many issues surrounding that (or my children who are half latino)

I cannot decide if smaller schools/town is better for kids or bigger. I realize they all have pros and cons. I went to a very small (about the size of YSHS) high school and mostly disliked the lack of options of friends and activities but it could have partially been that particular place. I also worry about kids getting lost in the shuffle in bigger schools. I am very concerned about bullying and quality teachers. Either way I need an excellent school district and not just the on paper stuff like test scores but real life advice.

So, give me your take on this. Would you go for Yellow Springs if you were me, or would you shoot a little bigger, and where would that be? I've been reading about Oakwood, Centerville, Bellbrook, Springboro...open to more suggestions. My Grandma lived in Kettering so I'm somewhat familiar with it and feel sort of meh about it.

Thanks in advance!

[wrightflyer]

I'd stick with YS. It is expensive, but compared to Seattle, it will be a breeze financially. Just don't expect to find new builds there. And be prepared to pounce if you find something. Market there either turns quickly or doesn't (depends on the home's condition). Anything in decent shape goes quickly due to demand and lack of supply (YS controls development tightly).

If YS doesn't work, Oakwood would be good. Not sure about austism needs services at local schools as I don't have kids. There are a number of posts scattered here that address this. There also was specific discussion of Oakwood in one or two of those forums. I'd steer clear of Centerville. Rather more conservative than Oakwood, which is home to many UD, Sinclair and WSU profs and other more centrists Democrats. Centerville is family-oriented conservative. Bellbrook is the same way though more on a smaller scale. Springboro is squarely in Warren County, most likely central HQ for Ohio's tea party conservatism in the suburbs.

[SWOH]

wrightflyer is spot on.

Yellow Springs is one of two liberal havens in Ohio, Oberlin being the other one. Nowhere else in the state besides these two places can really match what you would find in the pacific northwest.

Because of it, real estate there is expensive and moves fast. If you see something you like, jump on it fast, it will sell quick otherwise in Yellow Springs. Same goes for the rest of Miami Twp. overall.

Oakwood is more traditional centrist. It's definitely a good place to look, and if possible do an in-person visit to both the community and the schools. I have heard on here that Oakwood schools aren't the best for autistic kids, but I've also heard for some that open enrollment into Kettering would be possible, which does have good schools for autistic kids. As for Kettering, eastern Kettering out by Delco Park and the Greene probably isn't what you're after, but I wouldn't cross off western Kettering quite yet, especially the areas surrounding Oakwood.


Centerville would not be a very good fit, and given your interests I would steer clear of Springboro and Bellbrook. Anything in Northmont Schools (Englewood/Clayton) would also be a good place to check out.



As for small vs. big school, I went to a small district locally and graduated around the start of this decade. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. Now I'm just about to leave college with Honors with a degree from a top 25 business school and a couple engineering degrees as well. I could have been better prepared in math/science, but otherwise my experience in high school and my parents 100% set up what I was able to accomplish and achieve, and it could not have gone better.


Good luck!

[RDriesenUD]

Kettering would be really good for your kid. I am sure there are others as well. It also is good for most of the other things you are looking for. The problem is housing in Kettering. We just have too many small houses. So, I don't know if you will be able to find what you are looking for, but it is worth looking into. The area around J.E. Prass Elementary school is what I would recommend.

[elmoseattle]

Thank you! That was my suspicion about those areas, though I'm fully aware that much of this area
Is quite conservative and I *think* I can intermingle. But still want to see what they're really like and if there's any other areas that are centrists at least. The funny thing is when I look up yellow springs on this site the voting record is something like 70% republican vs closer to 50% in centerville. How is that explained?

I did read a post last night about autism services in the oak wood schools not being great so I'll have to look into that. I also don't know how they are in yellow springs. I'd have to imagine that a school with only 350 kids from 7-12 grades can't have a huge amount of resources.

When I've looked around online at houses for sale I love the homes in oakwood- here's what I can't tell that maybe you can tell me. I can't tell if they have much backyards as the homes seem really close together, and I can't tell if it maybe has a preppy staunch vibe or not.

I'll look at west? Kettering some more. Yes I found the same issue with homes there. I have an uncle in englewood so I'll ask him about that area.

Thanks so much and would love any more advice you have to give. Even if it's "don't do it!" I'm sort of struggling with the decision.

[wrightflyer]

"West" Kettering is just a colloquial way of referring to the western side (usually west of Far Hills Ave, aka OH-48) of Kettering. This area is still apart of Kettering proper as a municipality and generally attends on probably 99% of the streets Kettering Fairmont Schools. There may be small pockets that attend Centerville (good) or West Carrolton (not as good) schools.

Not sure why this site would list the voting record as such. I think it has to do with how they mapped it. Without looking at the map used by city-data, I couldn't say. I'd imagine YS and surrounding Miami Township would be 70-30 split between party voting. Perhaps they included parts of Clark County or Bath Township / Fairborn in that stat? Centerville is probably about 40-60 with Kettering probably the same. Beavercreek probably either 40-60 or 35-65 split. Those numbers are just from a general glance of the area by one person's opinion.

[Natural510]

Eh, we were an interracial couple from the Bay Area who found a way to make it in Springfield, so I don't think you'll have much problem anywhere (I don't talk politics in mixed company), but the Springs would definitely be the easiest transition. All the parents I've known have been very happy with YS schools, but it indeed may take time to find a house...being a bit of a closed community, they're usually not advertised but either sold between friends or discovered by walking/driving through the neighborhoods. So if you don't have someone to stay with while you look, or find short-term housing, that may make it tough.