Relocating to Dayton best areas for Families (Fairfield, Huber Heights: insurance, house)

[Buttrfly298]

Hi everyone!

My husband just accepted a job opportunity in which we will be relocating to Dayton during the summer. We have two small boys and are looking for advice on what areas would be good for families. We are looking to buy a house and stay in the area for a while.

Good school areas are important as our oldest will be starting kindergarten next year. He will be working all over the Dayton metropolitan area so living in the suburbs would be fine.

Any other things we need to know about the area? We are moving from Dallas/Ft Worth. Thanks!

[bigdipper80]

Sounds like the southern suburbs would be perfect for you. Oakwood is Dayton's "old money" suburb (think along the lines of Highland Park in Dallas, a touch more affordable being Ohio but just as nice), but it has a mix of both grand old mansions and more modest homes from the 1920s through the 1970s. It's also very close to downtown Dayton so you have easy access to all the city's amenities without living in the city itself. Good school district, but it doesn't have the best highway access so if your husband's job sites are further away his commute may be a little bit annoying. That said, it rarely takes any more than 20 minutes to get anywhere in the Dayton metro regardless of how far you are from a highway.

Further south, Centerville and Springboro are also great suburbs for families. You can get a house with a decent-sized yard out in these suburbs for about what you'd pay for a similar home in Dallas, probably a little bit less expensive here in Ohio, actually. These suburbs both have good school districts. Otherwise, they're fairly typical suburbs - similar to what you'd see in Texas, a little less charm than the older homes in Oakwood but still good places to raise a family.

If you'd want something a little more historic, you could look around downtown Miamisburg. I can't speak to the quality of the schools, but they have one of the better historic downtowns of Dayton's suburbs.

Of course, you can look within the city of Dayton itself, as there are a lot of gorgeous homes that can be had for cheap. I personally cannot speak to the quality of schools here (although most people will tell you that Dayton Public Schools are pretty bad), but in my neighborhood, Wright-Dunbar, there are quite a few families with young elementary-aged children living here. I'm unsure if they send their kids to DPS or private schools. If you look in the city, I'd stick within these neighborhoods: University Park (not to be confused with University Row), Wright-Dunbar, Grafton Hill, McPherson Town, St. Anne's Hill, Oregon District, or South Park.

Hopefully that's a good start! Happy house hunting!

[joe from dayton]

Dayton has one of the worst public school systems in the state so, unless you want to go private, I don't suggest living in the city. Will your husband actually be working in Dayton, or somewhere else? Knowing where he works will make a difference between living in Springboro or Tipp City.

You will find that housing and living expenses are quite reasonable. You will also experience all four seasons -- sometimes all in one week.

[Buttrfly298]

Thanks for your reply. We do not have to live in downtown Dayton but his job requires him to live in certain zip codes within the area. We just got those recently and it puts us in the Englewood area roughly. From the general searches I’ve done the schools seem to be ok up there. It looks like we have to stay more north and west but I’ll get confirmation of that soon.

[bigdipper80]

It really isn't a bad commute from the south side to Englewood (about 30-ish miles), but if you do want to stay up there, I really like both Tipp City and Troy. I'd avoid Trotwood and Northridge, though.

Beavercreek is one of the other big suburbs with decent schools. It's along the eastern edge of I-675. I'm personally not a big fan of the Greene County lifestyle, but your taxes would probably be lower and you're closer to the Fairfield Commons and The Greene malls and a lot of chain dining options if that's your cup of tea.

[woxyroxme]

Englewood is not a bad area by any stretch, it's Northmont schools, not to be confused with Northridge which is in a slightly seedy area. Englewood has an interesting downtown plus a Marion's in the shopping center where the K Mart used to be.

[RDriesenUD]

Originally Posted by Buttrfly298

Thanks for your reply. We do not have to live in downtown Dayton but his job requires him to live in certain zip codes within the area. We just got those recently and it puts us in the Englewood area roughly. From the general searches I’ve done the schools seem to be ok up there. It looks like we have to stay more north and west but I’ll get confirmation of that soon.

I find it interesting that you have to live in just that area. Are you sure that is the only place you can live?

[Buttrfly298]

I know it sounds weird but it was a requirement listed in the offer letter for the position. He works for a major insurance company and is going to be working as a proximity claims adjuster for homes. I guess for lack of a better comparison he has been assigned a “territory” and is required to live within it.

[Buttrfly298]

Here are the zip codes we have to choose from:

45322
45414
45377
45406
45405
45415
45417

[SWOH]

Welcome to the area!

Do you have a rough budget?
Amount of land you'd like (or wouldn't like)?
# of bedrooms/bathrooms?
Sq. ft?

Interesting situation... only those ZIP codes? To live?
Very interesting, I can understand limiting insurance adjusters' work area by ZIP, but tying the relocation package to living within only a couple ZIPs too? That is so weird.

Anyways, if you're 100% set on public school Vandalia and Northmont would both be good.
Your child is a bit young for it now, but both schools had notoriously good academic teams ~7-8 years ago back when I was a ward of the K-12 system myself. Northridge, Trotwood, and Dayton public schools are not as good, but private school is a decent option, just avoid most charters (certain charters like DECA and the STEM school are great tho).


I'm taking a wild guess here but I'm betting out of those ZIP codes you'd be happiest in Vandalia, which is 45414 & 45377.
Housing ranges from <$100k micro ranches all the way up to $700k+, 8,000 sq. ft. McMansions in Meeker Creek.
Highway access to 70 and 75 is great, lots of shopping there or nearby in Huber Heights, the Miller Ln. restaurant row is right in town, and Tipp/Troy is great for a quick getaway to a small town. Taylorsville Metropark to the east and Englewood Metropark to the west are both amazing.

If you're coming from Dallas / Ft. Worth, Englewood might be a bit too slow for you. But definitely worth giving it a look.
If you have a slightly higher risk tolerance and are willing to do private schools (from your posts neither appear to be the case) I can guide you street by street through the other ZIPs, to places like this:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6...?fullpage=true