Anyone from Dayton? (Columbus, Trotwood, Green: high crime, theatre, school)

[Bjoy]

try Germantown, old city, nice schools and homes,

[Bjoy]

I would look in Centerville, Kettering, Tipp city, Oakwood, springboro, Germantown,Beavercreek, Bellbrook, sugarcreek Township, but not Trotwood because it is not so safe

[salukigirl]

depends on what side youre on.

east: white trash crack heads. not really violent more just annoying old men and their women who never graduated elementary school.

west: very very violent. stabbing, shooting, murders etc... consistantly

north: (harrison twnshp etc) pretty violent also. lots of stabbing there

south: (suburbs) very nice. im from centerville which has like a 98% graduation rate, excellent schools, hardly any violence...excellent place to a rasie a family - but very expensive.

other places like miamisburg and west carrollton are ok but a little more runned down...trying to refurbish neighborhoods.

kettering is also nice but a little more runned down. as is moraine (violence also in moraine).

personally i loved centerville and would live there if i werent a poor college student down town dayton...not so much

[BuckeyeGal]

Originally Posted by anne

We live in Pioneer, OH very rural, 1400 pop. on a lake. Husband has a job offer in Springboro. We spent time yesterday in and around the Dayton area. I could never live in Dayton. Can anyone suggest a rural, small town around the Springboro area? Please all help would be appreciated

anne

My Aunt and Unlce lived in Pioneer. We used to go up to Nettle Lake near Pioneer. Try Enon, West Carrolton, New Carlisle, Middletown or West Milton.

[J.R. Locke]

I lived in the Dayton area for 5 years. The first 3 in the suburbs and the last 2 downtown. I lived in Fairborn/Beavercreek for the first 3 then I lived in a house off of Xenia Ave for a year and then a year at Dayton Towers.

Dayton is a mixed bag and most of the people who have chimed in about the downtown have obviously not spent much time there. Because there are neighborhoods on the west, east and northside that have the same characteristics of the neighborhoods in the suburbs. Great homely neighborhoods where kids play freely and neighbors know each other etc....

Most of the college kids and folks who grew up in the suburbs know nothing about the downtown....because they never go there. No first hand knowledge. People were always amazed how nice Oregon, Huffman, St. Anne, South Park district homes were when I would take them there.

But Dayton is a racist city, on par with most of America. The west side is predominately black divided by I-75. There have been numerous measures to ensure that this segregation maintains. Most telling are where bus routes go and don't go. Needless to say being black in Dayton is certainly a detriment in the eyes of many. The people making these claims are usually the ones who fled the city or see the glorification of it on the T.V.

Overall I think Dayton is great. I am currently looking for a house in the scary parts of the city but I like walking to and fro and public transportation. There is a problem with petty crime for sure but outside of the drug and sex trade in concentrated pockets of the city I have always felt safe, even walking the streets at 3 in the a.m. after a night out on the town. The key is to find a good street and neighborhood. Prices on houses are sometimes in the neighborhood of $50,000 less than the equivalent suburban home, even in the good inner city neighborhoods.

[Giesela]

For people who are going to work or be stationed at Wright Patt...avoid Fairborn! Beavercreek or Enon, people!

Uh gee, I was considering Fairborn and Enon - so why?

[JefferyT]

I dont see a problem with Enon. It is sort of redneck in parts, but it is a pleasant somewhat rural area. A lot of small farms or houses on big lots lining the country roads.

[wrightflyer]

Here's my take on this whole avoid Fairborn voicings. Note: These are my opinions and subject to bias. But I've been in all these places and found them decent (as opposed to a crime haven in some larger cities).

Redneck can mean different things to different people. Someone from the East or West coast would probably see Enon as being a redneck town. As for someone from outside the megalopolis of the coasts, it probably wouldn't seem as redneck. I would recommend it to a person who wants land close to the base without paying the higher prices in Beavercreek Twp.

As for Fairborn, I just find the place to be extremly shabby in parts. Most of the housing (outside the areas they've annexed that are Beavercreek schools) is old, rentals, and cheap. The transiant nature of the residents means there is little pride (or tax dollars) put into the city and its services (esp the schools). There is some new development in Fairborn, but most of it consists of small, cheaply made stick homes built around the I-675 exits or close to the mall. There's also are commercial center around exit 20 but it kinda pales in comparison to the stuff built in Beavercreek and exit south. Otherwise, there is little else in terms of investment.

That's why I would pick Beavercreek or Enon over a place like Fairborn.

[lulubird]

Asking "what's living in Dayton like?" is a little like asking someone whether or not brussle sprouts are tasty... depends on weather or not you like brussle sprouts...

I completely agree with one of the author's assessments above who commented that you ought not trust the opinions of spoiled little rich kids from the burbs when asking about the living conditions of an urban area. I grew up in Cincinnati (and yeah, I'm a white girl,) and moved to the affluent suburb of Centerville at the age of 16. All I ever heard about the West side and the East end from my classmates and friend's parents were prejudiced and racist comments about people based on the color of their skin and economic background. But... you know... that's how sheltered people are everywhere... so take it with a grain of salt... the city doesn't deserve the bad reputation it's been given...

That being said, drugs are a big problem in the inner city in certain pockets, we've lost a lot of our manufacturing jobs, and our schools have lost a lot of funding in the past couple of years. I'll admit, Dayton has some big city problems and doesn't necessarily have all the big city benefits to counter those issues...

...but I still love a lot of about Dayton and I plan on living here a long, long time. We have beautiful parks, a beautiful center for the arts, beautiful historic housing districts, a growing arts scene, a growing music scene, great food, great shopping, great people. The housing market is ridiculously affordable right now, and community action is a big deal to our residents working hard to bring dignity and respect to our neighborhoods.

Bear in mind this is coming from an extremely liberal minded person in her late 20's who believes in protecting the environment, supporting local independent business, reviving the urban economy, total equality and integration, supporting the arts.... (well, you get the picture...)

Point being.... there is a community within the Dayton area to suit every type of person... weather you're a canvas sac toting- bicycle riding socialist, a confederate flag wavin' red neck, or a middle of the road guy looking for some good schools to send your kids to.. you can find what you need and want here in Dayton or in our beautiful suburbs (I personally like the city.)

[midwestkid]

Originally Posted by Sozo

Are there any retired military people on this thread that could pass info about Dayton?

I've read this thread and gotten some good info from it. I'm wondering what else you could suggest for military people?

I've already been checking into the Beavercreek area for possible homes.

How about rural land for sale in the area around Dayton? Is Ohio a pretty place outside of city life? We are thinking of purchasing horses one day and have talked about buying some land. But, we do not want to farm. We just want acerage.

Sozo,
If I were you I would look at the Clayton-Englewood area. Not TOO far from the city, but not too close. Our little area is great for horses, it's just beginning to develop but still isn't too much. There is tons of rural land along US route 40 (national road) that isn't in the middle of nowhere. Also, Northmont is a great school system.