Chicago to Dayton? (Columbus, Cincinnati, Kettering: apartment, lofts, condos)

[Lisa_O]

My husband is considering a position with a tech company in Dayton. While there seem to be many threads on Dayton, they seem geared towards people with slightly different interests and goals.

We are childless, in our late 30s. We currently live in Chicago proper, in a very ethnically, politically and economically diverse neighborhood. We value this diversity. Food is important to us and we don't really fancy chain places.

With these things in mind, is there an area of the city we might enjoy or do we need to look at Cincinnati, having my husband commute in daily? We really aren't looking to live in the suburbs.

Thanks.

[Daytonnatian]

As a DAYTONnatian, I can honestly say that Cincinnati is overrated. The Oregon district can match or beat ANYTHING Cincinnati could offer, and it is much safer than similar places in Cincinnati auch as, Over-the-Rhine, where a riot happened in 2001. This area sounds ideal for you with its large, diverse, creative-class presence. Also, if Tech Town is ever built, it will provide many high-income tech-related jobs within walking distance (depending on your tolerance for walking).

[Mike Dunn]

Both Dayton and Cincinnati have great neighborhoods that would work for you. Oregon District in Dayton. In Cincinnati, you have Clifton and downtown offer housing that might appeal to you. If you want a more small town feel ...try Yellow Springs, Ohio.

[amerideaf]

Both Daytonnatian and Mike Dunn are correct. Oregon District and Village of Yellow Springs (the home of Antioch College).

[SmartGXL]

Hi Lisa_O,

I was born and raised in Dayton (lived there for 25 years, and went to college there), but have now lived in Lakeview, in Chicago (Southport area), for the past 10 years. If you can tell me what neighborhood in Chicago you live in, and exactly what you are looking for lifestyle-wise, I can probably give you some specific feedback about how to find something in Dayton that is comparable to Chicago.

I can say this tho, Dayton is much smaller, and is not as exciting as Chicago, however Dayton is a very diverse city, with pretty much every ethnic group represented. If you have ever visited Indianapolis, I say it is laid out more similar to Indianapolis (however, I feel it is much better than Indy, as far as cities go). If diversity is very important to you, it is there, however black-white race relations in Dayton are not as good as they are in Chicago. Politically, Dayton itself tends to vote Democrat, and the suburbs vote Republican.

Dayton has a small neighborhood known as the Oregon District, located on East Fifth Street, which is more similar to a Wrigleyville, or Wicker Park, meaning it has a small village feel, a coffee shop or two, many bars, a record store, some art murals, an "underground" bookstore, risque/progressive fashion shops, cobblestone streets, an alternative newspaper etc. And if you manage to find an apartment in that neighborhood (although there wont be many choices), then everything will be walking distance, if that is what you are looking for.

There is another small neighborhood, close by, that caters to the University of Dayton, on Brown Street, and has restaurants and a few bars.

Other than that, most places within the city limits of Dayton do not identify themselves wih a pre-defined neighborhood. Dayton is a big city, but is small enough, that one can live in the burbs and VERY EASILY go downtown to visit, with maybe a 15 or 20 minute drive. So if you want to pick a suburb that works for you, you can always drive downtown if you need to get that "urban" fix.

Also - one really interesting suburb, that has an urban feel, is Oakwood, OH. It is very pricey, and is the home of Dayton's "old money" crowd. It is a beautiful, sophisticated town, and it literally less than 2 or 3 miles, I think, from downtown Dayton. The south burbs, which include Oakwood, Centerville, and Kettering, are considered to be very upscale and if you combine them with downtown dayton, then you have a large "neighborhood" which should fill most people's needs, lifestyle-wise.

I think Cincinnati is actually a beautiful city, and is only 40 miles from Dayton. Cinci and Dayton are considered "cousins" due to their close proximity, but are actually very very different cities, as Dayton is built on a flat geography (similar to Chicago), while Cinci is built on large hills (more like San Francisco). But at the same time, it is a city that identifies much more with unique neighborhoods and pockets, the same way Chicago does. The neighborhoods on the east side of Cinci, such as Hyde Park, Oakley, and Mt Adams, are considered to be the "better" neighborhoods, income wise, and the western hoods are considered to be more "edgy". The Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, just north of downtown cinci, is full of great, turn of the century architecture. It used to be a german immigrant neighborhood, and you can still very easily see this in the local architecture. For a long time, OTR was VERY dangerous; people were getting shot there every day, but now gentrification is taking place.

Cinci has a lot of diversity, but from what I have heard, race relations are REALLY not that good there. Plus, if you are used to the hard core liberalness of Chicago, you will be in for a shock; the Cinci region is conservative, family-oriented, union member types (the Reagan Democrats), who are now more prone to vote for conservative GOP candidates.

Hope this helps, but again, if you tell me more about what exactly you are looking for, I will be happy to respond with more info that can help you find that!

[prfcttimeofday]

wow. . .smartgxl covered most of what I was going to say. But, I would also suggest that the historic areas of Dayton would be of value to Lisa. Look at Southpark, which is diverse and has a real community feel. Also, the same goes for St. Anne's Hill area. I think the Oregon District has been covered. I think you'd also LOVE Oakwood, as it is probably one of the more tolerant places in the area b/c most of the residents are highly educated. (In Oakwood: Eastside are the college professor types, Westside are the CEO types) Everything is walkable in Oakwood.

Yellow Springs is straight out of the 60's with love and happiness for all. It's a laid back place where everyone is seen as equal. It also has a very large gay population for the small size of its town. Yellow springs is also about 20 minutes from Dayton and 50 from Columbus. ..(everything in YS is walkable.)

As for the Commute from Cincy, if you decide to live there. . .it can be done and lots of people do it, but 75 gets very clogged during rush hour, so your hubby is probably looking at an hour and a half commute. . .I'd probably not advise it, but I leave that up to you. Any other time that's not during peak rush hour, you can make it from Dayton to Cincy in about 45 minutes.

Also, if you like lofts or condos, there are lots of great options in Downtown Dayton. Look at The Landing, The Cannery, Cooper Lofts, Ice Ave. Lofts, Firefly Lofts...etc.

[amerideaf]

Bravo on smartgxl and pftcttimeofday.

Oakwood is where "West Wing" Actress Allison Janney grew up.

Few miles north of her house is South Park, where Actor Martin Sheen (real name: Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez) grew up on Brown Street and attended Chaminade HS (now Chaminade-Julienne High School)

Third "West Wing" actor, Rob Lowe, also grew up in Oakwood and attended Oakwood High School

[SmartGXL]

Amerideaf,

What you said about the actors is true! And, actually my father went to Chaminade High School, and knew Martin Sheen!

PRFCT - youa re right; I forgot about South Park. There is also another neighborhood, called patterson park, which is great. It is within the city limits of Dayton, but borders the city limits with Oakwood. So, living in patterson park is almost identical to living in Oakwood, except the housing would cost less.

Actually, Oakwood, Patterson park, South Park, the Oregon District, and downtown are all pretty much contiguous and next to each other, so living in any of these areas would give you a pretty good, sophisticated, urban-esque lifestyle.

[Lisa_O]

SmartGXL, thank you so much for your response. It was great to hear from someone who knows both places. My husband and I currently live in the East Rogers Park neighborhood but I've also lived in Ukrainian Village and Lakeview. Your description of Cincinnati was interesting. While I do like a bigger city, I don't think we'd be terribly happy in a really conservative environment.

I have seen a couple of really cool homes online in the Oregon District and am glad to hear a little about it here.

A big concern for us is food and wine. I know that there is a Whole Foods in Columbus but don't know what options are available in Dayton. We love Chicago for its food and eat out quite a bit. We aren't into chains nor are we into see or be seen places with substandard food. Can you give me any recommendations? In Chicago we like anything from $5 bowls of Pho on Argyle to the 15 course tasting at Avenues.

Again, thanks to everyone for their help and advice. I actually feel quite a bit better about this getting more possible move.

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Cinci has a lot of diversity, but from what I have heard, race relations are REALLY not that good there. Plus, if you are used to the hard core liberalness of Chicago, you will be in for a shock; the Cinci region is conservative, family-oriented, union member types (the Reagan Democrats), who are now more prone to vote for conservative GOP candidates.\

Is this because we have a black mayor who is a democrat?

Is this because our vice-mayor is a democrat 2 with children that are gay?

Is this because the majority of our city council are democrats with one being a member of the charter committee?

Is this because J. Kerry won the city by a 60% vote?

Is this because there are gay bars/clubs/communities/gayborhoods scattered throughout the city?

Is this because we have a ridiculously large gay pride festival and parade?

Is this because half the city is black and half the city is white with a similar percentage being from 2 or more races?

Is this because our population, minority population, and foreign-born population are growing?

Or, is this because we had a race "riot" almost a decade ago?





I'm very curious as to what makes Dayton more "liberal" then Cincinnati? Can anyone post examples?