dayton vs. cincinnati (Centerville, Mason, Oregon: house, neighborhoods, buy)

[dyt937]

what is everybodies opinion on these two cities?....

[JefferyT]

Dayton is somewhat less congested, traffic-wise, than Cincinnati.

Cincinnati seems to have worse (in terms of ugly/aesthetics) urban sprawl than Dayton....on average suburbia in Dayton is somewhat more pleasant.

Cincinnati does have better in-town living options than Dayton, if one wanted to live in the city itself.

[Crew Chief]

Commuting from Dayton to Cincinnati is a pain... I-75 from about 6:30 a.m. to about 8:30 is a PARKING LOT from about Union Center Blvd all the way to downtown Cincinnati (about 20 miles) There are several major I-75 construction projects ongoing or in the planning stages. All are or will wreak havoc on commuting; I-70/I-75 junction (in progress) I-75 rerouting through downtown Dayton and, finally, the renovation of the Brent Spence Bridge that carries I-71/I-75 from Northern KY into downtown Cincinnati. I live in a South suburb of Dayton (Washington Twp.) and really like it! I commute thru Dayton every night about 10 p.m. and even then, construction backups can delay me getting to work. Don't know Cincy proper that well, but many are moving out of downtown to the 'burbs (just like in Dayton...)

[zorst]

I grew up Dayton and still have family there. I live in Cincinnati and have for almost twenty years. The two cities are almost one long sprawl 70 miles in length. Cincinnati definately has more to see and do.

I've made a lot of friends in Cincinnati and would not want to go back to living in Dayton because of it's lack of things to do that interest me.

[Ohiogirl81]

I've lived in both, and they each have their advantages. Both have a wealth of cultural and recreational activities and offerings.

Dayton has Milano's, that might be its biggest selling point. Dayton can laugh at itself, doesn't take itself so seriously (could you imagine Dayton residents making a big flap over, say, winged cash registers in a downtown park? Heck, no, they'd probably be naming them!).

Cincinnati's neighborhoods seem to be more liveable and accessible than Dayton's -- I'm talking about within both cities' limits, not the burbs. Many of the neighborhoods within Dayton proper seem to be in various stages of decline.

[JefferyT]

Some of the historic districts surrounding downtown Dayton are pretty solid investments and are either restored or pretty close to being so, so those specific neighborhoods are OK. Outside of those areas the city is on a downward spiral.

Cincinnati, though, has a true downtown, where you actually feel like you are downtown, rather than a bunch of high rises surrouned by parking lots, as in Dayton (which has a very empty-feeling downtown). Cincy also has the hills, and some of the neighborhoods on the hills are pretty fantastic, such as Mnt Adams and points east. Tusculum actually reminds me a big of Sausalito, in the Bay Area.

One of the things I like about Dayton is that if you want to go out and do a pub crawl and listen to some live local music, thats easy to do as most of these venues are downtown or in the next-door Oregon neighborhood, so one can walk from place to place pretty easily sampling whats playing (Dayton has a pretty lively local music scene, too). In Cincy this live-music scene seems pretty spread out.

Both citys have the full complement of arts things..orchestra, symphony, opera, ballet. Dayton has a bit more on the modern dance and live theatre side (believe it or not...). Cincy has more gallerys and museums.

Big city festivals: Cincy its the Oktoberfest. Dayton its the Cityfolk Festival and the Celtic Festival

Cincinatti has better bookstores, including two very good used bookstores: Duttenhoffers and Ohio Bookstore.

Dayton has good outdoor recreation, with the bikepath system leading out into the countryside, and the nature reserves surrounding the city.

[JefferyT]

Dayton can laugh at itself, doesn't take itself so seriously (could you imagine Dayton residents making a big flap over, say, winged cash registers in a downtown park? Heck, no, they'd probably be naming them!).

Hah..too true! Dayton is pretty laid-back, really.

[dayton_ohio]

We chose to live in Dayton over Cincinnati (specifically, northern Cincinnati... Mason, West Chester, Lebanon).

For us, we could buy an older house in Dayton (specifically in Oakwood) in the $300-400 price range that would cost $500-700 in the desirable parts of Cincinnati (Mt Lookout, Hyde Park)... and we get some of the best schools in Ohio. In some other suburbs, Dayton prices are less favorable.

Dayton traffic can be better or worse depending on where you live (Centerville and the Dayton mall area are terrible). Dayton has less to do and less variety, but it feels more like a small town. It's easier to get involved in Dayton (like volunteering and such) and feel like you are part of a community.

It's all what you want. If you want a nice suburban experience, take your pick of West Chester, Mason, Springboro, and Centerville (up the I-75) corridor. If you want an older house with great schools, choose Wyoming or Mariemont in Cincinnati or Oakwood in Dayton. If you want a real downtown living experience... move to Chicago or New York.

[amymcf]

i find cincinnati to be more conservative than dayton, however certainly much more to do there. i live in dayton and although i don't prefer either city (moved here for husband's job), i would choose dayton over cincinnati anytime.