Anxious Brit moving to Dayton - advice, please. (Columbus, Kettering: extended stay, real estate market)

[malachai23]

Everyone's neighborhood/suburb suggestions are great. Don't worry - there are plenty nice neighborhoods and suburbs to choose from in the Dayton area. I live in the city of Dayton (not the suburbs) and I can assure you I feel perfectly safe in my nice quiet neighborhood and nobody has bars on their windows and doors! It is true that Dayton's alarming crime statistics mostly result from isolated crime areas west of the river and in certain areas near downtown (check police crime maps/statistics). Dayton is by no means a war zone. And don't worry about the tornado statistics either - as far as I know (someone correct me if I'm wrong) a tornado has never hit Dayton proper. They seem to be attracted to Xenia though. We get plenty of "tornado warnings" throughout the year, but they are just that - warnings. It just means the conditions could be favorable for a tornado and just keep an eye on the sky. It really is nothing to fret over. You will be just fine and hopefully you will have a stress-free move and a lovely time once you get here. If you like gardening, be sure to visit the Cox Arboretum. It is fabulous!

[Crew Chief]

Welcome to WPAFB and Ohio, Ellyagnes! We do hope you two enjoy your time here! IMHO, especially considering our soft housing market, I'd definitely rent instead of buying a house if you're only going to be here 2-3 years. Most of the real estate advice I've seen suggests that buying a home is only worth it if you're going to be in it for 5+ years.

All of the areas mentioned are decent, IMHO. Yhere's only certain parts of Dayton proper that I'd never consider living in. One thing to consider: Townships don't tax your income while cities do. (Townships make up the difference by charging higher property taxes...)

[pear2apple]

Everyone gave good suggestions I think. I lived in Kettering, pretty much on the border of some sketchy streets, but it was still a safe area. But too far away from you. Beavercreek is your best bet I think. I know next to the Fairfield mall there are some really nice townhouses, anyone know the area I am talking about? I couldn't tell you the neighborhood names, but they are almost "luxury", I have a few friends living there.

No bars on the windows anywhere but downtown, and thats only in shops and don't worry, you won't be shopping there! Tornadoes as far as I know, only touch down in Xenia, so I wouldn't try to go there.

Theres a nice trail that runs from Xenia all the way in to Dayton, by the Miami River. I know it runs through Beavercreek, I used to ride my bike along there. A great way to exercise and see the area.

Yellow Springs is really cool, a fun area, lots going on, kinda hippy like though. Very in to nature, I really liked visiting there. In the summer they typically have a few festivals that are always fun.

[wrightflyer]

The neighborhoods are The Reserves of Beavercreek, The Willows, and Royal Gateway, all lined between Grange Hall Road and N. Faifield Road on Pentagon Blvd. There's a few more but I can't remember them. I'll post them later if I can remember.

[ianewk]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

...They are both about 5-12 miles (3-7 kilometers) from the base depending on where in the community you live and where on the base you work.

Not to be a smart-pants, but 5-12 miles = 8-19km. But our Brit friends use the um...."English" system of measures, not metric.

On the topic itself. My wife and I are both at WPAFB. I'm at Area B and she's at the Hospital.

We just moved here and bought a place in West Kettering (on Blossom Heath Road) by Far Hills and Dorothy Lane. So far we're loving the area. Although I have a lot of elderly neighbors. Which can be good or bad...don't know quite yet.

Having just recently done the property search thing...there are a lot of options and a lot of good info here. Just take your time and go see a lot of neighborhoods. I have an EXCELLENT realtor if you're interested. Just PM me.

[Daytonnatian]

As for your comments on crime, ellyagnes....

Our suburbs are definitely some of the safest communities are some of the safest you'll find in the country, and even our downtown and inner-city areas are much better than places like Florida or South Texas where a gated community IS a requirement for safety reasons. Poverty and crime are minimal, and generally anything around the base is great.

So, good luck, and I hope you enjoy the Gem City and its environs!

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by ianewk

Not to be a smart-pants, but 5-12 miles = 8-19km. But our Brit friends use the um...."English" system of measures, not metric.

WHOOPS!

Nice catch. Those numbers looked wrong to me when I calculated them. Oh well. Shows you the level of mathematics in the US today.

Just curious now, if Brits don't use kilometers to measure long distances, what do they use cause I'm pretty sure it isn't miles? But I could be wrong (again!).

[ianewk]

It actually is miles. They just drive on the wrong side of the road.

Of course, if you ask them, they'll say we're the ones who have it backwards.

To really confuse things. Liquid goods are sold in pints, liters and milliliters, height is in feet and inches, weight is typically measured in stones and the temperature is typically measured in celcius.

[ellyagnes]

Dear All,
Your comments and advice are all most gratefully received! You are all very kind indeed, and have helped alleviate the qualms a bit...apart from the person who mentioned tornado warnings all the time and they touch down in Xenia. I suppose there are bears too...and earthquakes? Yikes. The thought of sheep nearby is very calming, somehow.

Re:British units of measurement - rods, perches and chains - none of that metric nonsense. Only joking - no, we hang on to miles, but gas and food is purchased in metric, and we use metric for temperature unless it gets hot, then we (informally) resort to Fahrenheit like you.

When we arrive we'll have our animals - does anyone know if there are hotels that accept pets until we find a house? We couldn't possibly kennel them after the trip, which will be traumatic enough.

Thank you all again!

[Ohioan58]

Greetings, Ellyagnes:

I have been a lifelong Dayton resident but spent about 10 years moving around the US during my youth, so I have an appreciation for what makes the Dayton area unique and different.

"Physical" hazards such as crime or wildlife will generally be less than in most large US metropolitan areas. Dayton itself has a terrible reputation but that is limited to a few hot spots in the city.

You mentioned bears: the wildlife in Ohio is mostly small game animals that don't like human presence. Deer are quite common and actually they represent the greatest physical hazard from wildlife that you will face regionally, but that threat is limited to driving. They do cause lots of accidents (I have killed two deer while driving.) No large predators to speak of that threaten humans - but coyotes are fairly common in SW Ohio and will kill unattended pets. No bears in SW Ohio, and other common small game includes squirrels, possums, raccoons, groundhogs, and fox.

The single greatest hurdle to your relocating to Dayton is the extremely provincial attitude of the residents of most of the area. You will, without a doubt, run into a few morons who will hear your accent and will immediately make a prejudgement of your character or intentions. In general, people in Dayton and Cincinnati tend to form self protective cliques that intentionally exclude newcomers. I also call it local xenophobia, the fear of the different itself.

There are exceptions to this: college students and younger residents will usually be more open minded. And employees of the very few large technology companies locally like Lexis-Nexus and WPAFB employees and stationed military will usually be more cognizant that there is a big world out there that they "have" to accept. IE, these are two large institutions that import people from other parts of the country.

Most residents here grow up and stay here are are quite thick headed in their rejection of the unusual, different or avante-garde.

This is where cliques come into play. Open minded people around the Dayton area tend to eventually find other open minded people and they tend to form very tight friendships out of self protection. Extend that to intellectuals, book lovers, liberals, progressives, etc.

I just have to say that considering that I grew up in Dayton, and then moved away for ten years, moving back here was an extremely negative experience due to the local Van Allen belt of stupidity, asocialbility and closed minded thinking.

I truly wish you well. Being happy in the Dayton area is mainly a product of finding a comfortable social niche, and it's not a very welcoming area.