Anxious Brit moving to Dayton - advice, please. (Columbus, Cincinnati: real estate, apartment complexes)

[ellyagnes]

We're relocating from quiet, rural England to Dayton (WPAFB), for 2-3 years, probably.

Have found posts re: neighborhoods helpful as crime stats are truly alarming. (As are reports of tornadoes on Wikipedia.)

We're 50, childless, with pets, and love gardening, art museums and wildlife and aren't party types.

Can anyone recommend a very safe neighborhood very close to base?

Can anyone estimate how long a commute from Yellow Springs would be (sounds a nice place).

Are there many rental properties in safe neighborhoods? Does one have to live in a gated community to feel safer? Do you have door and window bars?

Hoping for more reassurance, I'm departing homeland reluctantly as it is .

Thanks in anticipation.

[JefferyT]

Some of this depends on what part of the base you live in. Yellow Springs is a very good bet but it is farther from Wright Field (Area B) than Patterson Field (Areas A and C). The drive is probably 15 minutes (I should time this). If you are a nature lover Yellow Springs is very nice as it has a large nature preserve system directly to the east (Glen Helen and John Bryan State Park). A system of walking trails takes you from Yellow Springs though Glen Helen into John Bryan, which encompasses the Clifton Gorge of the Little Miami River. You then follow the gorge to Clifton Mill in the village of Clifton, where you can have a light lunch before the return walk.

Yellow Springs is also on a "rail-trail" bike trail built on a disused railway line. If you are a cyclist the trail can take you into the county seat of Xenia and the city of Springfield.

A safe area very close to the base would be Beavercreek and the Quail Hollow area (which is technically within Dayton city limits but has a lot of Dayton police living there). Fairborn is pretty safe too. If you like an older area (dating to the times before and during WWII) that is walkable the older areas of Fairborn are nice, though a bit working class.

There is only one large art museum, the Dayton Art Institute. There is a smaller museum in Springfield. Further afield (about an hours drive) Columbus and Cincinnati have a lot of museums.

There are very few gated communities in this part of Ohio. The ones that exist are more for status symbols than actual crime prevention as high crime levels here is pretty much confined to high poverty inner city areas.

[destintilelady]

Ok first of all yellow springs is out that's too far. I know the area that you are moving into very well and I have worked at WPAFB for many years. The downtown Dayton and North of Dayton is out. Beavercreek is where you want to be period. Are you planning on renting or buying? Centerville is also a nice place and so is Bellbrook and Spring Valley.

It’s a good thing I am no longer a real estate agent or I wouldn't be able to tell you this. You should think about buying since you are going to be there for hopefully three years. You should be able to get a nice house for a good price and be able to sell it in three years (BEAVERCREEK).

If you don't want to buy and I understand if you don't. There are some new apartment complexes in Beavercreek you should check into. I would try to get an apartment at The Greens in Beavercreek or near there, they are a little pricey but worth it. You realize unless you are buying you will be paying a pet deposit. Not a big deal just wanted to mention it.

If you need a real estate agent to help you I can refer one to you. As for those gated communities I can't off the top of my head think of but two in the entire area and those gates are just for show you know the rich and famous (golf course).

Stay on track with the above areas and you and your wife will be just fine. Good luck, If I can help you just private message me or post. I am currently in Destin Florida going back and forth to Austin, Texas

[djphrenzy]

Depending on exactly what you're looking for...

Centerville might be a nice consideration. It's a pleasant,friendly, All-American suburb that's mostly upper-middle class. This is where I live and its quiet and essentially free from crime.

Centerville will be about 15 minutes from wright patt.

My only complaint about Centerville is high property taxes. You could alleviate this by looking for homes in washington township (essentially the area surrounding the city limits of Centerville).

Bellbrook is next to centerville and would also offer a nice quiet area not too far from base. It offers a slightly more rural and less suburban feel than Centerville.

There are plenty of low-crime suburbs to choose from, don't let Dayton's statistics fool you... those are mostly the areas concentrated directly east and west of downtown Dayton itself.

I definitely prefer the south side of town to the north-side, especially with respect to easy, quick access to Wright Patt via Interstate 675.

[wrightflyer]

Personally, I would think that Yellow Springs is about as far as Spring Valley is from the base. DaytonYellow Springs runs directly into Area A and C (Patterson Field) and has an exit for I-675 which takes you three exits down to the main entrance to Area B. Sorry if these directions are confusing. I find that Google Maps has one of the most up-to-date maps in the area.

Beavercreek, Forest Ridge (Quail Hollow), and Fairborn all border the base. Personally, I would chose Beavercreek over the other three if buying because resale there is a little better and the market there is still moving a tad. That is in part due to it being the closest excellent public school district to the base and having plenty of shopping within the city limits. Crime is almost non-existant and usually it's just dumb kids or domestic disputes. Personally, in the one time I've had to deal with the Beavercreek Police in my 19 years there, they were responsive and courteous.

If you are renting, I would recommend Quail Hollow/Forest Ridge in part because it is a safe neighborhood (despite the Dayton addresses) with plenty of rentals to chose from in the market. Also, a plus if you buy there is that the schools are usually Mad River or Huber Heights (both better the Dayton Public Schools), thus making resale a better bet. While Beavercreek has some rentals, it's usually apartments/townhomes, and the home rentals are usually expensive (because the homes are newer), thus you might as well buy there. Of course, if you are looking for an apartment/townhome, then Beavercreek has plenty with most residents being older folks or transient base workers that will come for a year or two.

I will recommend Fairborn with a word of caution. There are nice areas to Fairborn, but its crime rate is a bit higher then the other two communities I mentioned. I would consult with a local realtor to get specific data and don't be afraid to ask neighbors what the community feels like during the day and night.

Bellbrook and Kettering are the next closest suburbs to the base going to the south and east. The Kettering closer to the base is more older post WWII housing boom homes built in the 50's and 60's. Most of its residents are middle class with a sprinkling of working class families in there. Their parks and recereation system is probably one of the best in the area (its a toss up between them and Centerville). 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.

Spring Valley, Centerville, and Washington Township are about 11-16 miles (6.5-9.5 Kilometers) and offer basically what Beavercreek has with the exception of Spring Valley. Spring Valley is mostly large tract lots with homes fairly spread out and no actual suburban developments. I persoanlly think its further then Yellow Springs and wouldn't fit as well unless you wanted a mini-farm. Centerville generally is the older housing (but very nice and well kept) section between it and Washington Township. So, if you want newer, generally, you would be farther out from the base and I-675. Also, traffic can be a bit of a pain at rush hour in certain areas of Washington Township and Centerville. It seems to be more of a problem there then in other suburbs in Dayton.

One final word. All of these places with the exception of maybe Fairborn, have very little crime. What they do share, again with the exception of Fairborn, is higher property taxes. That money goes mostly to the local public schools but also pays for things like police, fire, parks, and roads and sewer services. I tend to find that you get what you pay for, so with the higher property taxes usually comes better services and a nicer community environment.

I hope you find this information useful, and if you have any questions feel free to private message me. Even though you are leaving a place that you love, I do hope you will come to enjoy your move and stay in the Dayton region.

[JefferyT]

Personally, I would think that Yellow Springs is about as far as Spring Valley is from the base. DaytonYellow Springs runs directly into Area A and C (Patterson Field) and has an exit for I-675 which takes you three exits down to the main entrance to Area B. Sorry if these directions are confusing. I find that Google Maps has one of the most up-to-date maps in the area.

Spring Valley is farther. It's south-southeast of Xenia, on the other side of Xenia from the base. Good call on the interestate access to Area B.

I was thinking the Yellow Springs area would be nice for our newcomer since he mentioned nature preserves and was coming from a rural area in Europe (England) and might like a somewhat rural area with a nice quality of life but still close to the base and that might have rentals.

There is another area that is rural, to the north, that is close. Bethel Township in Miami County. There are base workers living in that area, too.

[dashreww]

Originally Posted by destintilelady

Ok first of all yellow springs is out that's too far. I know the area that you are moving into very well and I have worked at WPAFB for many years. The downtown Dayton and North of Dayton is out. Beavercreek is where you want to be period. Are you planning on renting or buying? Centerville is also a nice place and so is Bellbrook and Spring Valley.

It’s a good thing I am no longer a real estate agent or I wouldn't be able to tell you this. You should think about buying since you are going to be there for hopefully three years. You should be able to get a nice house for a good price and be able to sell it in three years (BEAVERCREEK).

If you don't want to buy and I understand if you don't. There are some new apartment complexes in Beavercreek you should check into. I would try to get an apartment at The Greens in Beavercreek or near there, they are a little pricey but worth it. You realize unless you are buying you will be paying a pet deposit. Not a big deal just wanted to mention it.

If you need a real estate agent to help you I can refer one to you. As for those gated communities I can't off the top of my head think of but two in the entire area and those gates are just for show you know the rich and famous (golf course).

Stay on track with the above areas and you and your wife will be just fine. Good luck, If I can help you just private message me or post. I am currently in Destin Florida going back and forth to Austin, Texas

Destintilelady,

How crazy it is to see someone else from Destin while reading a post about Dayton, OH. I grew up in Destin. My parents still live there and from what I understand the housing market there is in the tubes, so it's a good thing that you're no longer working as a realtor. As for north Dayton, I hope it's not that bad, at least the portion north of I70 doesn't seem that bad to me. That's where my family are going to be living for the next four years or so more. We really wanted to live in Beavercreek, but so many of the houses are overpriced hand me downs, at least in our price range. To us, it seemed as though you could find a nicer, newer home in Huber for so much less than you would in Beaver.

[JefferyT]

I hope she was saying "north was out" only because he wanted to live closer to the base.

[JYonder]

The nice thing about Greene County (where Beavercreek, Sugarcreek, Bellbrook, Fairborn, Xenia, and I believe even Yellow Springs are located) is that it LOTS of pockets of parks, woodlands, greenspace and even farms (YES, I kid you not - we have sheep and corn less than a mile away from our house and we're "in town" when it comes to B-Creek) nestled among the more traditional suburban neighborhoods and office/business/retail developments. If you want closer to more rural, I think Yellow Springs might be more up your alley than Beavercreek/Fairborn. Take advantage of Google Maps satellite photos or Microsoft Virtual Earth and plug in addresses of properties in which you're interested in ... you'll be able quickly to see if its urban/suburban, suburban, semi-rural or downright rural in the greenspace between the Greene County cities and towns. I live in Beavercreek and love it, but where I live is definitely not pastoral/out of the way. However, the east/southeast/northeast sections of Beavercreek in fact have some homes that sit on acreage or in neighborhoods with extra large lots and fewer homes that might be right up your alley -- up and down Beaver Valley Rd comes to mind but there is a lot of ground out there to cover. You may want to also consider MilitaryByOwner.Com esp. if you want rentals...the rental market here is not as active as around other military installations we've lived but there is a lot of rental activity on MBO. Armed Forces Housing Referral Network would also be a good place to look -- AHRN.com. You may have to register for an account before you can use it, but realtors/property managers actively list rentals there as well that might not turn up on nationwide sites. Yellow Springs definitely has a much quieter, small town feel although you may find it doesn't have all the conveniences you seek. Happy hunting!

[wrightflyer]

I actually like Huber Heights and think it has a lot going for it, espeically north of Interstate 70. There's the new Meijer and all the shopping near the Elder-Beerman and Kohls off 70. Many of the newer developments are up that way as well.

^Hey, I live off Beaver Valley (Hunter's Ridge) which is a large 500 home development with another 600-800 homes in two adjacent neighborhoods (Hunter's Point and Oakbrook Chase). But there are still plenty of homes, some well into the $500K-$1million range, on large lots along that road. They were going to turn part of Sebinthalers into a housing plat but that's on hold because of the national housing market. Beavercreek does seem to have a large amount of green space. Of course, the city and township combined consists of about 45,000-50,000 people in roughly 50 square miles. Most of those people live in the western half of the city/township closer in to Dayton.