North Dayton 'Burbs??? (Kettering, Fairfield, Huber Heights: apartments, rentals, crime)

[Liz17860]

I've seen a lot of postings on the burbs south of dayton, but I'm thinking I would prefer to be north/ northwest/ northeast from a map standpoint (closer to Michigan).. I'm considering a position at the Dayton VA Hospital, so it would be nice to be close to one of the main drags that runs down there, but I don't want to live downtown. I'm 24, and we have dogs, so I'd like to find a place that's got a yard and is close to mall type drags with restaurants and mainstream stores... We want to rent until we are comfortable with the area... Prefer to privately rent, so if you know anyone, that'd be great, but neighborhood advice is also very welcome.

Thanks!

[aquila]

Well, living north of downtown effectively means your most direct route to DayVA would be I-75. North of the hospital you basically have Trotwood, which isn't what I would consider "closer to Michigan". Truth be told, you're not really going to feel as if you are somewhat on your way north out of town until you get past Vandalia and Tipp City. But Michigan's a long way up the interstate, so I really don't see anyplace in Dayton qualifying as being closer to it. You could try Troy, but you might not like the commute. Huber Heights would probably work for you.

[firefightermom]

Your best bet would be to stick to the I-75 corridor. Vandalia, Butler Township, Tipp City, Troy...going further north will put you further away from work though. The only one that has significant shopping would be Troy. People in Vandalia do most shopping in Huber Heights, which has tons of shopping, or Englewood which are both off of I-70 near the I-75 interchange. They all have a selection of fast food and other type restaurants.
Traffic is also much less north of Dayton and you can get more house for your money, too.

[Daytonnatian]

Personally, I live on the north side, and I would say you should move to Dayton CBD (It actually is nice and convenient to live downtown... I think you'll be pleasently suprised), Patterson Park or South Park, Riverside, or Beavercreek. You'll be right off 35 to take you to the VA, and you got Beavercreek and the awesome Mall at Fairfield Commons in a short distance to the east. The northside's not bad but it's also not wonderful by any means. The glitz is to the south and East.

Also, Olde Town Trotwood is actually not bad, especially if you are a minority, and very walkable. You als would have what's left of Salem right up the street, which is some nice stuff like Best Buy, Sears, Target, Office Depot, etc. Of course, you would have to drive there.

[JefferyT]

Old Town Trotwood actually is the part of Trotwood with the most white people....or it's integrated. For Trotwood the minority (AKA "black people") concentrations are in the subdivisions. The blacks who live in Trotwood are for the most part middle class suburbanites so the cultural stereotypes about blacks=crime don't really apply. These plats are equal to what youd find in Kettering of the same vintage: 1960s and 1970s style housing with a few newer places and a lot of large lot ribbon development along country roads.

@@@@

considering a position at the Dayton VA Hospital, so it would be nice to be close to one of the main drags that runs down there, but I don't want to live downtown. I'm 24, and we have dogs, so I'd like to find a place that's got a yard and is close to mall type drags with restaurants and mainstream stores..

You wont' be able to get what you want. There is no mall shopping north of Dayton. There are big box stores and large strip centers but no mall shopping and related mall development.

The closest you will find is the Troy Pike/I-70 area in Huber Heights. Another area that is starting to develop is Miller Lane in Butler Township, just south of Vandalia along I-75. This area has a lot of restaurants.

There are also areas in Englewood (I-70 and OH 48/US 40) and a bit further east in Clayton. And as someone mentioned the Salem/Shiloh Springs intersection in Trotwood, which has a cluster of big boxes (Target, K-Mart, Home Depot, and Sears) and a strip center.

I agree with the poster that said Vandalia and Butler Township is a good choice. I don't know about house rentals there, though (I assume there are some). I would also suggest Englewood and Clayton as they are closer to the VA (via surface street) and you can quickly reach I-75 via I-70 to go back to Michigan. And I understand the desire...one of the reasons I chose "south" is so I can be closer to Kentucky.

[Buzzweiser]

Englewood might surprise you. Not really close to a mall but everything is readily available. Also a country route is available that can take you almost anywhere you may want to go into Dayton. Union Rd. We use Union rd when going to Englewood from here in Centerville. Every few miles is a cross road that leads into West Dayton where the VA Hosp. is located.

[nickolaseposter]

Your best bet is Vandalia-Butler. I'm not coming from a biased point-of-view either. Vandalia-Butler is central in north Dayton so you have an easy five to ten minute commute to wherever you want to go. just about ten minutes north of downtown. Lots of diverse rentable apartments. Best schools of the north. Like several have, Miller Lane is booming, thats along I-75. Both I-70 and I-75 and the Airport Acces Road are in Vandalia-Butler. Alot of the other communities are losing stores while vandalia-butler is seeign growth and ACTUALLY there are talks of a mall being placed in Vandalia near peters Pike very soon! thats you best bet for travel, for commercial, for community, and for location!