Not nearly the hellhole I expected (Columbus, Cleveland: apartments, rent, lofts)

[gma221]

My boyfriend was recently assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB and moved to Dayton from south Texas. We are both native Texans, but I had been living in NYC for the past six years, so I had major reservations about relocating to a comparatively small city in the Midwest. I was especially nervous after reading some of the less than glittering reviews on this forum!

Well, I arrived last week, and I must say, it ain't half bad! Some of the posters here seem especially negative about the downtown area, but I am loving St. Anne's Hill. We are renting a beautifully restored 2400 square-foot Victorian home for less than a third of what I paid for my 700 square-foot studio apartment in Manhattan(!). Our street is quaint, quiet, and well kept, and there's a fairly active neighborhood association here (they even left us a welcome package on our porch). We are in our mid-20s, so we love being able to walk to the Oregon Arts District and the 2nd Street Public Market. And for things that aren't within walking distance, highway access is close-by and convenient.

I've driven around the downtown area quite a bit already, and yes, some places are pretty run-down, but I figure that's just city life. We don't have children, so schools aren't a concern, and we feel that having to drive by a few dilapidated buildings on the way home doesn't detract from our overall quality of life. So, I'd say to anyone out there who is moving to Dayton and is accustomed to life outside the 'burbs, please DO consider the lovely historic neighborhoods of downtown!

[gizmobizmo]

The historic areas are very nice. I have a friend who just moved recently from St. Annes to Colorado and was/is trying to sell their house.

Dayton and the surrounding areas have some nice things but it all depends on your perspective. I'm from the area so I was used to it. It really depends on what you want out of the area you live in. You could go on any citys forum and find dissenters. They are just in a place that isn't for them.

You are close to the Oregon District so make sure to go the the Halloween street party this year. Lots of fun.

[tribecavsbrowns]

People exaggerate the obvious problems of places like Dayton because they are frustrated they couldn't find a job and had to leave. You see the same thing in Cleveland. But a lot of the people who were able to get jobs in Dayton stayed in Dayton because they wanted to, and thus care about the community enough to support things like arts districts and public markets. I'm not surprised you've had a positive experience.

[Ohiogirl81]

No place is perfect, but Dayton does have many charms. Enjoy.

[MaryBeth2]

Everyone has their own opinion. I'm glad you are happy.

[Cleveland_Collector]

I'm glad you like Dayton. I do too. Yes, it has bad areas. I'd like someone to show me a bigger city that doesn't. The grass tends to be greener where you least expect it. Enjoy and welcome to Ohio.

[JefferyT]

St Annes Hill is a fascinating neighborhood. It has some some of the better older housing stock in the city. If you are still there for Christmas go to the Liederkranz/Turner club for their Christmas concert and little "market" . It's very sweet.

Some of the posters here seem especially negative about the downtown area

A lot of locals have a lot of negative cultural baggage about downtown and the older neighborhoods, so it takes a newcomer like yourself to appreciate the place. The ring of historic districts around downtown, most of them, are a good option of young adults and young couples and empty nesters of various sorts.

[gma221]

Thanks for the suggestions about the Halloween and Christmas events! We'll definitely check them out.

[Beavercreek33]

Hello, and welcome to the Dayton Metro area!

A lot of people, no matter where you live will be extremely negative or be really upbeat about where they happen to reside.

Dayton is not a bad area at all to live. Every area, like you said, in a good sized city is going to have some run down areas. Its what you see in cities. Anyway, Dayton does have a very good skyline for a city of its size, and a dense one at that.

Shopping in the Dayton area is very good, and we are not far from two very progressive cities like Cincinnati and Columbus which are fairly larger if you need that "bigger" city life.

So do you live in a converted loft downtown?

Enjoy your time here in Dayton.

[gma221]

Originally Posted by Beavercreek33

So do you live in a converted loft downtown?

Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for the welcome. We considered some of the downtown lofts, but we ended up renting a turn-of-the-century Victorian house. It's a lot more space than we need, but I fell in love with the house the instant I saw it. My mom is an antiques dealer, so I'm a sucker for anything old-timey. Plus, the rent is actually cheaper than some of the apartments we looked at.