Apartments near U Dayton (Kettering, Beavercreek: apartment complex, rentals, condo)

[llcat]

We're moving to OH over the summer and would like to know about good apartments/ townhouses for rent near the University of Dayton. We are looking for a child-friendly place, so having a playground on apt grounds or within walking dist really helps. And we are looking for a place preferably within a few miles of UD and safe (of course). Any ideas? Thanks!

[wrightflyer]

I'd try Oakwood. It's just south of campus over the Dayton city limits. There are some multi-family units there. It's extremly safe and child friendly. As for a playground, I know there is one at the rec center in Oakwood off of Patterson Road. That's the closest one to UD that I can think of. There are probably more around the city and definetly at the elementary school. If for some reason you can't find anything in Oakwood, I'd branch out further into Kettering, Beavercreek, and Centerville. That should keep you in safe, child-friendly areas with playgrounds that are only a few miles (5-10) from UD.

If you don't mind my asking, where exactly are you coming from?

[dayton_ohio]

Oakwood could be a good choice, if you want a duplex or a small house to rent. Oakwood doesn't have any large, modern apartment complexes.

In addition to Shafor Park on Patterson, there is Orchardly Park, which is closer to Kettering. Homes for rent in Kettering would be cheaper. You also could look for a rental duplex/quad near downtown Oakwood, which would put you in walking distance to a grocery, barber shop, bank, drug store, etc. and still be in walking distance to a couple of park areas.

[llcat]

Thanks!
We are coming from CT. We did take a look at the usual apt rental websites (rent.com, apartments.com) but couldn't find anything in Oakwood (which makes sense after what dayton_ohio wrote). Also finding it hard to find homes for rent in Oakwood.
Hmm. We'll try Kettering.

[Ohioan58]

You may want to use Google or MS Live maps to get a feel for nearby facilities like parks and shopping and general walkability. A few years ago I looked for an apartment for a family member in the near-Oakwood apartment areas of Patterson Park (what is called Shafor Park above.) What I found is that even in-town areas are not very walkable - you may be a couple of miles from a park or a shopping center. Paradoxically, some of these areas (I mean specifically the area around Shroyer Rd in Oakwood & Dayton where there are tons of postwar 4 unit red brick apartment buildings) are quite isolating unless you have a car. There's this stereotype that cities are dense with walkable services and suburbs aren't, but around Dayton the middle class flight from the city core has made this much less consistently true.

Oakwood has very few apartments. There is at least one condo complex on Far Hills Ave - I saw a 1 BR unit there going for $42K a few months ago. But Oakwood is one of the more expensive suburbs, actually.

There is an apartment complex in Centerville called Revere Village that is walkable near all major daily shopping and services, and right next door to a exceptionally nice city park. Rent is around $500 for 1 BR. This is a suburb and is about 10 miles out from UD, but it is the best situation for a pedestrian that I have found in the Miami Valley. Personally, I think this is the best bet for a small family with children needing temporary housing.

[prfcttimeofday]

The key to finding a place in Oakwood to rent, is to just drive or walk around the neighborhood, which is pretty easy to do on the East side. As someone who lives here, I can tell you there a LOTS of doubles/houses/apartments to rent in Oakwood, but you probably won't find them on the internet. Most of the time, there's a small homemade sign out in the yard with a # to call for renting options.

[dayton_ohio]

You also can check the Oakwood Register for a few listings, or go to the local MLS site (dayton.rapmls.com) to check for rentals. A realtor also could help.

Kettering is a huge, diverse area. Probably 75% of Oakwood is walkable to something worth walking to, and parts of Kettering are more walkable than parts of Oakwood. However, a lot of Kettering is also not very walkable, as another poster said. You can check of a rough estimate of walkability at walkscore.com.

This is nitpicky, but Patterson Park and Shafor Park are two different parks. Patterson Park is at the corner of Patterson and Shroyer and is surrounded by apartments. Shafor Park is in Oakwood on the corner of Patterson and Shafor.

[Daytonnatian]

Suprised this wasn't mentioned already, but try the Dayton towers. I think they are about 5-10 minutes from UD by car, and Bomberger park is right across the street. Might be booked, though, since the complex has a 99% occupancy rate. Anyways, here's a DDN article about it. Also, Oakwood is a good suggestion.

$5.4M upgrades keep Dayton Towers booked

[tgasper]

South Park is home to many UD faculty & staff, most of whom walk to UD. It has 5 parks and won a national neighborhood of the year award last year. It's a very diverse neighborhood culturally, socio economically and architecturally with houses ranging from 600 sq ft quaint cottages to 5000 sq ft Grand Victorians and everything in between. Check out www.historicsouthpark.org or www.fullcircledayton.com for more info.

[Pene Miller]

My husband and I own both Wilmington House and Roscommon Place, two apartment communities located in Dayton's Patterson Park neighborhood. This area is only 1 mile from UD and borders Kettering and Oakwood, but is within the Dayton city limits and satisfies the city's residency requirements. Our property backs up to Horace Mann Elementary School, which opened in 2008 and serves grades K-8. Several of our present tenants have children there, and the playground area can be used when school is not in session, too. You can find more information on this at our website www.RoscommonRealty.com. I also have links there to other Dayton attractions. You might especially like the Dayton Metroparks website. This group of parks is one of Dayton's lesser-known treasures, with acres of space to explore and tons of (often free) activities! Of course it goes without saying that I'd love to talk with you about renting, but if we don't have what you are looking for now, you might still find something at one of the other communities here in Patterson Park and the website info is available to anyone so please take a look. I hope you'll find it helpful!