Diversity in Oakwood, ohio

[prfcttimeofday]

Originally Posted by MamaShay87

Tipp City is not a Dayton suburb so don't worry about that one...just look around and see what you like!

It most certainly is. . .

To the original poster. . I think you would be very welcomed in Oakwood, the community is great and very safe with the best schools in the area along with being a very open-minded and tolerant community. Oakwood was the ONLY city in the Dayton area (sans Yellow Springs) to vote against the gay marriage ban in 2004. Good luck with your search!

[nae31]

Thanks for all of your comments. This information has been helpful and I am interested in continuing to hear what you have to say. What are the Centerville areas that have a similar feel to Oakwood? I've driven down Mad River and found that area to be very pretty. Our best bet will probably be to get a good realtor. Who is Jeffrey?

Nae31

[Daytonnatian]

LOL I live in 45371.... and I also forgot that this stuff was right on city-data

The reason why I suggested Jeffery is because he's done about 100 threads on the Dayton area, some of which have touched on Oakwood, including one where he analyzed voting trends in the Dayton area. I am suprised by the lack of diversity, I was always under the impression that there was more, but oh well. Thanks for posting the stats.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by prfcttimeofday

To the original poster. . I think you would be very welcomed in Oakwood, the community is great and very safe with the best schools in the area along with being a very open-minded and tolerant community. Oakwood was the ONLY city in the Dayton area (sans Yellow Springs) to vote against the gay marriage ban in 2004. Good luck with your search!

When I was at the University of Dayton, we would walk through Oakwood to head to a grocery store. Generally, we had NO problem. However, if we brought an African American student or an African student, the Oakwood police would stop us and make us show ID and all that garbage. That continued until we brought along one of the priests along from the University.

We never had that problem in East Dayton, Kettering, or any of the other nearby or adjoining communities.

I do not think that it is a community that is open and welcoming.

[tgasper]

If you're looking for diversity of culture, race and thinking you may do well to look at many of Dayton's historic districts, especially the Oregon District, South Park and St Anne's Hill. You'll find blacks, whites, latinos, middle eastern, gay & lesbian, tattooed, asian, lower, middle & upper class, professionals, artists, musicians, working class, etc. Of course, my personal favorite is South Park because I grew up there and have been working hard with others to revitalize the neighborhood. Our efforts have been successful as we won a national neighborhood of the year award in May of 2008 and this year another developer & I won the Neighborhood Project of the Year from CityWide Development. www.historicsouthpark.org or www.fullcircledayton.com

[cjmeck]

I would agree with the other poster who suggested that Oakwood is defnitely not diverse. But, I honestly cannot imagine you would experience any overt racism. Its a classy town. My husband and I are a transracial family since adopting our daughter (she is biracial-part african american) so I understand your need and desire to find a place that not only you feel safe, and welcomed, but also where you and your children will blend in. I agree with someone else suggesting Centerville. If you like Oakwood, you would like Centerville too. There are historic areas, there is suburbia with newer homes, ect... Its a very, very large area with many different types of neighborhoods but all, imho, are great. I grew up in Centerville and made the big mistake of buying our home in Bellbrook. While a beautiful community with excellent schools, it is about the least diverse place on earth. We bought before we adopted but now that we know better, we're also looking for more diversity for our daughter. Goodluck to you!

[Kyle_E_Woyote]

Hello nae31. I just read your post and I am a few months late in responding to you, but just in case you haven't decided where to move yet, I thought I'd just put in my observations. I lived in Washington Township and went to Centerville schools around 40 years ago from 5th grade to 9th grade (then my family moved to California). Back then there weren't any black people I can recall going to the Centerville schools. I can't recall any Asians either, but I think there were a few of hispanic descent. I can't even remember any black people going to the Kettering or Oakwood schools, though there may have been.
I recall there was alot of racism around where I lived. I would hear kids and neighbors talking sometimes, saying racist stuff. This was back in the mid to late 1960s, and when some rioting broke out in Dayton, I heard my little league coach say that he was ready to get out his guns, as if the rioting would spread to Centerville. When I questioned him about some of the things he would say about blacks, he would spill out all these sterotypes about black people, as if he were trying to educate me on things. That's how alot of kids become racists, from racist parents and adults. Even someone who acted as a "Big Brother" to one of my friends who lost his dad, was spouting out racist stuff as he drove us back after taking us to a Cincinnati Royals basketball game.
All this being said, a couple of years ago I wanted to come back to visit Centerville after being gone for 40 years. I was really impressed with the Centerville area. Alot of nice new neighborhoods, people kept their yards up great, alot of neighborhoods had lots of nice trees with alot of yardspace. Plenty of parks. That newer high school is fantastic and top notch. Very beautiful area.
It was also very refreshing to see now that Centerville has racial diversity. I saw Blacks and Asians walking in downtown Centerville. When I looked up Centerville on wikipedia it said about 3 percent Black and 3 percent Asian. A small number, but progress. When I went about Kettering and Oakwood, it seemed pretty much wall to wall salt, with just a very small tad of pepper. Less than Centerville.
My summation is this. Things were very segregated 40 years ago and if my old street was typical of the people back then, it was almost like the old south with their attitudes toward race in this area. These entrenched beliefs can take alot of time to root out. These are things you have to guard against and not let any snubbing get you down. Their old thoughts and ideas are crumbling like Rome, as there are alot of good, accepting people in these areas. Things have definitely improved, as I think our country as a whole is moving forward. I think you would benefit and enjoy living in either Centerville, Kettering or Oakwood. My best to you and your family whatever you decide.

[Daytonnatian]

Nice post, Kyle_E_Woyote.

Yeah, racial or sexual intolerance is really passe' in these parts, to be honest. Back in the day, though, it did exist because of "white flight". Now we know better (yes, I'm a straight cracker).

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by nickolaseposter

I sometimes think I'm the only person on here that talks about northern suburbs of dayton.... centerville, kettering (by the way...not centralized), oakwood, bellbrook, washington township, beavercreek...all south of town! Some of the nicer suburbs of the north are Vandalia, Butler Township, Clayton, and Tipp City. If you want to go even further up you could try Brookville, Troy, or even some parts of Springfield. I really think you would like the lifestyle the Vandalia-Butler area has to offer. Great schools. Actually, probablly one of the most diverse suburbs. I would say that there are quite a few African-American students at Butler High School. People are very friendly and the area is growing. Mostly newer and upper middleclass. Alot of new jobs sprouting up here and there but also alot of open land and parkspace. Just average, but affordable, nice, and quaint. Vandalia is a suburb that isn't here to boast, but it's not ugly or anything like that. It's just sort of it's own quiet placed. The traffic is also quite nice here and it is only fifteen minutes north of downtown Dayton. Good luck and welcome to the Dayton area.

There are nice areas all around Dayton, Nickolasposter. We get that you're a Vandalia-Butler booster. And that's fine. Just realize that there are many equally nice places to live in this area. And the purpose of this forum is to provide a thoughtful exchange of information, not run down other areas... This thread is actually about OAKWOOD, not other suburbs...