Diversity in Oakwood, ohio (Dayton, Kettering: buying a home, neighborhoods, buying)

[nae31]

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are considering buying a home in Oakwood, ohio because we love the neighborhood. We are an african american family with 3 children and are wondering about the diversity in oakwood. Are there many african american or other race families in oakwood? Are the schools at all diverse? Would my family and kids be welcomed and feel comfortable? And if not, are there any more areas that have the same neighborhood feeling? Any help would be appreciated!

nae31

[dayton_ohio]

There is basically no diversity in Oakwood -- some Asians, a few African Americans, a few Indians. You may or may not feel welcome, as it depends how you will handle living with almost all upper middle class white people. It's unlikely that you would experience overt racism.

Parts of Kettering have a similar feel. A lot of people like Yellow Springs. Centerville, Springboro, and Beavercreek have nice suburban neighborhoods. Parts of Dayton proper have cool neighborhoods, but you'd want to send your kids to private school (Dayton public is not good).

[Daytonnatian]

^Since Oakwood is now kind of being treated as "Dayton's urban oasis of wealth", being one of the only truly urban-ish areas without typical urban issues, I would assume there's more diversity, but I'm not sure. The person the check with is Jeffery, since he has extensive knowledge about the area. Might want to try and contact him at Daytonology, though, to get a faster response.

[MamaShay87]

I am a black woman who has lived in Dayton Suburbs my entire life...and I can safely say that Oakwood is not a town that you would really want to live in. You would not experience overt racsim as long as you have money to keep up with the lifetstyle that comes with Oakwood. Same thing can be said about Centerville. Oakwood does have an exclusive neighborhood feel with pretty scenery, but there are other surrounding suburbs that do as well. First choice would be either Kettering or Centerville. I have lived in both and also attended their schools. Centerville is more of an upper middle class town, with really pretty areas and great schools. If you have any children that are especially into sports, like football, then Centerville is the place for you! Not only are their schools great but they have amazing sports programs...they have three football players that are now playing in the NFL. They get noticed.

Kettering is right by Centerville. They also have really good schools and pretty neighborhoods...they are not as upscale or exclusive as Centerville but still very nice. The great thing about Kettering is that it is in the middle of montgomery county so you can get pretty much anywhere in the dayton area pretty fast. And they are a little more laid back than Centerville and Oakwood.

If I had to choose I would go with Centerville or Kettering. They are both pretty diverse, but they still have a white majority. Definitley do not send your kids to Dayton City schools...they have a long way to go. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to help you!

[MamaShay87]

Originally Posted by Daytonnatian

^Since Oakwood is now kind of being treated as "Dayton's urban oasis of wealth", being one of the only truly urban-ish areas without typical urban issues, I would assume there's more diversity, but I'm not sure. The person the check with is Jeffery, since he has extensive knowledge about the area. Might want to try and contact him at Daytonology, though, to get a faster response.

This is wrong...oakwood is the least diverse out of any dayton suburb.

[prfcttimeofday]

Originally Posted by MamaShay87

This is wrong...oakwood is the least diverse out of any dayton suburb.

Really? any factual evidence?

[dayton_ohio]

From City-Data's website for zip code 45419 (the Oakwood zip code):

White population: 14,908
Black population: 156
American Indian population: 36
Asian population: 149
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 3
Some other race population: 47
Two or more races population: 138

They have racial breakdowns for each zip code. It's easy to fact check.

With all due respect to Jeffrey, there are a number of us on the board who also are relatively familiar with Oakwood. It's not a diverse area at all.

[prfcttimeofday]

Originally Posted by dayton_ohio

From City-Data's website for zip code 45419 (the Oakwood zip code):

White population: 14,908
Black population: 156
American Indian population: 36
Asian population: 149
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 3
Some other race population: 47
Two or more races population: 138

They have racial breakdowns for each zip code. It's easy to fact check.

With all due respect to Jeffrey, there are a number of us on the board who also are relatively familiar with Oakwood. It's not a diverse area at all.

Looks like Tipp City is less diverse. . .it may be splitting hairs, but the original argument was that oakwood was the LEAST diverse city in the Dayton area. . .which is not true. Also, part of Oakwood is also in zip code 45409

Tipp City 45371:

White population: 16,846
Black population: 27
American Indian population: 35
Asian population: 108
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 1
Some other race population: 64
Two or more races population: 110

[MamaShay87]

OP...the point of this whole thing being that there are many beautiful parts of Dayton suburbs, Tipp City is not a Dayton suburb so don't worry about that one...just look around and see what you like!

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by prfcttimeofday

Looks like Tipp City is less diverse. . .it may be splitting hairs, but the original argument was that oakwood was the LEAST diverse city in the Dayton area. . .which is not true. Also, part of Oakwood is also in zip code 45409

Tipp City 45371:

White population: 16,846
Black population: 27
American Indian population: 35
Asian population: 108
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 1
Some other race population: 64
Two or more races population: 110

lol you're trying to hard...