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I thought I would pose this question. I for one have lived all over the country. Personally, I never thought I would do a whole lot more than rent since most big city inner core's are really expensive and the idea of getting a multi-year mortgage on a tract home in some sprawling, white picketed suburb never appealed to me. (yes I'm opiniated, no I am not slamming suburbia - it has it's own merits. )
One of the reason I choose to live in Dayton is because I love the homes and neighborhoods. From Oregon, to Wright Dunbar, to Saint Annes Hill to South Park, to all over. Dayton's neighborhoods are diverse and offer many, many styles of architecture and craftsmanship. And did I mention how affordable things are.
I paid cash for a foreclosed crack house and renovated it to mine and my wife's liking. There are not too many places out there that I can live in the inner city and own a very nice home in a decent enough neighborhood and pay cash for a largish two story home with full basement and walk up attic...yahoo! And let me tell you the renovations were from top to bottom. We salvaged what could be reused and trashed the rest. New kitchen, bathroom, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. I own a new home that was built in 1910.
I live in Dayton's suburbs, Beavercreek to be exact, because my parents live there. However, they chose this place because my brother and I were going to attend public schools (they are too frugal to pay for private ones) and they wanted a decent district. Now, this move was before all the state report cards came into being, so I don't know if Beavercreek was considered "excellent" at the time or if it grew into that spot over my years there.
Also, they loved how affordable everything was. Coming from metro DC as a young family, being able to afford a decent 2100sqft ranch built in the 60's for a little over 100K was a dream. At the time, 150K in Dale City, VA (20 miles or 2 hours in rush hour traffic from downtown DC) got you a little 1500sqft cookie-cutter cape cod with no garage, though it was new. Today, Dale City is a far cry from the young families that lived there in the 80's, in part because it's some of the cheaper housing "close in" to DC and its edge cities.
Commutting was yet another factor. Being able to be at work in 20-30 minutes was unheard of and allowed them to watch our soccer games and band competitions as opposed to sitting in traffic all evening.
Now that I live in Columbus and Beavercreek, I find I have a unique perspective into what urban and suburban living is like. Personally, I would choose to live in a larger city than Dayton for a long list of personal reasons, but if I had no kids, wanted a home with character (which I do), and had a decent job in the area, I'd choose South Park, Oregon, or maybe Oakwood. I've done the tract suburbs and would love to get out and experience and explore new environments.
I thought I would pose this question. I for one have lived all over the country. Personally, I never thought I would do a whole lot more than rent since most big city inner core's are really expensive and the idea of getting a multi-year mortgage on a tract home in some sprawling, white picketed suburb never appealed to me. (yes I'm opiniated, no I am not slamming suburbia - it has it's own merits. )
One of the reason I choose to live in Dayton is because I love the homes and neighborhoods. From Oregon, to Wright Dunbar, to Saint Annes Hill to South Park, to all over. Dayton's neighborhoods are diverse and offer many, many styles of architecture and craftsmanship. And did I mention how affordable things are.
I paid cash for a foreclosed crack house and renovated it to mine and my wife's liking. There are not too many places out there that I can live in the inner city and own a very nice home in a decent enough neighborhood and pay cash for a largish two story home with full basement and walk up attic...yahoo! And let me tell you the renovations were from top to bottom. We salvaged what could be reused and trashed the rest. New kitchen, bathroom, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. I own a new home that was built in 1910.
Whats your story?
Awesome story! I am giving you rep points for that. I live in the suburbs because I moved here from Philly getting a job with Caresource in Downtown Dayton. I love what Dayton has to offer not only downtown, but throughout the city. It has a dense downtown, great skyline, and the parks along the river are great to go and eat lunch at, take a jog, or ride the bike. Theres so many awesome neighborhoods, and the diversity in the architecture is great as well. Good for you for getting what sounds like an awesome home.
Beavercreek is a great suburb, very livable, and everyone that I know of that lives here or recently moved here loves it, but I am one of those city lovers. Me and the wife are looking to move down to Cincinnati as both her and I have job possibilities down there. If I end up moving to Cincinnati I plan to live in the city. I can't even begin to tell you what is happening in Over-The-Rhine is hard to find anywhere else in this country. And not to mention the lofts in OTR looks great!
So far, I have found my new move to here in Dayton to be a very good one. I love the area, all that it has to offer for a smaller metro area, and the people. This area truly is very livable.
Awesome story! I am giving you rep points for that.
Thanks!
Cincinnati has me intrigued for a variety of reasons. Long term, I would say that there is a possibility that I would move there. I would love to hear more about OTR and how things have bounced back since the riots. I understand "gentrification" was well under way and after the riots it got stifled, and many long time residents moved out making somewhat of a vacuum. You are welcome to direct message me links, etc.
I live in Dayton's suburbs, Beavercreek to be exact, because my parents live there.
Beavercreek is really nice. I grew up in central VA. Haven't lived there since the late 80's though. Northern VA is really densely populated now. I totally understand why your folks moved here. I can relate as well. Thanks for the post.
Beavercreek is nice because it inspired Dayton to bring back new urbanism through the Greene. Ever since the Greene was built the success that has accumilated from it has created a sense of confidence in the Dayton metro. Many of the suburbs are now reinvesting in their urban core. I know that Vandalia and Brookville both have plans on the table to recreate the downtown, suburban look into an urban village. Downtown Dayton has seen noticeable changes in the recent years. Streets are being made two-way, the highway is being fixed, the inner city neighborhoods are getting attention, and new businesses are finally going downtown along with new loft developments. I really hope this trend continues into the future.
I know that Vandalia and Brookville both have plans on the table to recreate the downtown, suburban look into an urban village.
This brings up a good point concerning Dayton's suburbs. Many of them, I.E. Miamisburg, Germanttown, Troy, etc, have very cool downtown areas. Cool meaning they are old style architecture with a cozy, yet urban feel to them. You even catch a slight flavor of this in Oakwood, although Oakwood definitely has a "mall" feel to it's business district on Far Hills. I digress.
I moved to Dayton for the sole reason that it is affordable! The first thing I did was buy a move-in ready historic house - *in* Dayton. I'm not going to say how old I am, LOL, but I *will* say that I'm way too old to say this is my first house ever. I came from the West Coast, where the dream of home ownership for me was something I stopped dreaming about as a teen ager. It is just not possible for a single person making my salary to own one out there. Not even a fixer-upper. I have never been one to enjoy the suburbs and I have never lived in a suburb. And hopefully I never will! I realize some people are drawn to the 'burbs for various reasons and that's cool. Different strokes for different folks. I actually choose to live in the city and commute to the 'burbs.
I like the vibe of a city better than a 'burb - I'm just not so much into newer construction, chain stores and restaurants, and the family-friendly lifestyle. I like the historical aspect of the city - however another poster noted that there are communities such as Oakwood and Miamisburg that are also historic and aren't miles and miles of ranch houses and strip malls. I actually did consider those communities as well but Dayton was more affordable.
My time here in Dayton has been for the most part enjoyable. There are some issues I have with it, but where is there a place where one would not have issues? There isn't one. However duty calls and I must go home soon and back to renting. <sigh> Dayton may not be Portland or Seattle, but it is a decent city and in my opinion it is very underappreciated and often overlooked. I will look back fondly upon it and the short time I was lucky enough to be able to get a taste of the "American Dream".
However duty calls and I must go home soon and back to renting. <sigh> Dayton may not be Portland or Seattle, but it is a decent city and in my opinion it is very underappreciated and often overlooked. I will look back fondly upon it and the short time I was lucky enough to be able to get a taste of the "American Dream".
Dayton needs more folks like you to help other's appreciate what we do have that is positive, and I whole heatedly agree, over looked and under-appreciated.
Sorry to hear you will be leaving soon. I hope things are well and that your move back west will be prosperous.
As I've mentioned a million times here and elsewhere - I am originally from Chicago and lived in St. Petersburg/St. Pete Beach for 6 years before moving to Dayton. To me, Dayton is a small city that has many big city-type things without the big city hassles. There are many great things about Dayton that unfortunately go unappreciated by many who have lived here much longer than me. But it is also much more....
While the comparisons are not quite the same, I was in Chicago in the early 90's when neighborhoods north AND south of the loop went from being places you would never want to be in (especially at night) to awesome neighborhoods high in demand - almost overnight. The same happened in Downtown St. Petersburg when I lived there. Having experienced these transitions first hand has probably made me realize more than most that these transformations are definitely possible.
What really keeps me here is the fact that I am involved with several initiatives and working with totally awesome people on very exciting things at a grassroots level - things that can (and will) completely transform this place. Because some of these things have been high-profile (such as DaytonCREATE and the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan), I've connected with the people at all levels - from university presidents, county and city elected officials and managers, organization executive directors, city staff, community philanthropists and regular folks like me - all volunteering their time and resources to the cause. In the short time I've been involved I've seen transformations - not yet visible to the masses in the same ways I saw in my former cities but from an inside perspective as many influential people are now working together in ways never before seen. And the plans being made are both very exciting AND very feasible.
I really believe that Dayton's transformation is in the near future, though it still may be a ten year proposition (in addition to the many years that have passed). But even if it does take that long, as long as we are making progress and seeing things happen because of our efforts then I am here for the long haul. I understand why others end up leaving or wanting to leave - this can be a difficult city to believe in, especially if you're not fortunate enough to be involved in the kinds of things I mentioned. I realize that most people have jobs and families that are simply higher priority, and I don't blame them for that at all. I can say if I wasn't involved I too would have given up on Dayton long ago and probably moved back to Chicago. But right now despite the challenges here, I am very excited for Dayton’s future and there is no place I’d rather be.
Of course, come January and February don’t ask me because that is when I wonder why the hell I moved here from Florida!
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