Most walkable neighborhood? (Dayton, Springfield, Kettering: salons, 2013, house)

[visant]

Thank you for your answers. Sounds like parts of Dayton proper and Oakwood fit the bill in terms of walkability. The historic houses in St. Anne's Hill and McPherson Town seem so beautiful, but safety is a major issue for me and it worries me that some say downtown is safe, others say it isn't. Are any of the historic districts near the section Billy from Dayton described?
Are there actual crime stats of those specific areas?
Also, how did Oakwood vote in the last elections? I'm just trying to get a feel for the place because on the outside it seems like what I'm looking for, but I'm worried about the inside, opinion seems to be divided there as well. Although I'm a moderate (at times left leaning republican, at times right leaning democrat) I guess I feel that if enough people voted for Obama, then it can't be too conservative. I already know its not liberal.
Oh! And how far is Tipp city from WPAFB? (I don't always trust google map times.)

[willabee]

Originally Posted by visant

The historic houses in St. Anne's Hill and McPherson Town seem so beautiful, but safety is a major issue for me and it worries me that some say downtown is safe, others say it isn't.

All of these areas are fine. People that say these are bad areas, including downtown, probably never go there.

[Daytonnatian]

1. Billy From Dayton described the Central Business District. Neither area is far away or high crime, but I would categorize St. Anne's Hill as being more walkable. I believe that we have had a couple posters floating around in the past from St. Anne's Hill; you might want to shoot them a PM. Both are historic districts.

2. I believe the main City-Data site has some crime statistics for those ZIP codes.

3. Jeffery recently did a very nice thread on voting trends in Oakwood and elsewhere in Dayton. You may want to shoot him a PM, or else I'll dig it up in a couple of days.

4. Tipp is a good, long drive from WPAFB, probably about 35 min. It's also pretty narrow-minded, FOX news style conservatism (native, remember? One of the few raving liberals that made it out alive ). If that's your thing, you'll be quite content, otherwise, Dayton offers a lot more bang for the buck and more tolerable people.

[dayton_ohio]

Visant -- to your question, Oakwood political beliefs vary. I'd say that it leans to the "upper middle class" moderate/progressive side, but there is a mix. I saw far more Obama signs than McCain signs in the last election, and Oakwood feels more liberal than the surrounding areas because of the large number of college professors, doctors, and lawyers who live here. People in Oakwood tend to get more passionate and divided about issues facing Oakwood than about the hot-buttom national issues, although there are exceptions.

If you want older homes, great schools, educated neighbors, safe streets, walkability at all hours and all places, and responsive government officials, then Oakwood is a great place to live, at the cost of higher taxes and expensive-to-maintain older homes.

[JefferyT]

Oakwood political geography of the recent past (does not include the 2008 Presidential election):

Oakwood in Red & Blue

[Daytonnatian]

^Thanks for pulling that thread up. What a great read

[willabee]

Originally Posted by visant

Thank you for your answers. Sounds like parts of Dayton proper and Oakwood fit the bill in terms of walkability.

Oakwood is walkable only if you live near Far Hills where the shopping area is, I guess it's Oakwood's downtown area? But Oakwood, Kettering, and most neighborhoods in Dayton are really only somewhat walkable.

Bottom line is there probably are very, very few places that would be considered truly walkable from a big city perspective. Example: When I lived in New York I didn't own a car and never missed one. Everything I needed was in my neighborhood and only a few short blocks away from my apartment. I could go to the grocery store three blocks away, shop, pay and have them delivered to my door step. I could get anywhere in the city and many places outside of the city by train. Basic rule of thumb is the closer you live to Manhattan the more walkable it is.

My point is if you live in Dayton you will need or really want a car. If you don't have a car, no doubt it's a lot tougher to depend on those who have one, or the RTA. This is more true in Dayton's suburbs. By the time you get to places like Tipp City and Troy you are in the boondocks. Having a car is a requirement. It's funny to me to even see these places suggested as walkable. I guess they are walkable if you live near the tiny little downtown areas and never leave town.

[smile42]

Tipp City is actually very walkable, thank you very much! The original poster asked for locations including restaurants, library, coffee chops, parks, etc. In that sense, Tipp is ideal.

Yes, you need a car to get outside the community for things like the Airport, the Greene, etc. However, I live in the historic district (which is not that tiny) and can walk to the following:

- Four bars (one is a sports bar, one is part of an upscale restaurant, one is part of a more family style restaurant, and one is just a straight-up dive bar).

- Five sit-down restaurants serving every level of clientele.

- Two coffee houses. One is straight out of "Friends" . . . cozy couches, live music on Friday nights, desserts for sale, etc.

- Enough shopping that I can easily walk Main Street and find a hostess gift, something for a friend's birthday, etc.

- A used bookstore which keeps going and going and going (lots of little rooms connected).

- A hardware store.

- An internet/game cafe for kids of all ages including everything from card games to Wii.

- An extremely well-stocked public library.

- A tree-filled city park with state of the art aquatic center, high school football stadium, tennis courts, playground, etc.

If I want to walk a little further (up to 1 mile), I also have access to a grocery store, hair salons, chain restaurants, well-stocked wine shop, and two outstanding local eateries (Chin's for chinese and Hickory River Smokehouse which is sort of like City BBQ).

Frankly, the only thing we're really missing is an old-fashioned soda fountain. Anyone want to open one, please?

Oh . . . FYI . . . it's about 25-35 minutes to the WPAFB depending on which entrance you need. Don't follow Google instructions. It's faster and far more scenic to go out Ross Road => Palmer Road => 235/4 => the back way into the base. I used to work at Wright State and enjoyed taking different routes, passing horse farms along the way. It's really very pleasant and a good way to decompress after work. No need to hit I-75 or I-70.

[smile42]

The original poster also asked about crime and political climate.

Tipp has little/no crime. There's probably more than there was, say, 10 years ago, but it's limited to petty thefts, pranks from high school kids, etc. Certainly nothing violent. I regularly walk alone in town at 11 p.m. without fear.

Politically, it's a toss-up. Yes, the voting maps will show you red, red, red. But there are closet Democrats here, and the last election brought that out. The Obama campaign set up a prominent office on the square in Troy (next town north), and many of the volunteers were from Tipp. This is Western Ohio, and you'll find a predominately conservative climate everywhere except Yellow Springs and downtown Dayton! I wouldn't consider Tipp any more "Republican" than its neighboring communities.

It is, however, less racially diverse than the rest of the Miami Valley. At last count, I think Tipp was something like 98.5% white.

"Downtown" Tipp is changing, though. We have many new residents who have chosen to live here, moving from places like Chicago and D.C. because they wanted their children to experience "small town life" with great property values. That's resulted in kind of a breath of fresh air, with lots of 30-50 year olds who are energetic and into building community and organizing volunteer projects. For example, they were the push behind the new Farmer's Market which runs throughout the summer and fall. They've definitely helped balance the "racist, good old boy" network which used to dominate the town.

[willabee]

Still laughing at these tiny little towns being referred to as walkable.

Tipp City is on the north end of Dayton's suburban sprawl. If you live there you are wholly dependent on the automobile. It's nice you have a few nearby amenities that you can walk to, that's a pretty far cry from a walkable neighborhood. In fact the population there is 9,254 - that's REALLY small. Tipp City is a small town, not a neighborhood.

Of course the thread parent asked for walkable neighborhoods in the Dayton Region. That in itself is somewhat problematic. The Dayton region is a sprawled, multi county, conglomeration of small towns and mid-sized cities. The definition of neighborhood makes this an almost impossible question to answer.

Wikipedia:
A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb.

Uhh, how many neighborhoods does Tipp City actually have? You either live in Tipp City or you don't.

Dayton has upwards of 65 neighborhoods. Tipp City isn't one of them.