relocating from Denver to Centerville (Dayton, Beavercreek: houses, neighborhoods, school district)

[marianne1952]

Hi there!
Can anyone tell me a good area to live max 35min outside Centerville? We are looking for a "rolling hills/country type area where we can have at least one acre. Schools unimportant since we are empty nesters (exept for the dogs. )Want to be as far away from urban sprawl cookie cutter neighborhoods.
Thanks for any info!

[Pathwalker]

You may need to be a bit more detailed regarding what you're looking for. Anything more specific than rolling hills/country and being away from the suburbs?

What about housing costs? Do you want a view...ie. how "rolling" do you want the hills?

Right off hand, I'm thinking Waynesville, Lebanon, Morrow, outskirts of Xenia. Basically look at a map and find I-75, US 35, and I-71. With the exception of Mason on the southern tip, you'll see a wedge-shaped area of the region between those interstates that is relatively open to you.

From Centerville - taking traffic into consideration - if you try to go west of I-75, you're risking more than a 35-minute drive, although it's conceivable you could find something in that general direction around Gratis. To the north, you won't get too far through Dayton before you're more than 35 minutes away. You could try up near Cedarville, or Clifton, but those places are on the other side of Xenia and you might be pushing it. If I were you, I'd focus down near the Caesar Creek State Park area - perhaps Oregonia. Very pretty area, and lots of open land.

Good luck!

[wrightflyer]

Other mentions should also go out to Clearcreek Township and Sugarcreek Township. However, these can be more expensive, so if price is a high factor, then it might be harder. Sugarcreek Township is just east of Centerville, which begins west of Wilmington Pike, and Clearcreek is south of Centerville on the other side of the county line. Sugarcreek plays host to the Little Miami River and its resulting valleys/hills. Also, the homes here are generally newer, but not of the cookie-cutter variety. I'd say stay as far away from Springboro in Clearcreek and I-675 and the Wilmington Pike Corridor in Sugarcreek.

Another possibility is southern Beavercreek Township near the Little Miami River. Lots may be smaller here, but the housing is nicer and more custom. If your in Xenia, stay as far away from the city line as possible, since they are on an annexation spree and many of the new developments are those dreadful foundation, sticks, and glue kind (as in cheap and on top of each other). Otherwise, WCRob has covered many of the areas south and east of these.

[marianne1952]

Thanks so much guys! No , price is not important (well up to a point ...in comparison to CO OH is soooooooooo reasonable!!!) I see for 500.000 one can get a palace and even for 300.000 nice places to get!!!

[Pathwalker]

If price really isn't that important, then I would highly recommend the Waynesville or Lebanon areas. Good luck!

[Crew Chief]

Marianne1952, I live in Washington Twp (adjacent to Centerville and shares resources such as fire dept. and schools) We live in a nice subdivision where the (well built) houses were finished in the late 1970's Average price: $200,000. Mostly ranches with some tri-levels. Most are 3 bedroom, around 2200 sq. feet for the ranchers. We've lived here for four years now and love it. Our feeling about Centerville/Washington Twp is that they are fiscally conservative and but spend money on truly necessary things. School, fire/police and roads levies usually pass here (and I don't believe they are outlandish...) Our school district is one of the best in Ohio. Haven't lived here as long as the others, but the other areas mentioned look nice, as well. Best of luck in your search!

[marianne1952]

Thanks again guys for the very usefull info!
one more question...are the winters bearable or are they as annoying and damp and cold as the northern east coast?

[Alecia]

Winters are usually what you think of when you think of winter: cold, snowing, grey.
If you want to live near Centerville, the first thing I thought of was Yellow Springs, it has a country area to it and a small-town area to it, but it's extremely liberal and has a lot of hippies.

[Pathwalker]

Truth be told, winters in SW Ohio tend to fluctuate a lot. One winter might be rather warm, with barely any snow. Other winters are brutally cold and we get hammered. But mostly when we get snow (which is NOT as often as people seem to think), it's rare that we get more than 3-5" at one time. Yes, there are times when we get more than that, but more than anything in recent years, the winters have been predominantly warmer than usual, and there is a lot of cold rain as opposed to ice and snow. Temps generally hover around the mid-30's in winter around here. That doesn't mean it doesn't get bone-chilling cold. It's just not that often, and certainly not the norm for our winters.

Bottom line is this.....yes, we can get very cold, and yes we get snow from time to time. (And yes it is predominantly grey, I admit that.) But it's not a constant all-winter thing. It's nothing like the winters in the northeast.

[Ohiogirl81]

Another interesting little area along those lines is Spring Valley, which is east of Centerville near Caesar Creek, and north of Waynesville. Spring Valley itself is teeny, but there's lots of open space around it. It's pretty country.

The winters in SW Ohio are nothing like the Northeast. No nor'easters where it rains for days and days and days and ... oops, sorry! You get more sunny days in the winter in Ohio, and less rain/snow. Ohio is less damp and gloomy in the winter, overall.