Moving to Dayton.. Help? (Columbus, Kettering: hardwood floors, apartment, rentals)

[AdamandKim]

Hi all. My husband and I are moving to the Dayton, OH area for his job. We are interested in living in the city of Dayton, but have some concerns about the best areas to live in.

We have a 3 year old son, so elementary schools are important to us. It's my understanding tha the Montgomery school system has some issues are far as being 'successful' is concerned.

Does anyone know of Dayton city schools which are ok.. pulic or private?

Also... buying a home in the city of Dayton... best areas for a couple, in their 30's, white, urbanized, into older historical or victorian homes that have been updated?

Another question we have is just to the North and West of the city... we have been interestd in the following areas: Troy, Tipp City, West Milton and Yellow Springs.

Cany anyone elaborate which area would maybe best suit us if we are looking to find average to above average schools and nice communities?

Beavercreek is just a little above our price range for now.

Thanks for everyones time and assistance!

[wrightflyer]

Congrats on the transfer. Right now I can tell you that many people I know who've come in from DC, Northern MD, and NOVA have loved this area for its quality of life in comparison with the DC metro. In terms of prices though, many of the areas you have listed have numerous home price options, thus if you could give a price range, that would help us in our advice.

First, the schools in Ohio are setup in a different manner to those of DC. Instead of each county having its own super-district with numerous high school pyramids, each municipality runs its ownb school district. I'm guessing when you mean 'Montgomery Schools' you mean Dayton. Yes, you are right in being suspect of Dayton's schools. They had been improving, but a recent levy defeat has sent them an uncertain outlook. You would be better off in the suburbs you listed. The exception is if you sent your child to a private school. I'd say the most credible are the Catholic Schools but these can be expensive. Personally, it would be a better investment to live in a suburb with an older central core then to live in Dayton and spend money on private schooling.

Still, if that is ok with you, I recommend the neighborhoods of South Park, St. Anne's Hill, and the Oregon District. All of these are historic neighborhoods in the City of Dayton with DPS schools. South Park is your best bet as it is the more up and coming but with a large helping of community support. In terms of housing, its probably the best investment for the money. It's surrounded by a growing university corridor with the regional hospital, US-35 on the north, and Wayne Ave to the east. Some of the neighborhoods to the east can be so-so (but nothing compared to SE DC). On the other side of US35 is St. Anne's Hill and the Oregon. St. Anne's is even more up and coming and is surrounded by more so-so areas then SP and the Oregon. The Oregon can be nice but IMHO, way overpriced. Like I said, South Park is the way to go.

All of the cities you listed have above average to excellent schools. The first three can be described anywhere from suburban/exurban to redneckish and all highly conservative. Yellow Springs is the polar opposite. It is hippie, liberal heaven. Of these, Yellow Springs is the overpriced one, especially for an updated home of age. Since you said you can't really afford Beavercreek, I'm just going to say you won't find much unless it's a fixerupper in YS. The other three could offer better prices with an established community pride and good schools. Beavercreek is great, and many of its older (1940's-1950's) homes around Longview Ave. in what is called Knollwood can be found at decent prices. Especially compared to similar suburbs like Centerville.

I'm sorry this is so long and I hope it helps. Again, good luck with the move!

[newguynp]

Dayton? Just moved out of Ohio to CT. I am sorry...go to Columbus for good shoping.

[dayton_ohio]

Kettering might be a good choice. It's a "city" feel with decent schools and extremely reasonable home prices. Oakwood is worth the premium if you can swing it -- best schools in Dayton and great civic pride. It's like living in the city of Dayton, but without all the issues. Kettering is a lot like Oakwood (you can hardly tell the difference in some sections), but the schools are not as highly regarded.

Wrightflyer is right (no pun intended) on Yellow Springs... charming in a weird, somewhat outdated, but nice enough hippie way. I wouldn't live there unless I really needed to be among kindred liberal spirits... it's kind of far to commute into Dayton every day, in my opinion.

[dharma]

We are unexpectedly relocating to the Dayton area from California. Any good leads on finding house rentals that accept pets? We have a dog and a few cats. A yard is highly important. Kettering, Oakwood or Beavercreek would be great. Yellow Springs is probably a pipedream.

[dayton_ohio]

The Dayton market is somwhat depressed overall - so you should have no problem finding plenty of rentals.

If you have any interest in buying, you can find very livable 2 and 3 bedroom homes in Kettering or Oakwood for around $150,000 -- charming, with hardwood floors, and decent yards. If you don't have kids, you also would buy VERY reasonably in the city of Dayton (for $100,000-120,000, you could buy an older 1000-1200 square foot house in a decent part of Kettering or Dayton).

Yellow Springs is not expensive at all compared to California. You should be able to find rentals in town that allow cats and dogs at an acceptable price.

[gentlearts]

I can highly recommend Centerville, south of Dayton. My daughter, husband and their three children live there. I am SO impressed by the school system and sports programs for the children. It seems there is a well maintained sports complex or park on every corner. My grandchildren are grade school age and have participated in organized programs for little league, football, soccer, tennis, tae kwon do, scouts, gymnastics and others. The oldest participates in a gifted program at the school.

All the neighborhoods I've seen are attractive. There are many nice stores and restaurants, and the location is right off a major highway (675).

I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for, but it seems like almost everyone in Centerville is in their 30's, college educated, has 2-3 kids, and lives in a pretty neighborhood.
Hope this helps.

[wrightflyer]

I'd have to say the wonderful thing about SW Ohio is its choices in housing. Within 30-45min, your sure to find anything you want. Of course that means a little research, but then that is why you are probably hear. Centerville is also a lovely area. If you want newer, stick with Centerville, Springboro, Sugarcreek, and Beavercreek. For older homes, most can be found in Kettering and Oakwood. Then there are the northern suburbs which I'm not as familiar with. There can be a lot of pretty country up there and its generally cheaper then the more sprawling south and east suburbs.

Check both cbdaytonrentals.com and remax.com (and search for Dayton). Both have listings of homes for rent. Apartment Guide has many of the area complexes and their details, photos, and floorplans. Later this summer we're heading back to DC for family and cannot wait. What I can wait for is the traffic and hotel prices.

[AdamandKim]

Your reply was very helpful. We are leaning toward the northern suburbs becuase it has many historical/vitorian style homes we are interested in and the price is right too... however I plan on looking in to Centerville too.

This will be our first home purchase and after living in DC for the last 8 years and being 30 and not being able to afford a home, the Dayton area will be a welcome change of pace and cost of living.

Have fun coming back to DC. Not sure when you were here last, but all of the construction, fixing the mixing bowl (95/495) interchange is now complete and traffic flows much better.

Thanks again!
Kim

[JefferyT]

For small town charm and older houses, the older parts of Brookville and Trotwood would be good, and the older part of Clayton. I also highly recommend Germantown and perhaps Miamisburg for great older homes...Germantown especially. That town is in excellent condition given its age.

If you want some high quality reproduction victorian/trad style houses check out a new developement..the Village of North Clayton..off of US 40 just west of Englewood. This is a New Urbanist type of development, and the houses they are putting up are quite nice.

Even further north, north of the county line, Tipp City would be a good choice.

Centerville does have some older homes in the side streets around the "four corners" area at the heart of town, but they are more of the 1940s/early 50s vintage (there are rows of old houses on the main streets that cross at the four corners, but they have been converted into shops and offices)

Though suburban this older part of Centerville is quite nice and also quite walkable.