Areas near Wright-Pat (Columbus, Dayton, Springfield: property taxes, housing, rent)

[babyguke]

We live in northern Huber Heights (north I-70) and our neighborhood has a lot of military families. It is about 10-15 minute drive to the base from here. We have some friends living in base housing in the Mad River School District. They are actually pulling their children out and home schooling them this coming year! The houses are fairly nice, lots of row housing! Good luck with your move.

[kingwaffle]

Bellbrook is nice.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by HIgirl

Thank you everyone with your great replies - very helfpul. Crew Chief - about how many minutes away is Centerville from WPAFB? I believe WrightFlyer said 30 minutes. We were also considering living on base; is housing on base or is it an off base location?

Hope you all had a safe and wonderful Independence Day!!

HIGirl, Wright Flyer has it right; about 30 min from most parts of Centerville (However, if you live close to I-675 and are like many of the NASCAR Wannabes that pass me there, it could be quicker...) I (unfortunately) was never stationed at Wright-Patt, so other board members probably are a better source of stuff about the base. (As will your sponsor, hopefully...)

Thanks for the assist, Wright Flyer!

[HIgirl]

Again, thanks for the replies. We really want to live as close to base as possible, in the best neighborhood that we can afford. Beavercreek is looking really good right now. One question - how is the job market in that area? I am trying to get a job on Wright-Patt, but if not, I wouldnt mind working where I live. Is that a possibility or is it mostly residential?

[wrightflyer]

Ok, as I said, with the incoming BRAC jobs, the area is expecting about 400-500 or so contractor and support positions. In what seems to be unrelated to BRAC (or at least indirectly), CSC (Computer Science Corporation, a government contractor) is adding hundreds of jobs to Beavercreek. Some are moving from an office currently in Fairborn, but most will be hired following the completion of a five-story office building on New Germany-Trebein Rd, near the Fairfield Commons Mall. The Acropolis (again near Fairfield Mall) is another office park which houses numerous contractors of varying sizes. The developer has had so much success, he's building three other complexes in the area (two of NG-Trebein and one on Col. Glenn). All will be as big, if not bigger then The Acropolis. Northrop Grumman has a couple of locations in the area. So does SAIC. While not as large, GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics have a smaller number of employees here. Again, this is all in Beavercreek.

One other mention. The Miami Valley Research Park is finally developing in Beavercreek. The rest is in neighboring Kettering. Woolpert, a local but strong contractor, is anchoring a small complex at the SE corner of Shakertown and County Line in Beavercreek. Also, Beavercreek has no city income tax. Thus, if you live in Beavercreek and work in Beavercreek, you pay no income tax. But, be aware that property taxes are high (the one high cost of the area), but not as high as Centerville or Oakwood. Overall, I'd say that if you have experience working in Defense or most engineering fields, the chances of finding a white-collar job off base in the private sector is pretty good.

[JefferyT]

If you live in the unincorporated areas around Centerville, you wont be paying city income tax either. No city income tax is probably one of the strongest selling points for Beavercreek to transplants coming from lower-tax states, aside from the convience to the base (though there are traffic jam issues with all the growth there now).

I think Fairborn would probably be OK too, but you have to look closely there as there are some real redneck areas. Oddly enough the better parts of Fairborn are actually the old neighborhoods, off of Central Avenue, or Xenia Drive. The 1950s subdivisions tend to be crackerbox, and then there is "Little Kentucky".

[HIgirl]

After all of your comments, etc. I really think that Beavercreek sounds like a great place. However, as a "back-up" area, I was thinking about Centerville. Any specific thoughts on that area? Do they have newer housing (built after 1995)? Any nice, devently priced sub-divisions that I can look into? From what I have read, the school system is excellent - so no need to report on that. If there is another area that you think I should look at - then please let me know. One more question for you . . . is it not common to have a fenced in backyard? I have been loooking on realtor websites and it does not look like it. Also, yards look huge!

Thanks in advance for any advice !!!!

[smile42]

Hello!

To the original poster . . . I know you've considered Beavercreek and Centerville mainly, but also take a look at Miami County. Instead of traffic on the interstate to get to Wright-Patt, you'll have about 25-30 minutes on peaceful country roads instead. If you Google the base, you'll see Route 4/235. Just follow that north, and you'll have access to Miami and Clark County communities like Tipp City, Bethel Township, Elizabeth Township, Casstown, New Carlisle, etc.

Miami County has lower taxes than Montgomery County (where Beavercreek and Centerville are). It also has a little slower pace, traditional small towns with tree-lined streets, quaint shops, etc. Crime is nearly non-existent. Tipp City and Troy are both easy to reach from the Base, but also located on I-75 for convenience. There's a great YMCA, all the stores you need (Lowe's, huge groceries, Meijer/Wal-Mart, etc.), and lots of chain / family owned restaurants.

You asked about fencing in another post, and I think you might find upon closer inspection that a lot of people are moving to the invisible fencing option for small pets. It seems to work well, and that's why you don't see so many divided backyards.

Property-value wise, you'll find Tipp a tad more expensive than Troy. The country areas East of Tipp are a little less expensive, with more land. The kind of subdivisions you're talking about with 1995+newer houses are all over the place here. Just go to Realtor.com and type in zip codes 45371 (Tipp) or 45373 (Troy) for examples.

You didn't mention schools, but for what it's worth -- Tipp has a fantastic reputation in the state for both academics and athletics, and the town really gets behind the school system. Troy also has great results and pride, but they're a little bigger (30,000+ residents).

For more info, try: Visit Tipp City and Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau

Without taking anything away from Beavercreek & Centerville, I'll say that they give you the typical suburban experience you can get anywhere. Tipp and Troy offer more traditional Midwestern charm. Depends on what interests you more -- the mall and traffic or locally owned shops and quiet streets.

Also, to the posters who downplayed Mad River Schools near the Base . . . keep in mind that the Mad River district (technically Riverside) is VERY different depending on what neighborhood you live in. Most, if not all, of the base housing students attend Beverly Gardens Elementary which boasts very strong test scores and was just rated Excellent again. Spinning Hills Middle School has won national awards, and Stebbins High School has been a pioneer in mixing career-tech and college prep programs. They also have a really nice Freshman Year program that helps kids adjust to high school, and they implemented a small-college-like honor code about fifteen years ago with tremendous success. Learn more at Mad River Local Schools :: Homepage.

Thanks for the great conversation, everyone. And for those of you who are moving here, welcome to the Miami Valley!

[wrightflyer]

While this is not important to the forum, it is more of a geographical note that Beavercreek and its township reside in Greene, not Montgomery County.

[Crew Chief]

Smile 42, excellent post! I once took the back way from the Meijer warehouse to Medway and LOVED the scenery, I wouldn't midn living up there (even though we're very happy down in Centerville!)