Areas near Wright-Pat (Kettering, Beavercreek, Centerville: section 8, real estate, homes)

[HIgirl]

Again - you guys have all been great with the info. Thank you!!! We look forwrad to arriving out there and driving around the different areas that you have all recommended.

My husband and I were talking last night and he mentioned the two main items that he would like - if possible: a short drive to work (which Beavercreek seems to have) and the ability to walk to restaurants, coffee shops, movies, etc. Is this possible in any of these areas?

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by HIgirl

Again - you guys have all been great with the info. Thank you!!! We look forwrad to arriving out there and driving around the different areas that you have all recommended.

My husband and I were talking last night and he mentioned the two main items that he would like - if possible: a short drive to work (which Beavercreek seems to have) and the ability to walk to restaurants, coffee shops, movies, etc. Is this possible in any of these areas?

HIGirl, most of the upsacale eating/shopping is close to I-675; the Dayton Mall at the South end and Beavercreek has The Greene (a new development that combines shopping, dining and apartments in a new approcah to the old "town square" idea. The Mall at Fairfield Commons is also in Beavercreek and must have just about every retailer known to modern man in the mall or adjacent to it. The Dayton Mal has countered The Greene with development at the front of the mall area and other retailers are renovating/moving into areas along Miami-Centerville Road (OH 725). So between Beavercreek And Centerville, every psooible retail need you could ever have will be satisfied!

The short drive to work is possible from both places, but Beavercreek is closer to the base.

[smile42]

Oops! Sorry, wrightflyer. Correction: Tipp and Troy are Miami County. Beavercreek is Greene County. Centerville, Kettering, Vandalia, and Huber Heights are all Montgomery County. Springboro is Warren County.

[smile42]

HIGirl - Depends on what type of restaurants, coffee shops, etc.

Crew Chief is right. Beavercreek probably gives you the best combination of a short drive to the base plus all the "chains." Between the two mall-type areas, you can drive to Fleming's, Cheesecake Factory, several mega-plex movie theaters, Ann Taylor, Nine West, Abercrombie, Michaels, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc. But, within walking distance? Not really, as most of the subdivisions are not within walking distance of The Greene or Fairfield Commons. Definitely within a short drive, though.

If you prefer a house in town or a subdivision on its outskirts, both Tipp City and Troy both offer very walkable downtown districts.

Troy has a small first-run movie theater, several great restaurants (La Piazza is especially good for an Italian bistro feel), the public library, an Irish pub, an awesome throwback-style diner, and a neat coffee/sandwich/ice cream shop called Night Sky.

Tipp misses out on the movie theater, but the downtown historic district has wonderful restaurants (Coldwater Cafe and Harrison's (broken link) are great), a cozy coffeehouse with awesome desserts, a deli, a fun breakfast spot (Sam & Ethel's), lots of artsy/antique stores, the public library, barbershops, bars, a family-owned ice cream shop, pizza, two parks, an aquatic center, the high school's football/soccer stadium, and a corner grocery for last-minute items. On most Fridays during the summer, you'll find live music out on the sidewalk outside the Hotel Gallery, and several shops stay open late to accommodate the restaurant crowd. Great atmosphere!

Oh, and Yellow Springs also has a very walkable downtown within easy striking distance of the Base.

Good luck!

[wrightflyer]

That's ok. It's not that I have a burning hatred for Montgomery County (Greene would be another rural corn county if not for them). Just in case people are searching Montgomery County and can't find Beavercreek, but it's probably mostly an OCD thing. Thanks though:-)

[wrightflyer]

And in case it slipped through somewhere (it may be in here or another thread), DON"T forget to go to Young's Dairy. It's a wonderful dairy farm with cafeteria dining as well as a seperate casual restaurant. While not in walking distince to Yellow Springs, plenty (of brave) bikers make the treck up US68 from the bikepath to visit.

[JefferyT]

a short drive to work (which Beavercreek seems to have) and the ability to walk to restaurants, coffee shops, movies, etc. Is this possible in any of these areas?

Oddly enough, that would be Yellow Springs. They have all that, restaurants, coffee shops, and indy movie theatre, and so forth, all within walking distance of the surrounding residential areas. The housing is older, but its a real town, not a big suburb. You could live in the outlying streets in YS, and bike in to the main street, if you dont want to walk that far.

And the commute to WPAFB is a very quick, traffic-free drive down Dayton/Yellow Springs Road.

The problem with Beavercreek is there is no "there" there. It is just a big suburbia...office parks, shopping centers, a big mall, etc, and you have to to drive everywhere. Nothing is walkable in any reasonable way.

[HIgirl]

Thnx for all of the info. Beavercreek, Centerville, Kettering and Tipp City sound really great - all for different reasons. I also have to consider the opportunity for me to find a job that is not too far from home.

I never even considered Yellow Springs until JefferyT mentioned it. I know you mentioned it was a quick drive - but how quick is it?

Can't wait to get there so I can visit all of these great areas.

[wrightflyer]

Not more then 10 minutes. 20 if its bad weather, you're stuck behind farm equipment or you hit every light on the way.

[JesseMVMI]

HIGirl:

The low-down from me:

Beavercreek is over-rated, you may stand a chance with the home values going down the dumps across the country, but Beavercreek is simply a "fad" around the area. Homes there are probably over-priced by 30-40%, the property taxes there are simply outragous and it's tured into an Suburban sprawl of traffic.

Yellowsprings as someone mentioned is a "liberal Hippie acid free-love" town, probably one of the last ones of those left in the country. Good place to go visit/hang-out, but their home prices are really expensive (more than Beavercreek).

Fairborn is a "transient" town (aka military), so no one has taken the time to invest in it. I live out in the county towards Yellow Springs (But have a Fairborn mailing address) and can't complain one bit. Home prices and values here are really good. Take for instance my home, in Fairborn it's a $225,000 home on 2 acres in a sub-division (Twin Towers is what the area is called), take that same home and put it in Beavercreek and it's a $350,000 home. Our school system is improving also.

So for more "bang for your buck" the suburban area towards Yellow Springs but still with a Fairborn mailing address is the way to go. It's actually affordable. But hey, if you want to be a slave to your home, Beavercreek and Yellow Springs are perfect.

Wright Patt is 5-10 minutes away (according what gate you go through) Downtown Dayton is 20 minutes, Springfield Ohio is 15 minutes, Both Columbus and Cincy are 1 hour. Beavercreek (aka the "Mall") is 10 minutes.

God luck finding a place

Jesse