Areas around Dayton? (Kettering, Fairfield, Huber Heights: real estate, military, job)

[gjs]

I may take a job in the Dayton area, I checked out dayton on the net and found the city not so appealing. I know there are areas around Dayton that have nice communities but could use a little help with finding them.
I'm looking for housing under 150k ( 3 br. 2 ba. ) nice neighborhood with tree lined streets or just nice neighborhood in general, good schools,a few nice parks with kids in mind, biking trails,pool,picnic areas,play ground,etc.... SAFE area, shopping or mall 15 or so minuets away.

[Crew Chief]

Hi GJS! Many of the suburbs of Dayton would probably be to your liking. Take a look at some of the other threads that HIGirl started; she's done a really good job of looking at our area. Just off the top of my head; Tipp City, Huber Heights, Beavercreek, Kettering, Fairborn, Riverside, Centerville/Washington Twp (among others) might be a good fit for you. Ask away with any specific questions.

[OH Deb]

Vandalia, Englewood & Troy would also fit in the list above. Dayton for the most part (suburbs that is) is rather low key. Not tons of nightlife or anything like that. But certainly a good place to raise a family.

Most of the mentioned communities have great parks and schools. Best of luck with your search.

[applejack]

I would suggest Oakwood. They have all the items you are looking for: Excellent schools (204 in the nation according to Newsweek), wooded area near the city, parks and bike paths, 15 mins from "The Greene" which is a new outdoor mall, low-crime but still only 15 mins from downtown. Every thing is within walking distance including schools, shopping, groceries. Downside is higher than average taxes, some people consider it a little snooty. I moved here from out of state and am moving again so I happen to be selling a house like you are looking for (3 bed, 2 ba) in the area for $150k so there's plenty to find in your range in that area.

Most of the stuff here is pretty accurate if you want an idea of what you'd be getting into.

Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good Luck!

[gjs]

Thanks for all the replies concerning the Dayton areas, I will check into all the mentioned towns that you all gave me. Also I noticed that the real estate taxes vary from town to town even if they are close in distance to the other, 1.1% to 1.6%
Personally I think anything above 1.0% is high, my Real estate taxes are 0.7% in Virginia. Are there any other taxes that I should be aware of?

[1+1=5]

Not sure about the real estate taxes, but wanted to chime in about Tipp City, Troy, Vandalia are nice areas north of Dayton. We moved here from Michigan and have lived in Tipp City for 14 years now; we love it. Good luck!
I think the overall cost of living here is very reasonable.

[wrightflyer]

While I can't give you percentages on the real estate taxes between cities, I can tell you that they can be a little high in the nicer communities. But don't let that be a let down, since most everthing else here in the cost of living category is cheaper than most of Virginia. An obvious example is housing costs.

As far as a community that you described, I'd recommend all the above. But I'll point out Beavercreek in detail. I've lived here 18 years and have enjoyed most of it. While some people (older residents) dislike the growth, most people are welcomed as many are military transfers, some like myself coming from NoVA. There are plenty of 3bd 2ba brick ranches on the market, most in older neighborhoods with mature trees and larger lots. These mainly range in the 140-170K range for the community. One neighborhood that might fit your bill is Woodhaven.

There are numerous parks throughout the city, including a YMCA with indoor pools, a lake, walking trails, playground, shelters, and tennis courts. The schools rank up there in the highest state category. If you push your kids to excell, there are plenty of honors and gifted programs throughtout K-12. Shopping is also another thing Beavercreek is well known for in the area. Both the Fairfield Commons Mall and The Greene reside in Beavercreek making almost any store no more than a 15 minute drive in traffic.