Between Cincy and Dayton (Cincinnati, Hamilton: to rent, crime, cheap home)

[Toxic]

My husband and I are contemplating moving to the Dayton or Cincinnati area. We have job prospects in both places. We would like to live between the two, for various reasons. Can anyone give me some insight on what town between the two would be the best family-oriented? Where are the best schools?

Any help is appreciated, as always. Thank you.

[Pathwalker]

Hands down, West Chester or Liberty Township. (I'm not saying this just because I live there.) Lakota schools are among the best in the area. And it's incredibly family-friendly. Growth here is booming. West Chester is right in the SE part of Butler County, near great shopping, restaurants and other family-friendly amenities. Liberty Township is next to West Chester, to the north along I-75. If you have any specific questions about the area, let me know.

[Ohiogirl81]

If you want a small-town feel, instead of the overgrown cornfield subdivisions (sorry, WCRob ... but that's just my opinion) I'd suggest Lebanon or Waynesville. Lebanon is smack in the middle between Dayton and Cincinnati. It's a beautiful, historic town, with plenty of civic activities, churches, community groups, etc., but even still it can be kind of insular. If you have kids in school, though, you're likely to not feel that way (I was just out of college when I lived there). Lebanon's schools have always been top-notch.

Waynesville is closer to Dayton, and much smaller and much more rural. The schools are smaller as well. Waynesville also has a number of active churches, civic groups, etc. The Little Miami Trail and Caesar Creek State Park are nearby. Dayton is about 25 minutes away; Cincinnati maybe 40 minutes.

Good luck to you!

[Pathwalker]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

If you want a small-town feel, instead of the overgrown cornfield subdivisions (sorry, WCRob ... but that's just my opinion) I'd suggest Lebanon or Waynesville. Lebanon is smack in the middle between Dayton and Cincinnati. It's a beautiful, historic town, with plenty of civic activities, churches, community groups, etc., but even still it can be kind of insular. If you have kids in school, though, you're likely to not feel that way (I was just out of college when I lived there). Lebanon's schools have always been top-notch.

Waynesville is closer to Dayton, and much smaller and much more rural. The schools are smaller as well. Waynesville also has a number of active churches, civic groups, etc. The Little Miami Trail and Caesar Creek State Park are nearby. Dayton is about 25 minutes away; Cincinnati maybe 40 minutes.

Good luck to you!

It's okay, my feelings aren't hurt. (Although West Chester isn't all overgrown cornfield subdivisions. LOL! That seems to be a big misconception about this place. I certainly don't live in one.)

I actually thought about Lebanon and Waynesville, but didn't know what the schools were like. I DO know that Lakota is one of the best, and is very family-oriented, so that's why I went with it.

[Toxic]

Thank you for both suggestions; I appreciate them and will look into both.

My grandmother grew up in Lebanon and my great-grandmother lived there until the early 90's, when she moved to Eaton. Whenever we visited the area it seemed boring to me, but that was ten - twenty years ago! I was hoping someone would give me more info about that area! It would be nice to move "home", so to speak.

Thanks again, and if anyone else has any other info about the area I'd love to hear what you have to say.

[Tinkerboom]

For whatever it's worth, my boss lives in Waynesville, and the schools there are very top-notch; small classes, and very big on keeping the parents informed and involved in their child's education. I will say though that there are definite "clicks" in the town, even among the adults...there is a lot of money in Waynesville, and a lot of half millon dollar and up homes.

Best of Luck

[dayton_ohio]

Lebanon schools don't rate that highly (check greatschools website) -- they are slightly above average, but not quite at Lakota or Mason levels.

You also could check out Springboro -- the rapidly growing southern suburb of Dayton. Home prices are a little cheaper than in northern Cincinnati, and the schools are probably the 3rd or 4th best in Dayton. You also could look at Centerville in Dayton -- excellent schools, but much closer to Dayton than Cincinnati.

For something very different, you could check out Hamilton or Middletown -- very cheap homes, but schools aren't great and crime can be an issue. You also could consider Oxford -- schools are average at best and housing prices are a little higher, but it's a college town if that is your thing.

[wrightflyer]

I find these roads work best when moving between Dayton and Cinncy. Since you are planning on living between the cities, I'm assuming one is working somewhere north of Cincinnati and the other somewhere in the south Dayton area. If it's any further, you should stick to a suburb close to I-75. However, if I'm right in my assumption, I would recomend anything along the Route-48 and US-42 corridors. Most of the schools along these routes have been covered. Still, as Warren County grows, I've noticed upticks in travel times, so be prepared to commute around 30 minutes between a middle point (Lebanon) and either northern or southern suburbs.

[Toxic]

Thanks to everyone for the information; wrightflyer, you are correct somewhat in your reasoning. Actually, my husband is working for an installation company that services both Dayton and Cincinnati, so we wanted something in between that would help with his travel times a little. Though I fear that is an evil he will just have to learn to live with.

I'm narrowing my options, and like the look of the Warren County school district, which seems to consistently get excellent scores. But we would like to rent for the first year, and I am having a hard time finding open housing in both those areas.

I'm going to keep my search up. Thank you all, again, for your help.

OH, another thing; this may sound silly, but my ex (who lives in Fairborn and has lived his entire life in Dayton) is concerned about the Lebanon area because of it's proximity to Otterbein and the prison. Any thoughts on that?

[wrightflyer]

The only major concern I can recall about the Lebanon Correction Facility is that it's overcrowded. I don't recall any major riots or escapes. I guess it's just personal preferance on how close one wants to live to a prison.