Interracial Families: Best Neighborhoods and Schools? (Glendale: crime, home, private school)

[progmac]

A good parent will have equal success in College Hill or Indian Hill or Mason or South Fairmount. Lots of us parents value the environment that a city neighborhood can offer and stand strong through challenges their particular community may be facing. If I was moving to Cincinnati and looking for a good place to raise a family, I would be happy to end up in College Hill (EG) and disappointed to end up in outer green township. I am sure for others it would be the opposite. But on this forum we offer our advice and try not to insult each other. It is ultimately up to the individual to actually visit these neighborhoods, cities, and areas and make the choice that works best for them.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by progmac

A good parent will have equal success in College Hill or Indian Hill or Mason or South Fairmount. Lots of us parents value the environment that a city neighborhood can offer and stand strong through challenges their particular community may be facing. If I was moving to Cincinnati and looking for a good place to raise a family, I would be happy to end up in College Hill (EG) and disappointed to end up in outer green township. I am sure for others it would be the opposite. But on this forum we offer our advice and try not to insult each other. It is ultimately up to the individual to actually visit these neighborhoods, cities, and areas and make the choice that works best for them.

I agree there's nothing inherent to LIVING in College Hill that should cause parenting problems (although I sure wouldn't let my grade-school age kids stroll the thug-infested Hamilton Avenue business district unattended). But given adequate financial resources, it strikes me as pretty irresponsible to choose, say, Aiken High School over someplace like Indian Hill or Sycamore for your child's education.

I grew up in "outer" Colerain Township. As a child I studied ballet with Suzanne Farrell's sister at the old Conservatory, music with one of Cincinnati's most noted piano teachers at the time in Clifton, and was at the symphony most Saturday nights it played from about my freshman year of high school on. I had friends from all over the city and spent plenty of time at the art museum.

I'm curious exactly what you value in terms of parenting in the environment of a "city neighborhood" that would be obviated by living in Green Township.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

I grew up in "outer" Colerain Township. As a child I studied ballet with Suzanne Farrell's sister at the old Conservatory, music with one of Cincinnati's most noted piano teachers at the time in Clifton, and was at the symphony most Saturday nights it played from about my freshman year of high school on. I had friends from all over the city and spent plenty of time at the art museum.

Now that's an impressive factoid right there I'll say.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

Now that's an impressive factoid right there I'll say.

LOL. It'd be a lot more impressive if it were Suzanne herself. Not that it did much good, anyway.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

I agree there's nothing inherent to LIVING in College Hill that should cause parenting problems (although I sure wouldn't let my grade-school age kids stroll the thug-infested Hamilton Avenue business district unattended). But given adequate financial resources, it strikes me as pretty irresponsible to choose, say, Aiken High School over someplace like Indian Hill or Sycamore for your child's education.

I grew up in "outer" Colerain Township. As a child I studied ballet with Suzanne Farrell's sister at the old Conservatory, music with one of Cincinnati's most noted piano teachers at the time in Clifton, and was at the symphony most Saturday nights it played from about my freshman year of high school on. I had friends from all over the city and spent plenty of time at the art museum.

I'm curious exactly what you value in terms of parenting in the environment of a "city neighborhood" that would be obviated by living in Green Township.

I was doing my best to say we need to accept that different people like different things. I don't really want to rehash city versus suburbs in this thread. For me and my family, the city is about walkability and diversity and those things are important to me.

That is fantastic that you took advantage of all the City had to offer. Would also living in the City have helped or hurt those experiences?

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by progmac

I was doing my best to say we need to accept that different people like different things. I don't really want to rehash city versus suburbs in this thread. For me and my family, the city is about walkability and diversity and those things are important to me.

Fair enough. And I certainly agree the city vs suburbs thing gets discussed to death. I'm still just trying to figure out how you can't get walkability and diversity for your family even if you live in Green Township.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

LOL. It'd be a lot more impressive if it were Suzanne herself. Not that it did much good, anyway.

Well, Suzanne was what, the best female ballerina in US history? Not bad. Sort of like studying physics with Einstein's brother. Not bad.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

LOL. It'd be a lot more impressive if it were Suzanne herself. Not that it did much good, anyway.

Thanks for sharing something about your cultured youth--very impressive! ( Suzanne Farrell's fame as a premier NYC ballerina is legend, but how many people know she grew up in Mt. Healthy?)

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by motorman

Thanks for sharing something about your cultured youth--very impressive! ( Suzanne Farrell's fame as a premier NYC ballerina is legend, but how many people know she grew up in Mt. Healthy?)

My parents came from Appalachia when I was 2 years old, because they wanted me to grow up in a large city and have educational and cultural opportunities they hadn't. When I wrote that post, I wasn't so much thinking about sounding impressive as I was wanting to make the point that sometimes the stereotypes about people based on the type of setting they choose to live in are unwarranted. Really, you can have any kind of life in the suburbs you want.

Actually, I would never make the compromise my mom and dad did: in order to live in what felt familiar surroundings, like country to them, my dad especially ended up with a punishing work commute. After he was gone, I'd have given anything if I could have somehow given him back all those hours he spent on the road the whole time I was growing up: two every day on a good day.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by progmac

I was doing my best to say we need to accept that different people like different things. I don't really want to rehash city versus suburbs in this thread. For me and my family, the city is about walkability and diversity and those things are important to me.

That is fantastic that you took advantage of all the City had to offer. Would also living in the City have helped or hurt those experiences?

I don't think it would have made much difference. As it was, I grew up in a place of seclusion and safety, where the kids could circulate among each others' homes without parental supervision in a country setting. The tradeoff was the long commute times to get to lessons, clubs, etc., even the church we attended.

For better or worse, diversity in the sense people talk about it now wasn't much on the radar back then. I think if parents want to expose their kids to people of differing backgrounds, or specifically to people of lower socio-economic circumstances, there are plenty of ways to do that even if you live in the suburbs. And that for some people in an urban environment, just living in the city is an easy way to give lip-service to the notion of diversity. Not suggesting that necessarily applies to you; I don't know you.