relocating from Boston to Ohio or NKY

[kitnguye]

Originally Posted by cincyohguy

I think you should check out Montgomery, Blue Ash, and Symmes Township in northeastern Hamilton Co. Sounds to me like these areas are exactly what you are looking for. Commute to Covington on average would be 20-25 minutes. There are a lot of neighborhoods in your price range in these areas and it is in a truly suburban environment, with many newer home. Definitely more suburban( or newer, anyway) than some of the other areas mentioned and the schools are top notch. Also, to follow up on previous posts, saying Wyoming is in the middle of the inner city is absolutely crazy and not true at all. The schools often rank very high in the state and even nationally and the city is also known to be very safe. The community of Wyoming is very affluent. Is the consultant actually familiar with that part of town? Sounds to me he/she is judging the community off the part of 75 that goes through this area. Lockland and Lincoln Heights are two very old village(think 19th century) that border Interstate 75 which some may consider inner city, maybe? , even though the communities really aren't. Maybe from the highway it looks like it is not the best community, but a mile down the road on Wyoming Ave brings you into beautiful, charming Wyoming.

OP, your head must be spinning at this point. I personally love Sycamore Schools as our children have really flourished in this exceptional district. And, you could find some houses with decent-ish size yards in your price range.... maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre. However, I am somewhat skeptical of the 20 - 25 minute commute to Covington. We live very close to 71 and Pfeiffer, and it takes DH at least 24 minutes to get to Cincy Children's in rush hour. Covington would be at least another 10, I would think. On a good day. With no snow. Or Ice. Or Rain. Or Accidents.

I initially was going to suggest Wyoming, also, but the I'm not sure you are going to find much newer construction. You might find a few tear downs here or there, but you are not going to get the new-build, suburban cul-de-sac feel I get the impression you are seeking.

Honestly, in an earlier thread, when you mentioned you wanted a "small-town" atmosphere and mentioned the horse farms, it sounds like to me that you mean "rural". And although Mariemont, Terrace Park, Wyoming and Madeira would be called considered small town-like here on this forum, they are definitely not rural. Or new construction. Truly, it sounds like you need a new consultant who can grasp your needs better.

[ARtoOH2011]

Originally Posted by ruby32

Can I ask what towns in OH you are considering and why? thanks

Ruby,

We looked at Mariemont, Terrace Park, Madeira, Loveland, & Montgomery just this past weekend. My situation is a little different from yours in that my kids are teenagers. We do not need the big yard anymore and we are looking to downsize. Currently we have a 3000 sq ft home and could do with less. We have only one year left before our oldest leaves for college. We are open to a smaller home in need of renovations. We did that when we lived in Attleboro, MA 13 years ago and made a nice profit on our house when we sold it 3 years later. For that reason, Terrace Park was our favorite area. It had a Cape Cod feel for us.

Anyway, my husband will be commuting to Forestville, OH - right near the KY border (or so I think). We have a son in competitive gymnastics and the only game in town for boys is Queen City Gymnastics up near Blue Ash. We are trying to balance my husband's commute to work and our commute to the gym.

Before you buy, I would say to visit the schools. We knocked Loveland off of our list that way. Just didn't get the right feel from their high school (just my personal opinion). Loved Sycamore HS - felt very welcoming. Liked Mariemont too. It felt like a private school. We did wonder how welcoming Mariemont would be to newcomer though. Thoughts anyone?...

I would say pick your school district first. I believe it will make a difference when you go to sell. If you haven't already done so, check out [url="http://www.schoolmatters.com"] and [url="schooldigger.com"]. Then go to each school's web site and do a LOT of reading!

[kitnguye]

I also wanted to mentioned that you can find a WEALTH of information about school districts here:

Ohio Department of Education Interactive Local Report Card

Schooldigger and greatschools are fine to get a general idea of school reviews, but I personally find their ratings a bit suspect. When we lived in Savannah, GA, my daughter allegedly lived in a 9/10 school district according to greatschools.net. When we moved into Sycamore Schools in first grade, she was severely behind most children (though to be fair, GA schools are #49 out of 50).

Anyway, the linked website allows you to download a ton of information in spreadsheet form. You can sort by County and rating. It also lets you slice and dice all test score information for various grades. As somebody who likes empirical data, those spreadsheets were invaluable when evaluating school districts.