Working Downtown (by Stadium) commute times? (Cincinnati, Kent: rent, neighborhoods, magnet schools)

[Britty_Brits]

I would like a commute of under 30 minutes. I need a good safe family friendly place to live.

We'll rent up to $1200 each month, preferably a home. Suburbs are preferred. Good schools are important, big yards would be nice.

Also, if we live in Kentucky and work in Ohio, do we pay two sets of taxes? How does that work?

Thank you. I'm slightly terrified of moving.

[Britty_Brits]

Also, if there is a property management company you can recommend, that would be fantastic.

[progmac]

what do you consider a big yard?

a big yard, good school, and low cost, and a 30 minute commute is a tall order. you'll have to settle for three out of the four, i think.

[Britty_Brits]

Let's scratch big yard.

[progmac]

the next big decision is whether you want to be in the city and part of CPS. CPS is, by big city standards, a respectable district. but it has a lot more poor kids with uncaring parents then you'll find in some of the suburban districts. there are a variety of magnet schools that test competitively with suburban schools with more diversity. for younger kids, there are several montessori schools within the system. this is a plus for parents who want a montessori education but don't want to pay for private school. there is also a german-language school (all curriculum in german) and several others.

you can live in the city limits and still be twenty minutes from downtown in a streetcar suburb family-friendly kind of environment. not "suburbia" by any means but not stacked up urban either.

to have a true 30 minute, door-to-door commute downtown during typical rush hours, you will be looking at living in a city neighborhood or an established (older) first or second ring suburb, probably built 1920-1960.

generally speaking, commuting along 75 is to be avoided, 71 is much preferred. crossing the river isn't ideal but a lot of people do it.

hopefully those general parameters are helpful.

where are you moving from? what are you looking for in a community? how old are your kids?

[Britty_Brits]

Thanks so much!

We are moving from North Idaho, a really really small town. We've lived a lot of different places and there are pros and cons to each, we're not very picky - other than we haven't especially enjoyed high traffic, super urban areas. It's nice to not have traffic now, but kind of a pain to have to drive over an hour to get to Target/Costco.

Would you not recommend Northern Kentucky because of the traffic over the bridge? Is it backed up a lot? Just as a reference, does anyone know what the commute is like from the Blue Ash area to downtown? We could spend more on rent or have a longer commute if we find an area we like.

My kids are 5 and 3. The oldest will be starting Kindergarten in the fall (public school).

[Wilson513]

Moving to a new area must be exciting.

Here is a link to our local traffic cameras:

Current Cincinnati Cameras

There is also an interactive map but you will have to find it on the Artimis web site because it doesn't seem to have its own URL. Don't be discouraged. Tonight is pretty ugly here and when you see the video it might freak you out. Don't worry. This a beautiful place to live.

[kjbrill]

When you get out to Blue Ash you are talking maybe a 30 minute average commute. It is a very nice area with good schools. Like many Cincy suburbs there will be an older, more modest area and a larger newer and much more expensive area which filled it out. If you can find a property which meets your pocketbook it will be a good fit.

If you live in KY and work in Ohio, you will likely pay City income tax in ohio, first dibs is where you work. State and other taxes would be KY. I would definitely consider NKY to hold down the total commute. Take your time and research everything before you decide.

Like I am advising everyone, get on Google Maps and enter Cincinnati, Ohio. You will get a nice map of the area. With a bit of pan and zoom you will get a feel of how the Ohio River snakes through the entire metropolitan area. There is absolutely nothing straight about the Ohio here. It is the major influence on everything. The river valley itself is a gorge, cut by the river and the reason Cincy is called the City of Seven Hills. As you gravitate away from the river the elevation raises and becomes more of a flat plain about 20 miles away in either direction.

Take your time and nagivate around. If you move here you will be glad you did.

[progmac]

this might seem like a paradox, but it some ways i have found living in a small town to be more like living in a city neighborhood or (theoretically, I haven't lived in such a place) the walkable core. small town life and "typical suburban" life are very different, in my opinion. especially if you come from a small town where you can walk to everything or where you could walk to everything but you drive anyways but it is only a three minute drive. i grew up in an ohio "small town" (under 10k) and lived in a western "small town" (under 2k) and i am more comfortable in a walkable but not super dense city neighborhood than an auto-based suburb. this is for a couple of reasons, ranging from what i see as a greater degree of conspicuous consumption out in the burbs (although no worse than some of cincinnati's richer neighborhoods) to the still startling combined six lanes of road in front of wal mart. other people disagree and there are shades of suburban life and shades of city life that appeal to different people. in a suburb, you can have a nice quiet lot tucked away, in the city you are more part of a neighborhood (you can of course have that in a suburb too)

i have managed to post a lot of text without ever directly offering advice. certainly consider northern kentucky. the bridge isn't a deal-breaker, but it will add to your commute times. i'd defer to someone else to recommend particular places over the river, though.

-- oh and my example above leaves out the other kind of western small town where things are actually very spread out.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by Britty_Brits

Also, if there is a property management company you can recommend, that would be fantastic.

Everyone; please DM Brity_Brits with recommendations for property management companies to avoid advertising complications. Thanks!