Is St Bernard right for me?

[workerbee1]

St. Bernard is what it is because of the services they offer. Having their own police, fire and service departments is what keeps this, now village, a clean and safe community. They have been able to keep most of the undesireables out and with the economy turning around, the development of the old Nu-Maid plant by P & G and improving the housing stock I think people are crazy not to give St. Bernard a good, hard look.
The location is great; not even 10 minutes from downtown, UC, Xavier and all the hospitals in Clifton, it is definitely a must see.
They have parks, a pool, fitness center, adult and children summer and winter activities and all for prices that are not found elsewhere. [mod]link removed, please read the tos[/mod]
Also, where else does garbage get picked up twice a week and yard waste and recycling once a week for no additional fee. They also provide a calendar to all homes each year with all the information you could possibly need. It just never stops.....it is truely a diamond in the rough!

[goyguy]

This thread revival is more welcome than some are. For St Bernard is one of those "hidden gems" you think everybody knows about but few seem to.

Lately there's been a lot in the media about the massive I-75 widening project. People tend to not appreciate how much damage highways can visit upon a neighborhood. (If they saw Evanston before and after 71 tore through, or southern Newport pre-471, perhaps they would.) St Bernard's firehouse on Vine St practically scrapes the side of the expressway now. Should construction go forward as planned it'll be demolished. The ball fields just past there will probably feel adverse effects too. And anybody who lives along or around West Ross Ave might as well get out while the gettin's good.

Point of info - update: The IGA on Vine St is now a "Shur-Fine" market, still a magnet for all who need and want to pinch pennies for groceries.

[CincyEnthusiast]

I grew up in Hartwell and the first time I saw St. Bernard, it reminded me of home. I just rented a house to a family in St. Bernard and all she could do was rant and rave about the area. They have their own school district and everyone walks to school, as there are no buses. You can get a remodeled 3 bed, 2 bath home for under 100k. It is definitely a diamond in Cincy and worth checking out.

[NDXUFan]

Roger Bacon, a second rate high school, I think not. I have been around St. Bernard for most of my life, starting in the early 70's and my Dad grew up in St. Bernard in the 40's and 50's. My Dad and sister moved out of St. Bernard because of the lack of children in the area. For example, St. Clement had over 700 students in my Dad's day and now, it is under 200 students, I believe. My niece and nephew were attending St. Clement and it was very difficult to make friends because of the extremely small classes. I have many happy memories of St. Bernard, going to the 4th of July Fireworks, watching the Old Great Roger Bacon Band and the Bier(Beer). If you are not aware, in the old days, St. Bernard was German and Catholic. However, I am not sure, if Roger Bacon is the same school that it was in the 70's-80's. At RB, during those years, students were pushed and pushed hard in sports and the Band. If you were not disciplined and did not have your act together in the band, you were going to be out the door.

RB '86

[NDXUFan]

Originally Posted by CinciFan

My dad grew up there, and I went to highschool there. We absolutely love it, and we want to move back someday.

It is definitely a working class white neighborhood. It amazes me the reputation that St. Bernard gets due to its proximity to Avondale and Bond Hill. Out in the suburbs, people think its ghetto. One visit and you will see its the exact opposite. It is a very safe neighborhood, and people look out for each other. Some of the suburbs that are considered safe have higher crime rates than St. Bernard.

As was said before, it is probably 90 percent white. Everyone knows everyone in town. If you do move there, a great place to meet the locals is Chili Time (especially on Fridays during Lent). The town has great parks. The pool is only a few years old, and Ross Park is very nice.

Roger Bacon is by no means a second rate high school. Most of the students are second or even third generation. I went there, and it is a great school. We just didn't want to go to an all boys school

In summary, St. Bernard is great. It is very safe and in a very convenient location. Most of the homes are very old. Some of the ones along Mitchell, including our old house, date back to 1895. That being said, there are new homes in the Angels Way subdivision where OLA used to be (On Bertus Street at the top of Leonard Avenue). They are preparing to build more new homes where the Bertus Street park is now.

One thing you may want to avoid is moving to a place on the streets immediately around Roger Bacon. There is next to no parking at the school, so students and visitors park on the surrounding streets and have been known to block driveways from time to time.

RB was a great all-boys school that is how I think of and remember it, for the most part. My sister was lucky because the year that she was going to be a freshman, RB went co-ed in the '84-'85 school year. Roger Bacon was a school of excellence with great people, one of the happiest memories of my life.

For Men of Bacon, Win or Lose,
ARE MEN OF VICTORY!!!!!

RB '86